Review: The Reckoning by Alma Katsu
The Reckoning by Alma Katsu
Release Date: June 19, 2012
Publisher: Gallery Books
Source: public library
From Barnes & Noble.com: Lanore McIlvrae is the kind of woman who will do anything for love. Including imprisoning the man who loves her behind a wall of brick and stone.
She had no choice but to entomb Adair, her nemesis, to save Jonathan, the boy she grew up with in a remote Maine town in the early 1800s and the man she thought she would be with forever. But Adair had other plans for her. He used his mysterious, otherworldly powers to give her eternal life, but Lanore learned too late that there was a price for this gift: to spend eternity with him. And though he is handsome and charming, behind Adair’s seductive façade is the stuff of nightmares. He is a monster in the flesh, and he wants Lanore to love him for all of time.
Now, two hundred years after imprisoning Adair, Lanore is trying to atone for her sins. She has given away the treasures she’s collected over her many lifetimes in order to purge her past and clear the way for a future with her new lover, Luke Findley. But, while viewing these items at an exhibit at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, Lanore suddenly is aware that the thing she’s been dreading for two hundred years has caught up to her: Adair has escaped from his prison. He’s free— and he will come looking for her. And she has no idea how she will save herself.
With the stunningly imaginative storytelling and rich characterizations that fascinated readers worldwide and made The Taker a singular and memorable literary debut and an international sensation, Alma Katsu once again delivers “a powerful evocation of the dark side of romantic love” (Publishers Weekly) in her breathtaking new novel.
**SPOILER ALERTS FOR THE TAKER AND THE RECKONING!**
My Take: I just loved The Taker (see our review). It was dark, lush and romantic. The Reckoning was dark and lush, but I was missing the romantic. The first book focuses on Lenore telling Luke the story about the unrequited love triangle between her, Johnathan and Adair which culminated in imprisoning Adair in a wall. Luke helps Lenore escape the police, and they run away together.
The second book begins with Lenore realizing that Adair has escaped. Lenore leaves Luke and takes off to find other immortals who can help her hide from Adair. Luke pops up throughout the story, but is sad and lovelorn because Lenore left him. I was definitely missing the Luke and Lenore romance in this installment. One of the darker things was that Lenore realizes she has always fallen in love with men like Adair, and that she still has an attraction to him. Adair is a BAD MAN. However, he seems to have a change of heart after being bricked up in a wall for 200 years – I guess he’s had time to think about things. No, no, no! I don’t trust him!
So there are a few twists that you don’t see coming. Johanathan’s scenes were chilling – yes, he died in the first book - he talks to Adair about a Queen of the Underworld, which scares Adair silly. I’m guessing that this may figure prominently in the third book.
While this book was a good story, and I enjoyed all the back-stories that were told, I felt like it took too long for Adair to finally show up and have his showdown with Lanny. The ending left me wondering if there would be hopeful that we will have a reunion in the final book, but how this will ultimately end up… well, you know who I’m rooting for!
See you in the STACKS!
Nancy
