aomernik's review against another edition
5.0
The only words that sufficiently summarize my opinion of this book are
Oh. Em. Gee.
Oh. Em. Gee.
lazygal's review against another edition
3.0
Not a bad finale to the trilogy, but not wonderful, either. As with the other books, we have battles, talk about the Godstones, Elisa growing into her role as Queen, etc.. And, of course, there's a trek away from and back to Joya. The underground scenes reminded me of Lord of the Rings, which isn't new to me - for whatever reason, few writers do something new and different with mines and caverns.
Elisa's growth wasn't as great as I had hoped. That might be due to her being only 17, or because her real growth came in the first book (when she dropped all the weight and became more independent). She does continue to increase her diplomacy skills and her comfort level with her role in the grand political scheme of things also increases, but beyond that?
Still, as I said, not a bad conclusion and one that fans of the series will appreciate. Unless, of course, it isn't the end (I would have loved more on what the history of the Inviernos actually was - there are hints, but only that).
ARC provided by publisher.
Elisa's growth wasn't as great as I had hoped. That might be due to her being only 17, or because her real growth came in the first book (when she dropped all the weight and became more independent). She does continue to increase her diplomacy skills and her comfort level with her role in the grand political scheme of things also increases, but beyond that?
Still, as I said, not a bad conclusion and one that fans of the series will appreciate. Unless, of course, it isn't the end (I would have loved more on what the history of the Inviernos actually was - there are hints, but only that).
ARC provided by publisher.
bookgoonie's review against another edition
4.0
There is a lot to say, but it mostly revolves around how awesome is the whole series. RAE didn’t let us down with the 2nd book slump, nor did she do it in the finale. She just kept giving us what hooked us from the beginning. An epic world. Lots of action. Character growth. And Hector!
Elisa taught us that we can achieve great things, when our motivation is pure and work really hard. Oh ya…and a “little help from our friends.” She renews the reader’s hope, wonder, and spiritual connection to what is beyond our grasp and bigger than us.
RAE CARSON created a world worthy of getting lost in and swept away. It is unique, vast and beautiful. The characters our perfectly placed and played. Her ability to weave a story that completely had me all-in and mesmerized is not something I stumble across often. I’ve been shouting from the roof-tops my love for this series since THE GIRL OF FIRE AND THORNS. It is on the top of my recommendation list and I gift it often. If you haven’t started the series, NOW is the perfect time to enjoy the entire series. But it leaves me anxious, wondering, and demanding, what is next? Hurry! Don’t make us wait too long.
Elisa taught us that we can achieve great things, when our motivation is pure and work really hard. Oh ya…and a “little help from our friends.” She renews the reader’s hope, wonder, and spiritual connection to what is beyond our grasp and bigger than us.
RAE CARSON created a world worthy of getting lost in and swept away. It is unique, vast and beautiful. The characters our perfectly placed and played. Her ability to weave a story that completely had me all-in and mesmerized is not something I stumble across often. I’ve been shouting from the roof-tops my love for this series since THE GIRL OF FIRE AND THORNS. It is on the top of my recommendation list and I gift it often. If you haven’t started the series, NOW is the perfect time to enjoy the entire series. But it leaves me anxious, wondering, and demanding, what is next? Hurry! Don’t make us wait too long.
siobhan27's review against another edition
3.0
What I have loved about this series from the very beginning was its ability to be a high fantasy young adult novel with the cliches of most stories out there today. Rea Carson is not afraid to kill off characters (very much like George R.R Martin), which is something I commend her doing, because it keeps us readers on the edge of our seats because we have no idea what she will do next. And I am happy to say that the tradition does not end with this last book in the series.
What I loved most about this conclusion was that we didn't just have Elisa's narrative but w also had Hectors. If you have read this series you will understand the brilliance of this element of the story. He is probably one of the most interesting love interests out there right ow and he does not disappoint in this book. And I really want to thank Rea Carson for giving me exactly what I had been waiting for; A window into Hectors mind.
Many questions were answered in this conclusion and i loved that certain characters grew even more through this book. For example, Mara and Belin were probably some of my favourite characters in this book because their personalities were heightened in this book which made them amazing to read. I loved their history together and their loyalty to Elisa. These two became essential to the advancement of the plot and it made me elated to see then being used so much more.
The one thing that diminished my liking of this book was the pacing. I thought that this was could have actually been two books, and that certain scenes were incredibly rushed- especially the final battle scene. In that scene I felt myself feeling the same way I felt reading the last Harry Potter book- a little disappointed and ripped off. We had been waiting through two books for this confrontation and it only lasted a chapter or two, and I was waiting for much more than I received. I felt like the actual ending did not live up to the build up from the previous two books. I just wish that there was more at stake because to me, it seemed clear what was going to happen. I guess I just wanted one last twist.
Overall I really enjoyed this last book in the Fire and Thorns trilogy and I am very happy that I stayed with the story through all of these years. It is a great series for fantasy lovers and i am telling you right now, you need to read this series, if only for Hector ;)
What I loved most about this conclusion was that we didn't just have Elisa's narrative but w also had Hectors. If you have read this series you will understand the brilliance of this element of the story. He is probably one of the most interesting love interests out there right ow and he does not disappoint in this book. And I really want to thank Rea Carson for giving me exactly what I had been waiting for; A window into Hectors mind.
Many questions were answered in this conclusion and i loved that certain characters grew even more through this book. For example, Mara and Belin were probably some of my favourite characters in this book because their personalities were heightened in this book which made them amazing to read. I loved their history together and their loyalty to Elisa. These two became essential to the advancement of the plot and it made me elated to see then being used so much more.
The one thing that diminished my liking of this book was the pacing. I thought that this was could have actually been two books, and that certain scenes were incredibly rushed- especially the final battle scene. In that scene I felt myself feeling the same way I felt reading the last Harry Potter book- a little disappointed and ripped off. We had been waiting through two books for this confrontation and it only lasted a chapter or two, and I was waiting for much more than I received. I felt like the actual ending did not live up to the build up from the previous two books. I just wish that there was more at stake because to me, it seemed clear what was going to happen. I guess I just wanted one last twist.
Overall I really enjoyed this last book in the Fire and Thorns trilogy and I am very happy that I stayed with the story through all of these years. It is a great series for fantasy lovers and i am telling you right now, you need to read this series, if only for Hector ;)
lindacbugg's review against another edition
5.0
snazel's review against another edition
4.0
One of the most mature, honest depictions of faith I've come across in fiction. And a romance I want for myself.
Brb writing Red Sparkle Stone/Learning fanfiction.
Brb writing Red Sparkle Stone/Learning fanfiction.
liralen's review against another edition
3.0
Note: Untagged spoilers below the fold.
This series has been terrific to read, but the final book was my least favourite of the three. Oh, there are still fantastic parts. Elisa's so complicated, and it's wonderful. She's fighting to lead her country, but she has so many considerations and warring possibilities, and there are really never easy answers. I was really happy to see Elisa's sister Alodia in this one, too, as she's loomed large in Elisa's consciousness through the previous two books (and most of this one), and I was curious to see how the reality would mix with Elisa's memories and expectations. Bringing her back in led to one of my favourite parts of the book: I love these women—my dear friend and my dear sister. But things will never be easy with us. We must always distrust one another a little as we fight for our own interests and the interests of our people (360). That alone tells me how far Elisa has come over the course of the trilogy.
Less interesting to me: the romance, which fell further into YA cliché than this series usually has (e.g., Elisa being glad that she and her deceased husband never got around to consummating their marriage, which meant that Hector could be her 'first'). Mula/Red (though I do love that when she chooses a name for herself, she goes with, which is so...age-appropriate), who was cute but didn't serve much role in the story. The fulfillment of Elisa's destiny, which pretty much came out of nowhere. And her resulting loss of divine power, which is utterly fascinating but comes too late in the story for us to really understand the full impact.
It's those last two that I'm most interested in for the sake of this review. Elisa's destiny, as it turns out, has little to do with the rest of the story. It's a 'wait, what?' moment for her and the other characters, too, as they realise that she hasn't been called to do anything political after all—that part of things is just life. I love this in theory, because it touches on this idea that people do things because they think it's God's will but really (at the end of the day) are going on belief that cannot be proven...I just wish there'd been more time to explore that. It also feels like, given Elisa's loss of power, the book ends with her in a precarious position: having reached an incredible amount of political power based on resources that she can no longer tap. I almost wish that had happened at the end of the second book, so that we could have seen her really wrestle with that whole new way of being in this book.
But overall...I'm really satisfied. This was definitely one of the best YA trilogies I've read in a while.
This series has been terrific to read, but the final book was my least favourite of the three. Oh, there are still fantastic parts. Elisa's so complicated, and it's wonderful. She's fighting to lead her country, but she has so many considerations and warring possibilities, and there are really never easy answers. I was really happy to see Elisa's sister Alodia in this one, too, as she's loomed large in Elisa's consciousness through the previous two books (and most of this one), and I was curious to see how the reality would mix with Elisa's memories and expectations. Bringing her back in led to one of my favourite parts of the book: I love these women—my dear friend and my dear sister. But things will never be easy with us. We must always distrust one another a little as we fight for our own interests and the interests of our people (360). That alone tells me how far Elisa has come over the course of the trilogy.
Less interesting to me: the romance, which fell further into YA cliché than this series usually has (e.g., Elisa being glad that she and her deceased husband never got around to consummating their marriage, which meant that Hector could be her 'first'). Mula/Red (though I do love that when she chooses a name for herself, she goes with
Spoiler
Red Sparkle StoneIt's those last two that I'm most interested in for the sake of this review. Elisa's destiny, as it turns out, has little to do with the rest of the story. It's a 'wait, what?' moment for her and the other characters, too, as they realise that she hasn't been called to do anything political after all—that part of things is just life. I love this in theory, because it touches on this idea that people do things because they think it's God's will but really (at the end of the day) are going on belief that cannot be proven...I just wish there'd been more time to explore that. It also feels like, given Elisa's loss of power, the book ends with her in a precarious position: having reached an incredible amount of political power based on resources that she can no longer tap. I almost wish that had happened at the end of the second book, so that we could have seen her really wrestle with that whole new way of being in this book.
But overall...I'm really satisfied. This was definitely one of the best YA trilogies I've read in a while.
jenbsbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Ah ... the end of the series. I really enjoyed this book, and this series. I listened to the audio-editions for all three, and I think that only added to the exotic/fantasy feel. The names! I think I enjoyed hearing them pronounced, rather than attempting to sound them out myself.
I was just SO used to the "voice" of our narrator, especially after two+ full books, that when suddenly, a male voice (Hector's POV) came, it was a little jolting for me. I guess I can understand the need for it, as Elisa and Hector are separated, but still, the shifting broke up the continuity for me somewhat.
I was not sure where the story was heading, it kept me interested and listening whenever I could get back to my book. I remember feeling a little emotional at one point, almost to the point of tears.
Honestly, with the foreign sounding names, I'm going to struggle a bit remembering some of the pronunciations, even after three books. But I adored them rolling off the narrator's tongue! Bravo to the author and the narrator!
I was just SO used to the "voice" of our narrator, especially after two+ full books, that when suddenly, a male voice (Hector's POV) came, it was a little jolting for me. I guess I can understand the need for it, as Elisa and Hector are separated, but still, the shifting broke up the continuity for me somewhat.
I was not sure where the story was heading, it kept me interested and listening whenever I could get back to my book. I remember feeling a little emotional at one point, almost to the point of tears.
Honestly, with the foreign sounding names, I'm going to struggle a bit remembering some of the pronunciations, even after three books. But I adored them rolling off the narrator's tongue! Bravo to the author and the narrator!
akayeh's review against another edition
5.0
I was really hoping this was a six book series. it ended much too soon!