The Persistence of Memory Book 3: The Beginning of Always

The end of a trilogy is always something beautiful and bittersweet. Over the course of three books, readers have gotten to know and love a set of characters, have been enthralled by storylines, and have gasped over twists and turns in the plot. The Persistence of Vision trilogy is no exception. I’m grateful to have had the chance to review all three books and to have a front seat view of just how exciting superhero romance (a subgenre I hope to see more of) can be.

In this final installment, Daniel Hecht and Nina Asher are engaged, bound by an ancient ceremony that baffles their friends. (To be fair, Nina came back wearing a bracelet made of thorns, something unfamiliar to anyone born in the twentieth century.) This isn’t a book all about the trials any couple must face between their engagement and their wedding, however. Daniel’s old friend is still trying to bring about the end of the world, after all, and that’s a rather pressing matter. This isn’t to say there aren’t pre-wedding struggles. Anyone who’s read the series will know the author keeps a balance between the superhero half of the story and the romance. She continues the trend in this book, making sure to follow up on both plots. Daniel and Nina must face Paul and prevent his plan from coming to fruition, but they must also deal with their respective bachelor and bachelorette parties.

This is probably my favorite thing about the series: the balance. The author doesn’t just make sure equal weight is given to the plots. She makes sure equal weight is given to the tones as well. Though The Beginning of Always can grow serious, as much as the other books; it has just as many moments of levity, none of which detract from the heavier parts.

Some may recall I had a few complaints about the previous book. I’m happy to say I had no such troubles with this one. Though scenes do often begin in the middle of the action, only very rarely did I have trouble catching up to where the characters were (and when I did, it was with something relatively low stakes that didn’t require me to be swept up immediately). The book flowed very smoothly, providing a quick, enjoyable read. I didn’t breeze through it as quickly as I did the other two, but only because some parts encouraged me to slow down and linger. My other problem was that I couldn’t get as connected to the secondary characters as I might like, but at the end of a series, I can offer a possible solution. Hopefully, someday we’ll see a sequel series about another member of WISE.

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The Persistence of Memory Book 1: Deja vu