A review by matchamaker
A War of Swallowed Stars by Sangu Mandanna

adventurous emotional hopeful tense fast-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

4.75

I love this series, but felt this final installment of the trilogy was rushing towards the end, with a lot of high-drama events in too few pages.

I would have really liked more scenes focusing on the growing relationships between characters,  or just the high-conflict ones. If we were given a little bit more of Esmae and Bear, his death would have been more devastating. If we had seen more of the love between Esmae and her friends, and between her and Max—the things that she had to live for—the end of the conflict would have been more resonant. And my greedy heart wanted more intimacy between Esmae and Max. Like, we didn’t even get a steamy make out scene? I feel robbed.