Darken The Stars
The Kricket Series – Book 3
By Amy A. Bartol
Synopsis
Kyon Ensin finally has what he’s always wanted: possession of Kricket Hollowell, the priestess who foresees the future. Together, their combined power will be unrivaled. Kricket, however, doesn’t crave the crown of Ethar—she has an unbreakable desire to live life on her own terms, a life that she desperately wants to share with her love, Trey Allairis.
As conspiracies rage in the war for Ethar, Kricket’s so-called allies want to use her as a spy. Even those held closest cannot be trusted—including Astrid, her sister, and Giffen, a member of a mysterious order with a hidden agenda. But Kricket’s resolve will not allow her to be used as anyone’s pawn, even as the Brotherhood sharpens its plans to cut out her heart.
As the destiny prophesied by her mother approaches, Kricket will backtrack through her fiery future to reshape it. For she knows one thing above all else: the only person she can truly count on is herself.
Robin’s Review
***Many thanks to 47North and NetGalley for the opportunity to review an advanced copy of Darken the Stars by Amy A. Bartol. This is my honest review. This review may contain spoilers***
The final installment of The Kricket Series by Amy A. Bartol is now upon us. Darken the Stars has been highly anticipated since readers were left hanging from a veritable cliff in the climatic ending to Sea of Stars. After finishing the final novel of this trilogy, I realize writing a spoiler-free review for Darken the Stars isn’t going to be easy to accomplish, so I am giving readers a spoiler warning. Before I begin, it’s important to mention The Kricket Series should be read in order. Darken the Stars is not meant to be read as a standalone novel.
Readers who have followed this science fiction/fantasy series will remember that our heroine, Kricket Hollowell, is a priestess who has the power to see the future. She’s also a soothsayer who can discern if someone is speaking the truth. Kricket is believed to be the priestess of the prophecy – the priestess born of two worlds and two Houses (Rafe and Alameeda) who will become the Empress of Ethar.
Darken the Stars continues where Sea of Stars ended. Just like the first two novels of The Kricket Series, Darken the Stars is full of non-stop action. The five Houses of Ethar are on the precipice of war. Kricket discovers she is a pawn, caught between two ruthless leaders who are vying for supreme rule over Ethar. She is also being held by Kyon Ensin, a member of the Alameeda Brotherhood who plans to make her his consort, on his tropical island estate. Kricket continues to have visions of the future, where she learns the machinations planned for her and the future of Ethar. With each new vision that occurs, Kricket counters to change future events. It’s a game of chess between warring factions, and Kricket is the pawn, being used by others for their own gain.
Bartol has an extremely creative imagination. But what I find equally important is her ability to express her imagination on paper. She’s an excellent author. When I look back at the content of this trilogy, it’s truly impressive. Amy Bartol created a whole new world with its own vocabulary. She even includes a glossary in the back of her novels to assist readers!
Halfway through the story, I knew Darken the Stars was going to be my favorite novel in this trilogy. Bartol slowly reveals the true nature of each player in The Kricket Series. Kricket learns who has her best interests at heart. People Kricket thought she could trust are not so trustworthy. For me, just learning these characters are not all black and white – sometimes they are gray – gives The Kricket Series more depth.
All Kricket has ever wanted is to be able to make her own choices, to live a life of her own choosing. I’m going to be honest. For me, the conclusion of The Kricket Series is bittersweet. I have a feeling Darken the Stars is going to be very controversial. Everything about this book screams 5 stars! If I knew Amy Bartol planned to write more story about these characters, I would definitely give Darken the Stars a 5-star rating. But I was left wanting more, and the series is finished. So much is left unresolved that it leaves me with no choice but to give Darken the Stars a rating of 4.5 stars. I really enjoyed reading The Kricket Series. There’s no doubt in my mind that Darken the Stars is my favorite book of The Kricket Series, and I’m adding it to my list of 2015 favorites!
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The Kricket Series
Under Different Stars
The Kricket Series- Book 1
By Amy A. Bartol
Synopsis
Kricket Hollowell never wished upon stars. She was too busy hiding in plain sight, eluding Chicago’s foster care system. As her eighteenth birthday approaches, she now eagerly anticipates the day she’ll stop running and finally find her place in the world.
That day comes when she meets a young Etharian soldier named Trey Allairis, who has been charged with coming to Earth to find Kricket and transport her to her true home. As danger draws close, he must protect her until she can wield the powers she cannot use on Earth…and he soon realizes that counting a galaxy of stars would be easier than losing this extraordinary girl.
Kyon knows the powerful depths of Kricket’s gifts—gifts he’ll control when he takes her for his tribe and leads the forces that will claim Ethar and destroy his enemies, starting with Trey Allairis. Now, Kricket faces the most difficult choice of her life: whether to wage a battle for survival or a fight for love.
Winner of four 2014 utopYA Awards, including Best Book of the Year and Best Sci-Fi Book of the Year.
Buy: Amazon / Barnes and Noble
Sea of Stars
The Kricket Series – Book 2
By Amy A. Bartol
Synopsis
Eighteen-year-old Kricket Hollowell was looking for her place in the world when she discovered that the universe was bigger—and more dangerous—than she had ever dreamed. Now, whisked across space to the planet Ethar, Kricket learns that her genetic ability to see the future makes her a sought-after commodity…and the catalyst for war between her star-crossed parents’ clans. According to Alameedan prophecy, one house will rise to power and the other will be completely wiped out, and Kricket’s precognition is believed to be the weapon that will tip the scales.
A target of both the Rafe and the Alameeda houses, Kricket finds protection—and a home—in the arms of Trey, her Etharian bodyguard-turned-boyfriend. But her visions of what’s to come disturb her deeply, especially since she must discover whether the gift of foresight will allow her to rewrite the future, or if her fate is as immovable as the stars.
The highly anticipated sequel to Under Different Stars, winner of four 2014 utopYA Awards.
Buy: Amazon / Barnes and Noble
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Author of Inescapable: The Premonition Series (Volume 1), Intuition: The Premonition Series (Volume 2), Indebted: The Premonition Series (Volume 3) , and Incendiary: The Premonition Series (Volume 4). Currently working on a fifth novel in the Premonition Series entitled Iniquity.
Under Different Stars (Kricket Series Book 1)
Sea of Stars (The Kricket Series Book 2) – (Release date 3/31/15)
The Divided – A Science Fiction Romance short story, which is included in the Take Me To Your Reader: An Otherworld Anthology.
I live in Michigan with my husband and our two sons. My family is very supportive of my writing. When I’m writing, they often bring me the take-out menu so that I can call and order them dinner. They listen patiently when I talk about my characters like they’re real. They rarely roll their eyes when I tell them I’ll only be a second while I finish writing a chapter…and then they take off their coats. They ask me how the story is going when I surface after living for hours in a world of my own making. They have learned to accept my “writing uniform” consisting of a slightly unflattering pink fleece jacket, t-shirt, and black yoga pants. And they smile at my nerdy bookishness whenever I try to explain urban fantasy to them. In short, they get me, so they are perfect and I am blessed. Please visit me at my website: http://www.amyabartol.weebly.com
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