Review - A Place Beyond by Laura Howard

The time has come. Allison's quest to save her mother from Aoife's wicked enchantment will test everything she believes in. Who is trustworthy in the land of the Fair Folk, the Tuatha de Danaan? It's up to Allison, along with her ragtag host of allies, to unravel the truth.

Journey along and discover the power of love and duty as Allison faces the most difficult trial of her life.

Ah. The conclusion to the Danaan Trilogy, A Place Beyond by Laura Howard was a great period to a long and suspenseful sentence.

Allison finds out that Liam, her father, is not dead as she'd thought, but imprisoned by Aoife... ill and getting worse every moment. His condition, unfortunately, is in direct connection with her mother's who, like Liam, is not feeling well.

Aoife puts a curse on Allison in an effort to derail Niamh and Aodhan's relationship and to ensure the rule of Tir na n'Og once her own parents have moved on. Meanwhile, things in the human world are falling apart for Allison. All except for Ethan. She has to make the decision to lie and manipulate and trick her friends, or lose her mom and her dad for good.

I can't say too much about this story, being that it is still relatively new and I don't want to spoil it for anyone. What I will say is that it is super fast paced and fantastic. I love the relationship between Allison and Ethan, how he knows he's not really enough to protect her against her paranormal foes, but he would die trying anyway. I hate that she has to keep lying to her friends and family but completely understand her need for doing so. Even in as difficult a time as they face in this story.

Aoife is as hateful as ever in this installment and proves that she will literally stop at nothing to win the right to rule... even if it means dozens more die in the process. She seems to care for nothing and no one and plows through the lives of those she deems lesser than her.

One of my favorite characters is Allison's grandmother. Despite the hardship she's been through, and having to deal with Allison's constant disappearing, she is still super supportive of Allison. She's sweet and kind and caring and even with everything going on around her she still wants to try and help Allison have as normal a life as possible. And she accepts all of Allison's excuses without getting angry at her or demanding too much of an explanation.

Well, the roller coaster ride is over. It's time to get out of the car. A Place Beyond was the final loop in the track and was well worth the wait to get to it. Once I finally got a chance to sit down and really get in to the story it moved along quite quickly, not really giving you a chance to relax and take a breath before moving on in to another exciting bit of the book.

It's kind of sad that it's over. I enjoyed the series immensely. Irish lore has always intrigued me and with this story it was like it had come to life in front of my eyes. I enjoyed watching Allison mature and grow. I enjoyed watching her and Ethan grow together. It was nice to see her "friends" become real and true companions. And... well, I can't say much more.

If you haven't read the series, I highly recommend it. Start with The Forgotten Ones and just jump right in. It's a magical world and the descriptions are amazing along with the characters. It's a fun read and an exciting one as well. You won't regret it!