Aisling (Indigo Book 8) [Paperback]

I am sure that anyone who reads this series will approach the concluding book with some trepidation. Being unsure how it will be resolved. Louise actually does a wonderful job of showing how much Anghara has really changed through the years. What I found to be so incredible was that while Indigo had been the central character through the first seven books, for the majority of this book, she becomes a secobdary character, you are carried through the events with a different set of eyes. And instead of feeling alienated, I was engrossed. With this final chapter of Indigo, not only does Louise Cooper show her superior story telling abilities, but she manages to achieve a strong ending a conclusion that was as strong as the preceeding volumes had been.

In my opinion the conclusion is the point where an author shows the mastery of their craft. There are so many stories that have captivated me only to fall flat at the end with an ending that didn't do justivce to the quality of the series.

If you love fantasy, read the Indigo Saga. It not only has the magical, but it alsohas the human elements as well. Her series stays focused from the beginning to the end, and you as the reader are swept along with it. And what a climax, what an ending. When I read the cover, and it said "The Stunning Conclusion of The Indigo Saga" I was sceptical, for once they were right. All of Louise Cooper's work comes highly recommended, and worth the effort to find.

Book 8, titled Aisling, concludes author Louse Cooper's fantasy series called the Indigo series. Throughout the books, readers come to know the main character Indigo and to identify with her struggles as she faces each of seven demons that she had inadvertently released from the Tower of Regrets. Meanwhile, Indigo's lover Fenran is trapped in a demon world, only to be released once all of the demons have been slain. So Indigo becomes the designated hero chosen by the Earth Mother's Emissary to have the blessing and curse of immortality until all of the demons are vanquished. But she does not take this journey alone, for the speaking wolf, Grimya, also chooses to have the gift and curse of immortality as she aids Indigo in her quest. Together, Indigo and Grimya defeated six of the seven demons - and that takes us to book 8 and the final demon.
There is so much potential here for Indigo to be a hero, get into an epic battle with the last demon, save Fenran, become Queen of the Southern Isles, and for the inclusion of love triumphant. But oddly enough, none of that happens here. The hero's role in this novel goes to an entirely new character in the series - a witch named Niahrin. While the addition of the kindly old witch was creative and she makes a good character, this ought to be Indigo's time to shine. Instead, Indigo has gotten caught up in a shipwreck and ends up with amnesia. A sailor named Vinar sees this opportunity and decieves Indigo into thinking that the two of them are betrothed. But once Indigo learns the truth of who she is - a surprising 300 pages into the novel - she isn't upset in the least at Vinar's trickery. Rather, everyone feels sorry for what the sailor has gone through in losing Indigo! And if all this doesn't seem wrong, there's the shocking and disappointing revelation that Fenran is the seventh demon.
So how is it possible that he's the seventh demon if we've been told throughout the novels that he's being held prisoner in a demon world, tormented until Indigo can save him? Well as the story goes, Fenran was trapped in his own mind, by his own demons...which doesn't really make much sense because the demons that Indigo released from the Tower of Regrets - the ones that she has to hunt down and kill - are demons within herself, but also demons that plague mankind.
So how can Fenran be the seventh demon? But beyond that, Fenran is the one who gives Indigo's quest meaning. This is what makes book 8 so utterly disappointing - no epic battle, and no freeing Fenran from some demonic hell. Instead, he gets a crossbow bolt through the heart after telling Indigo, "I love you."
All of this makes the book drag on and on, and then when you're expecting a miraculous turn-around, it seems to be far too little, too late. The ending is nearly as disappointing as if Indigo were to have come this far only to have failed her quest. The long bout of amnesia only serves to undermine the plot that the author has woven throughout the series, because Indigo has come too far to not know who she is or what she has to do. Her friendship with Grimya seems irreparably damaged, Fenran is dead, and the royalty of the Southern Isles is wary of her - all so that the author can let two newcomers (Vinar the sailor and Niahrin the witch) take the stage.
Tisk, tisk. It had SUCH potential!

I first started reading this series a good few years ago, and now I own all the books in the series, though at the time they were hard to find.
In this book, after a long and harrowing journey that covers three quarters of a century, Indigo finally returns to her homeland of Carn Caille, to face the last of the demons she released from the tower of regrets.

Upon arrival at her native land, there is a nasty shipwreck which separates Indigo and her wolf-companion, Grimya, and leaves Indigo with a loss of memory. The plot revolves around Indigo's struggle to regain her memory while struggling to understand her connection to Carn Caille and the current ruling family, who become central characters in the book. It also revolves around Grimya and her struggle to find Indigo and help to restore her memory, as well as fight the evil at hand.

When I finished this book I wondered if the ending, as well as the different direction the series seemed to take after book 5 (Troika) was reflective of a change in the attitude of the author herself.

Personally, I thought this to be a refreshing ending, as a 'fairytale happy' ending would have been too predictable and ordinary. Not my favorite book in the series, but nevertheless I couldn't put it down the first time I read it.