The Angels of Evernow

I hate that I finished this book. Why, you ask? Because it's Heidi Catherine's last entry in The Kingdoms of Evernow, and that means the series is over! There's no more of it to read! WAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!

The Angels of Evernow is a worthy ending to a marvelous series. In this book, Princess Lily of Forte Cadence is in the kingdom of Feldspar, where she's been since she was kidnapped. She was one of the children forced to work in the mines, digging for precious stones for the Queen. Then one day, the King plucked her from her work to be daughter to the Queen, her precious Angel. Lily lives in a lighthouse that serves as the Queen's bejeweled palace, isolated from everyone and everything except the King and Queen. Although she goes by the name Angel, she has never forgotten who she is and where she comes from, and she yearns desperately to return home.

In the other four kingdoms, there are some having visions of Lily, and they know she needs help. We see Micah (sister of King Jeremiah, Forte Cadence), Raphael (the Alchemist of Wintergreen), Azrael (the Sands of Naar), and Pip (Princess Philippa of the Bay of Laurel) and her Guardian, Griffen, join forces and set out to rescue Lily. Each of them will play a vital role in the quest.

The five Kingdoms of Evernow each relate to a particular sense, and Feldspar relates to the sense of sight. Lily and Raphael see each other through visions. The stones the children mine glitter and shine, appealing to the sight (but they're kind of hard and uncomfortable to touch, showing us that just because something is pretty doesn't mean it's gentle or good).

I won't tell you all of the story. Heidi Catherine does a far better job of that than I could ever hope to do. I will say that this book, this series, is well worth the read. We see characters overcome hardship, battle insecurity, learn their true worth, and find out what family really means. There's action and intrigue and romance. There is at least one twist to the plot that I didn't pick up on ahead of time. And I will say this: there was more than one point in the story that had me in tears, and I am not a crier. Ms. Catherine weaves a powerful spell with her words, and that spell bring out some mighty strong emotions. I am so pleased to have had the chance to read her work, and I'm sad because there is no more of this series to read. I feel like I'm saying goodbye to friends.

Read The Angels of Evernow. Read the entire series. It is so, so, so good. I would give it ten stars if that were an option.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary advance copy from the author. All opinions here are mine, and I don't say nice things about books I don't actually like.