Lord of the Abyss by Nalini Singh

There is a lineage of blood that ties mother to child, a lineage that can never be broken. And it is this lineage the queen used to cast her children away from Elden, to safety, so they could one day return and reclaim their stolen birthright.

It was a mother’s last loving gift, yet the Blood Sorcerer boasts even now that Queen Alvina failed, that he twisted her magic at the end so that instead of finding safe harbor, the heirs of Elden fell into death. There is no one left alive to contradict him.

—From the Royal Chronicles of Elden, on the third day of the Reign of the Blood Sorcerer

Lord of the Abyss is the fourth and final book in the Royal House of Shadows series and one of the sweetest, sexiest, most romantic books I’ve read in a very long time. It doesn’t often happen that I find myself in love with both the hero and the heroine, but Micah and Liliana are amazing people who I couldn’t help but adore. Both tortured by pasts very different from one another are yet so very much alike in their single mindedness and honor, and they will do the right thing regardless of the cost to themselves. They are, quite simply put, the stuff legends are made of.

The world that Nalini Singh created in this installment of the series was awesome. The creatures, the beings… Mouse, Jissa and Bard, I loved them all, even the ghosts who roam the halls of the Black Castle! And speaking of the Black Castle, the lore surrounding it and the Abyss is magically fairytaleesque and so vivid. In my mind’s eye I could see every room, every plant, every food, every… everything and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to see what would happen next. I was totally captivated by the entire tale and as I read I felt somehow honored to be privy to their thoughts and feelings.

Now, about the story. In the previous books, Lord of the Vampires, Lord of Rage and Lord of the Wolfyn, we learn that when their kingdom was attacked by the Blood Sorcerer, Aelfric and Alvina, the King and Queen of Elden, fought for all they held dear, willing to give up their lives if needed to protect their children, their kingdom, and all who dwelt there. When they realized that they were going to die, their final act was one of love, one last effort to protect their children by weaving a powerful spell which sent the four royal heirs, Nicolai, Breena, Dayn and Micah, into different realms in hopes that one day they’d find their way home and defeat the Blood Sorcerer. Each book tells the story of one of the siblings and their journey back to Elden, not knowing exactly what they’d find when they got there.

The way the story develops throughout the first three books, I expected a battle of epic proportions in Lord of the Abyss, but when the battle actually takes place, it really wasn’t much of a battle at all. And much to my disappointment, there was little interaction between these siblings who are seeing each other for the first time in twenty years. Twenty years apart and yet there was no celebration! Or at least, not one we were invited to. So while I loved the story overall, truly loved it, I was very disappointed that we didn’t see some kind of grand reunion, or even a so-so reunion… but there was really nothing much at all, and that’s my only complaint about the book. Had it not ended so abruptly, this would have easily been a 5+++ star read, but even with the ending as it is, I’m still rating this 5 stars, and adding Micah and Liliana to my Top Couples Of All Time shelf.

The bottom line – I still breathe a sigh of contentment when I think of Micah and Liliana, and how very happy their story made me. Dark yet hopeful, tragic yet joyous, Lord of the Abyss is one of my very favorite stories and I know, without a doubt, I’ll be reading it time and time again.

My sincerest thanks to netgalley.com and Harlequin books for providing me with a copy of this wonderful ARC ebook.