{Review} Empower (The Violet Eden Chapters #5) by Jessica Shirvington

Posted by Melanie
Release Date: May 6th, 2014
Finished Date: August 31st, 2014

Publishers: Orchard Books 
Genre: YA Paranormal Romance
Source: For Review
Format: Paperback

Pages: 464

Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo

It has been two years since Violet Eden walked away from the city, her friends, her future and - most importantly - her soulmate, Lincoln. Part angel, part human, Violet is determined to stand by the promises she made to save the one she loves.

Living in the perpetual coldness of a broken soul she survives day to day as a Rogue Grigori in London.

But when an unexpected visitor shows up at her door, the news he bears about someone she swore to protect leaves Violet with no choice.

Even worse, she fears that this might all lead back to the night she tries hardest to forget. And what was taken without her permission.

Violet is going back to New York ... and she knows exactly who is going to be there.

With Phoenix in her dreams and Lincoln in her heart she knows it is only a matter of time before the final choice must be made.

The Review: Empower is the final book in The Violet Eden Chapters and what a finale it was!
Violet is no longer the same woman, she is broken, her soul is shattered following her 2 year self-imposed exile from those she loves and her soul mate Lincoln and sanity only stays because she shields herself from her own emotions. She survives to kill the Exiles and makes a little money doing it with a gang of Rogue Grigori in London who answer to no one. That soon changes when a familiar face arrives on her doorstep bearing bad news and the only kind that would have her hopping on the next flight back to New York, to the Academy, to Lincoln and everything she ran away from.
If you thought that Violet had embraced her Grigori powers and that we’d seen all she had to offer…..think again as she comes back with more; more strength, more power, more will and more determination because when one of those she classes a family is taken and used as a pawn… Violet is going to fight tooth and nail for what she loves and what is right, regardless.
This book was simply awesome – just as every single one of the series has been. I didn’t think Violet could be any ‘more’ than what she was but I was mistaken, she could be more and the title couldn’t be more apt as she becomes ‘empowered’.
She has gone through an amazing but harsh journey and it has been a pleasure to see this character through her struggles, she may have given everything up in the last book but in this it’s time for her redemption too. I loved the relationship between Violet and Lincoln, there’s was a forbidden love and they were never meant to be together because of their Grigori partnership but fate deemed them soul mates and it was sweet torture reading about their feelings for each other, hoping against all hope that they would find a way to be together. It was so understandable why Violet left in the last book, she was doing it to protect Lincoln from ever bearing the pain of losing her but in fact she let them live with the pain by not being together, it was heartbreaking seeing what it was doing to her and when they meet again, what it had done to them both – but again, I was hanging onto the hope that they would get their happy ever after.
I was unsure where the storyline was going to go considering the last book felt like the ending but the threat is brought from someone who seemed so insignificant in the previous book. That someone knows what Violet can do, knows how special she is and not only does he have one of her friends….. he also has her blood. I know I seriously underestimated the threat that this character could bring and it only became clear when it was revealed who & what he is and what he ultimately wants and just to keep in with the biblical battles of the series, the world could indeed end and it’s all on Violet’s shoulders. In order to be ready to face this formidable enemy, Violet must first make peace with herself, accepting everything she is meant to be and see the bigger picture… with the help from all of her friends. What ensues is an action packed epic showdown that sees New Orleans as the epicentre of a power struggle and we get to see Violet at her best but we also get to see just why her and Lincoln’s relationship is important too. The battle descriptions were amazing, it would have looked awesome visually and to be honest this whole series would make brilliant movies. I have loved this series and would recommend them to anyone. 

Thank you to Orchard Books for giving me the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review.