Introduction: My Thoughts on Endure by Sara B Larson
And the story continues – Endure
by Sara B Larson is finally here. During summer 2015, a sales representative at Indigo Books referred two trilogies to me, and the Defy Trilogy, of which Endure is the final installment, was one of the recommendations. I was so excited when I read the first two books – Defy
and Ignite
– in the series, and I couldn’t wait to read the last book because I wanted desperately to know how the story ended.
Have you read?
Musings and Lessons from Historical Romance
Well, I finished reading Endure last night, and thought what a big letdown, but decided to sleep on it to see if I felt differently in the morning, and I didn’t. Because I know what it takes to write a book, I shy away from writing about a book that I didn’t like. But first, let me talk about what I liked about Endure by Sara B Larson. The book is very well written, and that is always a good thing. I However, the book is a lot longer than it needs to be – it could be at least 50 pages shorter.
What is Endure by Sara B Larson About?
In Defy and Ignite, the main character is a strong female, whom I admire, but in Endure, I am less impressed with Alexa. In the first two books, she is a courageous young woman, this time around, I see someone, who is reckless, taking uncalculated risks, and acting like a martyr – martyrdom is not cool. Friendships are very important, and I truly believe that, so I expect that Alexa wants to attempt to rescue her friend Rylan, who Rafe has kidnapped (Rafe is a black sorcerer, and black in this sense is not the color of his skin, but represents someone who is very evil). Alexa knows that Rafe has the ability to control her mind, letting her do things she doesn't want to do, yet instead of thinking about different scenarios and coming up with a plan as to how she will deal with the sorcerer, she heads out to rescue her friend with insufficient preparation.
I love Alexa’s capacity to think on her feet, especially when the Summoner does not respond the way she and Akio expects. With her quick thinking, and the help of Akio, she is able to kill the Summoner, so he cannot drain her blood to create more black sorcerers. Close to the end of the book, when King Armando and his large troop – the Dansiian army – are set to kill King Osgand’s and King Damian’s army, Alexa quickly hatches a plan to kill most of the black sorcerers, by using the power sorcerers that she has access to, and her plan works. But despite this, I wanted to see more of a young woman, who is using her mind to get out of difficult situations – not this fly by the seat of pants person. There was also too much of that internal dialogue going on in her head. I wanted to see more strategizing on her part.
I found the final showdown in the story anticlimactic. I know that Eljin explained the history of Blevon to Alexa. If any sorcerer dabbled in black sorcery, they would forfeit their souls to the father of demons. If the people of Blevon stayed true to the oath that the first sorcerer, King Mokaro, made with God, they would be protected. King Armando’s greed and hunger for power, caused him not to acknowledge the oath, so he was punished and would suffer the same pain he exacted on others and would wander the Lost Path for eternity.
I like that the people of Blevon and Antion are now able to co-exist peacefully. And King Damian and Alexa finally marry. Defy and Ignite by Sara B Larson are excellent books, therefore, I cannot discount the author’s efforts. And with trilogies, it’s very difficult for all books to be strong – usually, it’s the middle book that’s weak in the storyline. In Endure by Sara B Larson, Alexa lacked the hunger for survival. Big lessons in the Defy Trilogy are good leaders are merciful, do not abuse their power, and are not greedy for wealth, and we are our brother's keeper.
Defy (Defy, Book 1) (Defy Trilogy)
Ignite (Defy, Book 2) (Defy Trilogy)Endure (Defy, Book 3)Bright Burns the NightDark Breaks the Dawn
