Sense Thieves (3) - Ignited by Corrine Jackson
The final of the breathtaking trilogy – Ignited (in German Touched – Die Macht der ewigen Liebe). I read it in German where it contained 425 pages. Originally published 2014.
Remy doesn't know what to do, where to go. She's stuck. After her grandfather kidnapped Ben and put her stepmother into a possible never-ending coma, Remy flees from Protectors and Healers alike. With her little, human sister Lucy and the still-damaged Asher to care for. And that isn't easy. No matter, where they go, their enemies seem to be just around the corner. And Asher... traumatized by the torture, he doesn't let anyone near him, especially not Remy.
One thing comes to another, friendships break apart and allies are found in the oddest places. While Remy has to suffer from Lucy's and Asher's pain, she finally understands what she is – and how far she's willing to go for love... But that doesn't make saving her father easier. That's if he's still alive. Sacrifices have to be brought, loved ones lost and new ties to be bound.
I'm sorry for Laura and Erin. I liked both of them. They were interesting characters, especially Erin, and they didn't deserve this.
Remy really did develop. I'm glad she's found the one she was looking for, in the end. The two are really a good fit. He's just as protective as she is, but they let each other room to breathe. They simply accept that the other loves them but doesn't need them 24/7 to survive.
Spoiler:
That's very different from the relationship of Asher and Remy. That was, well, suffocating, I can imagine. In the long run. And I love Gabriel! I love how he shows up when he realises that she's hurting. Even though he wanted to stay away from her to protect his own heart. That's... that's true love here, guys, as cheesy as it may sound (then again, not even remotely as bad as the German title...).
Apropos Asher: I understand he's traumatized etc., but WHAT THE HELL? Remy literally had a heart attack in front of him and he didn't even see it! She broke down! Okay, he had to take care of Lucy, but in two freaking weeks he couldn't see something was off? And he claimed to love her? By the way, he has no right to judge her because she fell in love with Gabriel. In their dispute he makes it look like Remy broke up, but he pushed her away. In more ways than one. He hurt her so, so badly... Still, he's not a bad person. I hope he hooks up with Lucy. The two of them would fit well together. Because she's not as independent as Remy and doesn't fight her corner every minute.
Apropos fighting her corner. Good God did Remy grow. I never thought she seriously would do something like that! With a fork! But still, she stays true to herself and I like that. It's what saved her, in the end. It's cool that Dean made her strong, taught her to be strong. Every cloud has a silver lining.
To come back to her relationship: I had no idea he could be that cute! It's so sweet how they make each other laugh and just be natural. And their chases. And marker. He he he! Lottie rocks.
Lottie's development really caught me off guard. I wouldn't have thought she'd be that loyal to Laura – or Asher – or for whom ever she did this. She protected Laura and, in the end, she cared more for Remy then her sister and boyfriend. She's really not so bad.
The O'Malleys are interesting. They really have a background and their coming out of nothing is very well explained – even though it would have been nice to have a few hints before. I like how fair they are towards Remy, even though she isn't really civil (which is perfectly understandable). Their leader is kind of nice. And their protegées: They have something, that's for sure.
As for the idea of the phoenix. Nice. And it makes perfectly sense. Even though it's interesting how the Healers, who should be sacrificing by nature, could be so immoral! Whatever.
The story is very well done, only one tiny mistake (it's Yvette, not Yvonne). It's tense, with a good style of writing and... well, I already said the rest.
In brief:
So, stars for content, ideas, style, characters and Remy's development from the first to the last part, the dance between being damaged, growing and not loosing oneself to violence, even though one learns how to fight with all one has. Very well done!
Prequel: