There is nothing more sad than a series that starts off great and ends…not. That is the case with the Sons of Destiny series and the saddest part of all is that it is a secondary character in The Mage that really ruins things the most.

The last chapter in the saga tells the story of the youngest brother Morganen. Since the very beginning, Morganen knew that his fated mate was his sister-in-law Kelly’s best friend Hope. But Hope is still stuck on Earth, while Morg is living in their alternate universe. When the time is right, in other words when all his other brothers are married off, Morg will bring Hope to him. And in a bang, the time becomes right and she is brought through the portal

But Hope is not what she seems. While Morganen believed that she was a human, she is actually the ancient duchess of the brother’s very own castle. She was transported away hundreds of years ago and was trapped on Earth. But Kelly’s connection to her homeland has let Hope return to Nightfall. This complete subterfuge has left Morganen shattered. His trust in Hope is nonexistent and it will be up to her to win him back.

Far too quickly this idea of winning back Morganen’s trust became little more than a game. Morg was not seriously feeling betrayed. Instead, he was pouting like a child and wanted Hope to have to “work” to convince him to continue to love her. The immature sparring of the two characters was more like teenagers than anything else. Though the two had been one of the most lovable couples throughout the series with their very long distance relationship, the in-person version of the relationship fell completely flat.

While Morg and Hope were “struggling” to rebuild “trust” (or really to just looking to get into each other’s pants), the citizens of Nightfall were up to the usual – trying to open up a Convocation of the Gods, get approval for Kelly to be Queen, yada yada yada. By this time in the eight books of the series, the most difficult character to accept is Kelly, the eldest brother’s mate. And she is in rare form in this book. Once again Kelly is not slinking into the background that has been calling her name since Book Four. In this installment, she not only makes sure that Morg and Hope’s spotlight is on her, but she also steals the thunder of the other couples that are getting their “epilogues” in this book. Serina and Dominor have the baby? It becomes about Kelly’s lack of fertility. Rydan and Rora have a difficult task to perform in order to free Rora from her fountain? It becomes about Kelly and how she has been injured in the past and shouldn’t have to endure it again. And none of this is done with any grace. Instead, it is childish demands and sulking that gets Kelly her attention. It is such a shame that a potentially wonderful series was so very ruined by this ridiculous character.

In the end, the story does revolve around Hope and Morg, but it does so against the backdrop of the culmination of the series. All of the brothers play some small role in the finale and all the ends are neatly tied up. If you are a fan of the series and have read all the others, then you should read this final installment just for the closure. But if you aren’t, be forewarned. It starts out very good, but it just can’t keep itself on track and there could be some disappointment for you along the way.