Book Review: The Onyx Talisman

Media Type: Print Book (ARC)
Title: The Onyx Talisman
   *Series: Talisman #3
Author: Brenda Pandos
Publisher: Obsidian Mountain Publishing
Pages: Ebook; 247
Release Date: December 16, 2011
Source: Author
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Intended Reading Group: Young Adult
Content Screening: Mild Violence
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HDB Rating: 3 Keys to My Heart
Recommended to: Readers who have fallen in love with Brenda’s series, and are looking for a finale!

Add it on: Goodreads / Shelfari / Amazon / B&N

Alora looked back and the corner of her lip turned up. “It’s always darkest before the dawn, Julia. Good luck.”
Her words sent chills up my spine as she vanished.

Unrest stirs deep in Scotts Valley. Filled with uncertainty, Julia anxiously awaits Nicholas’ return. Phil, hurt and unsure of his place as a sober vampire, holds the pieces of Julia’s fragile psyche together, secretly hoping Nicholas stays away forever. Scarlett bides her time, plotting for the perfect moment to prove herself and earn redemption. But somewhere in L.A., Alora conspires to reclaim her talisman and strip Julia of everything she holds dear.

Little do they know, a war is coming and more than one vampire would like to see the Prince of Vampires overthrown. As more and more vampires show up from nowhere, addicted to her scent, Julia must pick her allies carefully before it’s too late. Can Julia bargain with fate? When the time comes, will she even have a choice? Find out how it all ends in this explosive grand finale of The Talisman Trilogy.

Those of you who have been following my blog for any length of time know that I love Brenda Pandos! In particular, her Talisman trilogy has been one of my favorites so far. There is so much to love. Julia, Nicholas, deliciously evil vampires, it all adds up to some of the best reading I’ve done so far.

That being said, I know that going in to The Onyx Talisman I had a lot of high expectations for it. I was bound to be a little disappointed because of that very fact. I think what struck me most about this installment in the trilogy was the lack of the Nicholas and Julia romance. I can’t spoil exactly why it doesn’t make a big appearance here, but I will tell you that their love was one of the things that kept me immersed in this series. Without it, I felt like I was missing something.

Not to say that Julia doesn’t shine on her own! In fact, one of the great parts about allowing her to be separate from her love is that she really comes out of her shell. Julia has always been a kick-ass kind of character. However she always had Nicholas to come bounding to her rescue if it was necessary. In this book it’s all about Julia and she doesn’t shrink away from the limelight. I loved how she was able to take on anything that came her way, no matter how afraid she was at the moment. She’s amazing.

The ending of The Onyx Talisman was, in my opinion, just perfect for the series. I was expecting a big, crazy conclusion, and I was definitely given that! There are so many twists and turns in this installment, so many unexpected occurrences, that by the time I was at the end I was breathless. I was so excited to see where Julia and Nicholas would go next, and the ending just made me smile. I’ll admit it slightly broke my heart to see this end, but it was time.

Long story short, I’m sad to see this series come to a close. I love Julia, I love Nicholas, and I will miss them so much! Although this book wasn’t exactly what I was expecting, I still really enjoyed it overall. If you haven’t yet started this series, get on it! Brenda Pandos is an amazing author, and she’ll happily sweep you off your feet with her writing.

Other books reviewed in this series:
The Emerald Talisman (Talisman #1)
The Sapphire Talisman (Talisman #2)

Other books reviewed by Brenda Pandos:
Everblue (Mer Tales #1)

FTC Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. I was not monetarily compensated for my opinion.