Destroyer (Elemental, #7)

by Shannon Mayer

Pure fantasy at its finest. I would say this is less urban fantasy though than the Rylee Adamson series. Even though it's set in the same world, the Elementals keep to themselves making this a lot more removed from the "normal" world. I think for some readers it will be hard to move between the series - for me personally, I'm a massive "classic" fantasy fan before all else so reading this was like coming home and gave me the same warm fuzzy feelings.

The series isn't really anything new in the genre, the same old fantasy tropes (The Chosen One, quest through different lands, evil foe who has spread through the land and must be defeated, etc) appear throughout - but Mayer hits all the right notes with her portrayal.

Destroyer is the conclusion to the Elemental series and follows Lark as she comes to the culmination of the deep game everyone around her is playing. Although this series is supposed to stand alone it really doesn't beyond Windburn, maybe even before. The characters entwine too closely with the Rylee Adamson gang to be able to. Particularly with Destroyer, the Rylee Epilogues are fairly necessary to understand what the hell is going on. And as they're epilogues, it's kind of necessary to read the Rylee Adamson series first. So there's a lot of reading ahead. On the other hand, they're really good books.

Destroyer was intense. Good guys. Bad guys. Who the hell knows who any of them are. I was happy with the ending in some ways, a little disappointed in other ways. I didn't love Raven holding her body crying. I hated that Ash died in his eagle form and there was no real reunion between them. But I did like that Lark, Ash and Peta are altogether and happy. So there was that. Still great, action packed read with fantastic characters and a riveting plot.