MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD: A Vicious Game by Melissa Blair (The Halfling Saga Book 3)

Book Review

Title: A Vicious Game by Melissa Blair (The Halfling Saga Book 3)

Genre: Fantasy, Romance

Synopsis:

“It seems fate has dealt me the same hand again. I know how
to play it.”

A new king is on the throne and the rebellion lies in ruins. Keera spends her
days drinking and her nights avoiding the strange dreams that have haunted her
since she returned from the capital.

Keera’s family in Myrelinth won’t let her go without a
fight. With new intelligence about the magical seals left behind by Keera’s
ancient kin, the Light Fae, she rallies to face her demons and unleash the
formidable powers she inherited from her people. But a shocking truth is hiding
in plain sight, one with the power to unravel the entire rebellion

The pivotal third installment in the Halfling Saga will
upend everything Keera thought she knew about her enemies…and her allies.

1 person will win a copy of The Halfling Saga (A Broken Blade, A Shadow Crown, & A Vicious Game). US Only! This giveaway will run from January 29^th until February 9^th.

GIVEAWAY HERE!

Rating: 4.5 Stars

The opening to A Vicious Game was interesting as it takes place after Gerarda rescues Keera with Gwyn but she has completely fallen off the wagon and we find out why shortly. It turns out Damien is using a mind walking ability to show Keera his memories of murdering the shades that Gerarda believes are still alive and because of this and her inability to save them she turns to drinking again. This time she is pushing everyone away even Riven because of this but she doesn’t say anything. Her magic has also become more volatile because of her drinking and her inability to control it.

The others have been searching for a way to undo the seals behind the magic so they have a chance of fighting back but it seems that Keera has given up altogether believing there is no way to undo the seals or defeat Damien. During this time others like Vrail and Gerarda are looking for a way to break the seals while others like Riven, Killian and Feron try to find a way to get through to Keera and bring her back from the destructive path she has set herself on but nothing seems to be working. That is until Gerarda steps in knowing Keera better than most and what she was forced to endure. Rather than talking to Keera, she straight up kidnaps her with Vrail and takes her to the location of the first seal. However, Riven, Syrra and Nik are close behind demanding answers from the Dagger but in the end Keera agree to try breaking the seal and surprisingly it works reignited the hope she had but she knows Gerarda’s hope of rescuing the Shades isn’t possible.

After breaking the first seal, Keera also agrees to begin training her magic since she has a better connection with it now and has some new powers in the form of wind and fire but also a little bit of lightening in addition to her healing gift. This potential makes her not only a great healer but a formidable opponent in battle more so than she was as the Blade. While training her new gifts she is able to learn more about her mother from people like Nik’s mother and Feron who knew her when she was alive as well as mending things with Collin after the events of the first two books. It is to Feron that Keera turns to for help in keeping Damien out of her mind although she doesn’t give him details and tells her once more than a mindwalker only has power over her mind if she lets them meaning to shut Damien out she has to conquer her fear of him.

The group end up preparing a ship for the journey to the Order but Keera is still debating what they are going to find there but in the end everyone picks up as the journey progresses with ease. It takes them a few days to reach the Order but during the trip we see pieces of the old Keera and what Riven is going through in her absence. By the time they reach the Order and put their plan into motion, everyone feels that something is off and it is but not for the reason I expected. It turns out Lady Curringham is actually Gerarda’s lover and a spy for her and she has informed the Shades of what is coming and protected them during this time earning her the respect of Keera. However, one the soldiers manages to light a beacon informing Damien that the Order has been taken and Keera with Vrail heads to find the seal while everyone else gets the Shades loaded into the boats.

As we approach the halfway mark in the novel, things are heating up as Keera and Vrail find the second seal but are pressed for time since Damien’s forces are approaching from the water, launching arrows and boulders. Keera uses some her new found abilities and seeing her using them consciously in a battle situation was nice and returned Keera to her battle prowess from the first two books. She unlocks the second seal but after getting hit with a boulder needs Riven’s help after he just yeets Vrail to the boat with his shadows that made me laugh out loud. Together they heal Keera and get back to the boats to begin their escape but Riven has passed out and Keera isn’t far behind but the shades here show their training even the younger ones.

Upon escaping Damien’s forces, Keera passes out but when she comes too Riven is in a bad way, the pain exceeding what it had before. This makes Keera find somewhere that Riven, Nik and Syria can disembark in order to get him to the healers leaving Keera in the care of the shades to continue their journey. They eventually make it back where Keera is welcomed by Feron to introduce the shades to their home and she rejoins Riven who is seeming much better now but unlocking the seals is having a negative effect on him and that is something they are going to have to deal with as they have three to go. It is here Keera admits she needs help with her drinking and that Damien is entering her dreams to Riven which was a nice bit of character development for her.

This next section of the book felt like an intermission as Keera takes the Shades to the Faelands and gets them settled as well as dealing with her own addiction on Hildegaurd’s funeral. Through this she starts to come to terms with a lot of the guilt and grief she has been carrying with her for years as well as starting the process on researching why Rivne’s magic is reacting so badly to the seals being broken when everyone else is experiencing good things. Despite this, it felt like Blair was taking time off from the actual plot in order to figure out where to take things with the breaking of the final three seals and dealing with Damien. After this Keera and the others plan their trip to break the third seal and set off in quick succession but she is beginning to have doubts about whether the identity of the mole was correct since Elaran posing as Lady Curringham gives her cause to doubt from her presence at Lord Curringham’s side and claims there was no mole or if there was it was someone who remained unseen the entire time.

As we approach the ¾ mark in the novel, things are beginning to head towards the climax as Keera learns that Damien knows of the seals and plans to destroy the last two. This means they are heading to battle sooner than later but the Eleverin are standing with her. Now they are in a race with Damien’s forces to reach the fourth seal first and a huge battle commences with Keera being focused on the seal while the others defend the beach. However, Damien is using his new weapons including the Violet fire which even fire wielders like Lash can’t control but in a desperate attempt to escape Lash uses the last of his power to free them from the flames, killing him. This is heartbreaking for Nik who has been in a relationship with Lash among his other one night stands but Lash is always someone he has returned to. However, because of the difference in age they weren’t allowed to be together outside of a physical relationship plus we know Nik has feelings for Vrail but that didn’t mean he didn’t love Lash in his own way.

As we cross into the final section of the novel, there are 90 pages left with one seal to break and Damien to deal with. Keera and the others also don’t know if Riven survived the breakfast of this seal so I have no idea how Blair is going to wrap things up but I am seeing a few hints that are scaring me. Honestly Melissa Blair blew me away in this last section and while it isn’t my favourite book in the series it was different and pointed towards where the series is going to end. However, I was expecting this to be a trilogy and we can see from the ending that it clearly isn’t and now I’m upset I have to wait for book four but I can honestly see this being a four or five book series with the loose ends we need to tie up before it comes to a close. Overall, A Vicious Game was action packed with some of my favourite characters in the past few years. There’s definitely ups and down for said characters throughout the books and Blair even deals with some hard hitting topics like addiction, so I highly recommend The Halfling Saga and pick it up if you haven’t already.

About the Author:

Melissa (she/her/kwe) is an Anishinaabekwe of mixed ancestry living in Turtle Island. She splits her time between Treaty 9 in Northern Ontario and the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabeg in Ottawa, Canada. She has a graduate degree in Applied Linguistics and Discourse Studies, loves movies, and hates spoons. Melissa has a BookTok account where she discusses her favorite kinds of books including Indigenous and queer fiction, feminist literature, and non-fiction. A Broken Blade is her first novel.

Author Links: Twitter Instagram Goodreads

Buy it here: Barnes & Noble IndieBound

Paperback/Hardcover: amazon.co.uk amazon.com

Kindle Edition: amazon.co.uk amazon.com

I received this review copy for consideration from TBR & Beyond Tours