Title: Icelands
Series: Watchtower 04
Author: Anna Marie May
Genre: Fantasy
Length: Short (68pgs)
Publisher: Anna Marie May (Self-published) (18th January 2013)
Heat Level: Low
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥3 ½ – 4Hearts
Reviewer: Pixie
Blurb: Welcome to a hell of a different kind: Icelands. The future hangs in the balance; one sacrifice is required to save them all. The question though is: will saving the future be worth the cost of losing someone you love?
Aidan races against time to find the last Watchtower to complete the circle, only to figure out that it doesn’t end there. In order to fire up the walls of protection, one sacrifice needs to be made to safe them all. But is losing someone you love really worth the outcome? One love is needed to safe them all and doom one of them to a life of misery, struggling to find new meaning in life. Does the end really justify the means, even in a matter of the heart?
From the elegant towers of Dinas to the unyielding Cursed Lands into a hell of different kind where everything is white and cold to touch—the race is on. The only question remaining is: Will they succeed? Or will they vanish into an icy hell never to be seen or heard from again?
Purchase Link: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-icelands-1041399-143.html
Review: This story is part of a series and must be read in order. Aidan has no clue where he might find the last Watchtower. So he sets off with Belze (his familiar) to find clues and to find someone who can help him with his powers. On his journey, Aidan is attacked by an unknown foe and it leads him to the fourth Watchtower. Now, Aidan has to admit the truth to his friends, one of them has to sacrifice their life in order for the Watchtowers to work, leaving behind the one that they love. Is the sacrifice too much to ask for? And, how much more do the Watchtowers require before their world is safe?
Icelands is an exciting addition to the Watchtower series. Aidan is still frustrated about his lack of control of his powers, he decides that he has to find a sorcerer to help him and sets off on a journey with Bleze (who complains every step of the way). On his journey he is attacked and we finally discover who has been trying to kill King James. Discovering the fourth tower by accident nearly kills Aidan. Having to explain the truth of the focal point to his friends devastates them all. But, the journey to the Icelands could just destroy them all.
I really enjoyed this story and the seamless way it continued from Out of the Werewolf (Closet. in this addition, we discover just who has been trying to kill James, we find that the friends might not have circumvented the Golden Legend and that sacrifice is hard to face. Aidan, James, Raphael, Vivian and Bleze have to travel across the lands into burning hell that brings a foe that they dread and to the coldest Icelands where they lose one of their own.
I must admit that I wish that there was someone who could help Aidan with his magic, as he seems to fumble around trying to save the world while he really hasn’t got a clue what he is doing. James, Raphael and Vivian are more in the background in this story. I would have liked to get their thoughts and feelings about what was happening and what they faced. I hope that we will discover more in Raphael’s story Siren Song.
I will recommend this to those that love fantasy, surprise danger, magic, discovering deceit, fantastic landscapes, having love, losing love and an ending that is tainted with sadness.