Rating: 4.5🌈
With Endurance, Cari Z’s Trilogy, The Triad, comes to an end. Maybe.
I say that, because it sounds as though from the author’s notes towards the end as though she’s not yet ready to say goodbye to these characters and this universe. That must have been weighing on her mind as she wrote this because it doesn’t exactly feel like a series finale to me.
A series finale is held to another higher standard than any other book in a series. It has a certain set of expectations to meet before the author can call a series wrapped up. The majority of plot lines should be tied up, no humongous storylines left dangling, no major or significant cast members left behind or their own stories left unfinished.
While the main characters should be happy with their own romance, the main issues should have narratively been laid out and carried forward in such a manner that the reader feels that everything, the other events in the other stories, were worth waiting for.
Did that happen here? I don’t think so. Dominion is a really good third story in a series, but it’s not a great series finale.
Cari Z does some wonderful stuff here starting with keeping the three person separate format she began in Endurance. It really let the reader into the mindset of each individual of this polyamorous relationship. We got to know and connect with each of them in depth. That becomes especially important here as the author sends each man off in a different direction and with huge implications for their relationship and stresses that they must deal with.
That’s aspect of this book is both a weakness and an interesting way of moving the arc forward. Before, the three way break in the book let us into the way each man starts to accept each other’s place in their lives. We watched , each figuring out their strengths and weaknesses, especially when there’s magic, shifters, political plotting, and a long term relationship that’s having to shift to accommodate a new partner and commitment.
Now just as Symon, Petur, and Deyvid have found a deep connection and relationship, they are pulled into different directions by family responsibilities and dire kingdom needs. Part of the joy was watching each become a part of the new family , revealing their true selves and growth.
Especially Symon whose magical abilities are apparently surpassed by almost none. That’s a storyline that gets lost here. Sy can do some amazing things, and the reader “hears” third hand about the magic he’s creating in a few sentences in events mentioned towards the end. That’s an issue seen here regularly.
Cari Z has set herself such a huge goal narratively for themes and plots to tie up that even with this file/page size, there’s no room for everything to be finalized.
So there’s a fair amount of battles that happen offscreen, important elements that should have been handled (the entire aspect of Deyvid’s journey afterwards , no mention of what happens to Deyvid’s father), Symon’s ex’s disappearance , etc. That’s pushed aside or just ignored in favor of getting the men back together.
Did I feel shortchanged in that area? Yes. I won’t go into details but for me it didn’t hold the emotional payoff it should have because of one element that was absent. I understand why the author chose to go in this direction but it negates some of the points made previously with this polyamorous family.
I did love Symon, the entire section with his father and dealing with the events at that castle. So beautifully written and it captures the essence of their father/son dynamic and love for each other perfectly. The same for Alie and Deyvid. Only Petur and his dysfunctional royal family is left behind here in terms of the emotional heft.
So Dominion has :
✓ A great 3-character format
✓ A three-character different location format that works in depth for two of them
✓ Multiple storylines that are only loosely finalized
✓ Missed opportunities to push and further character development (Symon’s magical abilities) and relationship dynamics between the three men.
✓ Some secondary plot points endings ignored, which bothers me even now.
✓ Disappearing character (Symon’s ex and best friend)
✓ A author who admits she’s not ready to let this universe go.
So enjoyed Dominion as a story. Not so much as a finale. I would definitely love seeing it continue as it feels unfinished with warring clans and plotting within Petur’s family clearly an issue.
Endurance was the outstanding novel of the trilogy. But the three books are remarkable and I highly recommend all three. Read them in order they are written to understand the events and relationships.
Triad Series:
✓ Alliance #1
✓ Endurance #2❤️
✓ Dominion #3
Buy link:
Dominion: The Triad Series: Book Three
Description:
Three parted lover who can only reunite once the war is won…or lose all hope of a future together.
Symon, Petur, and Deyvid have been torn apart, running in different directions as they work to prevent all-out war. Symon returns home to Bekkon only to find himself thrust into the role of king—whether he wants it or not.
With Petur hundreds of miles away raising an army of shifters and Deyvid pursuing his runaway daughter to make sure she’s not assassinated the moment she crosses the border, Symon must put his magic and his life on the line to keep the Harriers from overrunning his kingdom.
Petur and Deyvid are racing against time to come to his aid…but new enemies lurk around every corner. Before they can save Symon, they’re going to need to save themselves.
Dominion is a polyamorous M/M/M fantasy with enemies to lovers, graphic violence, snarky humor, and explicit sexual content.
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 