In the Coils of the Snake (The Hollow Kingdom Trilogy #3) Book

I enjoyed In the Coils of the Snake much better than Close Kin. I'm not quite sure why. Maybe the heavy-handed message of the second book about marriage and babies didn't seem quite so prevalent. But then again, maybe I just ignored it this time. lol
I do that.

Of course, The Hollow Kingdom will always be my favorite. I almost think Dunkle shouldn't have made this a trilogy, because the first book was perfect by itself. Dunkle likes to take the theme (never judge a book by its cover) and turn it around and around and then back again. If the first book made the reader reconsider the ugly myth and lore surrounding Goblins, this book twisted things around again, by maybe suggesting the Goblins aren't always that great either.

Yet to do this flip-flop, Dunkle had to kill off Marak (the Goblin King) because he was simply too clever. Marak would never have made the mistakes his son makes when it comes to the Elves. So for plot purposes, Catspaw becomes the villain, yet he's not really evil. He's just a numpty. Consequently, it's hard to get all worked up and worried about him. Not to mention, it's hard to root for a numpty.

I did appreciate seeing the other side of the Elves though. Their different viewpoint was a lovely counterbalance to the other books. Although, Dunkle doesn't love the Elves like she does the Goblins. While there were all kinds of Goblin characters I grew to know and love, this wasn't the same with the Elves.

In the end, I have to say, I really like Dunkle's simple and direct prose, and I love how she captures a different time period. I'll definitely read more of her books.

***1/2

Thanks for the buddy read, Jeannette!