Name: Bound
ISBN: 9798590500628

D.D.  Larsen

Bound

actual rating 3.5 

Bound concludes The Academy Series, it was definitely a rollercoaster of emotions. Jamie is struggling with trust and a lot of inconveniences at once. Having accepted that Wren is her mate, Jamie is in for a whirlwind of events that she finds herself on a mission looking for answers.

 The wrap up was definitely unexpected, there was more action in this book than there was romance. The story was definitely driving by the plot, not that that is a bad thing of course. I would have loved to see more of the evolution of Wren and Jamie as mates. This was truly a fight of emotions for Jamie, she learns to deal with so much at the same time. I loved the support she had from so many of the characters surrounding her. 

I will be honest, I am a sucker for romance in books, I missed that this element was a bit hidden from the stories, but for important reasons which I will not say in order not to spoil anything. Bound was filled with action but it didnt stop the reader from feeling that connection amongst the characters. Jamie is seriously a badass character determined and selfless in a way. 

Cant wait to see what else DD Larsen has in store for us with her future works! If you are a fan of shifters, romance, and adventure The Academy Series is definitely for you!

Huge thanks to the author for sending me a copy of this book! All opinions are my own :)

Shelby Goodwin

I loved to see Jamie fully grow into her wolf and achieve full self-actualization in this epic finale! I'm not big into shifter books, but D.D. Larsen's take on it was captivating and got me more into the genre!

Overall, this was a fantastic conclusion to the trilogy! I can wholeheartedly recommend this series to fans of plot-driven paranormal romances, especially if you love shifters, academy settings, and love triangle romance tropes!

Thank you so much to the author for gifting me a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed above are entirely my own.

Tatiana Alvarez 

Actual rating 3.5

This was a good conclusion to the trilogy. I liked how the story wrapped up and where the characters ended up.

This book is plot driven, which is great! That means it is fast paced an there are unexpected turns. If you are counting on more romances, you would unfortunately be slightly let down. This book is heavier on the paranormal side than it is on the romance side. Which is fine because romantic elements are not everyone's cup of tea!

I was so interested in the binding ceremony and how Jamie grew even more into her wolf. She never lost track of who she was, but she grew with her wolf. I love seeing strong female characters remain strong throughout the series. That is not to say she didn't have her share of problems. 

I think Larsen is a good storyteller who creates captivating worlds. This is definitely a series to add to your TBR. I'm excited to see what we get next from this author.

Maria Elena Vitale Zelaia

Bound was a very exciting conclusion to the series, with a twist that I didn’t see coming! I did have my suspicions that something was going on…but I didn’t expect that. Sorry for being vague, but that’s how it must be done to avoid spoilers. 

This book focuses a lot on plot, and it was also a fast read. We got to see Jacob a lot more in this one, which I enjoyed. I think with this book, he became my favorite character. That being said, while I did enjoy the fast pace, I did miss the romance. For reasons that I shall not name, we don’t see a lot of it, and I missed it. I missed Wren. I’m also happy that the author didn’t go forward with any romantic plotline where Alex was concerned, because this far into the story it would have been a whiplash, in my opinion. Though their dynamic would have certainly been interesting in different circumstances, I think there wasn’t enough time. Besides, Wren and Jamie’s story was built to be an epic love story. They were meant to be together.

Speaking of Jacob, I may be dreaming and wishing for things that won’t be, but a part of me hopes that the author will consider doing a story with him as the protagonist. There’s a dynamic involving him and another character that promises a lot of potential, especially since I feel like said character has a very interesting story.

I really don’t know what else to say without giving away this thrilling conclusion. If you enjoy shifter books, then you don’t want to miss out on this one! With the final book out, these books are a total binge! I know because while I read the first book earlier this year, I inhaled the second and third book in the past week. 

Thank you to the author for sending me a copy. Opinions are my own.

Chiara Vitale Zelaia

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

There’s something extremely satisfying about wrapping up a series after a good binge. BOUND gave me the epic conclusion I was hoping for, while also giving me some things that leave me excited for more, as well as things I wasn’t expecting.

Out of all the books in The Academy trilogy, this one was perhaps the most plot driven. It’s not a bad thing for me, since I can easily read books with a reduced romance element, but it’s definitely something I wasn’t expecting from a shifter romance. I appreciated the action, but I did miss the romantic element a little bit. Against all odds, I grew fond of Wren, so having so little of him in the last book made me a bit sad.

However, I was super glad of the rise of the secondary characters! Jacob was one of my favorites in this last book, and he’d already captured my interest in the previous installment, so I very much appreciated this. I also enjoyed Cass, the new entry to the series. I’m a big fan of witches, and meeting a new one is always cause for celebration. She plays a very big role in the plot of this last book, and she also had a very interesting backstory. I will admit that I’m holding on to hope for a spin-off series starring Jacob and Cass. They both have very interesting stories and give me reason to want more of them. If they’re together, even better!

Overall, I was very satisfied with this ending. There are some things that I would have liked to see in more detail to make the climax flow more smoothly, and as I mentioned before, I suffered the lack of romance a little bit, but the story wrapped up nicely for both the plot and the characters, so that’s always a great plus when reading a finale! Now that the trilogy is over, I strongly recommend a healthy binge to all my shifter lovers!

Thank you to the author for gifting me a copy. All opinions are my own.

Bound

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