Spoiler Alert! At the end of Dark Heart Rising, it was revealed that Soren was the son of Vanya and Gabriel and half brother to Raphael. Raphael discovered that Gabriel was still alive somewhere in the mortal world and vowed to find him. Luca chose to be with Jane over his parents and decided to move to the mortal realm to be with her. In Dark Heart Surrender, Luca is living with Jane and her parents and earning his keep working for Pete in the construction business while Jane goes to college.When Jane is asked to counsel a troubled teen by the name of Polly, she accepts but soon finds herself out of her depth when she agrees to set Polly’s brother Abe up with her friend Ashley. Jane senses something strange about the two siblings who seem to have a hypnotic presence but she can’t explain why. Luca finds a bloodied necklace at the construction site and is unnerved enough to return to Nissilum and seek his father’s advice. Luca learns of his families’ enmity with the shapeshifters, Vulpecula, half human half fox who blame the Hunter’s for not paving their way to live in Nissilum many years ago. Luca’s father advises him to be cautious as the Vulpecula have a thirst for revenge and have the ability to manipulate minds.Gradually Abe and Polly set about splitting Jane and Luca up. Fearing she’s losing Luca, Jane visits Nissilum and asks for Dayla and Ulfrid’s advice. Ulfrid reveals that the Vulpecula fear fire as it can consume their soul. Can Jane and Luca eliminate this new danger which threatens to tear them apart? Who is the mysterious amnesiac who was left for dead in a cave?Dark Heart Surrender has a more oppressive and malevolent feel than its previous installments and is my least favourite of the series. I was hoping that this installment would lead on from Dark Heart Rising and I was disappointed when it didn’t. Instead it focuses solely on Luca’s struggle to adapt to the mortal realm and his relationship with Jane which is tested to the limit. I found the Vulpecula menacing presence to be uncomfortable reading at times and I couldn’t wait for them to get their just desserts.It seems to be the general opinion that Dark Heart Surrender is the final installment in the series. If it is then I feel let down by the way the author has chosen to conclude the series. I was intrigued by Raphael’s story in the previous installment and was looking forward in reading the outcome of his quest to find his elusive father, Gabriel. I also wanted to read more about Soren and in particular Vanya who remains one of my favourite characters from Nissilum. Thankfully we got to see Dalya’s transformation from a young girl into a beautiful self assured woman. One problem that wasn’t addressed was Jane’s mortality as opposed to Luca’s immortality. What will happen when Jane grows old and eventually die? Overall a disappointing end to a series that started off with great potential. after loving the other two books i had very high hopes and expectations to how the third book was going to end and i wasn't disappointed i admit there was a few occasions when i really did think it was going to end badly especially when Polly and Abe practically ripped luca and jane's relationship apart. I was so relieved when Polly and Abe were killed off and it ended happily and also that Olivia survived. overall i loved this series and it will be one i will be revisiting.
What do You think about Dark Heart Surrender (2012)?
Not as exciting as the first or second book and I found the ending a bit of an anticlimax.
—Elleflie
Is this the last book? I can't tell! The ending was unsatisfying...
—peanut2667
