Willa Knight: Dead? Alive? Damned to a state of eternal bad luck?

Willa and the Abcurse brothers are back, and more determined than ever to stick by each other. Unfortunately, Staviti has other plans, plans that threaten to change the natural order of the worlds—though nobody really understands why. His agenda may very well affect all beings on Minatsol, even those that thought themselves safe in Topia. Even Willa-invincible-Knight.
Unsure with her new place in the worlds, Willa must follow the Abcurses to their new post: Champions Peak, a secluded mountain far from civilization, where the most powerful sols have been summoned to hone their abilities through direct contact with the gods.
There is a chance that she might survive her time on the mountain, but it seems like staying alive amidst the powerful occupants of the Peak is the least of her concerns.
Her real problem is staying on the mountain at all.

It’s weird; I started reading this and was enjoying it. Then took a little break. Then couldn’t get back into it. Then had a small mental breakdown, came back to reading it and finished it, riveted. This series has to be the most beige smutty romance I’ve read. It’s a reverse harem, yes, but the smut aspect is incredibly minimal.

Willa –

Man, this woman has got sarcasm running through her veins, and I love it. I hope she never runs out. Honestly, she worries in her head, but her actions show no regard for her own safety. She barrels in, teeth bared, even when she has no hope of succeeding. It’s an odd level of denial that is very amusing to read about. I mean, I hope I have her attitude the next time life throws a spanner into my day! From the end of the last book through this one, there are more revelations about Willa, her powers, and what she is. They are incomplete answers; still, I have many questions about what wasn’t answered in this book.

Siret –

Siret has always been a force, trickery at its best and worst. I think he mellows a bit in this book. I think he comes to a realisation early on about how important Willa was to him, and how much he wanted a life with her and his brothers. I almost expected him to get up to some trouble in this book, but I think Willa provided enough of that herself. Siret was almost just there for the ride, Willa being her own level of trickery and creating endless chaos.

Yael –

Yael is, as always, a competitive bastard, but it fits his character so well that I’m not mad at it. He also uses his persuasion gift to avoid participating in the task at hand. I find it amusing that, of everything thrown at them over these last four books, this is what’s too much for them. I think it shows how much Willa has impacted their lives and changed their views: something they probably would have done and enjoyed is now something they have no interest in. Yael and Willa get some alone time in this book; it didn’t surprise me at all how Yael acted in that moment. It aligns with everything I’ve learned about him so far.

Coen –

Coen is almost the group’s leader. He has a strong voice and command of those around him. He only uses his voice to communicate or to take point in difficult situations. Willa feels incredibly safe with Coen; I do see her seeking him out when she struggles. Together, Coen and Aro take Willa to new heights. The combination of pain and desire creates a perfect whirlwind for her to ride out. It is easy to mistake Coen’s quietness and write him off as a boring character, but actually he is always aware, and he is always listening. Even if you catch him asleep, is he really asleep?

Rome –

Rome does not like the changes that are happening. I didn’t expect any of them to like it, but I think Rome really dislikes it if his punching through walls is anything to go by! People are still calling Willa names, and Rome basically decides he’s done with it. Even Willa saying ‘don’t hit a girl’ doesn’t stop him. It was quite amusing, actually. There are more moments in this book of Rome and Coen with Willa at the same time. The twins aren’t often together with her, so I appreciated the exploration of that dynamic.

Aro –

Aro struggles more, I think, with the moments when Willa puts herself in mortal danger. It makes sense for his character, as desire is close to love, and both are heavy emotions to carry. Watching Aro and Coen work Willa in tandem was interesting, not just because there was finally a bit of smut, but because of the way the two characters worked together. Throughout the book, since the 6 of them have become connected, there has always been an emphasis on keeping things even; while they moaned about it a little, they managed to do just that, and I could see the impact it had on Willa.

Emmy –

I’ve never really talked much about Emmy, but she is Willa’s best friend and non-blood sister. She is her own force of nature. She loves rules and order but also wants to challenge dweller laws and make things better for the lowly population. She has always been on the same page as Willa, just doing different things. While their life paths are on different roads, they have still managed to stay close. A particular point in this book changes things for Emmy, and while I believe it is a positive thing for her, I don’t know for certain how things will develop for her moving forward.

Cyrus –

Cyrus has grown on me. At first I didn’t like him and found him annoying, but I can now appreciate his character. He definitely has more at stake on this board than he would like you to believe. He’s a complex character, but he has a lot of humour. For being the ‘god of neutrality ’, a lot of what he does isn’t neutral. I don’t know what motivates him or what his end goal will be, but I am interested in the ride. There is also something going on between him and Emmy!

I have been reading this series assuming there are only five books. However, since each book is named after a gift one of the Abcurses has, I’m now thinking there may be 6 books in the series. I’m not sure, though; I could be wrong.

We also got to meet Pica, and she is definitely not someone I’d want to meet in a dark alley; talk about being crazy!