“There are many shades of gray between good and evil, Jenny, and the lighter shades are to be preferred, if we cannot have pure white.”
Alexander Death is the third and final book in the Paranormals series by J. L. Bryan, and it was a fantastic conclusion to the series. It manages to bring the entire series, filled with heartache, sex, horror, and love to a satisfying conclusion, with a happy ending to boot.
The book begins with a little back-story on the healer, Seth, before moving into the actual continuation from the story in Tommy Nightmare (a review of which can be found here). Jenny, the plague-bringer, has been whisked away to Mexico by Alexander, the controller of the dead, after nearly being killed by a frenzied mob. With Homeland Security and the Centers for Disease Control still looking for her, going into hiding is the only option Jenny has for staying safe and out of a lab.
However, Alexander has his own agenda. Jenny’s power is an amplifier to his, and when they work together, both of their powers are stronger than they are alone. He is not about to let her flit off back to Seth, so Alexander forces Jenny to use her power to save herself, to save others, to hurt others that have hurt her. After these tests, Alexander plies her with drugs that allow her mind to open…And see the multitude of past lives in which she was treated as a goddess, bringing pain, suffering, and plague, all the while cleverly steering her away from the lives she spent with the healer, where she became more human-like and fell in love over and over again.
All the while, Seth is spending a large amount of time and money to find Jenny. After hiring a team of investigators to find her, he manages to track her down and learn about Alexander’s job in the process. The connections to Seth’s family history are undeniable, and horrifying. It clenches the notion that Seth must bring Jenny home.
The reunion between Jenny and Seth is a little less than happy, but Jenny does return to the states with Seth…And Alexander following not far behind. Alexander has a plan for revenge, and it requires the love-charmer, Ashleigh. Their return to Fallen Oak is dramatic and intense, fueled by their combined hatred toward the plague-bringer and the healer. But they are not alone. The fear-giver, Tommy, arrives in Fallen Oak before Alexander and Ashleigh, a plan of his own in mind.
The climax of the book details the execution of the plan laid out by the love-charmer and the commander of the dead. This portion of the book winds up being very emotional, specifically for Jenny and Seth, which was all part of the plan to bring them down. Characters who have not been seen since the first book (a review of which is here) make a dramatic return, only to be used and manipulated. It is an intense climax, culminating in one of the paranormals finally learning to tap into the full potential of their power.
The conclusion brings everything together, with two of the paranormals returning to the cycle of reincarnation, and the rest living their human lives. I found the conclusion to be satisfying, fulfilling my want for a happy ending for the characters that I enjoyed.
Overall, I believe that, more than anything, I am disappointed that the series is over. I thoroughly enjoyed the entire series; I found the premise unique and the execution brilliant. I appreciated each of the characters, generally liking the “good” characters and disliking the “bad” ones. While I am not sure that these are books that I will go back and read again anytime soon, or that I feel connected enough to them that I would feel as though I were returning to visit with old friends upon a re-read, I definitely enjoyed the series and highly recommend it.
A word of caution: I would suggest these books for mature readers only. As I mentioned, these books contain scenes depicting sexual contact and drug use. If you are a parent whose child is interested in these books, I would give them a wide berth unless your child is mature and able to handle these sorts of situations in their reading.
Julia Kitvaria Sarene
Jennie Ivins