A Fall of Water

The Elemental Mysteries Series is a fantastical globe trotting mystery driven action adventure epic love story of Beatrice and Giovanni. It was one of the most beautifully written intriguing stories I've ever read. Beautiful settings, interesting well flushed out characters, funny, heart warming, as well as heart wrenching moments that had me reading through the entire series non-stop. I can probably count on one hand how many finished series I read through without stepping away. After finishing [b:A Hidden Fire|12755792|A Hidden Fire (Elemental Mysteries, #1)|Elizabeth Hunter|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1343966679s/12755792.jpg|17897317] I did not hesitate to move on to [b:This Same Earth|13034683|This Same Earth (Elemental show more Mysteries, #2)|Elizabeth Hunter|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1344493907s/13034683.jpg|18198263] and so on and so on.

There are so many things that I love about the series that made it so great, first of all Elizabeth Hunter's writing was beautiful and did justice to a great concept and story.

What I love about the Vampires in this series :
It seems that in this vampire world teenage vampires or young immature vampires have no place in it for them. Except for Tenzin, although it's hard to actually picture her as a teenager and a "normal" one at that. Most of the other vampires weren't turned until they were at least in their late twenties. So I liked that the vampires weren't overly broody, depressed teenage vampires, at least this time around. LOL.

What I love about B's and Gio's relationship :
No triangle, sometimes I want a major break from the triangle. I actually feel stressed reading some books with the constant triangle drama and was happy to read stress free. Also, at first I was upset with Gio for walking away from B to let her mature but I will admit that I understood where he was coming from. Even though B already came across as pretty mature to me from the time she first appeared in the story. I like that there were grown ups and all that drama wasn't in the forefront or even the middle of their relationship.

What else do I love about the series. Hmm? :
I love the concept, I love books and have always loved the inspiring, captivating, and spellbinding feeling I get from being in a Library. I enjoyed the tie-in with books and the library and how it made both come to life and create a world so awe-inspiring that can only be found in books ironically. I love how knowledge is very important to the vampires and they have centuries to acquire it and with all that accumulated knowledge comes power which they also want. I'm a paranormal addict reader and vampires are one of my favorite supernaturals, so of course I loved that part but the world building was what grabbed my attention and kept it. I love the globe trotting, it was very exciting and the settings sounded majestic. The vampires, the humans, really funny, stimulating, and creatively evil characters, loved them or loved to hate them. Gosh, what else do I love? Can't remember now. Oh, I loved that the story was multilingual and was educational while still keeping it fun and exciting.

The Vampires and their Politics :
I've said this before, hate real life politics with a passion. But found vampire politics interesting. If you want something from one vampire, just name drop a vampire or two that you personally know or are related to and in turn those vampires will owe you and that vampire you just name dropped to might also owe you for giving them the connection. Wow. Their politics might sound convoluted but I think it keeps the peace and that's a good thing since their living in a world within the human world and that's what keeps humans safe I believe. Vampire families, the bond between a vampire and their vampire child sounds a lot more profound than a human to human child's bond. The reactions and feelings from losing a vampire child or parent sounds very morbid and painful. The vampire child or parent goes into a deep depression and has a strong desire take their life to be with the one they've lost. The way humans are intertwined in their world is very fascinating, they work along side the vampires in their everyday lives and for most part are treated well and respected.

Lorenzo :
One thing I noticed about Lorenzo pretty quickly, he was not calculating like other vampires. While other vampires are more shrewd with their actions, they work the politics of their world or feel out their target, Lorenzo just acts. He created a lot of chaos in his world especially in China and Rome. He also seems to be very angry, I wondered, could his anger be just from his jealousy of Gio being chosen by Andros to be a vampire? As I read A Fall of Water, I learned of a few events from the past that would cause his anger. Of course he blames Gio for all of it but Andros was the one who committed the atrocities against him with Gio always in the middle. It was very sad what was done to him, and I felt just a smidge bad for him but not much. He was not a saint before these things were done to him, he was actually jealous of Gio's situation, he wanted to be the one that Andros kept prisoner, abuse and ultimately turn into a vampire, that's just messed up. Lorenzo knew that Andros was to blame but he could not get over his anger he was the petulant child who put the blame on his vampire father.

Series Conclusion :
In the conclusion B and Gio continue to deal with the fallout from their time in the Fujian Province of China and trying to make Rome their temporary home. They have to find Lorenzo, the book, prevent him from producing and distributing the Elixir and what are the side effects and why is it bad for vampires. And if their lucky to do all this and survive; can it be enough to heal their pain?

What I dislike about the series :
I don't like that it's over. (Well at least The Elemental Mysteries) show less

I've been praising Elizabeth's writing since I was introduced to her Elemental Mysteries series in 2011. If you look at my reviews of A Hidden Fire, This Same Earth and The Force of Wind you would see why I'm so enamoured with her work.

First of all, she writes vampires like Anne Rice would have written them - cunning, cautious, extremely political, clever and very, very dangerous. They might act like spoiled children sometimes but there are always multiple layers and reasons to their motivation.

Secondly, the world-building is exquisite. The research which must have gone into this series is enormous - from ancient Persia and Italian Renaissance to the power of elements and Asian mythology. The main characters travel all over the world in show more search of answers, and each location is carefully represented.

At last, the characters themselves, be that the main couple Giovanni Vecchio and Beatrice De Novo, or the cast of multiple secondary characters, Tenzin, Ben, Carwyn, Lorenzo, Matt and Dez, Baojia, etc. and many others are not just figureheads. They are complex, warm, and alive.

The conclusion of Elemental Mysteries was phenomenal. Not only I received the answers to my questions, I was forced to reevaluate the main villain, Lorenzo, in lieu of new revelations about his and Gio's past, and I actually felt for him. I felt for Lorenzo, and I haven't thought it would ever be possible.

The ending is deep, revenge is bitter and heart-wrenching, and it's all very philosophical.

Both Gio and Beatrice absolutely kick-ass in this book, B with her shit-kickers and hooked swords and Gio with his fire starter powers. Tenzin is wickedly scary and fun, and Carwyn stays true to his element with Hawaiian shirts, beer and wrestling.

Ben grows up considerably, and dare I guess that there will be something between him and Tenzin in a future spin-off, perhaps?

All in all, it was an amazing experience, and I really hope Elizabeth will write more books be that in the same world or anything else for that matter. To me she proved how talented she really is. show less

I have come to realize that no matter what, Elizabeth Hunter is not going to disappoint me, ever! A Fall of Water, the fourth and final novel in the Elemental Mysteries series is no exception to this rule. In this insanely good and completely satisfying novel all of the questions are finally answered.

Once again, Hunter opens the novel by swiftly moving through a large chunk of time in a very expedient manner. B and Gio must spend the year separated from most of their family and friends as B learns to control her new vampire abilities and appetites. It just wouldn’t do to eat one of her friends or her grandmother! During this time both B and Gio continue their studies into the elusive (and now stolen) text that is thought to contain show more the formula for an elixir that will allow vampires to live without consuming blood. Sound too good to be true?

As B and Gio soon discover the truth of the text and the elixir is absolutely way too good to be true. The couple moves their entire household to Rome where they begin to unravel the mystery of the elixir and why the truth of its very existence and side effects has been buried. It is at this point that Hunter begins to introduce a whole new host of characters. While it may seem awkward to introduce new characters at this stage in the game, these characters are so beautifully woven into the existing plot that they feel like they have been a part of the series from the beginning. Side note: I have already emailed Hunter with my request for an entire series on these new characters  You are certainly welcome to thank me at any time.

As the plot reaches its climax the proverbial crap hits the fan. B, Gio, Tenzin, Carwyn (who I think has a lady friend) and a whole host of others open a can of whoop-ass on Rome in an effort to contain the mess created by the release of the blood lust formula. Hunter has come up with some incredible fight scenes in the past but this one is four kinds of EPIC!! Tenzin is in fine and vengeful form, B is phenomenally strong, Gio is ruthless, and Carwyn is just flat-out impressive. I can promise you, at the end of the fight, you won’t see this one coming.

The bottom line: this novel kicks ass and is one of the most satisfying ends to a series that I have encountered in a very, very long time. B and Gio’s story is over and it is an ending that is so very appropriate and gratifying. With this being said I would be remiss if I failed to mention that I don’t think Carwyn’s story is over. For the record, I am desperately hoping that this holds true for Tenzin and Ben as well. Once you read the end, you’ll see what I mean  show less

The end perfect for a series like this one. It had all those things that we know and love about Gio and B's journey: the action, the love, the angst, the tears falling down our face, the smile plastered on our faces just from something silly or incredibly cute. And YES, Ben and Tenzin ARE fooling around! I LOVED that little ending for them adn Carwyn's little sneek peek was great too, but I think the author is going to have to work triple hard so we don't keep comparing the two series. Gio and B's ending was so freaking cute that I just wanted to grab both of them and put them in a safe. Amazing book, amazing ending.

I read this series because it was recommended to me since I like The All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness. I do not like it quite as much as The All Souls Trilogy but it is good nonetheless. I like the librarian aspect and the historical research part but I also think the romance and story line in general is quite well done. It is a series that reads quickly while also keeping you engaged in the plot and characters.

Fantastic end to the series of four - brought everyone and everything together for the finale in Rome, which we have kept hearing about all through the books but never been to in the story. I had been looking forward to this book and it didn't disappoint. Now it has finished I am bereft! At least EH is writing another book in the same world but centred on some of the other characters. I can't wait to read more about Carwyn and Ben especially. Highly recommended, but read the books in order.

Ok, having read the entire series, here's my take. Liked the plot line of Twilight, but found that the series made your IQ drop? Try these. Nobody sparkles.