"Winn and Mac. Two people on opposing sides of the world, yet living in the same realm."
Getting through the first two books in the The 19th Year series and the first half of Darkest Day felt like a chore. However, towards the end, I started to care about the characters and by the time I reached the end, everything felt bittersweet.
I've mentioned before that The 19th Year series has a lot of potential and an interesting take on the changeling mythology. While that potential isn't fully realised, the last few scenes that dealt with the lore and the council in Darkest Day is what I was hoping this series would have more of - along with Mac asking questions and being an active participant, instead of rebelling without any rhyme or reason. But, I can't say that the council doesn't deserve Mac's attitude because they are so frustrating.
I could also see some form of a deeper plot in Darkest Day, but the aspects of the plot was not to my taste. By the end of it all, I was so over the Maddie and Ridge drama.
While I started caring about the characters towards the end, there are still moments of grief that I never felt, moments of stupidity that annoyed the hell out of me and many moments of indifference. I also still don't care about the relationship between Mac and Winn and all their ups and downs gave me whiplash.
All that being said, I'm glad that I got to enjoy the reading experience a little more, even if it was just at the end. I can say, with hesitation, that my hope was not shattered.
"Life brings us challenges for a reason."