Tellulah Darling

This may have been my favourite book of the series. The Troy Game has been epic in scope, re-interpreting historical events through this mythological and magical lens. If you've read my reviews of the other three books, you'll know that I've had a lot of fun with the series. Although I found it quite soap opera-y.

I think that's why I liked this one the most. First off, it's set during WW2, which is close enough to my lifetime, that I've read and watched many stories set in that time period. I instinctively felt a deeper affinity with this book and enjoyed how events had been re-framed. But more than that, the characters didn't feel as arch and over-the-top as they had previously.

I've read a lot of reviews by disappointed fans feeling betrayed by the characters' inability to act for so much of the book. That's what I enjoyed. As we approached the climax, they couldn't fall back on the myriad of abilities they'd built up to easily solve the problem. The story had to become more of a character piece in the end because that way lay their redemption.

Was it without flaws? No, of course not. I didn't mind certain characters being phased out but I think Douglass missed an opportunity to do more with Weyland. He had become such a compelling force through the series, and in this book, he's simply either a non-entity or whiny. As well, I don't think Noah was brought to the most satisfying evolution of growth. She was the one character I felt remained firmly in soap opera territory.

All that said, I'm glad I waded through these weighty tomes because it was a super enjoyable series.