Audio Review: Indebted by Amy A. Bartol

Indebted by Amy A. Bartol
Narrator: Emily Woo Zeller
Series: The Premonition #3
Published by Tantor Audio on 2013-08-26
Length: 13hrs and 45min
Reviewing Audiobook from Audible Escape
Rating:
Reading Challenges: 2019 Audiobook Challenge, Beat the Backlist 2019

I hang my head in sorrow for just a moment when I know I am truly alone. I feel like I’m going to my execution, just as he had said. Then I move forward again. I hop a fence of fieldstone and cross a field dotted with Queen Anne’s lace. Goose bumps rise on my arms as I pass the cluster of windmills that I have seen in a dream. The scent is sweet in the field though, not the scent of heat, like it had been when it was forced upon me in visions. I gaze down the hill, beyond the small, whitewashed house that I knew would be there. The church looms dark and grim with its rough-hewn, timber façade, capped by tall, oblong spires reaching to the sky. Black, ominous clouds have collected above the roofline, as if Heaven is showing me the way.

Why are reviews so hard to write?! Yet again I’m struggling to put words to my feelings on Amy A. Bartol‘s Indebted, the third book of her The Premonition series. The book picks up where Intuition left off (and if you haven’t read that book, there are minor spoilers coming. Fair warning!). Reed and Evie are happily bonded and hiding away in China with Zee and Buns. Brownie and Russell are on their way to join them when a new bad guy enters the plot. This one has even Reed and Zee scared. So what does Evie do? What she always does, offer herself as the sacrificial lamb without a second thought. *sigh* Let’s break this down. 

What I Liked

• The world-building. I love learning about the different species Bartol continually introduces into this world. This time we get water sprites (well, that’s not what they are called in the book, but it’s the closest thing I could think of to what describes them) and an angel killing demon prince. We’re also introduced to more of the angel world. That is one thing I can say for the series. Rich world-building!
• Snark and sass. I love Evie’s snark! She takes crap from no one, and her smart comebacks get her in trouble with everyone. You gotta love that! Plus it’s funny. Like laugh out loud kind of funny at times.
• Brennus is back. I know I shouldn’t love this fae. In fact, he is the villain, the counterpart to Reed, the one the readers should turn their nose at. But I love him! He saves Evie more than once, he killed Freddie for her, and all of his actions towards her indicate that he does love her. He just doesn’t know how to love. It’s been too long since his body had a soul. And Evie, god love her, begins to love him too. 
• The Gancanagh. While I don’t trust them or believe their motives pure, I do believe that they care for Evie. Why is the question. As a group, I’m fascinated by them. I know they kill humans without remorse, but I found myself drawn to them and I couldn’t help it!

What Left Me Wanting

• After suffering through Intuition, I really miss Evie’s surrogate family: Buns, Brownie, Reed, Zee, and Russ. They are noticeably absent again except for the beginning and end. Not nearly enough time to learn more about them or connect with the characters more.
• The Persephone deal. Evie makes a deal with Brennus. If he saves Russ and Brownie, she’ll be his six months a year, with no contact with Reed during those six months. I like and dislike this plot point. Brennus wants a chance to show Evie he’s changed. That he wants her alive and unharmed and his “queen.” But he can’t do that if Reed is around, so he makes this deal with her. As a result, the bulk of the book is set in the Gancanagh stronghold.
• Another new baddie. This time it’s a Fallen seraphim. There have been so many things introduced in this series as the villain that I’m beginning to wonder if it will all tie together in the end. I’m not confident. 

Final Thoughts

Overall when I finished Indebted, I rated it five stars. But now a few days later as I sit and try to wrap my brain around the book, I can’t. The plot, while it flows well, is all over the place. You have an overall series plot that focuses on Evie’s heritage and (as Reed points out) may be tied to the life previously lived by Evie and Russell. Why would Evie chose to sever her soulmate bond and return as a half-angel? This is the series plot. The book’s plot focuses all its energy on Brennus and this new baddie. I’m exhausted thinking about it. If you enjoy YA paranormal romance, this may be one you’d enjoy. 

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