In most ways, this final book of the trilogy ticks all the boxes: it ties up the loose ends that were introduced in the first book and complicated in the second one, it gives the reader the reveals they were hoping for/expecting, and the romance that was the clear endgame since the beginning gets its happy ending in a way that feels earned.
I just wish that it had been somewhat more surprising. Part of me feels like that reaction is unfair; I'm an adult reading a YA fantasy trilogy, which means that there are a lot of tropes I'm much more familiar with than the target audience will be. But part of why I loved the first book of the trilogy so much was because it did surprise me at times, and I didn't always know how what I was anticipating would actually happen. Jude felt too unsuspecting at times in this book; the 'twist' felt like something that she could have at least considered at some point, even if she refused to believe it because of trust issues or whatever, and it meant that there was a weaker payoff for me when it was confirmed that the narrative was in fact going where I thought it would. Still enjoyable! A really good read for a winter day! But not quite what the first book of the trilogy had promised, at least for me.
Grade: B
I just wish that it had been somewhat more surprising. Part of me feels like that reaction is unfair; I'm an adult reading a YA fantasy trilogy, which means that there are a lot of tropes I'm much more familiar with than the target audience will be. But part of why I loved the first book of the trilogy so much was because it did surprise me at times, and I didn't always know how what I was anticipating would actually happen. Jude felt too unsuspecting at times in this book; the 'twist' felt like something that she could have at least considered at some point, even if she refused to believe it because of trust issues or whatever, and it meant that there was a weaker payoff for me when it was confirmed that the narrative was in fact going where I thought it would. Still enjoyable! A really good read for a winter day! But not quite what the first book of the trilogy had promised, at least for me.
Grade: B
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