A Castle of Sand

This book is written from 5 points of view Derek, Sofia, Ben, Claudia, and Lucas. For the most part it sticks to Derek and Sofia, but to add a little bit of a mix to it we do get quite a bit of insight from Ben. Then there are a few chapters where we get inside of Lucas and Claudias mind, which was a nice addition.

This was my absolutely favorite line from any of the books so far:

Let the sandcastle collapse. In its place, I will build a fortress-one that waves could never destroy. Sophia

This book gave me so much anxiety. I was holding my breath through every event and as soon as I thought we had made it through, another crazy event happened and I found myself holding my breath again. This happened through the WHOLE book. It was one stressful event after the other, but it was amazing. I couldnt put the book down!

Some of Sofias choices in the book are quite puzzling. Yes, the question of whether or not Derek will turn her into a vampire does finally come up in this book. The circumstances under which Sofia is unexpectedly reunited with her mother AND her father are extremely intense and super heartbreaking for her. The good thing is that seeing them is not the most important of her worries. In the end of the book we find out that Sofia is the immune and I am NOT thrilled about this at all! All I can say is Forrest better have some trickiness up her sleeve for this season of book because I really dont want t end up disappointed!

Derek has many troublesome moments in this book. One of the most frustrating things to read about is how Derek lets his father get under his skin. Adoringly, hes not scared to take on anyone or anything when it comes to Sofia. To be honest, the things that he will do for Sophia is amazing. Painstakingly, Derek takes on so much physical abuse in this book. Some of it is very noble and some of it is punishment, but ALL of it is extremely heartbreaking. The book ends on yet another cliffhanger and I was left screaming that Derek BETTER NOT actually listen to Reubens request or I will FLIP OUT! (Can you tell how emotionally invested I am in this series yet? ;))

Im glad we are able to follow up with Ben in this book after the heart shattering decisions he made in the previous book. We learn that he is convinced hes doing everything in Sofias best interest, but the readers know better and eventually Ben does come to his senses! The only question now is, is he in too deep to change his mind? My heart jumps with glee to find out that Ben does finally make his way back to Sofia! I wont say how or why, but Im so glad he did because we get to see a completely different side of Ben than what we have been seeing this far. This in itself is extremely relieving and short lived. He actually tells Sofia that if she is team Derek Novak, then so is he! I was so shocked to know that those words actually came out of Bens mouth! Towards the end of the book we learn that all of Bens choices were not in vain and his contacts actually prove to be lifesaving!

Lucas. I hate to even talk about him because he betrayed his family in the worst way possible. He committed the ultimate betrayal and for what? Nothing worth it, I know that much. All I know is I wouldnt want him to be a family member of mine. If I didnt hate Lucas before this book, I sure as heck do now! The best and worst part of the book had do to with Lucas however. I couldnt even enjoy the fact that Lucas had been taken care of because of what he did milliseconds before that. I found myself on the verge of tears reading this scene. It was so hard to read.

During Claudias chapter we find out the she does have a heart (soft spot) after all! Who wouldve guessed that? I know I wouldnt have. However, she does play a crucial part in this story. I swear Claudia is just like a sour patch kid! She cant do something nice without doing something bad to offset it. Claudia becomes intent on turning Sofia at the most inconvenient time where no-one can help her. Thats not the Claudia we saw just a few chapters before. Now the biggest worry is, was Claudia successful?!

Sofia and Derek are back on the island together and trying to work through the ups and downs of their complicated relationship. Life is starting to boil over for everyone. There are so many unresolved relationships that it is comical at times. Sofia talks of sandcastles and how they are temporary and eventually washed away. She sees her relationship with Derek as a sandcastle that will eventually fall apart. She can find hope for everything else but in her eyes their relationship must end at some point. Because Derek is a vampire and she isn’t.

Then there is Gregor. Gregor is Derek’s father and he is driven by an eagerness for power over The shade. He hates the loyalty that most of The Shade’s vampire population shows for Derek. Once Derek’s father is back on the island he shows an instant dislike for Sofia and ridicules Derek and his choices. He is even more hateful toward Derek personally because he has been seen as a leader of the shade while Derek was in the enchanted sleep. Gregor and Lucas are both driven by jealousy of Derek’s power over The Shade and his affection for Sofia.

We get a slight look at Sofia’s mother and father’s story in this book as well. Ben has joined the hunters as he said he would and he finds himself questioning what is right and wrong. This addition does provide a glimpse into the workings behind the hunters and another vampire clan. A few characters do meet their end in this book and I can’t say that I mind that they are gone.

There is more bouncing POVs with the newer characters as well. It seems that the shifting POV is used to lengthen the books because some of it is practically pointless and does not add to the story.

Im not sure why it took me so long to get around to reading this since I loved the first two books so much. Luckily I caught this on sale or I might not have ever read it. I guess I just figured I knew where the story was going to go and it would get predictable. However, it was the complete opposite. I found myself surprised with where it was going and found myself once again sucked into the book. I did find myself slightly losing interest for a short amount of time somewhere in the middle but it didnt last long. I also often find myself getting annoyed with Sofia at times. But other than those minor irritations, I had a hard time putting it down. I was also completely shocked at what happened in the end. I completely did not see that coming at all. I thought for sure where a particular characters story was going to go and then Bella Forrest throws a curveball. Loved it and cant wait to read the next. I might have to get KU though in order to read more of this series since there are more than 50 books in it.

I have another favorite Author! I didn’t think anyone could compete with Rachel Higgison! Best series of books I’ve read since I found Rachel Higgison 🙂
Not many books can capture my attention & draw me in. I read because it helps me fall asleep. So if I’m reading during the day it must be a good book! This series is amazing & draws you in from the beginning. I have hated each time I have had to stop reading any of the books. There is always something going on. It’s a page turner!
I am always sick & can’t do the things I used to even though I’m still young(ish). It’s a breath of fresh air when I read a good book. I really needed to find another favorite author because I read all of Rachel’s books & needed books to read while I wait for her next book. But any books I read in the mean time just never compare to Rachel’s. They are always disappointing & I get board to easily & have to make myself finish the book. But not with Bella Forest! I have inhaled this series & also “A Shade of Kiev” which was also Amazing! I have already Pre-Ordered book 11 & can’t wait! Luckily I still need to read the “Beautiful Monster” series! I just know I’ll love it to! 🙂
Thank You Bella!

I bought pretty much the entire series. The books are okay, light enough to read without having to think much. Overall the storyline is very predictable and uninspiring. I found myself skipping through parts that were a little boring. Overall an alright series if you don’t have any expectations, personally wouldn’t read these again however.

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