Sunday, December 21, 2014

Caris Roane - Gates of Rapture

As a vampire and a warrior, Leto Distra is deadly. But after years of being forced to drink dying blood, he is now part beast—a wild savage thing lurking beneath the surface.  With war on the horizon, Leto is determined to help the Guardians of Ascension destroy the enemy who turned him into a monster. And there’s only one woman who can help him.
Grace Albion is certain that she’s meant to be with Leto, but their future may be cut short by the impending battle. Now Grace must embrace her obsidian flame powers—and bind her powers with Leto’s—if they’re ever going to survive.  With the fate of the world at stake, they must tap into powers they never knew they had…and unlock their deepest passions.
Sexy and thrilling, Gates of Raptures is the breathtaking final book in Caris Roane's Guardians of Ascension series.


Comment: I've had this book to read since May, when I finished buying the series. Since the first book I've became a fan of the series for its imagination and unique world. However, as time went by, despite the good and fascinating parts, I always felt this could be even better. 
Still, I feel happy enough with the reading experience of the books, even when considering this is the final book published by St Martin's Paperbacks, as the author is now self publishing. I hope she can write more stories in this world but if she won't, this book had a good enough conclusion.

This is the story of Leto Distra, he's been a warrior for centuries and until recently he has been a spy in the enemy's side, which made him do and say things he didn't truly felt and that demanded a lot of his soul and now he feels unworthy in a way.
Grace Albion is the mate he didn't think he would have but the magical connection between mates happens between them. After the happenings in the previous book, Grace returns to be with Leto and to fulfill her place in the obsidian flame triad that will be key to destroy the enemy...

I liked this book but honestly there were times I felt the story was dragging a bit. Even so, I feel glad the author managed to give an idea of closure and finish despite her plans to keep up before the publisher told her this would be the end. I understand her position and considering the difficulty and probably the surprise, she did a good job in making this feel finished to the faithful readers who went with her in this journey.

I think all the sub plots were dealt with fine. Of course there were still some issues I feel were left on purpose to the imagination, just a slight thing here and there, but I think this is the author's tactic to keep up the story one day if she wants. If not, things were solved well enough to make the reader feel time was well earned with the story line.

The enemy was defeated in this book. I think some readers might feel his end wasn't the best one after all the things he did throughout the books, but in a way, his end was well served, after all, sometimes death isn't the worst punishment...

The romance was what to expect. Insta-love and connection even after centuries of knowing each other in the distance. I liked the way they felt and were stronger together and how everyone took a part in helping them be happy. This story has a lot of details one has to consider but I believe the author did a good job for the most part. I still think some things are a bit hard to digest, but one has to consider the world created.
There's a lot of sex too and to be honest I kind of skip those parts because they don't tend to add anything we don't know already.

All in all, this was a good conclusion. I don't think this is strongest book but plot wise it offered many scenes that are captivating to read. Plus we see most characters having a role and I think this is always important in a series.
I'll cherish the reading experience of this series and be thankful for its end if so.
Grade: 7/10

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