Amazing!

Wow what can I say! The final book in the Forsaken series does not disappoint. So many twists and turns. So many surprises. An amazing ending to a fantastic series. Can’t wait to see what Meg Anne comes up with next.

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Not enough stars in the universe!!! FANTASTIC

This one right here is what audiobooks were made for! Any true audio fan who wants a sweeping romantic fantasy drama performed by three of the best actors on the planet need look no further.

So here we are. The final book in the Forsaken Series and the culmination of an overarching story across 9 previous novels in the Chosen Universe. It is a sucker punch to the gut this book but in the very best way.

My meagre words really don’t adequately describe how truly spectacular and totally absorbing this story is. As such I’m going to steal from a better writer to portray my emotions. Luckily I don’t have to reach far. If you want a description of Meg Anne’s writing style and this book in particular look no further than these words from Thirty Seconds to Mars:
“Honest to God, I’ll break your heart. Tear you to pieces and rip you apart.”

That, in a nutshell, is Meg Anne and these books. BUT with one crucial addition. Like any good Dom she knows how to take care of you and will ultimately give you what you crave, that much needed HEA. Even though it feels like forever to get there and she expertly tortures you along the way taking you right to the edge and back again with her devilish plot twists and cliff-hangers.

Court of Death and Dreams is the culmination of an intricately crafted and interwoven series with an explosive ending where all her characters come together at the end to try to stop a spiteful and seemingly unstoppable deity. In other words, this is Endgame my friends.

We find ourselves back in the wonderfully vivid fantasy realm that Meg Anne has created and the on-going drama of our main lovers Ronan and Reyna who have finally found their way back to each other only to find themselves victim to another cliffhanger. This book opens on the aftermath when the other characters have to try and figure out what has happened and embark on a rescue mission. It will put you through the emotional ringer and made me cry on multiple occasions, before making me laugh and then cry all over again. Whatever you do, stay inside when reading this one. Or do what I did and listen to it in one single go over the course of a day when I did absolutely no work at all. (Apologies to my boss if you are reading this but this was a priority).

One of my favourite things about this book in particular, is that the POV opens up a lot more. Ronan, Reyna and Erebos remain our central protagonists but there are large sections of the story which are told by others, including my absolute favourite Bast. This is a delightful expansion on the story and its such a joy to travel with these characters and see their individual journeys across the novel. It really drives home how this one is a true ensemble.

Fans will rejoice with the appearance of Lucian, Effie, Helena and Von and their interactions with a whole myriad of new characters. The drama is suitable high octane for this one with some really quite dark depictions of torture and the maniacal vengeance of our villain Erebos. But then balanced against this are moments of light, joy and humour including a delicious standoff over who really is Ronan’s best friend 😊 Enjoy that one.

Bast’s backstory is also explored in this one and it is heart-breaking but just makes you fall in love with him a little bit more. Oh and did I mention the pirates are back? I could quite happily spend a whole year in the company of those pirates and the hints of their stories is so enticing.

But like I always say, you HAVE to experience the audiobook. I’ve listened to all six of these audiobooks, from Keepers Legacy to Court of Death and Dreams and from the very first moment I was captivated by the boundless talent of the trio of actors who perform all of these books; Stella Hunter, Shane East and James Joseph.

You will have read in all my previous reviews how I constantly gush about their performances, with good reason if you listen and find out for yourselves, but it’s an important point for these books. I had been given an e-book of this novel before the advance listener copy of the audio was available. As I am not a very patient person I had started to eyeball read because I needed to know what happened next. As I have said, these three have taken up residence in my head for the past few months thanks to the previous books so I thought, I know their voices pretty well I can imagine them reading this new one while I wait.

Luckily I hadn’t got very far into the book when the ALC was ready so I started from the beginning again and OH MY GOD – my imagination is paltry in comparison to what these three can do. As if to taunt me they all seemed to up their game even more in this last one. There is a reason why Meg Anne dedicated this book to James Joseph and it is why I adore these books so much. These books are the embodiment of that alchemical symbiosis of author and narrator. The actors heightened the author’s words on the page and bring them to life in a way that makes the audiobook truly unique.

It’s a synergy of the two, the actors bring something to the characters, the plot, the dialogue which the author did not and cannot anticipate. It is a new work of art which can then feedback and ultimately inspire the author to take the next story in a different direction as is the case here.

It’s why however much I loved reading these words myself it is a whole new experience listening to the audiobooks which you simply must not deprive yourself of. I’ve been a dedicated audio fan for years prior to this and there is simply put something special about these three actors together. Narrator is a term I dislike, it seems too small for what they do, James Joseph, Stella Hunter and Shane East don’t simply read out this story – they perform it and they put all their skill into it and create something magical.

The only way I can describe it is consider the incredible big budget epic Audible audio drama of Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman. Truly awe inspiring with a cast of nearly 100 and the latest SFX to really rival the TV series in scale. Now, these three manage to create and populate an entire world on a similar scale with just their voices alone. A whole universe and all the little inflections and drama and humour everything and it is just the three of them. I am not exaggerating this is how good they are and why you MUST experience them and it will fill your heart with joy. Acting of the highest calibre and powerful enough to inspire an author!

These audiobooks live forever downloaded onto my iPhone so I can have these four and these stories with me at all times. I will never say goodbye to them no matter how emotional these past few months have been. This has been a magnificent delight to be swept up in this world and has instantly become one of my all-time favourite book series.

A truly epic swashbuckling adventure in a fantasy world that I never want to leave. I have adored every single second of these wonderful books. Sarah J Maas has nothing on Meg Anne.

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**** There Aren't Enough Stars For This One *****

My review is written voluntarily after both reading and then listening to this epic story, to be honest, it's taken me a while to be able to sit down and write my review of this final book in the Forsaken Series, I've deleted my first three attempts because of spoilers and this book doesn't deserve to be ruined for anyone by knowing in advance what is going to happen.

There is no way I can adequately describe how wonderfully moving, exciting and spectacular this story, the whole series in fact really is. Meg Anne’s writing style is perfection personified and the team she chose to narrate the story is just perfect too.

Having taken me to the edge and back again with her plot twists and cliffhangers I did wonder how she would bring the story to a satisfactory conclusion, but I need not have worried because the Court of Death and Dreams is all you could ask for and more as she weaves an intricately crafted and moving ending where all her characters come together to triumph over the seemingly unstoppable deity, Erebos the God of Death and Dreams.

Ronan and Reyna finally found their way back to each other only to find themselves ripped apart at the end of the previous book, now in the aftermath, all the other characters have to try and work out what has happened and launch a rescue mission. Be warned Meg Anne takes us on an emotional rollercoaster ride full of ups and downs, twists and turns, she brought tears to my eyes many times, making me laugh and cry more times than I could count. This is a story that deserves your undivided attention, personally, I listened to it without interruption, ignoring everything else it was just that good.

While Ronan, Reyna and Erebos remain the central characters there are large portions of the story told by others, in fact, this book starts with my new favourite Bast going to find Ronan and Reyna, his personality shines through. We learn much more of his backstory too and let me tell you it is heart-breaking and made me fall in love with him even more.

Then the pirates on the peninsular are joined by Lucian, Effie, Helena and Von it was wonderful seeing how they all interacted as they made their plans to bring down Erebos and free Ronan and Reyna. There is so much high-octane drama as well as some quite dark descriptions of the maniacal vengeance and torture performed by Erebos. But thankfully there are moments full of humour to balance everything out.

As wonderful as Meg Anne's writing is she certainly knew which actors to choose for the narration. The team she brought together for this epic swashbuckling adventure in this wonderfully described fantasy world I'm sorry to leave but I know I will revisit could not be improved upon. Stella Hunter, Shane East and James Joseph together bring this beautifully written and expertly narrated adventure to life. I for one find myself totally absorbed in the lives and the experiences of all the characters.

James Joseph's performance is excellent in all his different personas, as Kieran, as the lovable French rouge Bast and the terrifying, yet hypnotic villain Erebos, each is perfection even as one of the new characters the pirate Bron and his lovely Irish lilt all are wonderful. I'm not surprised that Meg Anne mentions him in the dedications for this book.

Stella Hunter never disappoints, the feeling she brings to her interpretations of Shadow/Reina, Effie, Helena and the sexy Calypso as well as all the other characters she plays are perfect.

Shane East brings an innate charisma to all the characters he portrays, he's able to be the dominant alpha protector, the ravishing seducer, and the thoughtful lover. Lucian and Von and Ronan are all strong men with vulnerable sides which he portrays beautifully!

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