Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Book Review: Always Remembered (Never Forgotten #3)

Always Remembered (Never Forgotten #3) by Kelly Risser
Publication Date: May 19, 2015

One clue… what does it mean?

Ken, the leader of the Blue Men of the Minch, has kidnapped Evan. Before they left, Evan was able to leave a package for Meara—her grandfather's necklace wrapped in a cloth napkin with one word written in blood. Azuria. Unfortunately, Meara doesn't understand it and neither does her dad or Kieran.

When Dad and Aunt Brigid attempt to rescue Evan, Meara and Kieran begin to train the clan on how to fight and defend their home. A war is brewing, and Meara is determined their people must prepare for the battle. The training sessions are long and arduous, but the Selkies work hard to learn.

Meanwhile, Evan wakes and finds himself in Belle Tresor, the home of sirens. He's bound to his blue form, unable to transform to human, and Ken has plans to use Evan's powers to destroy the Selkies. Thankfully, he's not alone. He befriends a siren named Deanna and several Blue Men. Can he trust them to help him escape or do they have ulterior motives?
As both sides prepare for an ultimate confrontation, the stakes are high and friendships are tested. Some will rise to be victorious. Some will be destroyed.


Always Remembered was a fantastic ending to an amazing series. This series truly has it all, and features selkies, mermen, and sirens, a genre that isn't currently very popular. This is a wonderfully unique and creative series and a must read for fans of this genre. The second novel in this series, Current Impressions, set this book up perfectly. As soon as I was finished reading the second book, I knew this was going to be chock full of action, and plenty of twists and turns. Ms. Risser delivers in the best way, and serves up a conclusion that will satisfy all fans of this series. Her writing is perfect and the story flows effortlessly. This novel is well paced and the perfect length.

One of my favorite elements of this story was the different settings in which the story took place. For about half of the story we alternate between Ronac and Belle Tresor (the home of the sirens). We also visit Azuria (but I'm not going to tell you much about that because I don't want to give away any spoilers). While these places were talked about before or described before, this novel makes these places come alive. You felt that you were living in these places as they are richly described. While we already knew about Ronac previously, I felt that we got a much better feel for the community and safehold. Put simply, Ms. Risser's writing created a wonderful atmosphere and experience for the reader, and allowed the reader to live in the moment when reading about these places.

Another excellent element of this story was the development of the characters. Throughout the course of the series--and this book in particular-- Meara grows enormously. She is more determined than ever and (at least in my mind) much more responsible. Meara has finally accepted her position in her family and realized that she needed to step up to the plate to help her clan and people. She has a wonderful tenacity and fierceness that serves to further her plans and mission. However, the best thing about her character is that she always remains optimistic. No matter what troubles or set backs come her way, she always stays positive. Evan also matures quite a bit, and I did like how he stuck true to his character. Kieran is amazing and I loved how much he supported Meara. He remained her partner and believed in her, even if the face of danger or trouble.

There is a great wrap-up that brings the story to a nice conclusion. Overall, this is a fantastic series that definitely deserves more attention. With Ms. Risser's wonderfully creative and descriptive writing, as well as characters that you will quickly and easily fall in love with, this series is a major win. Don't miss out! 


You can read my reviews for the first two novels here:
Never Forgotten (Never Forgotten #1) 
Current Impressions (Never Forgotten #2) 


Happy reading :)  

~Cassie 

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