With My Last Breath by Courtney Cole

Posted by Megsly in Book Bitch, Book Reviews | 0 comments

With My Last Breath
Book Three in the Bloodstone Saga
By Courtney Cole
Reviewed by Megsly

Just when Harmonia thought she had saved everyone she loved, the unthinkable happens and her life is shattered… in the space of just one breath.

Now, she is left alone to shoulder a challenge, because she alone can fulfill a prophecy and restore Olympus. She knows she can succeed; she is the daughter of gods, after all. But will doing so cause her to lose herself?

To find Zeus’ sword, she is forced to return to a place that she knows will cause her pain. But she willingly goes in order to save everyone she loves, because pain alone cannot kill her. Or can it?

I just have to say this author keeps blowing me away with these books. I’m totally and completely infatuated with them. I’d even go as far as to say that they may just be my favorite series of the year, so here is my short, spoiler-free review because I soooo don’t want to give this plot away.

With My Last Breath picks up where Fated left off, with Harmonia (formally known as Macy/Charmaine…but now we know her true identity. Harmonia, daughter of Aphrodite and Ares, the Goddess of Peace and well, basically harmony!) is faced with the daunting task of bringing her beloved, Cadmus (formally known as Hasani) back to life. The Fates and their sisters, the Keres are imprisoned and are no longer a direct threat on Olympus yet their one last blow could be Harmonia’s downfall. Cadmus lies basically dead, his soul trapped in the Wastelands and essentially un-restorable unless Harmonia can find the lost sword of Zeus.

Let me just say, without devulging ANY of the actual plot because it is just that awesome, that I think this is the best book in the series thus far. Harmonia finds herself having to be thrust back into a past life she’d once lived and what a life it is! Cadmus is still there, as the soul he was long before and completely ignorant of his role in the world of Olympus, but she knows she still has to save him in the present day reality or all will be lost. The twists and turns in the plot, and in the actual history are completely unexpected and keeps you on your toes. The history that the author pulls into this segment of the series is by far one of my favorite historical mythos of all times, and it’s familiar to everyone who’s ever stuck their head outside of a box, and that is part of the reason I think this author rocks so much, she takes a story that is such an deep-rooted part of the world’s history and turns it into this epic fictional adventure and you find yourself completely and totally enthralled with every second of it.

The characters, both fictional and real are so believable in their roles. They’re developed thoroughly in such a way that you can’t even define fiction from real history, I find myself now going, “Well, so and so totally did that thing because he was under the influence of the Greek Gods,” even though…well…the Greek mythos was in no way originally related to the history. It’s mind boggling how thoroughly she weaves her worlds, her characters and her plots. The writing is flawless, the characters believable, the mythos and history blended like no-other, and well…let’s just say that I’m absolutely dying to buy the final installment (which comes out today!) 

Below is my rating of With My Last Breath by Courtney Cole. These are reflective strictly of my opinion of the novels I’ve read and reviewed, and not necessarily reflective of the other staff members of MVF.

Plot – 10
Character Development – 9
Grammar and Punctuation – 9
Prose – 9
Paranormal Element – 9

Total Score: 9.2/10

(Total score is derived from the average of the 5 individual scores)