Grace Series Review
Barb Frison
David hosts the Criterion Reflections podcast, a series that reviews the films of the Criterion Collection in their chronological order of release. The series began in 2009 and those essays (covering the years 1921-1967) can be found via the website link provided below. In March 2016, the blog transferred to this site, and in August 2017, the blog changed over to a podcast format. David also contributes to other reviews and podcasts on this site. He lives near Grand Rapids, Michigan and works in social services. Twitter / Criterion Reflections
This review contains several discussions of potential miracles and the cross-connections of fate, all in the service of getting you to find a show and watch said show while at the same time trying to get a rival streaming service to wake the hell up and save a separate show and, finally, but not accidentally, to maybe get some Emmy attention for any number of worthy actors from both shows.
What the Platinum Age of Television has given us is plenty of exceptional series and a number of standout auteur writers. Conrad is definitely one of them and his series are unique (if underappreciated, currently) in the landscape.
Last month, Square surprisingly released a port of a 25-year-old Super Nintendo game that had previously never left Japan. To our delight, Romancing SaGa 3 turned out to be a joy, a hidden gem that fans of retro RPGs are sure to enjoy. Riding on the momentum of a newfound appreciation for Akitoshi Kawazu, I had the opportunity to review another recent SaGa title that had also never left Japan until now. Although Scarlet Grace might be a much different experience than what most Kawazu fans are used to, it still has all of the charm and idiosyncrasies one would expect from a SaGa game and delivers them in a very entertaining fashion.
When the topic of SaGa games comes up in conversation, a number of different mechanics and gameplay features are forever linked with the series: Asymmetrical leveling up, random occurrences in battle, open-ended exploration, and utterly complex battle systems that require a fair deal of experience to learn. SaGa: Scarlet Grace - Ambitions has all of these elements, and yet still manages to look and feel much different from previous entries.
Interesting dialogue aside, the majority of the time spent in Scarlet Grace is with a combat system that takes a little bit of time to get a handle on. Just like most SaGa titles, the combat has layers upon layers of systems to track and master, and endless ways to customize your party. At the beginning of a battle, five members of your party are chosen to participate, and the formation in which they stand will impact how the battle will play out. Each character's actions have a cost which is represented by a number of stars, and the initial number of stars and the way they increase per turn is based upon the formation chosen.
It's always bittersweet when a series comes to an end, make that a Jennifer L. Armentrout series and it's the very definition of bittersweet. Grace and Glory brings a conclusion to The Harbringer trilogy, but whether it will be the end of this world series is a question that only will time will answer to! We all thought The Dark Elements series ended that world, but we found out otherwise here. And this was such an epic adventure, I would not be surprised if a few years later Jennifer returns.
So, we all remember how Rage and Ruin ended, we were raging, we were ruined...really, the title prepared us. Lol. But Trin knows Zayne isn't gone for good. And he is in fact back, but he's different now, he's a Fallen angel and he has no memories of his friends and family, or Trinity. But Trinity is not accepting no with grace and dignity, she will do everything she has to to reach Zayne and bring him back.
But there's still the fact that the end of the world is at stake. Gabriel still plans to destroy all of mankind and bring Hell to Heaven and you know, utter chaos and destruction. Trinity knows she will have to kill Gabriel before it's too late, that or she'll be used to bring about the end of all things. Roth and Layla are working on the new plan, which involves bringing Lucifer to earth and having him kill his brother, Gabriel.
Well, it honestly shouldn't be too much of a spoiler that eventually, the Zayne we all know and love comes back to himself and to Trinity. I mean, it wouldn't be a JLA book without the spine tingling romance we've all come to adore from her! Zayne and Trinity have more than their share of sizzling moments and woohoo boy! It's hard remembering a time that these two struggled to be together on the most intimate level. They've come a long way since that first book and honestly, I am so happy that Zayne has found happiness with Trinity, that she was always meant to be his destiny. To think...if readers didn't vote for Roth...this might have been a very different story indeed!
What was probably the BEST part of this book was when Lucifer was on Earth and enjoying the new technology and everything the 21st century had to offer...including...wait for it...SUPERNATURAL! Yes, Lucifer manages to get hooked to the show Supernatural and becomes obsessed with his own character. Not only in the way he's portrayed but just everything about the show itself. It's absolutely hilarious! I was dying when he was binge watching episode after episode and wondering why that Lucifer chose to do this and not that, rolling over how his brothers were portrayed and giving Trinity the death glare when she spoils a season finale! Lol. Omg, this was just the best thing ever! You don't really have to know the show in order to grasp what's happening, and plus anyone spoiling a season finale for a favorite show is worthy of a death glare!
This book was extremely well paced too. It was broken down into parts too, we have the need to save Zayne, the planning and what not, then the saving of Zayne, and then trying to plan for the endgame, and then you know the actual endgame. The pacing between each part too was so enticing! You were constantly turning the pages, eager to see what would happen next. Jennifer just has that way about her writing style, she knows how to keep a hold of her readers.
Grace and Glory was the ultimate conclusion to The Harbinger series! It was jam packed with action, tension, romance...everything to create a page-turning, spine-tingling read. It was the best kind of series ender, one that leaves readers hopeful for a brighter future for those left standing and gives just the right tease that maybe this isn't the end of this world either. If you have yet to start this incredible angels/demons/apocalyptic showdown of a series, now is the time! There is nothing better than binge reading a series, let alone one by the ultra talented Jennifer L. Armentrout! This series is pure gold!
The Honeymoon stars Sabrina and Tucker of book four of the original series, The Goal. In that book, a surprise pregnancy brought together laid back Tucker and intense law student Sabrina. Now, parents of toddler Jamie, they are finally getting married. Tucker is a successful owner of several Boston bars and Sabrina has just graduated from law school.
Overall, this was an entertaining and easy read; at times the couples felt very young to be making the big life choices they make (this is probably partly my own age speaking but also that most of the characters evince a certain lack of maturity at one point or another in the story). I do like the camaraderie between the four couples and their running jokes; one woven through all the stories involves a creepy doll that each couple keeps finding a way to pass off to one of the others.
has been an avid if often frustrated romance reader for the past 15 years. In that time she's read a lot of good romances, a few great ones, and, unfortunately, a whole lot of dreck. Many of her favorite authors (Ivory, Kinsale, Gaffney, Williamson,Ibbotson) have moved onto other genres or produce new books only rarely, so she's had to expand her horizons a bit. Newer authors she enjoys include Julie Ann Long, Megan Hart and J.R. Ward, and she eagerly anticipates each new Sookie Stackhouse novel. Strong prose and characterization go a long way with her, though if they are combined with an unusual plot or setting, all the better. When she's not reading romance she can usually be found reading historical non-fiction.
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