Book Review: Impossible

Impossible (Piercing the Veil, Book 3) 

Author: C.A. Gray 

Published By: Wanderlust Publishing 

Publication Date: October 15, 2014 

Page Count: 303 

Buy it at Amazon

Source: eBook sent from author 

Audience: Young Adult – Fantasy, Arthurian Mythology

Impossible, the final book in the Piercing the Veil Trilogy, I am happy to say, does not disappoint. Just like with the first two, I couldn't put it down. If you have not read Intangible or Invincible, please stop reading this review as it will have spoilers.

Impossible is fast paced from the beginning of the story. Peter and Lily are split up and sent to separate hidden Watcher cities on opposite sides of the world to protect them from Sargon. Brock and Cole are sent back to their first school to recruit people onto their side of the war, showing them their penumbra and teaching them how to control their elements. The adult watchers begin planning and researching how to get the sword fragments from the Shadow Lord, how to reforge Excalibur, and ultimately defeat Sargon.

Lily and Peter don't want to be left out of any of the action and are soon on a harrowing journey to locate certain items from the Greek gods that can help them in the fight against The Shadow Lord. They venture into hidden worlds where Seers and penumbra mingle amicably, where Greek gods are real. Soon after, the final battle with Sargon begins, as penumbra take solid form and begin to wreak havoc across England.

I love how this third and final installment in this series immediately jumps into the story not long after the end of the second, and is action packed from the beginning to the end. I love how everyone has a mission and is involved in the plot and the final outcome.

Gray, as usual combines Arthurian Legend with modern science, but this time she also throws Greek Mythology into the mix. I think it works really well, and I love the addition. She finds a way to intertwine both legend and myth seamlessly.

I loved watching the characters change and grow throughout the three stories, how relationships strengthened and blossomed. I liked seeing how different characters reacted to finding out they had powers, or about the hidden war and penumbra. Gray makes it all very believable.

The final battle with Sargon, the Shadow Lord, was surprisingly quick, and I would have liked to have seen more. I wanted more of a fight, more of an internal struggle between Kane and Sargon. I feel like the two battles in the first two books were much more involved.

Impossible has twists that you don't see coming and I love that this book made me gasp out loud. Books that can surprise me deserve my praise.

POTENTIAL SPOILER BELOW

Throughout the series, the question above all others is, "Who is the Child of the Prophecy?"  Is it Peter, Lily, or Kane?  In truth, the answer is never truly revealed, leaving it to the reader to interpret it as they see fit.  I like this because it leaves room for discussion, as it could be any one of them since they all fought in the end.

END OF SPOILER

I truly enjoyed reading the Piercing the Veil trilogy and I am sad to say goodbye to this beautiful and magical world and all its remarkable, intriguing characters.  I think my favorite of the three books is the last.  This is where you see how much characters have evolved, like Brock going from Peter's arch nemesis to one of his closest friends or even the drastic change is Brock's father.  Love interests come together as well.  And you find out more about Isdemus's past.

C.A. Gray has definitely gained a fan in me and I will be looking for more stories from her in the future.

One Last Thought: One thing I feel makes a good author is the ability to sacrifice characters the audience has grown to love. It can be a hard decision.  C.A. Gray is one of these authors, as we saw with Sully in the second book.

Favorite Thing About This Book: The mixing of Arthurian Legend with Greek Mythology

First Sentence: Sargon stood on the edge of a precipice.

Favorite Character: Eustace

Least Favorite Character: Sargon

Synopsis 

The Shadow Lord has the Philosopher’s Stone, and therefore an army of invincible penumbra. He also possesses the fragments of Excalibur, the legendary sword prophesied to be the instrument of either his own destruction, or that of the Child of the Prophecy. The sword, he knows, requires blood to be reforged… and he knows exactly whose blood he wants.

Meanwhile, the Watchers are desperate to steal back the fragments of Excalibur and find out how to reforge them before the Shadow Lord does. Isdemus places Peter and Lily in Carlion’s sister cities for safe-keeping until the war begins. But Peter and Lily have an idea that might enable the Watchers to steal back the fragments, in spite of the Shadow Lord’s invincible army. Their plan requires them to travel halfway across the world, to an island largely believed to exist only in Greek mythology. Along the way, however, the Shadow Lord uses a pawn to convince Peter and Lily that they are powerless. Without their gifts of the Ancient Tongue, will either one of them stand a chance?

In this gripping conclusion of the Piercing the Veil trilogy, the Watchers and the Shadow Lord both amass their ranks, the battle begins, and the true identity of the Child of the Prophecy is revealed—to the shock of all.