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danibatista's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Forced institutionalization, Addiction, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, and Murder
Minor: Domestic abuse and Death of parent
scorttarius's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
When a book takes you through every emotion that’s when you know it deserves 5 stars. This was the first book where I could predict things happening and still loved it. The adventure of it all truly helped make this a great story and to have everything wrap up soo wonderfully was absolutely needed. I was fully prepared to rage when we were to believe a certain someone was no longer with us but I’m glad L. Noni decided to bless us. Truly one of my favorite trilogies of all time now🥰
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Physical abuse, Death, Addiction, and Forced institutionalization
steffandbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
While the other two books have a main plot, like the first one surviving the prison and the Trial by Ordeal, the second one surviving outside the prison and the relationship with the Vallentis family and Kiva‘s siblings, the third one focuses on multiple things. Thus, a lot is happening in only 430 pages, but it was still written very well.
We start the third book right were we left off in the second one. Kiva is back at Zalindov and she is angeldust addicted, has no will to live and was assigned to work in the tunnels. I love, love, loved how Cresta was a part of her life in the prison and later on also outside the prison. Loved her strong personality and how she was able to get Kiva through this very difficult time. Cresta’s character development was outstanding and I love her humor so much! She fit right into this little family.
Then Kiva gets swept out of the prison just to land in another one and it‘s revealed that she has to marry King Navok, which I kind of suspected as soon as his soldiers came to get her. At the king’s castle, we meet Ashlyn (finally!) and they escape again while taking Galdric (yes, he’s still alive) with them. They arrive at Stoneforge, which is a military base, reuniting with everyone else. Then the heartache starts. Jaren is pissed. Tipp is pissed. Naari is still unconscious and Caldon is Caldon.
From there, the found family starts their quest throughout all of Wenderall to get the so called Hand of the Gods, the opposite of the Eye of the Gods. In each city they go to to get the parts of the Hand, they have to undergo certain challenges. Slowly, Tipp forgives Kiva, Jaren is still pissed and they clash together one morning, breaking my heart all over again. The time in Ersa was my favorite, I liked how everything got out and how Kiva had to challenge herself, again.
The reunion with Jaren in the next city, however, was quite underwhelming in my opinion. He forgave her and while I understand how he explains that he never hated her and how he was more disappointed that she didn’t trust him enough to reveal her identity, I couldn’t forget how he basically stabbed her in the heart with his words merely two days prior. He did say that he lied about that, I, on the other hand, wasn’t quite satisfied with it. I also didn’t like that he basically said he never blamed her for anything and that she is only blaming herself and should forgive herself, like, what do you expect? Although his explanations that it was never Kiva in anything made sense, I was like everything she did still led to everything that happened. Also, his last words in the second book “How could you” were never questioned again and I missed an explanation for that because those were the words Kiva thought about the most in the beginning of the books.
Then the ending was also not to my liking. Although I understand it makes sense that Kiva loses her magic and she’s quite content with it as she never wanted to have it in the first place, I was thinking about their future because, in the end, her healing magic is obviously quite of use and I can only imagine that someone dear to her would die in the future because normal healers can’t repair the damage. And I would also liked to have seen Jaren with his full powers back and Kiva with her healing magic on the throne. Just like the whole story started with Sarana and Torvin, only with a happy ending this time.
Last point I need to mention why this book doesn’t get 5 stars from me is the queer representation. Lynette created diverse characters, we have asexual one, we have bisexual characters and we also have a lesbian relationship but then in the end, we basically only had hetero relationships, which kind of pisses me off because Caldon and Torell would have been perfect! Instead she puts him with Ashlyn, which is kind of cruel as well, her being the sister of Caldon. There were so many opportunities and I just feel like Lynette didn’t do anything with it.
All in all, this was a fitting ending for the series. I enjoyed the world, the found family, the romance, the plot and literally everything else in this series so much! I do recommend everyone to go read it!
Then Kiva gets swept out of the prison just to land in another one and it‘s revealed that she has to marry King Navok, which I kind of suspected as soon as his soldiers came to get her. At the king’s castle, we meet Ashlyn (finally!) and they escape again while taking Galdric (yes, he’s still alive) with them. They arrive at Stoneforge, which is a military base, reuniting with everyone else. Then the heartache starts. Jaren is pissed. Tipp is pissed. Naari is still unconscious and Caldon is Caldon.
From there, the found family starts their quest throughout all of Wenderall to get the so called Hand of the Gods, the opposite of the Eye of the Gods. In each city they go to to get the parts of the Hand, they have to undergo certain challenges. Slowly, Tipp forgives Kiva, Jaren is still pissed and they clash together one morning, breaking my heart all over again. The time in Ersa was my favorite, I liked how everything got out and how Kiva had to challenge herself, again.
The reunion with Jaren in the next city, however, was quite underwhelming in my opinion. He forgave her and while I understand how he explains that he never hated her and how he was more disappointed that she didn’t trust him enough to reveal her identity, I couldn’t forget how he basically stabbed her in the heart with his words merely two days prior. He did say that he lied about that, I, on the other hand, wasn’t quite satisfied with it. I also didn’t like that he basically said he never blamed her for anything and that she is only blaming herself and should forgive herself, like, what do you expect? Although his explanations that it was never Kiva in anything made sense, I was like everything she did still led to everything that happened. Also, his last words in the second book “How could you” were never questioned again and I missed an explanation for that because those were the words Kiva thought about the most in the beginning of the books.
Then the ending was also not to my liking. Although I understand it makes sense that Kiva loses her magic and she’s quite content with it as she never wanted to have it in the first place, I was thinking about their future because, in the end, her healing magic is obviously quite of use and I can only imagine that someone dear to her would die in the future because normal healers can’t repair the damage. And I would also liked to have seen Jaren with his full powers back and Kiva with her healing magic on the throne. Just like the whole story started with Sarana and Torvin, only with a happy ending this time.
Last point I need to mention why this book doesn’t get 5 stars from me is the queer representation. Lynette created diverse characters, we have asexual one, we have bisexual characters and we also have a lesbian relationship but then in the end, we basically only had hetero relationships, which kind of pisses me off because Caldon and Torell would have been perfect! Instead she puts him with Ashlyn, which is kind of cruel as well, her being the sister of Caldon. There were so many opportunities and I just feel like Lynette didn’t do anything with it.
All in all, this was a fitting ending for the series. I enjoyed the world, the found family, the romance, the plot and literally everything else in this series so much! I do recommend everyone to go read it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Murder, Torture, Violence, Vomit, and War
Moderate: Blood, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, and Suicidal thoughts
grets_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Some of the developments felt rushed, and some bits felt slightly forced, but it was a very readable good read 😊
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use and Addiction
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Violence
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Death, War, and Forced institutionalization
allisonisabel's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Torn between 4.5 and 4.75 as while I loved the story, the characters, and the book as a whole, I was slightly dismayed with the lack of attention paid to certain characters and plot lines (especially ones set up in book 2) that kinda fell off to the sides as well as how Kiva falls into the category of heroine’s that lose their powers, even if it makes some sense for her characterization
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction
Moderate: War, Medical trauma, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, and Abandonment
Minor: Terminal illness
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