Review: A Fall of Water by Elizabeth Hunter

A Fall of Water by Elizabeth Hunter (Elemental Mysteries #4)

review request from the author


Synopsis from Goodreads
“No secret stays hidden forever.”

Still grieving from their loss in the far East, Giovanni Vecchio and Beatrice De Novo discover that for them, all roads really do lead to Rome. But nothing is quite as it seems in the Eternal City. Joined by Carwyn and Tenzin, unexpected clashes greet them almost immediately, and rivalries churn beneath the glittering facade of the old Roman court. They quickly realize that allies might be enemies, and ancient rivals could hold the key to a deadly secret.

Giovanni and Beatrice will be forced to call on old alliances, ancient power, and fierce cunning to survive for the eternity they both desire. Sometimes, finding the end means going back to the beginning. Fire, Earth, Wind, and Water finally meet with devastating results in the conclusion of the Elemental Mysteries.

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9/10

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 I've been praising Elizabeth's writing since I was introduced to her Elemental Mysteries series in 2011. If you look at my reviews of A Hidden Fire, This Same Earth and The Force of Wind you would see why I'm so enamoured with her work.



First of all, she writes vampires like Anne Rice would have written them - cunning, cautious, extremely political, clever and very, very dangerous.  They might act like spoiled children sometimes but there are always multiple layers and reasons to their motivation.


Secondly, the world-building is exquisite. The research which must have gone into this series is enormous - from ancient Persia and Italian Renaissance to the power of elements and Asian mythology.  The main characters travel all over the world in search of answers, and each location is carefully represented.


At last, the characters themselves, be that the main couple Giovanni Vecchio and Beatrice De Novo, or the cast of multiple secondary characters, Tenzin, Ben, Carwyn, Lorenzo, Matt and Dez, Baojia, etc. and many others are not just figureheads. They are complex, warm, and alive.


The conclusion of Elemental Mysteries was phenomenal. Not only I received the answers to my questions, I was forced to reevaluate the main villain, Lorenzo, in lieu of new revelations about his and Gio's past, and I actually felt for him. I felt for Lorenzo, and I haven't thought it would ever be possible. 


The ending is deep, revenge is bitter and heart-wrenching, and it's all very philosophical. 


Both Gio and Beatrice absolutely kick-ass in this book, B with her shit-kickers and hooked swords and Gio with his fire starter powers. Tenzin is wickedly scary and fun, and Carwyn stays true to his element with Hawaiian shirts, beer and wrestling.


Ben grows up considerably, and dare I guess that there will be something between him and Tenzin in a future spin-off, perhaps?


All in all, it was an amazing experience, and I really hope Elizabeth will write more books be that in the same world or anything else for that matter. To me she proved how talented she really is.

* * *

С огромным сожалением мне пришлось попрощаться со всеми героями Секретов Элементов, ибо серия подошла к концу. 


Вот люблю я всё, что пишет и издаёт Элизабет. У неё не только своя манера повествования, которая прям залезает в душу и не отпускает, её книги к тому же прямо багаж знаний, так как к подготовке ресурсов и построению мира она относится очень ответственно.


В течение всей серии мы успели попутешествовать по всему миру вместе с Джио и Беатрис, начиная с Европы, Южной Америки, США и заканчивая таинственным островом Пенглай, где находится древний совет вампиров. Мы также попутешествовали вместе с памятью героев во времени - от древней Персии к итальянскому Возрождению.


Оба Джио и Беатрис в последней книге просто великолепны, Би с её мечами-крюками и Джио с его всепожирающим огнём. Кроме схваток, они планируют захват власти в Риме и делают всё возможное, чтобы остановить Лоренцо с его планом захвата мира вампиров.

Концовка, мама дорогая, настолько хороша и философска, что заставляет меня испытать симпатию к Лоренцо и понять наконец его мотивацию. А ведь его я ненавидела на протяжение всех четырёх книг!


В общем, без раскрытия спойлеров, как обычно восторженно советую всю серию!