Midnight Enchantment (Dark Magick # 4) by Anya Bast
Urban Fantasy
February 7, 2012
Berkley

Reviewed by Tori

Favorite Quote: " I love you…but I won’t be your excuse."

The Unseelie court only needs the two remaining missing pieces of the bosca fadbh. Once they have those in their possession, they will be able to tear down the walls of their prison; Piefferburg. But to a young water fae, those walls represent life for the only person she loves. Elizabeth Cely Saintjohn has those two pieces carefully hidden and nothing can convince her to reveal them. Niall Quinn, mage and thief has been charged with finding Elizabeth and convincing her to turn the pieces over to him. Through any means necessary. And Niall will do what his queen requires…until he catches his first glimpse of Elizabeth. Then battle between love and war rages out of control as his loyalties are tested. Niall knows if he cannot make Elizabeth give him those pieces, then he will be forced to destroy her and everything she loves.

Midnight Enchantment is the climatic finale that brings conclusion to the wonderfully dark and wickedly sensual ride we have been on since book one- Wicked Enchantment. We have reached the end of an incredible journey fraught with danger, deception, and betrayal as the final conflict between the Fae and the Paladirs comes to a head. The Shadow Queen and her Unseelie court have the Book Of Bindings and two pieces of the bosca fadbh. All they need are the last two in order to break the magic of the Paladirs that holds the fae hostage in Piefferburg. But not everyone wants those walls to come down. Especially an elusive water fae, Elizabeth Cely Saintjohn. Her mother will die if the walls come down and after watching her father and brother sacrifice their lives, she refuses to sacrifice her mother’s life for anyone’s freedom.

Niall Quinn has waited a lifetime for this day. Brought into Piefferburg as a child sick with the Watts Syndrome, he remembers the outside world. He wants out and he refuses to let this woman stand in his way. As he stalks her, he begins to form a connection with her. He is both angry and fascinated by her defiance of him. When he finally captures her, his anger turns to lust as he comes face to face with the most beautiful woman he has ever seen. But a beautiful face can not come between him and his goal. He must have those pieces. He regrets having to trap her within his magic, he has the ability to enter a person’s mind and create illusions based on their memories, in order to secure the location of the missing bosca fadbh pieces. Especially when he is faced with a will just as strong, if not stronger, then his own. He uses every trick, including seduction, to obtain his goals to no avail.

Both Niall and Elizabeth are strong, loyal, and very stubborn people. Each one feels their cause is the right one and they reach an impasse fairly quickly in the storyline. The main conflict centers around sacrifice. In the classic sense-do you sacrifice the good of one for the good of many? And who gets to makes that choice? I have to admit to not liking Elizabeth as much as the other heroines. While I understood her reasoning, her choices are at times selfish and her actions not well thought out. She knows how much this means to the fae but she is willing to doom them all to save her mother. She also feels that once it becomes public knowledge that she is the one who destroyed her people’s hopes for freedom, she will be able to hide forever. In a walled city. Really?

Niall has always been a favorite character of mine. Throughout the series we see him do questionable things yet with each installment, the hardness about him seems to fade and his character grows deeper and more complicated. Handsome, sarcastic, and devious, he comes across as a ladies man but your able to see that underneath it all, he will do anything for those he loves. I found myself devastated, right along with him, as he uses his magic against Elizabeth to make her reveal her secrets. Though in his defense, he never lied to her. He told her what he could and would do. Part of him wants to hurt her for denying them all the chance at freedom yet another part of him knows she is the other half of his soul so every bite of pain she feels, he feels ten times over. It’s an altogether desperate situation.

The affair between them is very sensual and intense. They have some delicious tension between them and it scorches the the air you breathe. Their falling in love though was a bit far reaching for me. It all happens so fast. They go from enemies to lovers to in love in the blink of an eye. There was never any down time for them till after they proclaim their love and the main conflict is resolved. There wasn’t the usual “courtship” or ”hate to love” aspect in here so I felt a little cheated. I did feel the romance angle played a greater role in this storyline, taking away from the plot at times. I would have loved a more balance, in which the other subplots and characters were given equal measure. This storyline seemed to also be missing the darkness that permeated the other ones. In each previous book, you were never quite sure if good would prevail, giving the series a more urban fantasy feel. It’s only in here does the romance overpower the arc and plot. The delicious intrigue and tension that I associate with this series was missing.

We see many old friends in this installment from the fae queens to the heroes and heroines from past stories. Each a strong physical presence in the story, amping up the tension and suspense. I liked that Aislinn finally acts like the Unseelie Queen in here but I wish she would have done it a book or two back. The catalyst that releases her bonds of indecisiveness was distressing. Old enemies are reunited as allies and compacts are discovered and exposed. Ms. Bast answers all our questions in a dramatic conclusion that formally reveals the duplicity and Machiavellian aspects that made this series such a winner.

Ms. Bast does a nice job in completing this long reaching storyline, even though I’m a little disappointed as stated above.  And while I’m sad to see it end, I am satisfied with the way she choose to do it. We are even given a small epilogue that gives us a peek at how everyone is coping after the walls fall.

Overall Rating: C+

Recent Reviews:
Ramblings From a Chaotic Mind – 3.5/5
Love to Read For Fun – C
That’s What I’m Talking About – B+
Fiction Vixen – C
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