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A review by wanderingwordwitch
The Dark Feather by Anna Stephens
5.0
As the Empire of Songs erupts into full-scale rebellion, the Songs of the Drowned trilogy comes to a brutal and bloody conclusion. I dove straight into this final volume anticipating that I’d get my heart ripped out, and it’s safe to say that my expectations were met.
I’m incredibly impressed at Anna Stephens’s ability to create nuanced and morally complex characters who elicit sympathy even when they make heart-wrenchingly terrible choices. There’s plenty of double-crossing, betrayal, and deception that kept me breathlessly turning the pages as the story rolled onward. The politicking and backstabbing continue amid the bloody battles as the various forces struggle for supremacy, and there were some twists I didn’t see coming as the secrets of the empire and its magic are finally exposed.
I’m still in awe of the author’s skill at creating a living and breathing world that feels as real as its many-layered characters. There’s just the right level of detail to immerse the reader without slowing the pace or undermining the tension. The violence and brutality also feel organic to the setting and not gratuitous, and the author’s exploration of hard-hitting themes offers questions but no easy answers.
It’s safe to say this dark epic fantasy series has earned a place on my list of all-time favourites, and I’ll be first in line to buy whatever Stephens writes next!
I’m incredibly impressed at Anna Stephens’s ability to create nuanced and morally complex characters who elicit sympathy even when they make heart-wrenchingly terrible choices. There’s plenty of double-crossing, betrayal, and deception that kept me breathlessly turning the pages as the story rolled onward. The politicking and backstabbing continue amid the bloody battles as the various forces struggle for supremacy, and there were some twists I didn’t see coming as the secrets of the empire and its magic are finally exposed.
I’m still in awe of the author’s skill at creating a living and breathing world that feels as real as its many-layered characters. There’s just the right level of detail to immerse the reader without slowing the pace or undermining the tension. The violence and brutality also feel organic to the setting and not gratuitous, and the author’s exploration of hard-hitting themes offers questions but no easy answers.
It’s safe to say this dark epic fantasy series has earned a place on my list of all-time favourites, and I’ll be first in line to buy whatever Stephens writes next!