In the Ruins (Crown of Stars #6) by Kate Elliott

The long-awaited cataclysm has reshaped the very land and seas, and disrupted the war for the empire. Now all who have survived the return of the spell-exiled Aoi lands must find a way to mend their shattered territories and take a stand against their enemies in a power struggle that may forge new alliances-or doom them all.

My two main reasons for giving this volume only three stars are, one, not enough Sanglant, Liath, and almost no Alain. Why hide your three most interesting characters under a bush? Second, I am getting heartily tired of hearing about how gorgeous Hugh is. Okay, he’s a good looking man, but I can believe that no one is immune to that beauty, especially since his evilness is often more than apparent. It puts him almost on a pedestal, while, at the same time, making all these characters who are totally enthralled by his beauty to be total morons.

Who was front and center a lot of the time was Blessing, probably the most annoying of the characters. Her being Sanglant and Liath’s daughter isn’t enough to make me automatically root for her. And speaking of Blessing, was it only my edition that completely left out the scene where she and her party are actually captured?

Still, I’m looking forward to the next, and, thankfully, last volume of this long saga. Hopefully, the action will return to those who are truly interesting to read about.