Lord of the Abyss - Royal House of Shadows - Book 4

Lord of the Abyss 

by Nalini Singh

As with all of the books of the Royal House of Shadows series I could not wait to pick up the last instalment. Of course Micah’s book also includes the ending to a story which has been developed not only through 4 books but through 4 writers, and was written by the writer of one of my favourite fiction worlds, the Psy-Changeling series. It was therefore no surprise to me that I utterly enjoyed Micah’s story.

SUMMARY

Once upon a time the Blood Sorcerer vanquished the kingdom of Elden. To save their children, the queen scattered them to safety and the king filled them with vengeance. Only a magical timepiece connects the four royal heirs and time is running out. As the dark Lord who condemns souls to damnation in the Abyss, Micah is nothing but a feared monster wrapped in impenetrable black armor. He has no idea he is the last heir of Elden, its last hope. Only one woman knows the daughter of his enemy. Liliana is nothing like her father, the Blood Sorcerer who’d cursed Micah. She sees past Micah’s armor to the prince inside. A prince whose sinful touch she craves. But first she has to brave his dark, dangerous lair and help him remember. Because they only have till midnight to save Elden.

WHAT I LIKED

I was frankly a bit apprehensive to read Micah’s book as he was throughout the other books described as the baby of the family and I was loath to read a book that did not include the strong and wilful male (and one female) characters that the previous books showcased. Micah as a character however did not disappoint at all and when one eventually meets him he is anything but a weak, adolescent character. Furthermore this book, written in the flowing and effortless style of Nalini Singh, was a joy to read. The dark picture of Micah’s castle (and Micah himself) thoroughly engages the reader. One feels the darkness and depression and loneliness of the first couple of pages and then rejoices when the story elevates to the unexpected when Micah’s true nature becomes apparent and one gets to know the people who share his world. The love story was simple and realistic and whilst the focus of the book did not completely overpower it. I found the book to be an easy and enjoyable read, but with the depth required to truly be a good book.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE

With the build up through the four book series I expected the show-off between the Blood Sorcerer and the children of Elden to be a bit more… well just more. The only other aspect of the book which I found less than compelling was the fact that Micah, like the male leads in the other books in the series, seemed at times only able to talk in one word sentences. Be that as it may, Nalini Singh places this in context of the fact that he really had no proper upbringing and therefore I suppose this aspect of the character can be excused in this book.

SO WHAT’S THE VERDICT?

Although I am sad to finish the series, I though the book was a great addition to the Royal House of Shadows series and overall a satisfying end to the series. It once again cemented Nalini Singh’s positioning as one of my favourite writers of fictitious romance stories.

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