Thursday, September 15, 2016

Review: Endless Knight (The Arcana Chronicles #2) by Kresley Cole (September Sequel #3)

Book info:
TitleEndless Knight  
Author:  Kresley Cole
SeriesThe Arcana Chronicles #2  
Genre:  YA fantasy/post-apocalyptic
Published:  October 1st, 2013
Source:  I purchased from The Book Depository for specific cover

I fell in love with this series a bit late, last month after I was contacted about helping to publicize the release of the 4th book.  Between that and the fact that I am going to get to meet the author in about 2 weeks now, I decided to go ahead and pick it up and read it.  I loved Jack, and couldn't wait to find out where the story would go after the end of book one, Poison Princess, which I reviewed HERE. If you haven't read the first book, you probably should stop before reading any further in this review, and click on the link for the review of the first book.  But here is my review!

We are back again with Evie, or Evangeline as Jack calls her.  Jack has now seen what Evie really is, and he seems to be disgusted by it.  And so he takes off.  Or so it seems.  Eventually he does come back, and soon we find out just how he really feels about Evie.  After what happened in the last book, where it looked as if he kissed the other Arcana with them, we find out what really happened.  In this book we meet more of the other Arcana, some who want to fight Evie and her group, others who seem to feel the same about  possibly ending the game and not killing each other.  And then in the back of Evie's head, Death is still there, watching her every move it seems.  Matthew, the Fool, made a deal with him and owes him, so he lets Death in her head.  When Evie and Jack take their relationship further, Death gets extremely angry.  

We learn that all these flashes Evie is having of her past lives show that she and Death once were more than enemies, more like friends or allies, and maybe even more.  It seems that Death once may have loved Evie.  But who can blame him, Evie is the only person he can touch with his bare hands/skin that doesn't die.  When Death gets ahold of Evie after she is betrayed by one of their allies, going with him seems to be the only way to protect Jackson and the rest of her group. Once at Death's estate, he tells her that he is going to kill her, but never seems to be ready to do it.  He does torture her in some ways.  Puts a type of collar thing on her arm that keeps her from being able to change into her Empress form.  That way he can protect himself, although it will also make it so that at times she will not be able to protect herself.  As time goes by, they seem to be getting back to where they had once been.  But it's not just Evie playing Death to get close enough to kill him, she starts to understand and feel for him in her own way.  But there is always Jack in the back of her mind, and in her heart, and her promise to never leave him.

I loved this book.  And at first I didn't like Death at all, other than the picture on the cover that is.  But like Evie, I grew to see him differently, and to maybe see how she could have feelings for him.  Jack will always be who I love best, but Death will be a close second in this story.  There is the big moment between Jack and Evie that was just perfectly written, it made me feel ALL the feels.  I won't tell you what, I'll let you read it yourself.  Now, I can't wait until I can fit in the third book to read.  And I guess I'll probably buy the fourth book when I meet the author!