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oxfordcommas91's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
Freya Marske gave her readers a satisfying and thoughtful conclusion to "The Last Binding" trilogy in A Power Unbound. This book reminded me what I loved about A Marvellous Light and what I felt was so sadly and sorely lacking with A Restless Truth.
Marske certainly has a formula - in this installment, we get a dual POV from Hawthorne ("Jack") and Ross ("Alan"), but we see entirely new and more complex sides of both of these men who were originally introduced as fairly one dimensional to us in the first and second books, respectively. We learn in book one that Hawthorne is non-magicalafter the tragic loss of his sister due to suicide years prior, and he's removed himself entirely from the magical community despite being the heir to one of the most powerful magical families in England. His character is involved in all three books but it's not until Power Unbound do we learn more about his history and motives, which deepens his character arc and allows us to fully unlock more of the story behind the last contract, as well.
As always, our two POV's are also the main romance arc - and I think Freya really hit her stride with the Hawthorne/Ross pairing. The chemistry and the tension between them was sizzling from the start - and I was particularly interested in the power dynamic element of their relationship and how Marske leveraged it as part of the ... spice in this novel. I think this type of dynamic has to be done carefully, and she did it in a way that felt hot while also still remaining respectful.
One of the best parts of the book for me (and also, ironically, why it got a 4.5 and not a 5 star from me...) was the fact that we had the whole cast of characters together in this novel. While it was a ton of fun to watch them team up and leverage their collective brains, magic, and power, I felt like there were lots of opportunities for the author to give us more thoughtful "peeks" into the established relationships between the characters. We spent so much time on Hawthorne & Ross that I was disappointed by the fact that it felt like we were skipping over other pivotal moments happening to other characters along the way! Despite Edwin being the "brains" behind the operation, there was so little in the way of character development on his end and I felt that we could have made some selective cuts to where Hawthorne and Ross interacted in favor of glimpses of the other relationships.
As always, there were moments that felt a bit slow in this book and I wish that an editor could have tightened up some of the lulls in the story so it built towards a more rapid conclusion, but that may be just my preference for more rapid pacing in a fantasy.
Freya overall delivered a home run for me with this neat conclusion to a thoughtful and intriguing premise for a trilogy. I liked the uniqueness of what she did here and her commitment to found family, LGBTQ+ relationships/characters, and discussions of power and class.
Marske certainly has a formula - in this installment, we get a dual POV from Hawthorne ("Jack") and Ross ("Alan"), but we see entirely new and more complex sides of both of these men who were originally introduced as fairly one dimensional to us in the first and second books, respectively. We learn in book one that Hawthorne is non-magical
As always, our two POV's are also the main romance arc - and I think Freya really hit her stride with the Hawthorne/Ross pairing. The chemistry and the tension between them was sizzling from the start - and I was particularly interested in the power dynamic element of their relationship and how Marske leveraged it as part of the ... spice in this novel. I think this type of dynamic has to be done carefully, and she did it in a way that felt hot while also still remaining respectful.
One of the best parts of the book for me (and also, ironically, why it got a 4.5 and not a 5 star from me...) was the fact that we had the whole cast of characters together in this novel. While it was a ton of fun to watch them team up and leverage their collective brains, magic, and power, I felt like there were lots of opportunities for the author to give us more thoughtful "peeks" into the established relationships between the characters. We spent so much time on Hawthorne & Ross that I was disappointed by the fact that it felt like we were skipping over other pivotal moments happening to other characters along the way! Despite Edwin being the "brains" behind the operation, there was so little in the way of character development on his end and I felt that we could have made some selective cuts to where Hawthorne and Ross interacted in favor of glimpses of the other relationships.
As always, there were moments that felt a bit slow in this book and I wish that an editor could have tightened up some of the lulls in the story so it built towards a more rapid conclusion, but that may be just my preference for more rapid pacing in a fantasy.
Freya overall delivered a home run for me with this neat conclusion to a thoughtful and intriguing premise for a trilogy. I liked the uniqueness of what she did here and her commitment to found family, LGBTQ+ relationships/characters, and discussions of power and class.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Misogyny, Sexual content, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Sexual assault, Torture, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Outing, and Abandonment
setton8's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Child death
oakidoki's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
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? It's complicated
5.0
An excellent finish to the series - so many twists ans terns I didn’t see coming! I adored the relationship this book explores - it feels like a safe space to get comfortable with different ideas and perspectives. I was on the edge of my seat nearly the whole way through. Incredible
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Classism
Moderate: Violence and Blood
zefancifulreader's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This series as a whole is magnificent and overflowing with queer joy.
This book specifically had very dense, action packed plot, with deeply fascinating world-building as always, while also making time for FOUR of the spiciest, kinkiest, well-written sex scenes I’ve ever read. Power dynamics are so rarely written, especially in the romantasy genre, with proper boundaries and consent. This book absolutely has all the necessary checks in place and it was the better for it.
Bravo.
This book specifically had very dense, action packed plot, with deeply fascinating world-building as always, while also making time for FOUR of the spiciest, kinkiest, well-written sex scenes I’ve ever read. Power dynamics are so rarely written, especially in the romantasy genre, with proper boundaries and consent. This book absolutely has all the necessary checks in place and it was the better for it.
Bravo.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Torture, Violence, and Grief
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Homophobia, Racism, Suicide, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Police brutality, Pregnancy, and War
christcooper's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
as an abject hater of enemies-to-lovers, i was very pleasantly surprised by how much i loved this book! the relationship of conflict between the main characters isn’t what i expected when faced with the trope and struck a balance often missed when it comes to tormenting one another while still having an underlying respect for consent. excellent read, beautifully written.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Suicide and Classism
Minor: Rape and Pregnancy
zonnestraal's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
relaxing
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
4.0
A satisfying ending to the trilogy. At the ending there were some minor inconsistenties, which bothered me a little. But all in all I enjoyed it very much.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Murder
jaykay421's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
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
A series with a unique magic system, deep character development, queer representation, unexpected twists, and great smut. What more could you ask for?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Homophobia
havenraven23's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Suicide, Grief, and Murder
aurora4847's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
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? No
4.25
A brilliant end to the trilogy that leaves room for future stories in the world. Alan and Jack's dynamic was so fun to experience, and the culmination of the search for the Last Contract pieces was just as exciting as the previous installments. An all-round good time
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Suicide, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Classism
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Vomit, and Police brutality
Minor: Pregnancy and Alcohol
There are discussions of a person who died by suicide, but the act itself is not described in detail. There are multiple sex scenes that involve role-playing, power imbalances, and consensual non-consent. These are not thoroughly negotiated as a real-life BDSM scene would be, but there is no doubt that all parties consent and there is a defined safe word.shadowspinner's review against another edition
adventurous
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Gun violence
Minor: Homophobia and Sexism