Mayan 2012 end of days is only a few weeks away. The NightKeepers and winniken are at odds, there's infighting and power struggles at time when they all need to work together against evil. Cara and Sven have an attraction but to give into it will cause even more problems. Sven tendency to run makes Cara unwilling to fully trust him. I struggled with this book, starting and stopping many times. I don't think it has anything to do with the writing, I just couldn't get into the story, it left me feeling annoyed. Their magic is driven by blood and sex, with gods and demons trying to influence things to their benefit. While I gave it a three It's not because it wasn't written well, but because I personally couldn't connect with the story. I kept feeling like given the dire circumstances, it felt like they were behaving like pubescent teenagers rather than the worlds only chance against the end times, and there were too many scattered side shoots, which I know are a precursor to the next story but still left me feeling annoyed rather than anticipatory.
( )

Magic Unchained
3.5 Stars

As the end date approaches, the Nightkeepers and the Winikin must join forces to fight those who would bring about hell on earth. Unfortunately, the conflicts between the two groups threaten to undermine their efforts. Winikin leader, Cara Liu, is caught between her loyalty to her fellow fighters and her love for Nightkeeper, Coyote ‘Sven’ Seven, the only man she has always wanted but never been allowed to have.

The world building and research into Mayan lore in this penultimate installment of Andersen’s Final Prophecy series is excellent as always. Unfortunately, Cara and Sven’s romance, which I had eagerly been awaiting since the first book, isn’t as captivating as it could have been.

Cara and Sven’s chemistry is good, but their personal conflict overshadows the challenges posed by the factions that actively conspire against the Nightkeepers. They are constantly coming together only to push each other away out of wariness, distrust and fear. It takes too long for them to get over their angst and work together.

That said, there are some truly excellent moments when the Winikin and the Nightkeepers demonstrate exactly why they are the groups chosen to protect humanity against the demons that threaten the world. And there is a very interesting twist at the end, which should make the next book very exciting.

There are also developments in Rabbit and Myrinne’s relationship as their book is the finale of the series. While Rabbit with his morally ambiguous abilities and tortured relationship with his father has always been a favorite of mine, Myrinne has never appealed to me as a heroine. Consequently, I’m conflicted about reading their book and am not getting my hopes up too high. Only time will tell… ( )