A review by lumie
Within the Sanctuary of Wings by Marie Brennan

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I am at a loss for words to be honest, it's been one hell of a journey. I was blown away mid-way through this book and in that way I remained until the very end. It was completely unexpected yet it made so much sense and it was so well developed throughout. This was the culmination of an epic scientific adventure, an amazing ending to a tremendously amazing series. Just fantastic work by the author Marie Brennan and the illustrator Todd Lockwood did an exquisite job as well, his illustrations truly put the imagery beautifully described by Brennan into a whole other level. (Speaking of, I would pay good money for a giant poster with some of his artwork. Or a model of one of the dragon breeds. Or a special edition hardcover of this series. I just want merch!)  Also at the end, when we finally see the portraits of Isabella, with her younger self full of confidence and ambition, and her older with a twinkle in the eye and that little mischievous smirk. I almost shed a tear to be honest. They could have shown it to us at the very beginning, but leaving it for the end after all of that, just made it all better.

"A memoir by Lady Trent" It has become one of my top 3 favourite series of all time, and Isabella Trent one my favourite characters as well.  I've waxed poetry about the characters, the plot, the cultures, the writing, the science, the themes in my other reviews of this series so I won't repeat them here. I will only say that I absolutely loved it, and I only wish I could read it again, for the very first time. 

5/5 stars.