Review: Ilyan by Rebecca Ethington

Ilyan by Rebecca Ethington
Series: The Imdalind Series #8
Published by Imdalind Press on 2018-02-23
Length: 316 pages
Reviewing eBook from My Book Shelf
Rating:
Reading Challenges: 2018 New Release Challenge, 2018 Take Control of Your TBR

Amid what has become known as “The Invasion” the world is in disarray. War is everywhere, shrouded by the creatures that now swarm over the planet, killing people with a single bite.
Which is why when a young man is found covered in blood outside the door to a Ukrainian hospital, he didn’t garner much attention.

With no memory of who he is or whose blood is covering him, he is given the name of Jan Kowalski and locked away in the hospital waiting for safety, waiting for his identity to return.

The more he waits, however, the more confusing he becomes.

From the heart that beats inside his chest; the heart that is not his despite there being no evidence of surgery.

From the way he doesn’t age, even though he slips in and out of coma's for more then ten years.

From the broken fragments of memories that torment him, and the woman that haunts his dreams every night.

To the man who sneaks into the hospital to kill him.

To the governments that want him.

Nothing is right.

Not even when the truth finally became clear.

And his name becomes Ilyan Krul once more.

Perfect companion to The Imdalind Series! Ilyan by Rebecca Ethington is the conclusion fans of the series have been waiting for. Not only that it sets up the new spinoff series, making me even more excited than I already was. At the end of Crown of Cinders, readers are left wondering what happened during the years Ilyan was missing. Where was he? What happened to him? What was going on that Jocelyn couldn’t find him? This book answers those questions.

Ilyan is not the same person I knew and loved from the original series. He is lost, almost like a young child, and frustrated that his memory is gone. Becoming known as Jan Kowalski, Ilyan struggles to grasp to the few memories that filter in. He tries to decipher what they mean and clings to the few clues he receives. There is one theme to his memories though and that’s a woman whom he loved deeply. Tortured and beaten, Ilyan slips into comas for years at a time, while his magic slowly heals him.

The book revolves around Ilyan and his missing memories but also around the events taking place in the world outside the hospital. He catches glimpses of it on the news, and his nurse also filters information to him. The world isn’t how it should be. After the dome and vily escaped into the world, chaos erupted and the world fell into war. It’s a dystopian mixed with the urban fantasy I’ve come to love from Ethington. While the first part of the book was slow moving as Ilyan tried to remember who he was and learned to control his magic, the second half more than made up for it.

Overall I really enjoyed Ilyan. I found myself horrified at what my beloved character went through and rooting for him to remember Jocelyn. Every memory was perfect. Some are familiar but from Ilyan’s perspective (which I LOVED) and some were new. What made this book great though was how it sets up the new series. It introduces the villain, the dystopian-like world post-Sain/Edmond, and why Ilyan has stepped down from his role. For anyone that loves the series this is a must read!

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