Covenant's End by Ari Marmell, Widdershins Adventures #4The thief Widdershins and her own "personal god," Olgun, return to their home city of Davillon after almost a year away. While Shins expects only to face the difficulty of making up with her friends, what she actually finds is far, far worse. Her nemesis, Lisette, has returned, and she is not alone. Lisette has made a dark pact with supernatural powers that have granted her abilities far greater than anything Widdershins and Olgun can match.
Together, Widdershins and Olgun will face enemies on both sides of the law, for Lisette's schemes have given her power in both Davillon's government and its underworld. For even a slim chance, Shins must call on both old friends--some of whom haven't yet forgiven her--and new allies.
Even with their help, Widdershins may be required to make the hardest sacrifice of her life, if she is to rid Davillon--and herself--of Lisette once and for all.
I was torn in two when I saw that Pyr was releasing the fourth book in the Widdershins Adventure series of Ari Marmell, I both wanted and didn't want to read the book. When I started reading this series just last January 2014 and from the first book Thiefs Covenant is has won me over. And this fourth volume will sadly bring a close to the story of Widdershins/ Adrienne. It's always hard to part with an amazing series and Ari Marmell didn't make it any easier. But he wrote a very fine and utterly unexpected conclusion to the series.
What has happened so far in the series? In the first two books, the story took place in the city of Davillon and showed the young female thief Widdershins in her element, stealing and running The Flippant Witch, also there were otherworldly threat in the for of demonic presences. But things did go according to Widdershins plans and in the end of False Covenant she needed a break eventually she wound up in the city of Louvreaux but not without finding any problems their. She discovered a plot to overthrow the last bastion of the Delacroix family, one that she is closely linked to. The start of Covenant's End sees the return of Widdershins to Davillon, which is again not without any problems...
On the road home, Widdershins is confronted by the fact that there are hardly people on the road besides her. In a inn she soon finds out that strange things are haunting the travelers and scarring them witless. Everyone is afraid to travel except for a few highwaymen. In a inn she soon finds out that strange things are haunting the travelers and scarring them witless. What Widdershins learns in the inn is that monsters, unexplainable monsters, roam along the road to Davillon. If you read the first three books you know that Widdershins isn't a stranger to the supernatural. As Widdershins comes closer and closer to Davillon she feel a lingering and very eerie presence, and somewhat familiar. When Widdershins finally gets into town see discover a whole lot of problems, all problems that are owed to her actions. Where she had thought that reunion with old friends would go smooth, they are far from it. Not necessarily that her old friends despise her but more that a lot of bad things happened because of her and she wasn't there to stop them... Next to reacquainting with old friends, Widdershins also encounters old enemies. And not just an enemy, but one that caused her and her friends a lot of harm, yes, Lisette is back and she it out to get Widdershins. Luckily in her efforts Widdershins is always aided by the personal god Olgun who helps her out a hand when things get to rough, heightening her reflexes, giving her an edge here and there. But now that Widdershins has to face against not one but mutiple opponents it does remains to be answered if Widdershins isn't in to deep...
On thing that is a clear line in the books and which again comes to the front in Covenant's End is the development of the characters and of course most importantly that of Widdershins and Olgun. I can still remember the introduction of Widdershins and the boistrous introdcution I got from her, she was always in for a joke together with her personal god Olgun. However the events that happened in all the books have shaped her character and she has started to realize that there is a lot more to have than only fun. This comes to blossom fully in the last quarter of this book and the last pages, where Widdershin or Adrienne Satti comes to realize that you need to value friendship and family and cherish every moment you have. I was very pleased that Ari Marmell ended the story in this way, yes I admit I had a lump in my throat. One thing that I highly enjoyed reading about was the relation between Olgun and Widdershins. This all started way back and now Olgun helps Widdershins, she is the only one that believes in this deity. I liked their squabbling, they always went at each other sometimes in a pretty heightened situation, but in the end when push came to shove it all came to the same point they cannot be separated. But, yes there is a big but coming on, Ari Marmell has one major heck of plot twist to show in the end of the book. I was wow'ed and still am.
In the three previous books there was focus on many different bad guys. We have seen quite a few, but one was always there, even when Widdershins was in Louvreaux there were scenes taking place in Davillon with the focus on a specific character, I thinky ou can guess who I mean. In Covenant's End the focus is on Lisette being the bad guy. Now she has many tricks up her sleeve and besides her normal skills, she has teamed up with the powers of the supernatural dark, giving her a definite edge and making her definitely a force to be reckoned with. I hadn't expected to see this side to Lisette's character, it made up for a very great finale all combined.
It is a sad and I feel having to part with Widdershins and her friends. Ari Marmell couldn't have written a better conclusion to the series in my opinion. With each new book in the series he seems to have outdone himself but with Covenant's End he really did it. It alone is a must to read the three books leading up to Covenant's End to just see what he has in store for you. From the first moment I picked up Thiefs Covenant till the ending in Covenant's End I have had a big smile on my face, granted Widdershins has gone through a lot of personal struggles, she is also a very strong female protagonist and a very funny character, even when situations get bleak, she always finds that light point somewhere and find a bit of strength to pull through. Once again The Widdershins Adventures is an amazing series and couldn't have gotten a better conclusion than what Ari Marmell wrote in Covenant's End. I do hope that there might be more in the making for Widdershins, or should I say Adrienne Satti from now on? Highly recommended.
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