Anna J Walner left us, on the end of the previous book of the series (our review here), hanging on the edge of the plot. We were left with: a kidnapping, witches on the loom, alliances needed to be made, and a knives at the throats of everyone, but.., as if that wasn’t enough, Anna also left us with an… “irresistible” love affair that might destroy everything that our MC fought so hard to conquer. Well, yeah, no wonder we have been waiting veeery patiently for this book, (nor that book 2 won the best romance of 2021), so yeah, here we are.
We were ready for the continuation of the series with “The Colony”, but Anna didn’t even give us time to breathe and get re-acquainted with her words, oh no, she smacked us in the face with “one of the many problems” ( we will not say which )on the very first line! And just like that, we knew, that this book would be goooood! HAHA!!!!
“Even the sounds of his feet against the ground seemed to say her name as the dust kicked up behind him, making circles around the perimeter fence.“
Well, as things escalate in the first pages, we know that we are heading for trouble, and disaster is coming at us at full speed, yet we stay our course, devouring the words and the pages that make our hearts beat faster, and we realize that we are already lost in this book and unwilling to come back from it. (No wonder it’s a bestseller).
As per the romance, there’s a thing we HAVE to say. We know that Anna J Walner is a master of writing romance, be it light and comfy, or simply… warm and heart-warming, BUT, this time, we will get a hard, scalding and tense style of romance that many readers will not be able to handle for long. DAMN! This is heavy stuff right here, ahhahahahhahhahah.
If Anna J Walner wanted to make a unforgettable comeback from book 2, well, she achieved just that because, I assure you, she will leave you with your mouth open in shock when it comes to the amount of drama in the first chapters of the book. Oh…. my… Oh…. my…. , because we keep asking ourselves, in the back of our heads: “ WAIT! Didn’t book two end with a HIGHLY pressing issue that we want to read about and that needs to be addressed?” Yet, we know that the issue is not forgotten, but purposefully delayed from us, so we pay very close attention to every scene in the chapters. Oh Anna, why are you so mean to us? Hahahhhahahah. LOVE IT. Smart move, smart move, hahahhaahh.
Mysteries are put with care and things start to be hidden from us, or better saying, revealed in a way that make us go: “hmmmmm….” . Anna wants us to think, and to focus on the implications of the plot as we read because there are many calculated dialogues, scenes and characters that play a role both in the background and in the foreground of the book that cannot be ignored.
Another reason why you should pay attention is that, there are so, many, secrets here. Jaw-dropping ones and ones that will make you go “wow”, so keep, your eyes, peeled.
A very subtle thing that you will realize, or have realized by now from reading the first and the second book, is that Anna J Walner can, and does let us construct many features of the characters, specially the mental attitudes with the words they use. You can clearly notice the refinement of Ambrose, simply because he uses one word or another, from time to time, that makes you go “wau, what a knowledgeable man”, and it’s beautiful! Nicely done.
Warning: If you are an emotional person, do get the napkins ready. You will cry. The emotions on this book, a result from the events, the characters, but above all, the excellent narrative of Anna J Walner will leave you no choice but to feel as you read and fight with your own tears, the pain that the characters are feeling, and how they deal with them. Few are the books that can envelop and make reader so involved in it, so invested that they grieve with characters. It takes sheer skill to be able to do this, and Anna J Walner has proven, once again, that she is a MASTER when it comes to narrative and character construction.
Warning #2: This is one of those books that you simply get lost into. Literally. You will read a hundred pages and then ask yourself: “What time is it?” Gripping!
Every, single, detail counts in this series. Little mentions and stories that one would suppose, or assume, they were just stories, were used and deepened in this book with so many ramifications that will surprise even the most attentive reader. Things the we all missed completely will be revealed to us readers and we will be like: “no…. you can’t be serious. HOW did I miss THAT?!” and maybe, those really stubborn readers, like us, will re-read books 1 and 2 again just to check, but I assure you: There was no way in hell that any of us would ever noticed those details. Anna made the events of this book unpredictable! The love triangle? Well, that part could be assumed quite easily, yes, but the way it was developed, now that’s a different story, hahahahah. Well, I will say that the almost erotic tone of the whole thing will please many readers, hahahahahah.
“She catapulted over the edge of bliss into near ecstasy, her legs shaking as he held her tighter until he’d reached his own pinnacle of passion.”
Guys, remember the things that happened in book 2? The death of Amelia’s mother? Remember how gruesome that scene was? Yeah? Ok, that’s nothing compared to the fight scenes here. Anna did NOT hinder herself, nor spared the characters. Holy crap!! DAMN this book is intense in everything!
We will not spoil the book, but we have to warn you this: There will be REAL sorrow here, and there is a character that will suffer just too much. You will feel sorry for it. Oh god.
OK! Although there IS a powerful (and somewhat spicy) romance going on in The Colony, we have to remind readers, that this is fantasy, and some things shouldn’t be “excused” as fate. We are responsible for our actions and although feelings are a hard thing to master, we are ultimately responsible for our choices and must bear the consequences of each and every one of them. Amelia had no choice and Anna did explain this clearly. This is fiction, and with that being said….
When it seems that all is solved and done, Anna puts not one, not two but three very complex problems in the horizon of the book, these problems that will not only affect Amelia and her kids, but possibly, all the colony at once with a treat that might be closer than they expect it. We, however, are very curious to see how our MC will be able to survive her own hunger when bound with another person on the next book, because that will be interesting! VERY interesting.
One has to love how this book ended! I mean, what a way to twist everything up and throw the proverbial shit to the fan in less than 2 pages! Anna was like (To the characters): “ok, everyone got the well deserved 10 min rest and we are all feeling good and dandy. Now, if you don’t mind, I am going to put you all running for your lives”, and that epilogue…that’s how you make readers run for the stores barefoot, hahahah, so glad we already have the next book to review *winks*, so grab this book, (And books 1 & 2 ), or the whole series at once, and join us in this adventure.
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Pros:
- The emotional atmosphere was relatable and palpable. Anna made an outstanding job at this
- The characters construction and development was realistic, fluid and natural
- An unpredictable plot overall, which was very good, specially when it comes to Anatole
- Secrets all over, which is something that will keep you bound to every word looking for clues
- The sex scenes were actually more unrestrained than in book 2
- The explanations to the magic was simple and quite understanding
- The flow of the book was perfect, this is a book that once you start reading, you will forget the world
Cons:
- None
Scribble's Worth 