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A review by felicitydarke
Finale by Stephanie Garber
4.0
4.25 Stars!
The Dragna sisters return for one last performance in this exciting final installment.
So, if you've read my reviews, you'll know that I absolutely adored Caraval and enjoyed Legendary, but felt it lacked a little something. For me, this book fell somewhere between the two. It didn't quite grasp the magic and excitement of the first book, but it did bring forward a strong conclusion that can be really difficult to do right.
Probably one of my favourite things about this book is that it is narrated by both Scarlett and Tella, so you get a balanced idea of what's going on, while still feeling the personal effects that the sisters are undergoing. Stephanie Garber also did a really good job here to make sure that their voices were very different, so no matter if you'd had to go without chapter headings telling you whose perspective you were reading from, you would definitely be able to guess.
There were plenty of twists thrown at us during the course of the story - no spoilers here, but the plot took a TOTALLY different course to what I was expecting. I really enjoyed getting to find out more about some of the other Fates, though probably would have liked to have seen a bit more of them outside of the main two/three that we focus on. I felt that there were a few strings left hanging at the end of the story that could either a) lead to further sequels or b) just be rather annoying because there are quite a few things left unanswered.
I also thought that Paradise/Paloma's would be rather different to what it was, and I don't know whether or not to be disappointed in that. Generally speaking, I'd say not, but it did still irk me a little.
Yes, I did tear up quite a few times over the course of the book (no surprises there), so you should probably be prepared for some emotional scenes and existential debates on what it means to love. Best of luck to you.
Overall: A satisfying, if sometimes shallow, final installment, truly worthy of the title Finale.
The Dragna sisters return for one last performance in this exciting final installment.
So, if you've read my reviews, you'll know that I absolutely adored Caraval and enjoyed Legendary, but felt it lacked a little something. For me, this book fell somewhere between the two. It didn't quite grasp the magic and excitement of the first book, but it did bring forward a strong conclusion that can be really difficult to do right.
Probably one of my favourite things about this book is that it is narrated by both Scarlett and Tella, so you get a balanced idea of what's going on, while still feeling the personal effects that the sisters are undergoing. Stephanie Garber also did a really good job here to make sure that their voices were very different, so no matter if you'd had to go without chapter headings telling you whose perspective you were reading from, you would definitely be able to guess.
There were plenty of twists thrown at us during the course of the story - no spoilers here, but the plot took a TOTALLY different course to what I was expecting. I really enjoyed getting to find out more about some of the other Fates, though probably would have liked to have seen a bit more of them outside of the main two/three that we focus on. I felt that there were a few strings left hanging at the end of the story that could either a) lead to further sequels or b) just be rather annoying because there are quite a few things left unanswered.
I also thought that Paradise/Paloma's would be rather different to what it was, and I don't know whether or not to be disappointed in that. Generally speaking, I'd say not, but it did still irk me a little.
Yes, I did tear up quite a few times over the course of the book (no surprises there), so you should probably be prepared for some emotional scenes and existential debates on what it means to love. Best of luck to you.
Overall: A satisfying, if sometimes shallow, final installment, truly worthy of the title Finale.