Ki and Vandien, you'll be sorely missed.....
Despite drawing to a close this enchanting series `Luck of the Wheels' is yet another uniquely original and well-plotted story, colourfully bringing to life a small group of characters and their navigation of beautiful, yet increasingly danger-ridden lands. However, this happens to be a stand-alone story in many respects, just as I felt the previous book (`The Limbreth Gate') in the `Ki and Vandien' series had also been. Themes explored in the first book (`Harpy's Flight') such as the relationship between Ki and the harpies, and in the second book (`The Windsingers') such as Ki's kinship with that particular group are not addressed at all in this story. I hadn't felt there had been as much resolution of those issues as there could have been in the previous books and now with this concluding part it seems there never will be. This is however the best book in the series in my opinion since `Harpy's Flight' and that's reason enough to celebrate.
It's the only disappointment I have with this series and admittedly, it's a small one and it's made even more insignificant when you consider that the other riveting theme of this series is stepped up yet another gear in this story. It is of course the relationship between Ki and Vandien themselves. In finishing this book I realise that this series has been less about flesh, feather or feminine demons, as it has been about the inner demons of Ki and Vandien and their unspoken love for one another.
An emotion that Lindholm is particularly adept at inspiring in her readers is a fury for those characters who are almost the antithesis of our heroes. There are two characters who join Ki and Vandien on their final journey into the untravelled and unfriendly southern lands and they are the volatile Goat and whirling-dervish-like Willow, both of whom I found equally infuriating, but who nonetheless contributed to my speedy consumption of this story.
Another quality you've probably come to expect of this author's writing is that as often as she's able Lindholm pulls on the heart-strings of her readers by subjecting her beloved characters to ever-increasing danger and this story is no exception- there's quite a bit of heartache in this story, which I won't spoil for you by going into here. Suffice to say that although the finale came far too soon for me, I found it an appropriate way to end the series. The `Ki and Vandien' quartet is one I'll very likely read again, I enjoyed it that much. Thanks Megan.