Title: Island of Glass
Author: Nora Roberts
ISBN: 9780425280126
No. of Pages: 352
Genre: Romance; Fantasy
Origins: Mine. All mine.
Release Date: 6 December 2016
Synopsis:
“As the hunt for the Star of Ice leads the six guardians to Ireland, Doyle, the immortal, must face his tragic past. Three centuries ago, he closed off his heart, yet his warrior spirit is still drawn to the wild. And there’s no one more familiar with the wild than Riley—and the wolf within her…
An archaeologist, Riley is no stranger to the coast of Clare, but now she finds herself on unsure footing, targeted by the dark goddess who wants more than the stars, more than the blood of the guardians. While searching through Irish history for clues that will lead them to the final star and the mysterious Island of Glass, Riley must fight her practical nature and admit her sudden attraction to Doyle is more than just a fling. For it is his strength that will sustain her and give her the power to run towards love—and save them all…”
My Thoughts: Island of Glass follows the standard Nora Roberts’ trilogy format. The story revolves around the two characters who have not yet partnered while at the same time, the group of six search for the final star. Ms. Roberts does break from her standard slightly by focusing on Doyle rather than Riley, delving a bit into his background and making him the hero in the search for the Star of Ice. It is a nice switch from having the females always the key element in the groups’ journey, as she has done so often in the past. I find her male characters more entertaining than her female ones anyway, so this was a welcome change-up.
That being said, not much new is revealed about any of the characters in this book. In spite of seeing the story through Riley’s and Doyle’s eyes, there are few new insights into their characters. Riley is just as pragmatic as you have seen in the previous two books. With her, what you see is what you get, and she literally says what she thinks. She is a refreshing character, providing some entertainment with her bluntness, but the lack of nuance does not make the story more interesting. The potential for Doyle to be a fascinating character is there, but Ms. Roberts’ never truly capitalizes on his immortality other than by making him a formidable warrior – easy to be when you cannot be killed. He must battle some demons from his past before the end of the novel, but this is done on a superficial level rather than provide any depth to his character or the story.
The star is almost an afterthought this time as well. Ms. Roberts reveals the hiding spot early on in the book through some heavy-handed foreshadowing, so the discovery of it is anticlimactic. The battle that ensues after they find it is equally weak, with the killing of a major foe a bit too easy given the trouble he has caused the group in the past. Because finding the stars is not the end of the story, the group has to face one more trial that is almost boring in its inevitability. The winners of that final battle are a foregone conclusion after all, so it is just a matter of seeing how the battle unfolds. It turns out it is remarkably similar to the three other battles that previously occurred.
While Island of Glass provides no real surprises, the story is still a satisfactory ending to the series. All of the couples obtain their blissful happiness that only happens in such stories. The good guys win, the bad guys are vanquished forever, and there is enough magic to make you believe that anything is possible.
BOTTOM LINE: Not her strongest series by far with a predictable but satisfactory ending.
