Sentinel (Covenant #5)

                 Hello happy readers!  So first things first don’t forget I still have a giveaway up and running for a SIGNED copy of A Crown of Wishes here.  Today I'm going to be discussing my thoughts on the final book in the Covenant series, Sentinel, by Jennifer L. Armentrout and my overall thoughts on the series.  Spoilers through the series, duh.

Rating:  5 Stars

                So when we left off in the last book stuff had gotten real.  Our group was taking hit after hit and it ended with Alex being broken by Ares but being spirited away and healed by Apollo.  Like I said series.  We finally know which god is behind things pulling all the strings and bent on war.  Makes sense really.  But as the mortal world starts to slip into chaos Alex has to reconcile what happened and shake herself doubt away and dive back into the fray.  She will do anything necessary even work with a known enemy of the past to face the enemy of the present. All while trying to figure out a way out of this mess that lets her have her happily ever after in the end.

                 The options don't look good.  Alex has been this strong force of nature through the books so far.  She has had her moments of weakness and doubt sure but never like this.  She actually wanted to die.  Ares broke her.  This is a hard hit to suffer.  Aiden as always is there by her side willing to do anything to help.  I love how supportive he is with her.  Their connection from the start has always been off the charts but in this one it just really hits you in the core.  There are so many moments where they just know the other and what they need on instinct or a single look.  They are equals and always have been despite the breed order or her Apollyon powers they have always treated each other as equals.  Both knowing the other is in danger and not trying to shut them away but instead trusting them and their ability to make it through.  This really touches the heart.

                 Then we have Seth.  I hated him.  I didn't like him from the start but then I grew to hate his character and the evil he was a part of in his power hungry daze.  I equated him with a rapist drugging her with the bond and then leeching her power even when she tried to say no.  At the end of the last book with the showdown with Ares, all the pain, misery, and despair she felt as he broke her body and spirit I hoped he would feel every ounce through the bond.  Let him take on the horror he brought on.  He did.  He is suddenly seeing through the haze of his power madness and wants to help, suddenly seeing the error of his ways.  There was nothing he could do to redeem himself in my eyes.  Though watching as he tried and meet skepticism and resistance from everyone else I enjoyed that.  He got back on charm for so long seeing it not work, that everyone held him accountable for his evil deeds was refreshing.  I liked that they never tried to belittle those deeds.

                 Now adding this into the story was huge story points but we still have a war to finish.  This is the final book and there was a lot of ground to cover.  We have to save the world and nothing is ever easy or without cost.  This doesn't change here.  There is a price to be demanded and no matter how hard or gut wrenching for the good of all our heroes will face it.  I was constantly on the edge of my seat finishing this book trying to think of any twists or loop holes to make everything I wanted to happen to happen.  There was a lot to cover and it wasn't smooth sailing and in war people die.  This book actually had me getting teary and/or crying in different parts just thinking about certain characters futures (yes I know vague me) and this got more intense the closer we got to the end.

                 I was so nervous as I got closer that it might not end in a way that satisfied me.  I should not have worried though because JLA knows what she's doing and this series was amazing.  It hits you with all the feels and then some but you end feeling complete.  Like how it ends you can instantly see it from the start looking back on the whole journey.  It also did something that I wasn't sure was possible given how I felt about Seth pre this book and that's make me want to read his spin-off/sequel series.  I think I'm going to hold off a few months before I start these but I have the first three ready to go.  While there is the spin-off/sequel series I think the Covenant series wraps up nicely in Sentinel and I highly recommend it. 

                Until next time…