SophiaH's Reviews > Only Unity Will Spare Us

First of all – I loved the book as much as I loved every other in this series. It is truly a roller coaster ride of emotions. You know how there are inquiries out there by readers and authors alike asking you in which universe they would like to live if they had the chance to jump into a book. Well, I can tell you now, this would not be the world. Man is it brutal and even more unequal and bigoted than our reality. Reading books is my escape from reality, my haven so to speak. Michele Notaro did a good job balancing the worst with some light hearted moments, cuddles and family. If it were any less so I wouldn't be able to read it.

Only Unity Will Spare Us starts off mellow and grows in intensity until you reach the moment where you sit in the parking lot of your supermarket waiting for your eyes to not look so puffy so the cashier won't look at you funny. I loved it all, I loved every sweet, precious moment between Madeo and Cosmo and every interaction within the pride. I loved how much Logan has grown into his own and how confident sweet Wren got. Most beautiful were these intimate moments that felt like a glimpse into a life normally hidden from view.
""I don't want to take a shower. I don't have enough energy. I just want to sleep."
"I know, baby, but you're covered in a lot of digusting things, and I know you. You'll wake up in a few hours and be horrified and make us shower and change our sheets. And I want to just sleep, straight through the night, with you in my arms. I'm not changing the sheets at three in the morning again."
I closed my eyes and let my forehead fall to Cosmo's chest with a sigh. He was right. I would totally do that and had obviously done it to him in the past.
These scenes might not seem that important or extraordinary to many but I think they are such a treat. They give you a real feel for their dynamic for their personality and character.

Even though living in Madeo's reality and head must be difficult and I truly don't know how he made it to adulthood with his sanity intact – probably because Jude and him had each other, otherwise I'm not sure either would be sane TBH – I really enjoy his inner monologue. He is such a sarcastic person with a big big heart he whose presence he even denies to himself that he has.

Even after all this time, he was still afraid of riding in a helicopter. Despite myself, a wave of fondness for him ran through me, and I couldn't help but send that fondness through our bond so he'd feel it. Maybe I could combat his fear with love.
Geez, thank the goddess no one else could hear that sappiness in my head. I'd never live it down. Blech.

So all that being said I have to agree with some reviews that said that they felt that the series felt unfinished and they were a bit disappointed at the ending. I wouldn't go so far to say I was disappointed, but there are quite some unanswered questions and I felt as though there were some personal issues not concluded. At the very beginning of the series, when Madeo and Cosmo were first intimate with one another Madeo said that because of the rape he endured growing up and abuse he wasn't ready for anything putting him in a vulnerable position. Quite understandable and sad. I would have thought at the very end of the book that this would also be a last character development reaching its conclusion. Not because of the sex per se but I would think that this would be about intimacy, last barriers falling between Cosmo and Madeo, mental health, ridding himself from the past etc. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to minimize what Cosmo and Madeo have to only the physical and there were a lot of beautiful moments, touching and more intimate because of the emotions felt, like the one I mentioned above. But Anderson and what he did to both Jude and Madeo was such a big part of this whole series and in my mind this was the final hold he had on Madeo. A perfect moment would have been (view spoiler)[ during their vacation (hide spoiler)].

Maybe I can't remember and someone can educate me but other questions I still have also concern the world itself. Are people coming back to the US after things seem to get better? What caused the initial tear? Were there ever any consequences for how the Magi were treated? How was it possible for so many people to disappear and be slaughtered without anyone knowing? People turned up dead left, right and center in this book. I cannot imagine this not causing any kind of uproar. I also cannot imagine people knowingly joining this cult or leaving/turning whistleblower after hearing in the news how they (view spoiler)[ indiscriminately slaughtered a whole mall full of parents with children, human and shifter alike (hide spoiler)]. Did Madeo and Jude ever find any other relatives? I would think that people would try and find their offspring or siblings now that they were able to. Wasn't Madeo looking into that in one of the last books and this is how he initially found Jude's sibling? How is it that the same persons were kept in charge of the TRD and the magi after it became known how they treated the Magi to begin with. Madeo even said himself that the one above Director Dipshit was the one overseeing or knowing about the Magi compounds. How is it possible for a person like that to still be in charge? (view spoiler)[How did Anderson get so powerful in their battles by only licking blood? Was the knife he used linked to some sort of magic? Don't all their victims have to be dead for witches to be able to absorb their energy? Aren't they afraid of all kinds of infections if they truly have to ingest the blood like Anderson did? If Andersons family were the initiators or the original witches and leaders of the Red Cloth what was the connection to the European witches? Why aren't there any children of Madeo or Jude running around? (hide spoiler)] These are just from the top of my head questions after just finishing the book. Does anyone know the answer to any of them and can tell me what passage I should reread?

In the end the series is an incredible ride and I'm very glad I read it and will reread it in the future for sure.