I haven't written in this blog for a while as the holiday season has been very busy, but I was excited to give this review of Endless Magic by Rachel Higginson. My favorite up and coming author, I have very high hopes for her. In previous reviews I've talked about the first three books of this series, Reckless Magic, Hopeless Magic, and Fearless Magic. Endless Magic is the last of the series. The first three books were written with such imagination and the characters have such charisma they automatically pull you into their world. Endless Magic builds on these existing characters and brings to life the beginning of the end.
The background of the Star-Crossed Series is about a girl named Eden who is an Immortal (a magical being). She has an ongoing battle with King Lucan to overthrow his tyrant rule, but she is currently his prisoner. Guarded in her former lover's room, Prince Kiran, she has given her powers to her twin brother Avalon in hopes Lucan will never be able to steal her magic. Eden feels a strong hatred for Kiran because just after he proposed to her, she found him in battle with her grandfather and allowed Lucan to kill him.
The story begins with Eden weak and angry in Kiran's room when she is summoned by Lucan. Being her stubborn self, Eden spits smart remarks at Lucan when he decides to show her the extent of his power and control over her. He takes a sword and plunges it into Lily's mother's chest. Lucan promises the same fate for all the prisoners if Eden doesn't get her magic back. Eden realizes how selfish her idea was and knows what she must do in order to save her people. Kiran, his cousin Sebastian, and his Titan bodyguard Talbott devise a plan to bring Eden to see her brother Avalon in order to regain her magic.
Throughout the story, Eden is constantly reminded by Kiran that she is his prisoner. She is sure Kiran hates her. Too bad part of saving the kingdom is pretending the two are happily in love because Lucan has already told the Kingdom of their engagement. This sets the mood for the book and the rest of the story lies heavily on Eden's decision on how to view Kiran. She finds herself pulled between the lingering feelings of love from the past for Kiran and the present feelings of love for Jericho. The main theme in this book is forgiveness. Eden finds it hard to forgive Kiran after all the hurt he has caused her and her family and continues to harden her heart after his apology. Eden must also decide if Kiran is a friend or foe and if he really does love her or is just pretending for the Kingdom. May first is the date of the wedding and as the date draws near Eden finds herself caught in a world of hate and anger but also love and joy.
Higginson reintroduces Amelia, Seraphina, Lily, and Eden's parents Justice and Delia in this book and surprises the reader with the roles they will play in the war. I can't really indulge too much about the book because all the events build upon each other. I do assure you that you will get caught up in a world of forbidden love, the issue of human rights, madness driven by love, tests of love and forgiveness, and the succulent world of magic. I recommend reading at least Fearless Magic, but you'll have to read all three previous books to really understand the extent of the problems in the book. This last book begins right where the last book leaves off. You can also read my other blogs about the books to get a quick catch-up.
Rachel Higginson really captivated me with this series and I am sad to see it finished. The characters are mesmerizing and really draw you in. My favorite was Kiran, the prince filled with mixed emotions and pain. A small spoiler is that you will get to go into Kiran's mind in this book and see what he's been up to all this time. All the other characters also engage you in an imaginative bond to imerse you into their world of magic. Although the book series has ended, the good news is that Rachel Higginson has a new series coming out in May!
