This is an absolutely stunning fantasy book! I was enthralled from the get go, and am delighted the series is completed so I can go ahead and binge the whole thing.
There is so much to love about The Tenets in the Tattoos that it's hard to know where to start, but here is my attempt to unpack it all without any spoilers.
The plot of this novel is super engaging. Where a lot of authors will take time for the set up, with a plot twist expected around 40% of the book, James takes no time at all, hitting the reader with a totally unexpected plot twist at the quarter mark. And it just got better and better from there, with several twists I couldn't have anticipated. Of course, this is effect is conveyed as well as it is because the author has mastered limited point of view, giving the information as the character finds out, so some surprises remain that way until the very moment the character finds out about the incident. Truly wonderful, shocking, emotional stuff!
Even though there is a lot of focus on the plot, James manages to maintain character and world-building in equal measure, making this a very well-rounded read. I think that's part of what makes it so engaging. It really is a brilliantly crafted novel.
When it comes to the characters, I absolutely LOVED them all! And none more so than Thorrn. Now I know that's an unpopular opinion. Many readers have lambasted this character and I do understand where they come from, but I'd like to note that he is completely believable. This character is arrogant and self-centered, but he's also kind and loyal to a fault. His bad behaviour at the start of this book is directly related to his expectations for something super important in his life not being met by reality. Now I know I've definitely been super disappointed when something like that has happened to me, so I cannot fault Thorrn for taking some time to adjust to reality and figure out that it is in actual fact better than he imagined. Such adjustment always takes time, and I definitely felt the whole scenario was treated absolutely believably.
Thorrns flaws make him so relatable and also very sympathetic despite his myriad mistakes. There were many occasions where I wanted to give the poor boy a hug. After all, I think many readers might forget he's a teen. Thorrn is flung into so many very difficult situations that require a lot of him and would be difficult for an adult, but he's still young and struggles because of a lack of life experience.
Additionally, I loved the way James combines the "arrogant fool" and the "trusting idiot" in this character. His mistakes came with nail-biting intensity and then he turns around and you can just see everything he's certain will work out has to backfire because of his cockiness. And oh, it does!
There's a wonderful focus on teamwork in this book and the fact that perfect doesn't exist. Very strong messages, and unfortunately immensely important in this day and age.
Another element I thoroughly enjoyed was the combination of reverse portal (i.e. the person from the fantasy realm travels to Earth) with multiverse. It is done superbly!
So, I'm off to read the rest of this series! I suggest you grab a copy of the completed box set and dive right in! You won't regret it!
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