Like other readers, I have hung on and continued to read this series with a mixture of guilty pleasure, disgust, and annoyance.  The stories are engaging enough, otherwise people wouldn't be reading the 5th book in a 6 book series, so I have to say, kudos to Douglass for that.

SPOILER ALERT:

I was so over Faraday after the first 3 books and was glad when she was no longer interfering in the story I wanted to read.  But Faraday is much more likable in Pilgrim.  However, this is done at the expense of Axis and Azhure. I'm not sure why Douglass was unable to balance the cast of major characters.  It would have been far preferable to me if Axis and Azhure didn't even appear in these three books at all.  Faraday is annoying in her repeated inner dialogue about why she can't love Drago.  It gets old being beaten over the head with things, but Douglass is ever one to do this.

The absolute worst part about this book is the brutality.  I can handle brutality when it serves a greater purpose in the story.  I can handle gruesome details.  However, Douglass goes WAY WAY over the top in this book and lost me as a future reader of any other of her works.  I will finish this series because I started them, but I will NEVER read another book she writes, lest I have to suffer through details of rapes and people eating their own entrails.  Douglass was going for shock value, I guess, but it falls flat and simply makes me wonder if she has a warped mind.

Some of the battles in this book are simply dumb.  At one point an army of over a billion animals descends upon tens of thousands of the residents of Carlon.  I'm sorry, but a billion of ANYTHING can quickly overtake even a million people.  And yet, Drago is able to save the people anyway.  Details like that are grating and annoying.

As is Faraday's use of the "F" word (talk about breaking the magic) and her use of the well known "absolute power corrupts absolutely quote."  I didn't realize Faraday was a fan of The Prince.

The TimeKeeper Demons got old, as did StarLaughter and the rest of that group.  After awhile I felt like yawning.  Douglass didn't know what to do with the Hawkchilds, although they could have been rather terrifying.  Instead she decided to gross everyone out by describing self mutilation and the rape of WolfStar.  Yes, the rape of WolfStar.  I would really like to know why Douglass felt the need to go there.  It served NO purpose of any kind, and I think all would agree.

The high points of this book were Drago, Urbeth, and Faraday for me.  Also the reappearance of Belaguez.  That was nice.  I'm glad I'm almost done with these books!
Like other readers, I have hung on and continued to read this series with a mixture of guilty pleasure, disgust, and annoyance. The stories are engaging enough, otherwise people wouldn't be reading the 5th book in a 6 book series, so I have to say, kudos to Douglass for that. SPOILER ALERT:

I was so over Faraday after the first 3 books and was glad when she was no longer interfering in the story I wanted to read. But Faraday is much more likable in Pilgrim. However, this is done at the expense of Axis and Azhure. I'm not sure why Douglass was unable to balance the cast of major characters. It would have been far preferable to me if Axis and Azhure didn't even appear in these three books at all. Faraday is annoying in her repeated inner dialogue about why she can't love Drago. It gets old being beaten over the head with things, but Douglass is ever one to do this. The absolute worst part about this book is the brutality. I can handle brutality when it serves a greater purpose in the story. I can handle gruesome details. However, Douglass goes WAY WAY over the top in this book and lost me as a future reader of any other of her works. I will finish this series because I started them, but I will NEVER read another book she writes, lest I have to suffer through details of rapes and people eating their own entrails. Douglass was going for shock value, I guess, but it falls flat and simply makes me wonder if she has a warped mind. Some of the battles in this book are simply dumb. At one point an army of over a billion animals descends upon tens of thousands of the residents of Carlon. I'm sorry, but a billion of ANYTHING can quickly overtake even a million people. And yet, Drago is able to save the people anyway. Details like that are grating and annoying. As is Faraday's use of the "F" word (talk about breaking the magic) and her use of the well known "absolute power corrupts absolutely quote. "  I didn't realize Faraday was a fan of The Prince. The TimeKeeper Demons got old, as did StarLaughter and the rest of that group. After awhile I felt like yawning. Douglass didn't know what to do with the Hawkchilds, although they could have been rather terrifying. Instead she decided to gross everyone out by describing self mutilation and the rape of WolfStar. Yes, the rape of WolfStar. I would really like to know why Douglass felt the need to go there. It served NO purpose of any kind, and I think all would agree. The high points of this book were Drago, Urbeth, and Faraday for me. Also the reappearance of Belaguez. That was nice. I'm glad I'm almost done with these books!