Only when the darkness falls can you see the light of the stars.For thousands of years, the scribes and singers of the Irin race have existed to protect humanity and guard the gifts of the Forgiven. They have lived in the shadows. They have kept their secrets.
But the Irin aren’t the only race with secrets.
Ava and Malachi have found each other, but wounds as deep as theirs don’t heal overnight. While the Irin world struggles to correct the power imbalance left by the Rending of the Irina, Malachi and Ava struggle to connect their past with their present.
The Fallen may scheme, but Ava has found her power and refuses to be an angel’s pawn. And while Malachi may have forgotten his history, the scribe’s relentless search for answers leads both him and his mate to the heart of the Irin power structure in Vienna, where knowledge is guarded more closely than gold and those with power will do anything to keep it.
Malachi and Ava have survived the darkness, but will they ever discover its secrets? A powerful cabal of the Fallen may hold the answers, but to surrender them, it wants the Irin race to finally face their enemies. Both those coming from the outside, and those raging within.
THE SECRET is the third book in the contemporary fantasy series, the Irin Chronicles, and the conclusion of Ava and Malachi’s journey.
Comment: This is the third installment in the Irin Chronicles trilogy by author Elizabeth Hunter. I've read the previous two books last year and I've waited for this book to be published, then I couldn't get to it right away but I thought I would finish at least this series this year still. I knew some fellow readers had enjoyed this one so I was confident it would be a good story and thankfully, I was proved right.
In this third story, Malachi and Ava are going to face the ultimate battle between the evil Grigori and the Irin. But battles aren't only demonstrations of skill in the fighting ground, to be successful they need all the help they can get. Many secrets are uncovered in this final story and the fates of many characters are on the line.
Ava is still learning to cope with has happened and her newfound powers and is even more eager to find out more about her ancestors. And Malachi knows he needs to protect the woman he loves and his fellow Irins and scribes. Will they be successful at last?
I just finished this book. This is a good conclusion to the adventures of Ava and Malachi and the fate of their friends. I think the author did a good job planning and organizing the facts into each installment and manages to tell a story convincingly without dragging it forever. She has confirmed other Irin stories will be told and I hope they will feature some of the characters we've met here.
After the last book, very high on the emotional side of things, I hoped this one would be a bit more stable in terms of emotions and thankfully things are ok with the main couple so I could enjoy their journey without worrying about their happiness. Also amazingly perfect was the lack of lengthy descriptions from the villains' POV, something I always dislike. In a way, the whole book was thought about and I think it had a good conclusion, leaving enough little details open to allow for more stories without making it a necessary continuation of this one. I really have hopes for a couple of characters I'd love to see having a HEA but without the burden of a trilogy...maybe the author could write about them in single books.
Ava and Malachi are a good couple. I think we see that even better in this book than we did in the others. I liked the almost easiness of their relationship, how bonded they looked and how that helped them both. Of course they face challenges, for Ava about what it means to have so much power and how that affects her and what other might expect, and Malachi needs to face his limitations but also strengths because of his bond with Ava. There was balance in them and I think that wasn't only because of the author's intention, she clearly wrote bout them in a way to make them suit, but their personalities seem to have gained importance and stability here too.
The plot is very clever ad filled with surprises. I admit I still feel confused about some rules and how some beings can follow a certain pattern and other don't and some names are similar which confuses me, but apart from that, I enjoyed the way things happened. I also liked the importance of secondary characters and how this wasn't Ava and Malachi against the world. The plot itself has many interesting details and beings and paranormal original ideas and I was also glad for the twists and fulfilling details that aren't there just because, I liked how everything seemed to have a purpose.
The writing is easy and fluid most of the time and that helped in wanting t keep reading and knowing more.
I really loved Austria's descriptions and the fact the trilogy was based on Europe, how fascinating after countless - expected - series featured in America. I wanted to visit Austria for a long time, now even more.
All in all, I liked this book. I liked the final scenes a lot, especially after the good guys won - surely this is not a spoiler! The little snippets of the characters' everyday lives are wonderful and make me hopeful for more books set in this world. maybe Kostas can be next, I reaaally wanted his story.
This isn't perfect, but very close to it.
Grade: 8/10
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