My Cup of Tea

The imminent Arrival is here, and Earth could be caught up in a war of another universe, a war that for once mankind didn’t asked for. Akiva and Karou’s once shared dream of peace reemerges, but for peace to prevail they must unite chimaera and seraphim and let go of a past full of death and hatred.



You would think this was a love story (although we had a good share of heated glares between Akiva and Karou), but in all honesty, this is in fact a beautiful story about destiny and faith.

Dreams of Gods and Monsters is the grand conclusion that this series needed, but it’s not simply that. Laini Taylor surely thought that telling us how our protagonist’s relationship would conclude or if eternal enemies could in fact overcome their differences in order to confront a greater evil wasn’t enough, so she added so much more.

Right from chapter one, we encounter a new character: Eliza, a young woman who suffers of vivid night terrors, dreams of gods and terrible monsters.
Scarab, the queen of stelian seraphim will make a new inclusion too; she’ll be out hunting for the powerful magus whose magic could be perceived around the whole Eretz.
Both character’s chapters would be scatter along the book to add to the general thrilling sensation and mystery.

A lot of our old character will either add little bits to the plot, or add lots and display a significant development. Some will die, and some will live with the guilt that surviving carries. Ones will make you want to become a fictional character for the solely reason of being able to punch their ugly faces, and others will make you laugh.

But how a story which main aspect is war could be fun? Taylor’s magic! She’s been able to write a dark and terrible story, lightened with cutesy and humor (as always brought by Mik and Zuze) and entirely focused on sending one positive message: “Cake as a way of life”.
Mmm, maybe that wasn’t the message. Let’s try again: “Hope makes its own magic”.

The explanation of magic is explored a little deeper, not yet reaching a full development. In many fantasies magic is a mysterious force that just works and exists, and this one is not the exception. A particular aspect of magic called telestethia was quite interesting, something similar to telepathy that gives the possibility of projecting feelings or memories to other person's brain.

The plot evolves in a good pace to the zenith of the story, but that will just be the starting point for Taylor’s stitching up every little thread she previously set in an unexpected and awesome finale. The ending is left purpously open, but instead of giving the story a sense of lack of closure, it in fact enfouces the story with more realism.

“It was not a happy ending, but a happy middle - at last, after so many fraught beginnings. Their story would be long. Much would be written of them, some of it in verse, some sung, and some in plain prose, in volumes to be penned for the archives of cities not yet built.”

Side note: La traducción al español es espectacular. No me digan que Advenimiento no suena mejor que Arrival!