The third book in the Prophecy Rock series continued the story, but the ending left me with mixed feelings.

The first moment that seems strange is, in fact, right at the beginning – this book happens two years after the second, during which… pretty much nothing happened as for the endless war. Inga and her people harass the Vicedonians a bit but aren’t making any real move yet. Prince Xander is taken prisoner by the Renzai, and yet, the Vicedonians aren’t in a rush to try and free him, whether by force or diplomacy. Which does feel anticlimactic.

That said, with their rebellion failing to reach any major success, Inga instigates negotiation with the Renzai about an alliance with the hopes of beating Vicedonia together and freeing her betrayed people. Raden himself attends the meeting – only to be notified that his sister has been kidnapped by the Shadow. Inga accompanies Raden for the first part of the journey, until they reach the edge of the haunted forest, but then has to return to her people.

Meanwhile, Aric rules in Vicedonia but he isn’t as liked by some of the more measured people in the ruling council. Frustrated, he stalks off alone to find Inga and bring her back. The traps set for him – while not exactly bad – are no match for his powers and it makes it feel at times like there’s just nothing at all happening to him. Even when the worst trap is sprung, he not only managed to avoid death or even slight injury but escapes with Inga captured.

His return home isn’t as expected – in his absence, the council has been preparing to free prince Xander in return for some territorial changes, but as the Renzai were notified of Inga’s capture, they also demand her freedom, which the council agrees with behind Aric’s back. He is about to confront them, when the Shadow coursing through him stops him – whether for a deeper purpose or just to show who’s truly in power, that’s hard to say.

Raden’s trip to the land of Shadow faces many perils, and shows a major difference between the two main characters – Raden actually faces dangers that affects him and those he cares for, unlike Aric, who seems to be invincible. After significant hardship – and death – he manages to escape the realm of Shadow, only to learn that his sister was made a vessel for a being of darkness that would put even Aric to shame. A being that awakens as the book ends.

Read date: 2.-3.3.2024
Published: 6.12.2020
Goodreads/Amazon rating: 4,33/4,6
My rating: 75%
Length: 308 pages
My highlights

---

I admit that I was expecting the series to come to a conclusion in this book (mostly because it’s shorter than the previous two) but that’s obviously not the case. The next book isn’t out yet, so it’s hard to guess if I’ll notice it coming out and return to the story. The ease with which Aric evades danger is getting a bit stale – which feels strange to say as I’ve been facing the same feedback on my own writing and understand how it might be difficult to deal with.