Play Book Tag discussion

In the 5th instalment of the All Souls series, Diana and Matthew’s twins are now six years old, and life has settled into a comfortable routine, free from outside threats. But simultaneous letters from the Congregation and Diana’s father’s estranged family sends their idyllic life spinning, as Diana meets her unknown family and uncovers the secrets of her past - and herself.

Diana is one of my favourite FMCs ever. She’s smart, brave, kind, and thoughtful (not to mention powerful) without being brash, overconfident, arrogant or narcissistic. In the original three books of the trilogy, she’s in her 30s, which was a refreshing change from the usual 18-year-old “I’m so awesome and powerful and I know everything” girls that are really just male characters in a female body. Diana, on the other hand, thinks and behaves like an emotionally intelligent, self-confident woman who knows what she wants and how to get it without leaving a path of destruction in her wake.
In this book she’s a mother in her late 30s embarking on a journey of self-discovery and growth. What I really appreciated is that the author had Diana really invested in including her husband and children on this journey, instead of just plowing ahead without thought for how it might affect her family - or worse, in secrecy.

Where this book lost me was the plot. I felt like the book was telling me the stakes are high, but I never felt that tension or sense of urgency. The obstacles in Diana’s way to growth and greater knowledge/power just didn’t seem that challenging. While I loved the characters, I wasn’t able to connect with the plot. The very last chapter had an unexpected twist, which hopefully means the next book will have higher stakes and tension, like in the original trilogy.