It was one great pleasure reading this final book in the Sign-of-Seven-trilogy. I seldom enjoyed reading a book that is so obviously set in the horror genre but without being a plain horror novel at all. Yes, that does sound weird, but when you know the author´s style, and how she uses to bring things together, then you understand and know what I mean. This book is written in the soft style the author has and yet filled with horror, blood, and cruelty without giving the reader the feeling that he/she´s missing something the name Nora Roberts usually promises. Entertainment.
The Pagan Stone*
by Nora RobertsSign Of Seven Trilogy #3
Publisher Jove Books on November 25, 2008
Genre Novel
Pages 336
Format Paperback
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Years ago, after their blood brother ritual, Gage, Fox, and Caleb each emerged from the woods with a piece of bloodstone. Now, it will become their weapon in the final fight against the demon they awakened. Winner takes all … Shared nightmares, visions of blood and fire, and random violence begin to plague the longtime friends and the women bound to them by fate. None of them can ignore the fact that this year, the demon has grown stronger – feeding off of the terror it creates. But now, the three pieces of the bloodstone have been fused back together. If only they could figure out how to use it. A gambling man like Gage has no trouble betting on his crew to find a way. And though he and Cibyl share the gift of seeing the future, that´s all they share. But Gage knows that a woman like Cibyl – with her brains and strength and devastating beauty – can only bring him luck. Good or bad has yet to be determined – and could mean the difference between absolute destruction or an end to Hawkins Hollow´s nightmare …
Story
The Seven moves closer and the demon Twisse becomes stronger and stronger. Now he is even able to hurt Caleb, Fox, and Gage and this is extremely painful. But the love for three strong women, each intriguing and fateful in their own way, is what makes the three men stronger and willing to fight and win the final fight. For Gage, this also means enjoying the last few days and weeks and fighting for what is most valuable to him: Cibyl Kinski. As a professional player, she presents a breathtaking challenge to him, which he instinctively senses is the key to fighting Twisse along with him.
Style
Nora Roberts proposes brisk, open, and direct sounds. She remains empathetic anyway. The author completes logically and absolutely convincingly not only the background story of the Demon Twisse and the place Hawkins Hollow. She also leads the third of the male gang, Gage Turner, with an impressive love story to the side of the woman he loves and wants. Although some scenes in which the demon tries to persuade the Six to give up are very bloody and brutal, they still remain readable and empathetic by the unmistakable nature of Nora Roberts. Without taking the action tension or even big feelings.
Nora Roberts increases the suspense of the sometimes subtle but also serious discoveries of the three women on the place Hawkins Hollow, the Hawkins family, and by going through again the already known facts, events, and experiences of the three men. It was absolutely mesmerizing to see the six friends working together.
Characters
Cibyl and Gage are more in the foreground in the last volume. Both are independent beings who value their freedom and never spend a long time in one place. As usual convincing and extremely realistic Cibyl and Gage act in their fight against their feelings and against evil. Neither of them wants to admit or even accept that their love is fated and that it has led them to Hawkins Hollow. But Cibyl would not be Cibyl if she did not believe in the good and through her research, find a way to interpret the signs correctly and to interpret the knowledge around them.
With Gage that looks a bit different. He not only fights against the demon but also against the shadows of his past in the form of his now dry father. Now a young man, he is unwilling to forgive his father or forget how much he has hurt him through his beatings, intoxication, and psychic violence.
Conclusion
A grand finale to this trilogy, which is bloody and very violent, but could not have been better.
Happy reading
*This book will be published on August 20, 2019, by Berkley with this new cover.
Nora Roberts
Nora Roberts, born in Silver Spring, Maryland, is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than 200 novels. During the now-famous blizzard, she pulled out a pencil and notebook and began to write. It was there that a career was born. Several manuscripts and rejections later, her first book, Irish Thoroughbred, was published by Silhouette in 1981. Having spent her life surrounded by men, Ms. Roberts has a fairly good view of the workings of the male mind, which is a constant delight to her readers. It was, she’s been quoted as saying, a choice between figuring men out or running away screaming. Nora is a member of several writers groups and has won countless awards from her colleagues and the publishing industry. Recently The New Yorker called her “America’s favorite novelist.” She is also the author of the bestselling futuristic suspense series written under the pen name J. D. Robb. There are more than 500 million copies of her books in print.
