Reviewed by: E
A risk worth taking…
No one would ever accuse Jace Berisha of having an easy life—considering her husband…you know…killed her. But that was then! Now she fights for mighty Viking gods with the spectacular and vicious Crows.
But things are turning very bad, very quickly because a vengeful, ancient goddess has come into the world with just one thing on her mind—ending it. And the only way they can hope to stop her is if the Crows join forces with their one-time enemies, the Protectors. A Viking Clan created to do nothing but kill every Crow they see.
Thankfully, Protector Ski Eriksen is a peace loving kind of guy. Because the woman he is desperately trying to get close to is the beautiful and not-very-chatty Jace. Battling Nordic clans? Unkillable goddesses? Jace’s mean-spirited dog? None of these things would ever get in the way of a true Viking!
This blurb came from Goodreads
Hi. My name is E and if you didn’t already know I absolutely love Laurenston’s writing. I look forward to March each year because I know I will be able to get my latest Laurenston fix. I will admit I was sad when she revealed two years ago she had released her last Pride series book but I have found that several of the characteristics I enjoyed in her previous series are alive and kicking in the Call of the Crows series. Once again I have found fabulous, strong, flawed, intense, determined, and kinda crazy heroines along with their equally flawed, intense, strong, and wonderful heroes. Taken individually they are a lot of fun but when you put the heroines and heroes together with their friends and Clan mates, I find this series provides over the top enjoyment.
The Undoing picks up shorter after the events of The Unleashing end and focus on the same group of Crows. Jace, their quiet, brilliant berserker, takes center stage as the Crows and the other Viking Clans join forces against a goddess who has had revenge on her mind for far too long. Jace finds herself working closely with Ski, a member of the Protectors. The Protectors were created to kill the Crows and even though they are all fighting for the Viking Gods, they still don’t get along with the Crows. I had an absolute blast watching the two opposites learn they had things in common and even more how they were able to bring their Clans with them. Ski fit the name Protectors very neatly because he had the urge to take care of practical day to day matters for others. Jace on the other hand was perfectly happy reading, playing with her dog, and easily lost track of time so Ski’s caretaking nature fit perfectly.
In addition to the relationship between Ski and Jace, I love the interactions with all the other characters. While the romance plays a prominent role it is part of a larger whole and Laurenston very deftly shows the connections. Characters introduced in the first book became more nuanced, different Viking Clans started to show more individual personalities, and the world the Crows live in was expanded to include a few additional realms. And then these was the impact of Jace’s previous life making itself known. Closure can be such a wonderful thing **evil grin**. I really think the tight connection between her characters and the action is one of the biggest reasons why I can go back and reread her stories on multiple occasions and still get the same level of enjoyment.
Without spoiling the story and series so far I will only say that I think the Crows and by extension the other Viking sponsored Clans are up against a goddess who is something they really don’t know yet. It has been fascinating to watch her develop and to see the overall response. As part of their struggle I like how the Viking Gods really aren’t involved and how the Clans are certainly not all knowing. While they have powers, skills, abilities, and knowledge humans don’t have they also have to work at solving this particular mission and they have to put aside their usual inter-Clan quarrels and work together.
The Undoing really cemented my enjoyment of this series. I am a huge fan of the Crows and I love how they challenge the worldview of the other Clans. I can’t wait to see which Crow and which poor Viking Clan Laurenston puts through the wringer next!
I give The Undoing an A