Last we saw Tallora and Dauriel was when a giant sea monster, the leviathan, was released, ending Heart of Silver Flame on a cliff hanger. Dauriel had just betrayed Tallora and the mermaids by hosting a peace summit and then ambushing Morathma, Solvira’s enemy, and starting a war.
Death’s Abyss has a bit more action than its predecessor. Pretty immediately Stelune, Tallora’s home, is massacred by the leviathan. Tallora works with the Queen, as the King and Prince Kal are being held prisoner by Solvira for the time being, but there’s little that can be done to fight a monster the size of a city. After exhausting all options Tallora is sent above water once again to seek Dauriel’s help.
Though Dauriel is living through her ambition, making a name for herself that will be remembered, she isn’t exactly happy. Sacrificing the love of her life for said ambition turned out to be too high of a cost, and the empress has spent her days in suicidal, drunken agony. When Tallora returns Dauriel has a chance to make things right. By Staella’s grace, Tallora is able to forgive Dauriel, and their love is rekindled, however in order to slay the leviathan Dauriel might have to make the ultimate sacrifice.
Tallora loses so much in this book. Close to everything. In light of such loss, I wasn’t surprised she forgave Dauriel. Also, as a follower of Staella, a widely empathetic Goddess, I knew she’d come around. I also felt for Dauriel this book. We learned of her upbringing and therefore motivations in the previous two novels but here all of that could lead to her death in order to achieve her end goal, and after living such an unhappy life, it’s pretty tragic. I think the only times in which she enjoys herself is when she’s with Tallora.
I’m making this book sound very grim. There are heavy moments of death and carnage, but also some very sweet ones too. Not that I want to spoil anything, but love does happen to win out. Of course, there needs to be an epic battle scene first. We actually saw Gods (Goddesses) fight in a huge showdown. I could literally not predict how this was going to end. Even the epilogue was a surprise.
This was a fantastic ending to the Sea and Stars trilogy. I loved getting to see Khastra and a few other characters outside of the Fallen Gods storyline. If you’re a fan of fantasy, mermaids, or the enemies-to-lovers trope I think you’d enjoy this trilogy.