Review and Giveaway: Unbinding

Unbinding (World of the Lupi - Book 11) by Eileen Wilks

Publication Date: 10/07/2014
Publisher: Penguin Group
Imprint: Berkley Sensation
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Pages: 400
ISBN-10: 0425263371
ISBN-13: 978-0425263372

(Received for an honest review from Berkley Sensation)

Purchase: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, Indiebound

Eileen Wilks on the WEB: website, blog, twitter, facebook, goodreads

Books in the series: 

   1. Tempting Danger
   2. Mortal Danger
   3. Blood Lines
   4. Night Season
   5. Mortal Sins
   6. Blood Magic
   7. Blood Challenge
   8. Death Magic
8.5. Human Error (Tied in a Bow)
   9. Mortal Ties
 10. Ritual Magic
 11. Unbinding

Coverart: Click the Image for a larger, clearer view of the covers in this series.

Excerpt from, Unbinding, courtesy of 

Synopsis:

In the newest Novel of the Lupi, the human and elven worlds are both about to come under attack… 

After questing through the sidhe realms with her ex-hellhound lover, Nathan, Kai Tallman Michalski has finally returned home. But she knows Nathan will eventually be called back to serve his queen—and Kai will have to decide whether to enter her majesty’s service as well. Sure, the job comes with great bennies, but there’s one big downside: she would have to swear absolute fealty to the Queen of Winter.

For now, though, Kai is glad to be home, and glad that Nathan completed his mission for his queen with surprising ease. But what seemed to be a quick conclusion turns out to be anything but. The two of them helped thwart the sidhe god of chaos—and he is not happy about that. He’s got plans for them. Plans, too, for the sidhe who killed him some three millennia ago. Nor has he abandoned his plans for Earth, as they learn when chaos begins bursting out all over...

Thoughts:

Eileen Wilks returns to the World of the Lupi with her eleventh book in the series, Unbinding. Readers who have followed the series from the beginning might miss the normal lead characters, Lily and Rule, but if they give this one a chance, they should be really pleased at how it fits into the series. Wilks is a fantastic storyteller and her world building, though sometimes complex, is always intriguing and multi-layered. Kai and Nathan's story enhances what Wilks has already done with this series, but also transforms it, adding a much needed new direction. 

What I liked:

As many of you know my favorite paranormal character is the werewolf. One of the things that I have always loved about this series is that it is so wolf-centric. From the title of the series to the pack dynamics and everything in between, this is a series, though populated with many types of supernatural characters, has always been about the wolf. Wilks has been able to create an amazing world with an interesting belief system and that continues in Unbinding, though there are some major differences.

Lily and Rule have been the main characters in the series from the git go and they are noticeable absent in this book. Wilks was obviously trying to change things up a bit. Ten books into the series, I thought that was a very wise move. Lily and Rule, though amazing, have become a little set in their ways. Their stories are becoming more predictable. By giving the reader a new lead couple in Kai and Nathan, Wilks changes the direction of the series and gives it a more realistic trajectory. These characters didn't just show up out the blue and readers will be somewhat familiar with them, enhancing the overall idea of the series.

Kai is what is described as mindhealer. I found that concept really captivating. I wanted to know more about what she could do and how she used her magic. Kai was a little hard to get used to in the beginning. She was having some issues with confidence and she seemed a little petulant and very stubborn. Her resistance to anything related to the fae and faery was hard to understand, given that her lover Nathan is sworn to the service of the Queen of Winter. Did I mention that this one has a lot of sidhe referencing and interactions? Another reason I liked this book a lot.

Nathan is a former hellhound and quite the leading man. I liked his straightforward attitude. He was certainly an alpha male but he didn't come off as overbearing or condescending as some do. He was very driven and loyalty meant everything to him. Kai and Nathan are already together when this story begins so the reader doesn't get to see the genesis of their relationship but that didn't take away from how well they worked. They made a great couple and brought out the strengths in each other that was needed in the face of the conflict with the god of chaos.

The god of chaos was a formidable foe and Wilks made him all the more sinister. The action in this book doesn't really get going until the second half. The beginning of the book was a bogged down a bit by the descriptions of the gods and what they could and couldn't do. I felt like this was something the reader needed to experience, through the actions of the gods instead of being told about it. But Wilks does give the reader a lot of information about the god of chaos and how he figures into the story.

Bottom Line:

Once the tempo picked up this one started to get better and better. Wilks is a master storyweaver. She has so many things going on that all relate to the story and the way she works them altogether is just a joy to read. I found myself enjoying the growth and changes in the characters, the thrilling sequences with the villain and the overall new direction that this book took me in. I'll have to say that if Wilks was intending to make a statement with this book, it worked. The World of the Lupi has a lot more in store.

Unbinding is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.

I'm giving this one 4 out of 5 apples from my book bag!

About the Author:

Eileen Wilks is a USA Today bestselling author, a three-time RITA Award finalist, and the recipient of a Career Achievement Award from Romantic Times. One of the previous Novels of the Lupi,Blood Challenge, was a New York Times extended list bestseller.

Giveaway Details:

The publisher is sponsoring a giveaway for one copy of Unbinding by Eileen Wilks.

~ You must be an email subscriber to participate.
~ US addresses only.
~ The deadline to enter this giveaway is Midnight EST, November 11th.

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