5/5 Stars
Scorched Treachery (Imdalind, #3)-Rebecca Ethington
Rereading Scorched Treachery in a packed Starbucks was a lesson in self-control. The urge to cry happened far too often to be comfortable with an audience. Several times I had to reel in my emotions and pause in reading. But was it worth it? Yes, every single, glistening-eyed minute.
Also, Soul of Flame is available on Amazon right NOW. Go get it! Soul of Flame
UPDATE: Now that I’ve read Soul of Flame, which is insanely awesome BTW, I can officially say that so far Scorched Treachery is my favorite in the Imdalind series. What that says about me, well, I haven’t the faintest but I guess my reading tendencies have taken a turn towards the dark side.
We spoke with the subtle movements of fingers, a kiss a promise, a glance-a vow. Soon the language of touch was not enough to say what we wanted to say, so we settled into each other, content to hold hands and stare, happy to simply see each other again.
***
Something deep inside of me was pleading for me to accept that this was hopeless, begging me to save the water for myself, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t abandon him. I would sacrifice myself for him until the very end. Half for me and half for him. Always.
***
I would do anything to protect her, to help her, to let her become what she wanted and needed to be. I would give her my heart, if that were required. She had it until it beat its last.
***
I would protect her for him. I will keep her safe as my soul calls for me to do, but I will never take her from him. She is not mine. I love her more than I have any other. I love her enough that I would rather see her happy than in my possession. My time will come.
Plot: Scorched Treachery is told from the alternating perspectives of Wyn and Ilyan and takes place during the events that occurred in Eyes of Ember (for my review of Eyes of Ember–>Review).
From Goodreads:
While Joclyn is trapped in the tormenting hell of Cail’s mind, the battle around her only continues to grow and spread.
*
Edmund has infiltrated the underground hallways of Prague, guiding the massacre that would end the lives of the last of the great magical race. In her attempts to stop him, Wynifred has been captured and her magic restrained. Chained up in the ancient dungeons of Prague, her fate is left in the hands of her father, who has tried to kill her before.
With Ryland’s screams and Sain’s fragmented sights as her only company, Wyn must rely on something that has been hidden deep inside of her for centuries to help them break free.
*
Ilyan’s whole life has been building up to one purpose. Protect the Silnỳ. He knows what he must do, and he has no doubt in his ability to do so.
But when his father’s magic removes Joclyn’s mind from her body, he is left protecting the shell of the one person he loves. Desperate to find a way to break her free of her prison, he makes a choice. And that one choice changes everything.
Now, Ilyan finds himself bound to Joclyn in a way that he never knew to be possible.
They say that blood is thicker than water, but Black Water burns, and Ilyan’s heart may not be strong enough to keep it pumping through his veins and give the girl he loves back into his brother’s care.
Even if he can, it may not be safe to do so.
PROS:
- Wyn. I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for this spunky, fiery, energetic whirlwind of a character. Her personality is just so full of life and that sarcastic brand of authenticity that would have even the strongest of men running for cover under her pointed glare. She’s completely compelling. She has so many layers of personality. In some ways she’s like a teenage girl, painting her walls, jamming to her favorite music, watching B-movies, and gossiping with Jos but in others she’s so feisty and smart. She’s quick on her feet and always planning in the most creative, risky ways possible. Her perseverance, her struggle to stand up for what she believes in, to not back down, to take the punches and bravely face whatever in thrown at her is just so remarkable. Wyn is a lesson in what it means to fight against all odds, to never give up on your hopes and to always, always have faith in love.
- Wyn’s (yes, she most certainly does deserve multiple bullet points) life story is devastating. Heart-breaking is too weak of a term for this. I don’t think I’ve ever cried so much while reading before. I mean wow. Her story is so twisted, full of lies, and cover ups. Everything she thought was real is tossed up in the air and comes crashing back down to slap her in the face. Her memories are traumatizing, her time spent with her family is filled with deceit and paralyzing fear and so much evil. Seriously, winner of most devious family award. I don’t think I’ve seen any group as maddeningly vicious and vindictive since Bellatrix Lestrange and her crew of Death Eaters.
- The revelations are huge. Opinions will change and you’ll be forced to question everything you thought you knew about some of the characters.
- This is the first time you really get a taste of what’s going on in the beautiful mind of Ilyan’s and ladies, get ready to swoon. If you thought you loved him before, you have no idea. He’s so level-headed, so self-sacrificing, his heart is so open and full of purpose and love and beauty and light. And his thoughts are like poetry. You FINALLY get to experience his feelings towards Jos, his desperate need to protect her, to cherish her, and to bask in her presence. His sections are like poetry and a military manual combined. They flow between wonderfully sentimental to focused and calculated planning for the fight against Edmond.
- The plot. While I’m not usually a fan of what is already a great story being retold from another character’s POV this is clearly the exception. While the plot does take place during Eyes of Ember and does contain several events that having read the previous book you will be well aware of, the majority of this book is new, it’s what went on that we didn’t see in the last book, in the peripheral. Ilyan’s scenes, although they’re familiar, his unique vision and interpretation, his emotions make each scene feel new and rejuvenated. We also get to see what Ilyan was up to when Jos was trapped in that horrible place.
- There are a few graphic, violent scenes that some may be apprehensive to read. There is torture and blood and lots of hurt but it’s written well and saturated in deep emotion and thoughts that really shape the characters and their actions in Soul of Flame.
- The evil. Sometimes you read a book and you get to the villain and think, that’s it? You feel let down that the big bad monster was really just some weak little person who hardly even really hurt the characters. Timothy, Edmond, their sidekicks, and Cail are the epitome of homicidal sadists. They’re horrifying, so frightening and what they do to the characters you know and love without batting an eye is so much worse than simply being terrifying, it’s sickening.
CONS:
- There were a couple of typos.
- So much information and heartbreaking revelations were packed into small sections. Sometimes it was too much and needed to be reread. Especially parts about magical elements and their functions.
If you liked any of the following, you’d probably enjoy this:
Happy reading,
-BB
