A Power Unbound: A spicy, magical historical romp (The Last Binding Book 3)
£9.50
Secrets! Magic! Enemies to . . . something more? Set in an alternative Edwardian England, A Power Unbound is the steamy, spellbinding conclusion to The Last Binding trilogy by Freya Marske.
‘Sublime prose, top-notch world-building, delightfully queer’ – TJ Klune, bestselling author of Under the Whispering Door, on A Marvellous Light
Jack Alston – Lord Hawthorn – would love a nice, safe, comfortable life. He renounced magic after the death of his twin sister. But with the threat of a dangerous ritual risking every magician in Britain, he’s drawn reluctantly back into that world.
Now Jack is living in a bizarre puzzle-box of a magical London townhouse, helping its owner Violet track down the final piece of the Last Contract before their enemies can do the same. And to make matters worse, they need the help of writer and thief Alan Ross. Cagey and argumentative, Alan is only in this for the money. He’s loud in his hatred of the aristocracy and their unearned power . . . and unfortunately, he happens to be everything that Jack wants in one gorgeous, infuriating package.
When a plot to seize unimaginable magic power comes to a head on Jack’s own family estate, Jack, Alan and their allies will become entangled in a night of champagne, secrets and bloody sacrifice – and the foundations of magic in Britain might be torn up by the roots before the end.
Filled with magic, murder and romance, A Power Unbound is the thrilling third book in The Last Binding trilogy by Freya Marske. Start the series with A Marvellous Light and A Restless Truth.
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by Sarah Bell
A Power Unbound delivers a great ending to The Last Binding series.
I must confess I wasn’t sure about this pairing of Hawthorne and Ross going into the book but I actually ended up really loving both these characters and the dynamic between them. They’re both a little prickly (with good reasons) and absolutely rub each other the wrong way sometimes (pun not intended – that definitely was not a problem they had!) and should not work together, yet they absolutely did!
I also really enjoyed that we got to spend more time with the other 2 couples from the earlier books and think Marske did a great job of balancing Hawthorne and Ross’ story and romance with the wider story arc and the other characters.
Did I entirely understand every single part of the magical plot they were trying to foil? Nope. But I was enjoying reading about these characters and their world too much to care.
Overall, a great romance and an excellent conclusion to this series!
by Devon R
“Of the generations of magicians who had called Cheetham Hall home, there had never been anyone like Jack and Elsie Alston.”
4.5 Stars
The concluding story to The Last Binding series and largely succeeds in wrapping up this fantasy tale swirling into a story of found families that is a delightful addition to the romance that is present in this book and the entire series.
With this story focusing on Jack and Alan, the readers are given the delight of following the humour, wit and dark emotions that set these character apart from their previous stories. The characters match each other wonderfully in scenes and it was exciting to delve into these characters deeper.
The majority of the story flowed nicely, building up the tension and planning of the story arc that had spanned this trilogy. I enjoyed that as a reader I felt the pull and chase of the plans and heists that were carried out throughout this story, keeping readers engaged as these plans developed and were acted out and their consequences. The only thing that causes the drop in half a star is due to sometimes feeling that actions and story elements were rushing too quickly; the building to the climax of ‘The Last Contract’ jumped around just a little too much for me.
Overall a fantasy trilogy that I will continue to recommended to other readers.
Thank you to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for this eARC.
by Heather @ Just Geeking By
It is always bittersweet to read the final book in a series, especially one that I’ve loved every minute of and despite saying goodbye to beloved characters I relished the chance to enter the world Freya Markse has created one more time. Like Marske’s previous two novels, A Power Unbound focuses on a couple and this time it’s notorious Lord Hawthorn, Jack Alston and journalist Alan Ross who we met in the previous book, A Restless Truth. I was thrilled as their growing interest in each other in that book was so much fun to read.
A Power Unbound is a terrific sequel, linking every thread that Marske has woven throughout her books together to offer an incredibly satisfying conclusion. While Jack and Alan’s relationship is the romantic focus of the book, Edwin, Robin and Adelaide Morrissey from book one, A Marvellous Light, and Maude and Violet from book two, A Restless Truth, play a large role in this book. Marske has written a masterpiece of a sequel filled with danger at every turn, magical battles and a puzzle filled house that is hiding the final piece of the Last Contract.
I particularly liked the direction that Marske went with the plot of the Last Contract and how it tied elements together that I hadn’t realised were linked to it. I’m not going to say any more about the plot in this review for two reasons; a lot happens, and it’s one of those books where you’re best reading it for yourself! All I’ll say is that if you enjoyed the previous two offerings by Marske then you’re going to love everything about this one, save for it being the end of a brilliant trilogy.
While we say goodbye to The Last Binding universe with A Power Unbound we thankfully we won’t have to wait long for more books by the wonderful Freya Marske as she’s just signed a new book deal!
by Lauren
This was a great ending to the trilogy!
The characters and setting were so atmospheric and it’s such a unique magic system. I’m usually not a big fan of historical books but I felt it really suited this story and the characters fit into it seamlessly.
I thought the narrator of the audiobook did a fantastic job – very easy to listen to and understand. I’m glad I listened to this series as it made me feel even more immersed into the world.
It also has amazing LGBTQIA+ representation which is very refreshing to see in a historical fiction/fantasy book.
Thank you to Macmillan UK Audio, Tor and Netgalley for this audio ARC.
by Jess
I’m unsure how to sum up my thoughts on this one. On the one hand, A Power Unbound provides a warmhearted and satisfying end to The Last Binding trilogy (assuming this series is to be a trilogy – I can still see the potential for more stories here). However, there were issues with pacing which I found quite distracting. The key example of this, although very much a matter of personal taste, is that I found the sex scenes in this one to fall more haphazardly than in previous installments. There were a couple of times when they seemed to derail or halt the plot progression in a manner that was quite frustrating.
That said, it was wonderful to see the return of various characters, and watch them all interact again. There was character development without anyone’s temperament being completely re-written – and likewise, interesting twists and turns without making prior installments seem pointless. Freya Marske’s writing style also remains gorgeous to read – I will certainly be picking up whatever she writes next, whether it’s part of this universe or not.