Robin Bridges

Katerina Alexandrovna, Duchess of Oldenburg, wants to forget that she ever used her special powers and pursue her dream of attending medical school but is under imperial orders to remain at finishing school where she can be kept safe from Russia's arch nemesis, until the protection spell unleashes a vengeful ghost within the school.

The unfailing light

Savindi Jinasena

Cover Gushing Worthiness:I think Trish Parcell has done a wonderful job with the cover design and Michael Frost’s jacket photography is beautiful. I like the wisps of smoke appearing behind Katerina. The Midnight Blue is also beautiful, although I do think Katerina’s dress steals the show. The pale Pink and high waist of the dress suits Katerina and the embroidery work done on the dress is gorgeous.

Review: As you know The Gathering Stormwas one of my favourite reads of the year and I’ve been looking forward to the release of The Unfailing Light ever since. I was so pleased when I received an ARC for this book and I’m happy to say that I wasn’t disappointed!

The events in The Unfailing Light are set less than a month after those that took place in The Gathering Storm. Katerina’s plans to attend Medical School in Switzerland are thwarted after the return of Konstantin the Deathless. Katerina’s return to Smolny institute is where the story truly kicks off.

In terms of the plot, I do feel like some of the Sub-Plots did overshadow the larger story arc. I don’t see this as a negative aspect in regards to the book because the sub-plots were strong in their own right. The larger story arc surrounding the ghost at Smolny was a bit rushed. I only say this because the sub plots took prominence throughout most of the story and while we do get several glimpse’ of the story, then suddenly ‘Bam!!” and we’ve reached the conclusion. Not that the conclusion wasn’t explained well, it was, but I would have liked to see some more depth to it. The plot behind the larger story arc is a clever one, you realize how good it is at the end, however I think it could have been executed a bit better.

I want to give credit to Robin Bridges for creating a wonderfully vivid and fantastical world within Imperial Russia. I love the subtle battles between the Light and Dark Court aristocracies as they battle for supremacy and power. The history and the attention to detail Bridges has provided on Imperial Russia, the architecture, fashion, music and dance are nothing short of elegant and magical. Despite all the intrigue surrounding both courts, I think I’d like to be a part of this world. I admit though, I’d rather be a dormant Necromancer than a Vampire, if it’s possible of course;).

While I appreciate all the research that has gone into this book, I had some minor issues with it. I would have liked to have had Family Trees for all the aristocracy, so I could keep track of who was who and which court they belonged to. A glossary containing definitions of all the supernatural creatures mentioned in The Unfailing Light. For example when I saw the words “lich Tsar” I immediately googled it because I had no idea what the speaker was referring to. Like I said, these are minor issues and they did not hinder my enjoyment of the book, although I think they would have been very helpful.

Personally I do feel that this book is a filler in the trilogy. Because of its ‘filler like’ feel to it there is a lack of character development in this book, especially on Katerina’s part. Then again what I had to keep in mind while reading this book was that the events are taking place less than a month after The Gathering Storm, so how much more can a character mature in a span of a few weeks? I admit that as the story progressed I was disappointed that we didn’t discover anything new about Katerina’s necromancy powers. While she displayed strength in character, there were times when you wished she would mature a bit more. I was disappointed in the lack of Dariya’s (Katerina’s cousin) presence because she was one of my favourite characters from The Gathering Storm. Even when Dariya did appear alongside Katerina , she was cast in an unfavourable light; as if she was unworthy and not to be trusted. I do hope that we get to see more of her in the final installment of the trilogy.

The inclusion of Princess Alix was another aspect that I liked in this book. I liked her character in The Gathering Storm and I really hoped that she would be in this book. So my wish did come true! After Alix was introduced I wasn’t exactly sure if I would like her, but towards the end of the book I did warm to her. Another character that I was surprised to have a rather small soft spot was for Elena, the Princess of Montenegro. Elena and her sisters made me shudder in The Gathering Storm because of their wickedness. She did redeem herself somewhat in this book though.

The love triangle of Katerina, Prince Danilo and the Grand Duke George is very much alive in The Unfailing Light. We see a lot more of Danilo than George and I found the interactions between him and Katerina fun to read. Danilo is quite sly and cunning, which makes for a good villain. I hope we get to see more of him in the final book. The moments between Katerina and George were swoon-worthy in that Aristocratic Magnifique way and I’d like to see how their relationship develops in the third book. While I like both Katerina and George , I’d like to see more substance and depth in their relationship. I’d like to know their own hopes, fears and dreams. By this I think I’m leaning towards learning more about George because yet again I feel like he’s an under-developed love interest.

The ending of The Unfailing Light took me by surprise and it adds a nice twist to the events that are taking place in Katerina’s world. I think the book ended in a way that allows Robin Bridges to not only develop Katerina’s character, but also the important secondary characters.

Overall The Unfailing Light was an enjoyable read. I was happy to enter Katerina’s world and see Imperial Russia in a magical way. I will say that because this book is sort of like a filler for the trilogy it didn’t quite reach the amazing scale I hoped it would. However because of the jaw dropping ending, I will undoubtedly pick up the final installment in the trilogy

My Rating: 4/5

Would I recommend it? Yes

The Unfailing Light hits the bookstore shelves on October 9th, 2012.

Thank You to Random House for providing me an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.

If you'd like a chance to win a copy of The Unfailing Light See the review on my blog!

The unfailing light

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