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kathrynleereads's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Lightbringer, the finale to the Empirium trilogy by Claire Legrand, follows Eliana and Rielle through the final stages of each of their wars against the angels. Rielle in the past, and Eliana 1,000 years in the future.
Across time and space, they both find themselves being manipulated and coerced by Corien, leader of the angels and the Undying Empire.
Across time and space, they both find themselves being manipulated and coerced by Corien, leader of the angels and the Undying Empire.
•
Pace
Unlike it’s predecessors, the first half of Lightbringer really felt like a chore. After the action-packed first and second books, I felt as if Lightbringer was dragging on and on for the first half. Around the half-way mark it picked up and returned to the quick pace I was used to, but it took quite a bit of effort to make it to that point.
•
RIELLE'S TIMELINE
Rielle - Honestly, I found Rielle just plain frustrating in this book. Her character arc had so much promise in Furyborn and Kingsbane, but there were very few times in Lightbringer when we got to see the spark that I associated with Rielle.
With Corien and the Empirium both fighting with her mind, I understand why this was, but I still expected her to fight back a bit harder, instead of just turning her back on everything and everyone she loved so completely.
Audric - Staying true to the first two books, Audric was a very cookie-cutter book boyfriend.
Sticking to the trend of this book, however, his character did step up a level (or a few levels) about halfway through, when he really embraced his title as the Lightbringer.
Ludivine - Throughout this entire series, Ludivine is the only character around whom I found inconsistencies.
Rielle and Audric claimed countless times that they had come to terms with Ludivine’s true identity, but still threw that deceit in her face whenever their emotions ran high.
They were both so all over the place with their shifting opinions about Ludivine that it was hard to keep straight.
There wasn’t a single time while reading Lightbringer that I doubted Ludivine’s want to keep Rielle and Audric safe, no matter what her original or ultimate motive had been.
This was so out-of-character for her that I actually went back and reread a bit to make sure I hadn’t missed something.
I understand not wanting to see your friends hurt each other, but that had been a possibility from the start.
Throughout the entire series she had fought so hard to keep both Audric and Rielle safe, and then, out of the blue, she up and leaves? It made no sense to me.
Corien - I was almost expecting a sort-of redemption arc for Corien, some tragic backstory, or change of heart, but in the end I’m glad it didn’t happen.
There are very few times when readers are given full reign to really hate a character, and this was one of those times.
Corien’s “love” for Rielle was way over the line into obsession, and even though he did seem to actually care for her, not just her power, it was extremely toxic in the worst possible way.
Evyline - Honestly, Rielle didn’t deserve Evyline. She was loyal to Rielle without a single doubt.
Even when Rielle sided with the angels, Evyline shifted her loyalty to Audric, knowing that he was Rielle’s best chance to come back to herself and the right side.
Garver - I love this man. Right in the Furyborn prologue, he had reminded Simon to not judge Rielle too harshly because she had once been just a girl.
He seemed to understand better than most of the characters that what Rielle was going through was not her fault (at least entirely).
Garver was always kind to her and treated her with respect, and it felt fitting for him to be with her at the end, just as he had been in the original Furyborn prologue.
Tal - At no point in this series was I a fan of Tal. His whole relationship with Rielle was so weird and bordered on the line of an obsession.
Obritsa - For such a young girl, Obritsa really had herself together.
She was strong and chose the right side the second she was free to do so, despite the abuse that Corien and Rielle put her through.
Atheria - I love Atheria with my whole heart. Her presence acted as a sort of moral compass.
When Rielle was doing the right thing Atheria was there to help, but as soon as Rielle made a bad choice (attempting to open the gate, running away from Audric to Corien), Atheria left.
I also appreciated that Atheria’s role as a moral compass extended past Rielle to Audric as well. She was by his side the whole time he fought, helping when she could, but being a constant supporting presence.
•
ELIANA'S TIMELINE
Eliana - I’ve been trying for days to put down all my feelings about Eliana and the ending that she got, but I just can’t seem to fin the right words.
The amount of physical, mental, and emotional growth Eliana went through in Lightbringer was amazing.
She came to terms with her power, held on through all of Corien’s torture, and carved herself a safe space to hold on to her sanity.
I’m so grateful for Zahra and the fact that, through her, a spark of the person that Eliana was still lives on.
But the loss of the person that Eliana was is one that I felt deeply.
I’m happy that she now gets to grow up properly, with Audric and Zahra and Simon there, but the hardships that she went through made her the person she was.
Simon - Simon’s story simultaneously aggrevated me and made me so deeply sad.
The idea that he underwent such incredible torture starting at the age of eight is horrible.
I had been holding out hope that his timeline would accidentally be reset, but I couldn’t imagine any scenario in which he would secretly still be on Eliana’s side.
And for that revelation to happen only hours before he is then killed by Corien? Brutal.
He deserved so much more than that ending, and I hope that little Simon eventually gets the ending he deserves with little Eliana.
Corien (p2) - At this point, Corien has driven himself completely insane with his desire for Rielle.
He has absolutely no regard for anyone or anything other than Rielle, and doesn't even seem to care about the power he stands to lose as his obsession grows deeper and drags him further into insanity.
Similar to Corien in Rielle’s timeline, I felt absolutely nothing but hatred toward him.
The Prophet - After a book and a half of guessing who The Prophet was, Lightbringer finally confirmed my hunch.
While the identity of The Prophet did leave me with a lot of unanswered questions, it also fit their storyline really well.
The only part that I found difficult to wrap my head around was The Prophet’s relationship and interactions with Simon.
Especially with the knowledge that she knew him as a child and knew his father, the idea that she would torture him the way she did seems far-fetched to me.
Remy - While I wasn't happy about everything Remy went through in Lightbringer, I think the journey was fitting for him.
He followed in his sister's footsteps but stayed true to the person he was, studying and loving stories more than anything else.
Right beside her, seeing all his heroes come to life, and having a complete understanding not only of what they were doing but of what the consequences were as well.
Navi - Although I know it was the only way it could've gone, I hate the way Navi's story ended.
She was my favorite perfect little badass, and I wanted so much more for her.
I was incredibly happy, however, that she found Ysabet.
The two of them complemented each other wonderfully, and I’m glad that Navi got a little happiness after everything she went through.
Zahra - Zahra was probably the only character whose ending I was satisfied with.
"May I tell you the rest?" she asked. "May I tell you the story of your daughter?"
Tears in his eyes, completely undone, Audric nodded, and then he listened through the night as Zahra spoke of a future that would never be.
Those were the words that broke me and finally drew out all the tears I’d been holding in.
•
Suffice it to say, Lightbringer broke me.
After dragging slowly for the first 250 pages or so, the end of the book, and subsequent finale of the Empirium trilogy, was everything I’d hoped it would be.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Physical abuse, Violence, Death, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Murder, Torture, Toxic relationship, and War
Moderate: Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Confinement, Death of parent, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Sexual content, and Slavery
Minor: Animal cruelty, Cursing, Pregnancy, and Animal death
claudiamacpherson's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Rielle is separated from Audric and Ludivine, and embraces her status as Blood Queen. A thousand years in the future, Eliana has been captured by Corien and brought to his city, where she is trapped and tortured. Scattered across the world, her friends must come together in a final attempt to save the world.
Honestly, this book was a bit tough to get through. I still enjoyed it and the story kept me engaged enough, but it was pretty depressing and had more violence than I really wanted to read.The ending was...unexpected for me, which may be silly because it was essentially what they had been planning the whole time, with the whole traveling-back-in-time-to-change-Rielle's-mind plan. Somehow I still thought they were going to find a way to save everyone's lives in the "present" (Eliana's time period). I know that Corien and the Empire were really bad for a thousand years, but erasing all of those lives (including half of the characters we, as readers, have come to love!) felt wrong too. Though it was sad, I thought Rielle's ending was also fitting—a normal happy ending would feel forced and unrealistic after the extreme upheavals of her life. It reminded me both of Enna Burning, and how the elements almost overwhelm and kill Enna and Isi, and also how in The Lord of the Rings Frodo is too scarred after carrying the ring to have a happy ending. I did appreciate how the threads of the two stories came together, with both Ludivine and Zahra showing up in both times, as well as the scene with Simon at the end.
Happy ending meter (no spoilers, just the general vibe of the ending):I guess it's happy? Sort of? But not really? This is a tough one.
Honestly, this book was a bit tough to get through. I still enjoyed it and the story kept me engaged enough, but it was pretty depressing and had more violence than I really wanted to read.
Happy ending meter (no spoilers, just the general vibe of the ending):
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Suicide, and Violence
Minor: Child death, Sexual assault, and Vomit
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