Review // Pure Destiny by Aja James

He liked the sound of her voice, he realized.
Liked.
The warrior couldn’t recall the last time he felt preference for anything.
He wasn’t programmed to prefer.
To feel.

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Pure Destiny by Aja James

Pure/Dark Ones #16
Release - February 11, 2021
Genre - Paranormal Romance / second chance
Primarily Dual POV - 3rd person
Heat Level - 5 out of 5 / several scenes
Format/Source - ebook purchased from Amazon
Page Count - 380
Publisher - Indie

Destiny is cruel…

Since the moment they first met, in another life time, another world, Dalair and Sophia could not deny the longings of their heart, their souls, for each other.

But the stars aligned against them, capriciously pushing them together only to heartlessly tear them apart. She was never meant to be his, but he gave all of himself to protect her.

Fate can be rewritten…

Both reawakened to their long buried memories, they fight desperately against the prophesies that shackle them.
Sophia, the first-ever Pure Queen, the reigning queen, and the Destroyer of races, must find a way to save Dalair’s soul before it’s too late.

Dalair, trapped in a body that no longer obeys his will, controlled by thoughts that are not his own, fights to the death to reclaim his soul. And to reclaim, in the process, the only woman he’s ever loved.

But at what cost?

The Pure Ones might have triumphed over one adversary, but the more devious villain remains, continuing to spread chaos and mass destruction. Will Sophia and Dalair overcome the odds and carve a new, better future, or will they succumb to the Darkness? Including the enemy within— him.

Purchase Links

Amazon CA * Amazon US
(free to read with Kindle Unlimited)

My Two Cents

One of my favorite things about this series is that as much as I think I know... I quickly realize there is still so much I need to learn.

These stories about the Pure and Dark Ones have been some of the most brilliant, incredible, and emotional reads I have ever come across. And I'm a pitiful mess right now because as much as I've loved reading these books, I'm devastated that there is only one story left.

Dalair was a man of action.
He proved his loyalty with fists and feet, blood and sweat.
He defended, protected, fought, conquered.
And he loved.
Oh, how passionately he loved!

So much devastating events led to this moment... Dalair is a mind-controlled minion/general of Medusa and company's army. In Pure Requiem, after falling in love with Ere, and realizing that he was giving the good guys a chance to rescue Dalair (and so many other things), I knew that this book was going to be deep. I knew that I was going to watch Sophia struggle with controlling her Destroyer side, struggle with returning Dalair's soul back, and that everyone was going to struggle with Wan'er/Fox Spirit/Lilith. Can this person just die already? I also knew that this author was going to deliver because she has for Fifteen. Other. Books!!

The following are my thoughts, feelings, conclusions, and questions while reading Pure Destiny, so if you want to avoid spoilers — STOP HERE!

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1. I know people are gonna wonder... 'Does Natalie like or love Sophia now?' Hmmm... not really. I don't hate her, so please don't misinterpret this. She can just be a little annoying. And with her inane and repetitive internal monologues/malaise, apocalyptic tantrus, and her tunnel vision, I wasn't sure if the love would come. I didn't think I could ever get over how many times she allowed herself to descend into darkness. She needed to get a grip. Poor Benji had the unfortunate role of trying to bring her back. Benji is meant for greater things! But then there was this...

“If it’s love your soul needs, I will give you all of my love. I have an infinite store, you see. The more I love you, the stronger it grows. It fills me with such desperate sadness and aching joy. If only you would love me back…”

She slowly worked her way into my heart. I loved how devoted she was to Dalair, how hard she was willing to fight for him, and how bright her light could be. So yeah, in the end, I did love her!

2. I thought for sure that Aja James was done turning me inside out, but when Sophia was having her flashbacks to one of her previous incarnations, one I didn't even think about... I was not prepared for this surprise. I was blown away!

... she does have the Gift. One day, I have no doubt that our daughter’s Gift will be more powerful than mine ever was. It is her namesake, after all.” Mama looked at Titi again, and this time, her gaze stayed and held. Dark and glittering. “Yes. Her name. Do you think she will live up to it?” Papa looked at Titi as well, his eyes warm and lit with joy. “She already embodies it, my love,” Papa said. “Ninti—Lady of Life and Light.”

So let me get this straight... Sophia's soul used to be the daughter of the Fox Spirit/Lilith/Wan'er, the daughter of the Pure One who Queen Ashlu made into her Blood Slave, the same Pure One that we know is the father of Ishtar. That means that Sophia is Ishtar's sister. OMG that's crazy! Will this come out or be covered in the next book, seeing as it's the last in the series?

3. Was anyone else strangely turned on when Robot Dalair woke up, like a man on a mission (which he unfortunately was) and effortlessly incapacitated Immortals and humans alike to get to Benji? Dude is so hot!

4. I also can't be the only one who got swept away when Sophia shared her memories of when she first met Dalair (when she was the princess Kira). I loved getting it all from her perspective and how finally... finally... Dalair could believe in her feelings for him.

That part of him had always believed that when she spoke the words “my prince,” she’d been speaking of someone else. But now that he felt what she’d felt, as if he lived the past with her, inside of her, he finally understood the truth. She’d always been speaking of him. No matter the pretense, no matter their circumstance, he had been her prince. He had simply and utterly been hers.

5. And while I have so many other thoughts and feelings about this story, the one that keeps repeating itself right now is this... is Benji the reincarnation of the Pure One that Queen Ashlu stole? With his little blips, like finding Wan'er familiar and sending thoughts to Sophia that ring true to her earliest remembered incarnation, does this mean that his soul was once her father? Meaning his soul is also the father to Ishtar's soul? And will this be revealed in the story to come?

Check out the previous books:

Quick Peek

Dalair unleashed was like…

Sophia’s mind stuttered, as it always did when trying to come up with the right descriptors for her enigmatic warrior. Other males were easy to categorize. Human languages had a broad enough vocabulary to encompass all varieties.

But never Dalair. Not for her.

The essence of him couldn’t be captured by any adjective, or even a thousand adjectives.

He was always more.

More compelling. More magnetic. More addictive. More breathtaking.

He made her feel so much more. He awakened and inspired every part of her.

The modern feminist in her, the Gen-Z self-oriented part of her, felt as if she should rebel against the irresistible draw of him. She should be independent and self-sufficient, shouldn’t she? Whole unto herself. She shouldn’t need anyone else like this. She shouldn’t want to be dominated and protected and taken care of like this.

She was a queen! She was the Destroyer (not that she was proud of it, but still). She was one of the most powerful beings in the universe.

Why should one male matter so much? That she would move heaven and earth to have him by her side?

And yet…

Sophia would never lie to herself. The truth was: she wasn’t fully alive without Dalair. Only with him did she breathe freely, deeply, as if up to this point, she’d been suffocating all along.

He was her air. Her water. He was everything.

Dalair unleashed was like…

A supernova.

About the Author

Aja James just completed the Pure/ Dark Ones paranormal-fantasy romance series in 2020. If you want your heart battered, bruised, shattered and skewered, then put back together in the most glorious ways, check out the series below. Every couple gets an HEA, but they fight like hell for it on the way.

Aja is now working on her new series, Dragon Tails, because dragons are her favorite shifters of all!

Visit https://aja-james.blog/ for more information!