Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
YES! This series was one of the best that I have read. Each book in the trilogy seemed different and enjoyable for it's own reasons and merit. The final book in the trilogy proved no different. This book gave a great look into ongoing issues that we face today with a wonderful feminist lens. Our characters are complex but relatable. We also finally got some answers to questions we have had since the first book. I love the writing style and strong but flawed female lead. Highly recommended!
Agreed with everyone who said they loved the first 96% of the book and then just… didn’t love the ending. I flew through this book and then just felt sort of let down by the end. I loved this series and just kind of wish it had ended differently.
Best series ive read in a long time. That being said, i wish there was another book instead of a time travel ending. All the beginnings of chapters from historians were no longer relevant. Really a big let down. But the story was incredible up until the end.
3.5
As with others I was disappointed with the end - not the conclusion, which seemed where everything was headed, but the last few steps in getting there. Just seemed like a bit of a leap of faith and unsatisfying.
As with others I was disappointed with the end - not the conclusion, which seemed where everything was headed, but the last few steps in getting there. Just seemed like a bit of a leap of faith and unsatisfying.
Alright, this is official: this series is one of my ultimate favorite. And this is also the first of many, many, many reads. I'm so happy there's a fourth book in the series: I'm adding the prequel right away to my TBR!
Detailed review of the entire series coming soon on HerSerialLife...
Detailed review of the entire series coming soon on HerSerialLife...
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
inspiring
sad
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
On my reread of this series in an attempt to finally finish it, I realized that this is a 5 star series for me across the board. I did find faults in the individual books, but the overall story was amazing. The ending of the series also left me completely gagged.
Because I did my reread back to back, these reviews are going to be done a bit different. I am going to give the Pros and Cons for the overall series with a small blurb at the end regarding the individual books.
PROS:
💙Expert world building
🩸The villains all had depth
💙The window into the US these people had escaped from was eerie.
🩸If you don’t learn from the past, you are bound to repeat it. But with magic.
💙 It might have been flawed, but I love a matriarchy.
🩸The Mace is a sweet little cinnamon roll that deserves all the love and affection.
💙World’s best foster parents
CONS:
🩸Whoever decided not to teach the history of the old world needs to have the hairs on their toes, inside their nose, and all their other sensitive bits plucked out with dull tweezers one at a time.
💙The flashback format sometimes felt like it interrupted the pacing of the story.
🩸I was so conflicted about the series ending. I am still both exceedingly happy for everyone else while being beyond upset for Kelsea.
THOUGHTS ON BOOK THREE:
I am never going to not have conflicted feelings about the ending of this series. I was glad that the Red Queen got the redemption arc that I believed she deserved. I was upset that Kelsea was left living a strange half life at the cost of the Better World.
The Better World was everything William Tear had hoped for and more.
💎💎💎💎💎 out of five Tear sapphires displayed behind glass in a local museum
Because I did my reread back to back, these reviews are going to be done a bit different. I am going to give the Pros and Cons for the overall series with a small blurb at the end regarding the individual books.
PROS:
💙Expert world building
🩸The villains all had depth
💙The window into the US these people had escaped from was eerie.
🩸If you don’t learn from the past, you are bound to repeat it. But with magic.
💙 It might have been flawed, but I love a matriarchy.
🩸The Mace is a sweet little cinnamon roll that deserves all the love and affection.
💙World’s best foster parents
CONS:
🩸Whoever decided not to teach the history of the old world needs to have the hairs on their toes, inside their nose, and all their other sensitive bits plucked out with dull tweezers one at a time.
💙The flashback format sometimes felt like it interrupted the pacing of the story.
🩸I was so conflicted about the series ending. I am still both exceedingly happy for everyone else while being beyond upset for Kelsea.
THOUGHTS ON BOOK THREE:
The Better World was everything William Tear had hoped for and more.
💎💎💎💎💎 out of five Tear sapphires displayed behind glass in a local museum
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment
After the end of the book I'm still left with a million questions. During the crossing, did William Tear open a portal to the past or the future? maybe a different world? Were the Cadarese and Mort originally native settlers? where did they come from? What time in earth's history are we? Someone help me understand, please.
A lot of reveals were given that helped absolutely nothing. The identity of Kelsea's father was useless and just sort of... there. With the mystery being inflated since book one, you'd expect something great but it was so boring. A bunch of other reveals that I didn't care about took place as well.
There were a bunch of deaths but they were quickly forgotten and you fail to care.
Kelsea as a character was still annoying. She has never made a smart decision in her life but the author wants you to think she's a strong queen able to walk on water. But she hasn't fought any tough battle. Everything has worked out for her either by the bad guy suddenly deciding they are not so evil anymore or her using some deus ex machina bullshit and getting off easy. She didn't outmanoeuvre or out wit anyone. She just ran away!
Ultimately, the ending felt..... unsatisfactory. And very lazy. Extremely lazy.
A lot of reveals were given that helped absolutely nothing. The identity of Kelsea's father was useless and just sort of... there. With the mystery being inflated since book one, you'd expect something great but it was so boring. A bunch of other reveals that I didn't care about took place as well.
There were a bunch of deaths but they were quickly forgotten and you fail to care.
Kelsea as a character was still annoying. She has never made a smart decision in her life but the author wants you to think she's a strong queen able to walk on water. But she hasn't fought any tough battle. Everything has worked out for her either by the bad guy suddenly deciding they are not so evil anymore or her using some deus ex machina bullshit and getting off easy. She didn't outmanoeuvre or out wit anyone. She just ran away!
Ultimately, the ending felt..... unsatisfactory. And very lazy. Extremely lazy.
*2.75/5 stars*
“The mistake of utopia is to assume that all will be perfect. Perfection may be the definition, but we are human, and even into utopia we bring our own pain, error, jealousy, grief. We cannot relinquish our faults, even in the hope of paradise, so to plan a new society without taking human nature into account is to doom that society to failure.”
So, the famous bittersweet ending: I actually did not hate it, but didn't love it either. I did expect this more or less happening but still.. The ending was way too abrupt and kind of messy, some loose ends were not tied up.
I do think it could've ended in a better way, definitely, but at the same time I liked the general idea of it, it really fit the theme of the whole trilogy.
“A church was only as good or bad as the philosophy that emanated from the pulpit.”
But at the same time I think more fantasy series out there should have a bit more dark or bittersweet endings, and not a perfect HEAs where everything works out without the characters making any sacrifices whatsoever. It seems more realistic that way, especiall in a world such as this one.
“My suffering was real, she insisted.
Perhaps. But do not let it blind you to those who suffer worse.”
The storyline here was the most captivating from the trilogy, the pace was faster than in the borefest that was book two, and kept me constantly interested. I didn't even mind the side POVS all that much here, definitely not as much as some of them in the second book. I did skip some parts from, for example Hall's chapters, and a few others, but I was also quite interested in Katie's POV, which was very significant to the whole story.
“Sometimes I think: if they want to walk around armed and build fences and let a church tell them what to do, let them wallow in it. They can build their own town of closed thinking, and live there, and find out later what a shitty place it really is.”
-Jonathan
“They created a tapestry, all of them, just as the characters in a book might. It was the lesson of the Town, taught to children before they could even walk: You are special, everyone is special. But you are not better. All are valuable.”
As for the characters, I stil felt kind of meh about them. I didn't hate any of them, but didn't form any strong attachments to them either.
But if I had to choose my favourites, I guess it woud be: Mace first and foremost, then maybe Father Tyler and Aisa. Kelsea wasn't all that bad here either, but she wouldn't be among my favourites in this trilogy.
“Your books, Lady. I’ve read nine of them now.”
Kelsea stared at him, genuinely surprised.
“They’re good, these stories,” Mace continued, his cheeks stained with light color. “They teach the pain of others.”
“Empathy. Carlin always said it was the great value of fiction, to put us inside the minds of strangers.”
What I really liked was the theme of unrequited love, I thought it really showed Kelsea's character development in this one with the way it was resolved. I also liked the Red Queen's and Kelsea's sort of friendship and how the Red Queen showed more humanity here.
“I really don’t know where you get the gall, Gate Guard.” Dyer released him, his voice disgusted. “Your wife was shipped to Mortmesne while you stayed behind, a free man, and you think you have the right, any right at all, to question how she survived?”
There were also some unexpected twistes and revelations:
Other unexpected revelation: Kelsea's mother being alive all these years.
As for the Fetch: I did expect his story to play out similar to this, after reading the second book.
Row Finn being William Tear's child before he was with Lily. Did not expect that, I only guessed it some time before it was revealed. And we still don't know (intentionally so since the author said something along the line that not everything is resolved etc.) who exactly is the father of the Tear child and Kelsea's predecessor: Row or Jonathan..
“The tie of blood is only as strong as you want it to be. Some parents are poison, and it’s best to simply let them go.”
All in all, this book did manage to surprise me, kept me reading and invested in the story. It's still not 100% for me, I guess, but it has so many empowering messages about human nature and society. And despite some problems I have with these books, it really is an important series to read.
The Fate of the Tearling was definitely my favourite from the series!
Sidenote: This is not 'mature series for young adults' this trology is clearly Adult Fantasy and I don't think it soud be marketed as YA at all.
“These people are so damned proud of their hatred! Hatred is easy, and lazy to boot. It’s love that demands effort, love that exacts a price from each of us. Love costs; this is its value.”
“Few things are more dangerous to an egalitarian ideal than the concept of a chosen people.”
“Entire countries would close their borders and build walls to keep out phantom threats. Can you imagine?”
“My final word is for the readers. The Tearling is not an easy world, I know. Contrarian that I am, I am determined to make thins kingdom echo life, where answers to our questions are not delivered neatly in a beautiful expositional package, but must be earned, through experience and frustration, sometimes even tears (and believe me, not all of those tears are Kelsea's). Sometimes answers never come at all. To all of the readers who stuck with this story, understanding and sometimes even enjoying the fact that the Tearling is a gradually unfolding world, full of lost and often confounding history, thank you for your faith in the concept. I hope that your patience was rewarded in the end. Now let's all go and make a better world.” (Afterwords of the author)”
“The mistake of utopia is to assume that all will be perfect. Perfection may be the definition, but we are human, and even into utopia we bring our own pain, error, jealousy, grief. We cannot relinquish our faults, even in the hope of paradise, so to plan a new society without taking human nature into account is to doom that society to failure.”
So, the famous bittersweet ending: I actually did not hate it, but didn't love it either. I did expect this
Spoiler
thing with the time - going back and changing something so the future will be differentSpoiler
since the series centered so much on time - past, present and future, especially in the second book,I do think it could've ended in a better way, definitely, but at the same time I liked the general idea of it, it really fit the theme of the whole trilogy.
Spoiler
Though I was not satisfied with the fact that EVERYONE forgot about Kelsea. I felt like all the different relatinsips and connections made throughout the series were simply disspiated to nothing. Like they didn't exist in the first place, because in the end, they did not happen here. And if I was more invested in the characters, I can see how I wouldn't be all that satisfied with the ending.“A church was only as good or bad as the philosophy that emanated from the pulpit.”
But at the same time I think more fantasy series out there should have a bit more dark or bittersweet endings, and not a perfect HEAs where everything works out without the characters making any sacrifices whatsoever. It seems more realistic that way, especiall in a world such as this one.
“My suffering was real, she insisted.
Perhaps. But do not let it blind you to those who suffer worse.”
The storyline here was the most captivating from the trilogy, the pace was faster than in the borefest that was book two, and kept me constantly interested. I didn't even mind the side POVS all that much here, definitely not as much as some of them in the second book. I did skip some parts from, for example Hall's chapters, and a few others, but I was also quite interested in Katie's POV, which was very significant to the whole story.
“Sometimes I think: if they want to walk around armed and build fences and let a church tell them what to do, let them wallow in it. They can build their own town of closed thinking, and live there, and find out later what a shitty place it really is.”
-Jonathan
“They created a tapestry, all of them, just as the characters in a book might. It was the lesson of the Town, taught to children before they could even walk: You are special, everyone is special. But you are not better. All are valuable.”
As for the characters, I stil felt kind of meh about them. I didn't hate any of them, but didn't form any strong attachments to them either.
But if I had to choose my favourites, I guess it woud be: Mace first and foremost, then maybe Father Tyler and Aisa. Kelsea wasn't all that bad here either, but she wouldn't be among my favourites in this trilogy.
“Your books, Lady. I’ve read nine of them now.”
Kelsea stared at him, genuinely surprised.
“They’re good, these stories,” Mace continued, his cheeks stained with light color. “They teach the pain of others.”
“Empathy. Carlin always said it was the great value of fiction, to put us inside the minds of strangers.”
What I really liked was the theme of unrequited love, I thought it really showed Kelsea's character development in this one with the way it was resolved. I also liked the Red Queen's and Kelsea's sort of friendship and how the Red Queen showed more humanity here.
“I really don’t know where you get the gall, Gate Guard.” Dyer released him, his voice disgusted. “Your wife was shipped to Mortmesne while you stayed behind, a free man, and you think you have the right, any right at all, to question how she survived?”
There were also some unexpected twistes and revelations:
Spoiler
I did not guess Kelsea's father being Mhurn. I think it was mainly because I expected her father to be someone bad, since everyone warned her so much (which I now of course, see why). And at the same time, I feel like it was made into such a big deal by being kept a secret through the series that I expected something more shocking maybe.Other unexpected revelation: Kelsea's mother being alive all these years.
As for the Fetch: I did expect his story to play out similar to this, after reading the second book.
Row Finn being William Tear's child before he was with Lily. Did not expect that, I only guessed it some time before it was revealed. And we still don't know (intentionally so since the author said something along the line that not everything is resolved etc.) who exactly is the father of the Tear child and Kelsea's predecessor: Row or Jonathan..
“The tie of blood is only as strong as you want it to be. Some parents are poison, and it’s best to simply let them go.”
All in all, this book did manage to surprise me, kept me reading and invested in the story. It's still not 100% for me, I guess, but it has so many empowering messages about human nature and society. And despite some problems I have with these books, it really is an important series to read.
The Fate of the Tearling was definitely my favourite from the series!
Sidenote: This is not 'mature series for young adults' this trology is clearly Adult Fantasy and I don't think it soud be marketed as YA at all.
“These people are so damned proud of their hatred! Hatred is easy, and lazy to boot. It’s love that demands effort, love that exacts a price from each of us. Love costs; this is its value.”
“Few things are more dangerous to an egalitarian ideal than the concept of a chosen people.”
“Entire countries would close their borders and build walls to keep out phantom threats. Can you imagine?”
“My final word is for the readers. The Tearling is not an easy world, I know. Contrarian that I am, I am determined to make thins kingdom echo life, where answers to our questions are not delivered neatly in a beautiful expositional package, but must be earned, through experience and frustration, sometimes even tears (and believe me, not all of those tears are Kelsea's). Sometimes answers never come at all. To all of the readers who stuck with this story, understanding and sometimes even enjoying the fact that the Tearling is a gradually unfolding world, full of lost and often confounding history, thank you for your faith in the concept. I hope that your patience was rewarded in the end. Now let's all go and make a better world.” (Afterwords of the author)”