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97 points, 5 stars and a complete lack of desire to read anything else

Quote:

Ben looked at Tenzin. "Is sediment enough to protect steel from decaying?"
Tenzin looked skeptical. "Is it magical sediment?"
"No, Tiny, I'm pretty sure this is just normal sediment."
"Then no."

Review:
Why is it that the good books always have to end??? God I'm going to read this book so many times people are going to wonder if I'm okay. The answer is: no, no I am not okay. Not until I have the next book in hand. (I needs it...) My obsession with Elizabeth Hunter's work is incredible and fascinating.

I have no idea how to even review this book, so this is probably going to be a rambling raving of "oh my god this was so good!". It is impossible to talk about this without spoiling events in Blood Apprentice. I'm not even going to try. If you haven't read Elemental Legacy yet, stop here and go read it now, because it's the best. Heck, go all the way back to Elemental Mysteries, because how can you miss out on the perfect Gio and Bea?

Night's Reckoning opens with Benjamin still hurt that Tenzin ran away when he put himself out there. Ben is moping, and he is ignoring everything to do with her and their life together. Nothing is the same for him without her. And Tenzin isn't doing particularly well without him, either. Until Ben can't ignore the summons from Tenzin's father anymore.

Benjamin is called to Penglai Island to help Tenzin and Cheng search for a sword that was part of a treaty to end a long, long going war. It doesn't behoove anyone to start the war again. Except for outside parties who are looking to increase their power as those two parties fight again. So the sword has to be found, and interference brought to a minimum. And this means Benjamin and Tenzin have to work together, with a thousand things unsaid.

The whole book is.. Benjamin being tired of Tenzin's shit. And it hurts. It hurts because Benjamin has always been willing to deal with Tenzin being Tenzin. Tenzin was always going to deny everything, she was always going to hold herself apart from others and use them. And you always just hoped Benjamin would break through. He slides under her defenses, all of them. So his thoughts throughout the book are a bit unexpected, with how much he is tired of the status quo, and how much he is trying to change things.

Besides Benjamin doing something unexpected, Night's Reckoning went exactly how I expected it to and how I predicted it was going to go when I read the epilogue to Blood Apprentice. This was how I wanted it to go, and how I think it was always meant to, even before Hunter started writing the series. And now the book is over. And I don't even have anyone close to me I can squee over the best parts with. And I have to wait for the fourth book. And how am I, a mere mortal, supposed to wait?!

I'm going to read this more times than is strictly healthy. I loved this so much. That there are two books left makes me want to cry. I love the story of Benzin. I love their relationship, I love the world, I love everything about this. Except that the book ended.

Sidenote: My god, look at that cover. I love the covers for this series so much. ( )