The Black Prince (Silk & Steel, #4)

by Ariana Nash

[moraa]

"Are you looking for someone?"

Me to me a week ago: Don't do it.

Me to me now: I did it.

I knew from the beginning I wouldn't love this as much as I loved the trilogy (the holy three) and I didn't. It didn't shock or disappoint me at all, though that's not to say I was wholly impassive to this book. I did laugh and curse the characters and there were some beautifully written passages among the few cringe-worthy ones.

Unfortunately, The Black Prince is the author's attempt at providing a resolution to Akiem's storyline, a valiant effort and one I'd been looking forward to. However, trying to fit in three books' worth of character development into one won't produce the same results we saw in Eroan and Lysander. I knew it wouldn't but I still hoped for something.

While we're on that, let's talk about Jevan's plotline. He and Zane had been friends for years and after what happened, for him to get off the hook like that and have his plotline concluded like that felt like a cop-out. Nash has put us through far worse... and I can't believe this is starting to sound like a plea for a gritty plus HFN ending.

Lastly... the character development. It was well done on Akiem's part, not so much on Zane's (what was the Oldport issue? Will we ever find out the details? Doubt it, and I hate that.) We got hints from Zane himself and other characters but in my opinion, those hints were not enough for me. I need more hinty hints (less subtle, I mean).

And last but not least, our duo of devils. Clarion was nothing more than flat to me and worse, a flat antagonist. He seemed to kill and maim for no other reason than he possessed the ability to do so. I know it's canon for dragons to do this but if he's going to play the role he did in the book there, has to be more to him, more to his story. Same with Luceran. Yes, it was all a game but to what end? I don't think we really found that bit out.

For a conclusion to the series, I didn't like that it left me with more questions than answers. Certainly I like my fair share of unresolved mysteries and I'm not adverse to an open ending but this wasn't what I wanted.

Anywho, it's too late now, I peeked into Pandora's box and will have to deal with the consequences. I'll forever love Silk and Steel and I'm glad I at least know what happened to Akiem.