A review by sophiarose1816
The Last Wizards' Ball by Charlaine Harris

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

 

The synopsis mentions it twice, but I don’t want to believe it- final book struggles here.  Things were building to something big over the course of the series and I was all anticipation to see just what that ‘big’ would be.  Charlaine Harris has crafted an impressive alternate history world that includes those who wield magic and places where the wild west is alive and well. 

 

The Last Wizard’s Ball is the sixth Gunnie Rose installment and continues the storyline that started in book one.  Definitely not a good place to dive in. 

 

The Last Wizard’s Ball opens with Lizbeth and Eli in San Diego living at his family home with Felicia to escort her around to all the society function related to the Wizard’s Ball.  Things are tense when the first event is interrupted by a hail of arrows all directed at their group including Felix with Felicia as the target.  Other incidents mount up and tensions between certain factions add to it.  The Germans and Japanese are allied in efforts to go to war against England and her allies and this carries over to the magic users at the Ball.  

 

Lizbeth feels hampered by her lack of knowledge and sophistication needed to navigate this world and keep Felicia out of danger and from making a mistake with her love life.  Her frustration rises when she realizes Eli and even Felicia are keeping secrets from her again.  The world is a powder keg waiting for a match and this includes Lizbeth and Eli’s marriage. 

 

The Last Wizard’s Ball was a book for which I had high expectations.  I appreciated the diversity of this alt-history world and the excitement of the wizards of the world coming to one place- all the political intrigue and power matches getting ready to take place.  Felicia is powerful and has come into her own- she’s the belle of the ball and that comes with its own dangers.  Lizbeth, Eli, and Felix have to stay alert for danger to come from rivals or from those who covet Felicia for power. 

 

My first check came from the introductory note promising messy drama.  I’m never a fan of unnecessary drama and any actual warning before the book starts about drama just seems ominous. 

My second check came from the realization that Eli is at his secret holding again, sneaking off to secret meetings, not explaining even when his loyalty should be to Lizbeth and Lizbeth is back to turning into a pressure cooker and getting the hives over having to be in Eli’s world so she’s constantly cranky, looking for fault, and refusing to see anyone’s perspective except her own.  She does a tit for tat and keeps her own secrets and flings ultimatums while she’s het up.  And, my wariness mounted as events and behavior unraveled further.  I wondered if they were under some curse or something because it was like they were trying to destroy their relationship and, even for them, they were exaggerated versions of their worst moments.  Even Felicia wasn’t behaving consistently with how she’d earlier been portrayed and was trying to burn down her relationship with her sister. 

But, it got worse for me.  I’m frustrated because I can’t give examples and speculate on all that I questioned because of spoilers and there is also a very good chance that I’m feeling a minority opinion. 

This book went directions that left me amazed and not in a positive way.  But, I went beyond frustration to loathing when I got to the very last pages where so much that was previous was exploded and tossed aside with this big wide highway of open-ending.  I’ve never read a series that had such a wide-open ending.  And, that was what finished the series.  I was left with one big why???  Let’s spend five books getting you to fall in love with these characters and establish these relationships and then toss it all into a windstorm and see where it falls.  

I get it.  Authors write the book and its their story to tell.  But, a reader/listener gets vested, too.    I really wish I could unknow that last chapter- that I could have hope of an alt-ending for an alt-history series.  I’ll conclude by reiterating that I’m only one reader reaction and I know anyone who made it through the previous book will feel compelled to grab this one up.  Hopefully, their experience will be pleasanter than mine.