I have really enjoyed this series and Oath Bound was no exception. It was fun and fast paced. With each book, I thought that I liked the characters in the book I was reading better than the characters that came before; however, with this book, we get to see all of the previous characters and I realized that I loved them all! I want to see more of them. Rachel Vincent has such a wonderful way of making me love her characters and care about what happens to them. ( )

It's a strange world of mafia syndicates, people with special Skills, and how they use their skills for good or evil. Who do you trust and when. Vengeance and justice Kris kidnaps Sara when he sees her yellow scarf, part of Seer's vision, Kris bungles most of his initial interactions with Sera and how they progressed from that was a jump. Past Couples contribute and make their appearances while they try to find Kenley and help Sera find who killed her family, it dragged a bit for me.
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This final book in the Unbound trilogy was a satisfying conclusion and a complete change in tone from the previous book. Instead of the almost unrelenting grimness of the previous book, this one had lots and lots of funny parts. This is somewhat remarkable because the heroine had been through a horrible time watching her parents and sister murdered in front of her and being attacked and losing her baby and her future prospects as a mother. She was bent on finding the person who killed her family and her future and watching him die.

Sera Brandt did have some resources. She was the illegitimate daughter of Jake Towers and planned to call on the Towers syndicate to help her get justice. Since Jake's death, his sister Julia has taken charge. As we have learned throughout this series, Julia is a complete snake who will do anything to keep control of the syndicate. Since Jake's death and the escape of Kori and Kenley Daniels, Julia is facing some issues.

She happened to be talking with Julia and Jake's wife Lynn when Kris Daniels shows up. Seems Julia has kidnapped Kenley again and Kris wants her back. In the ensuing confusion, Sera learns that she has inherited the Towers syndicate, not Julia as everyone had thought. Also, in the confusion and amid the gunfire, Kris takes Sera with him to his safe house which Sera interprets as kidnapping.

A lot of the humor comes from the debate between Sera and Kris about whether or not he kidnapped her. But it isn't long before Sera gets on board with Kris, Kori and the rest of the crew who are eager to bring down the Towers syndicate. Along the way Sera learns about her Skills and she and Kris fall in love.

This was a great conclusion to the Unbound trilogy. ( )

Holy balls, Oath Bound was awesome. I know it’s not the classiest language but it really sums up my reaction to the novel. I’ve been a fan of Rachel Vincent’s since I first picked up Prey but her writing has really grown over the course of her various series and it shows in Oath Bound. This is probably her best book yet. From following her blog, I know it wasn’t the easiest novel to write but her dedication totally paid off. Each of her Unbound books has built on the previous ones and Oath Bound is a fitting and strong end to the Unbound trilogy.

As with the other books in the trilogy, Oath Bound is told from two alternating points of view: Sera’s and Kris’. Kris is a familiar character since he was featured in Shadow Bound and is related to two of the central characters in the series. But now he’s front and centre and it was great. He’s such a complicated man, which is the perfect hero for such a complex series. Like his sister Kori, Kris is a Traveler but he’s managed to avoid the notice of the various Syndicates. He’s a smuggler and he wants to bring down the Syndicates that have caused so much pain for his friends and family. Sera, on the other hand, is a complete unknown. We learn about her history and Skills slowly and each reveal makes her more interesting. She’s young but she knows herself well enough to realize when she’s in over her head…eventually…Both Kris and Sera have a lot of secrets but Sera’s secret is a doozy: she’s the secret bastard child of Jake Tower, the late head of the Tower Syndicate, a man not known for his kindness or compassion. I can only imagine how hard it is to learn that your biological father is all kinds of evil but Sera grew up with a loving family so it sort of makes things better. (I say “sort of” because Sera’s family was killed.)

If the characters in Oath Bound are complicated, the plot is even more tangled. Sera is seeking vengeance for her family’s deaths and trying to figure out what to do with herself. She’s a babe in the woods when it comes to the Syndicates, something she quickly learns as the story progresses. Kris is trying to take down the Tower Syndicate by having his sister Kenley unbind people she’d bound to Jake Tower while in his employ. It’s not entirely a noble goal but it’s definitely an uphill battle, even with the aid of characters we know from the previous Unbound novels.

Since this is a relatively new release, I don’t want to say too much about the plot but I will say that Oath Bound is a truly fantastic novel. Vincent has created an amazing (and scary) world in the Unbound series and I’m sorry that this is the last book (at least as far as I know). But the main storylines are wrapped up in a satisfying manner and I’ve truly enjoyed this trilogy. It’s one that has improved from book to book and I look forward to re-reading these stories time and again.

http://ireadgood.wordpress.com ( )

4.5 stars

I've really enjoyed this trilogy. I think this world is very interesting. I love the characters. I'm sad that this was only a trilogy. I think Ms. Vincent could've gone further with it. I love the Skills that people have and how it is a blessing and a curse. The end of this particular story has a big twist that I didn't see coming.

Once again, Rachel Vincent is great at world building. In this world, some people are born with Skills. There is a mafia of sorts (also called syndicates) that is always on the lookout for these Skilled people. Usually they are tricked into Binding contracts that they cannot get out of, but there are some people who are so Skilled at Binding that they they can Bind people against their will. This is why being a Skilled person is a blessing and a curse. In this trilogy, we meet many people who are part of either one of the two syndicates in town or are hiding from the syndicates. The books are told in first person by the two characters who will come together in that book. The author is kind enough to inform you which character is talking at the beginning.

I love this series. I've read the books and listened to them as well. I highly recommend this series. It was great to read some PNR that is set in a completely new type of world. ( )