Darken the Stars is the third and final book in this series, and I, like all of the other fans of this series are left saying “What?”  I loved how Kricket, who had been terrified of Kyon in the previous books, see’s his faults, but comes to care for him anyway.  Ok, if you’ve read my previous reviews for Under Different Stars and Sea of Stars, you know that Kyon has been cast as the evil character.  But, as with all great storytellers, this author gave us some insight into why he was so crazy, and also why Kricket was so important to him.

This synopsis is directly from Amazon.com.

Kyon Ensin finally has what he’s always wanted: possession of Kricket Hollowell, the priestess who foresees the future. Together, their combined power will be unrivaled. Kricket, however, doesn’t crave the crown of Ethar—she has an unbreakable desire to live life on her own terms, a life that she desperately wants to share with her love, Trey Allairis.

As conspiracies rage in the war for Ethar, Kricket’s so-called allies want to use her as a spy. Even those held closest cannot be trusted—including Astrid, her sister, and Giffen, a member of a mysterious order with a hidden agenda. But Kricket’s resolve will not allow her to be used as anyone’s pawn, even as the Brotherhood sharpens its plans to cut out her heart.

As the destiny prophesied by her mother approaches, Kricket will backtrack through her fiery future to reshape it. For she knows one thing above all else: the only person she can truly count on is herself.

When Kyon gains control of Kricket, he could have raped her, or forced his will on her.  Both things that he had threatened her with previously, but when he actually had her, he was patient, he gave her freedom (within reason), and he kept her interest by teaching her things like how to swim, and how to drive, so that she would not have any weaknesses, if anything were to happen to him.  Don’t get me wrong, he was a psychopath, but he had his reasons, and Kricket was never at risk from him.  As I found out more about his background, he became a sympathetic character, and I actually found him much more interesting than her previous beau, Trey.  This novel has all of the political machinations of the previous book, but we are also given a real villain to root against, and the pairing of Kricket and Kyon is the last move in this extremely well wrought chess game.

I don’t usually read anything other than a synopsis before writing my review because I don’t want anyone else’s opinion to sway my thoughts on the book.  However, the ending of this book was such a surprise, and was not as conclusive as I thought it would be that I went on the author’s website to see if this was really the last book.  I saw a ton of comments from readers pleading for a fourth installment in this series.  I want to raise my voice and plead with the majority.  Please write another book!  Please give your readers the conclusion they need to let Kricket go quietly into the night.

❤️❤️❤️❤️
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Copyright 2016 Deborah Kehoe A Chick Who Reads All Rights Reserved