After all the adventures so far, Tom and Elenna are more determined than ever to make their way through the Dark Realm and defeat the Evil Wizard Malvel.
But within the perilous Black Ocean lurks Narga the Sea Monster. Aside from preying on the rebels, Narga is holding Sepron the Sea Serpent hostage. Only Tom and his friends can bring an end to this evil Beast's reign.
Narga the Sea Monster, the third book in the third Beast Quest series, The Dark Realm, actually introduces some new elements to the series. The Dark Realm takes place in Malvel's realm instead of Avantia--hence the title--and Narga gives the reader a brief look at what life's like for the people who live under Malvel's rule. We get rebels in the form of new characters Odora and Dako, and there's a bounty hunter named Jent whose mission is to capture Tom and Elenna so he can claim the reward of a thousand gold pieces that Malvel's offering. So there's something new, at least.
Other than that, it's same old, same old. Most importantly, I continue to be incredibly annoyed with Elenna. She's downright infuriating... or perhaps it's simply the way the story treats her that's infuriating. Elenna must be praised at all times. Elenna must only offer moral support and ideas. Elenna must never be genuinely helpful unless she's acting as a Deus Ex Machina. When she makes baseless assumptions, of course she's correct (though this applies to Tom, as well). When she is hurt, captured, or endangered--and it happens in damn near every book--Elenna cannot rescue herself; it is up to Tom to save her, defeat the Beast, and compliment her on her helpfulness afterward. It's fucking insane.
Anyway, it ends with Tom receiving a sapphire that gives him perfect memory, and I'm willing to bet that's going to create a fuckton of plot holes later. He's already forgotten about most of his previous gifts, so I'm certainly not expecting anything else.
