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A review by lianaet
A Sky Beyond the Storm by Sabaa Tahir
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-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
4.25
This series started out about a girl who joins the rebellion against an empire, a boy who hates that he's been raised for war, and a girl who loves her empire. But by the end it became an epic story about all kinds of love, but especially the love between a mother and her child. A Sky Beyond the Storm is a heartwrenching but satisfying end to the series.
I still hold that book 1 is the strongest of the 4, but I definitely think this last book comes a close second. The romance came back strong in this book, in a way more believable arc, and was entwined beautifully with the love the characters have for each other and their peoples.
Helene especially is the stand out character for me. Her love for her empire is in everything she does, in her drive to keep going, and is what keeps her going when she has lost everything. I'm so inspired by her that I think I'm going to make a D&D character based off of her. She is mired in tragedy but doesn't fall to the same traps as Laia who is a much more “bleeding heart” type - she is one of the strongest women I've read in fantasy.
That said, I did still like the rest of the characters, Laia and Elias being the other POV characters we get it's hard to dislike them. Keris was a super compelling antagonist, and her ending ripped my heart out, I was a sobbing mess. I do wish we had gotten a little more insight to her, as she is quite overshadowed by The Nightbringer - for good reasons. The remaining side cast - to be honest a lot of them didn't feel like real characters for a good chunk of this series. But Sabaa Tahir succeeded in adding enough depth to these characters so that she could devastate me with them in this last book without it feeling cheap (well, there is one character I take issue with how they died…).
Overall, it's a really fantastic and epic fantasy series. The ancient Rome inspiration makes it feel fresh and apart from others, with a heavy focus on war and how the characters feel about it and the empire they live in. There is magic here, and its not the strong suit, but adds just enough for a wonderful blend of worldbuilding.
I still hold that book 1 is the strongest of the 4, but I definitely think this last book comes a close second. The romance came back strong in this book, in a way more believable arc, and was entwined beautifully with the love the characters have for each other and their peoples.
Helene especially is the stand out character for me. Her love for her empire is in everything she does, in her drive to keep going, and is what keeps her going when she has lost everything. I'm so inspired by her that I think I'm going to make a D&D character based off of her. She is mired in tragedy but doesn't fall to the same traps as Laia who is a much more “bleeding heart” type - she is one of the strongest women I've read in fantasy.
That said, I did still like the rest of the characters, Laia and Elias being the other POV characters we get it's hard to dislike them. Keris was a super compelling antagonist, and her ending ripped my heart out, I was a sobbing mess. I do wish we had gotten a little more insight to her, as she is quite overshadowed by The Nightbringer - for good reasons. The remaining side cast - to be honest a lot of them didn't feel like real characters for a good chunk of this series. But Sabaa Tahir succeeded in adding enough depth to these characters so that she could devastate me with them in this last book without it feeling cheap (well, there is one character I take issue with how they died…).
Overall, it's a really fantastic and epic fantasy series. The ancient Rome inspiration makes it feel fresh and apart from others, with a heavy focus on war and how the characters feel about it and the empire they live in. There is magic here, and its not the strong suit, but adds just enough for a wonderful blend of worldbuilding.