jettie's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
mdzreynolds's review against another edition
5.0
The best series conclusion I have read in a long time!
soqhie29's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
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? No
4.75
cookerlives's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
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? No
4.0
hannchilada's review against another edition
3.0
I could offer 3.5 stars.
The world building is fascinating, the writing is lush, and the plot is clever, but to me the characters all began to fall flat so I stopped caring, and the ending didn’t fully satisfy me.
The world building is fascinating, the writing is lush, and the plot is clever, but to me the characters all began to fall flat so I stopped caring, and the ending didn’t fully satisfy me.
debbie2232's review against another edition
5.0
This book was absolutely amazing!! Such a beautiful ending to this series!
swiftreader_'s review against another edition
3.0
lots of thoughts, head very much empty.
this dragged so much for me which was so disappointing because i loved this series overall. the characters seemed very different from book 1 which is why i don’t think this worked for me.
credit where it’s due, the ending has me feeling complete and the development of character relationships throughout made me heart happy. catch me searching up fanart later :) the magic elements surprised me as they developed throughout the series but i’m not mad about it- except for laia’s which just seemed very convenient.
forever crying in the corner because of a certain character.
~ 3.5 stars
this dragged so much for me which was so disappointing because i loved this series overall. the characters seemed very different from book 1 which is why i don’t think this worked for me.
credit where it’s due, the ending has me feeling complete and the development of character relationships throughout made me heart happy. catch me searching up fanart later :) the magic elements surprised me as they developed throughout the series but i’m not mad about it- except for laia’s which just seemed very convenient.
forever crying in the corner because of a certain character.
~ 3.5 stars
bookedbyruqs's review against another edition
4.0
4.5/ 5
This book just like the other books in this series had some seriously devastating moments. Just when you think these characters can’t suffer anymore, Sabaa finds a way!
SPOILERSSSSS
Honestly I knew sabaa was going to kill off some of her characters but had no idea who. That part when Helene's sister dies at the hand of the fucking commandant arghhhhhhhh. That whole part of her dying literally dying in front of her baby and her reaching out to play with his fingers while she was taking her final breaths got me so emotional. like wtffff. I felt sooooo bad for Helene. The death happened so quickly. Helene losing the last member of her family (other than baby Zach) was absolutely heartbreaking.
And when Darin decided to find Laia, I think we all knew that wouldn’t end well for him. Im like dontttttttt u idiot. But that didn’t make it hurt any less to see Laia also lose that last member of her family.
The introduction of a new villain was definitely something I didn’t expect. The Nightbringer was funneling souls into the Sea of Suffering instead of to the Waiting Place to increase its power and unleash suffering onto the world. It was a great way to increase the stakes of this book and add to the Nightbringer’s terrifying power, and I think it was done really well! I’m soooo glad Laia was able to get her revenge on the Nightbringer, even if it played into the plan he had.
Something I didn’t see coming was Mirra coming back, but in hindsight, I should have. After all, if you don’t see a body, you can’t assume the character is dead. Even more so, I never thought she would be the one to replace Elias as Soul Catcher! Elias continuously remembering his vow to Mauth to serve until he found a replacement had me thinking he would get out of his vow, but I never imagined it would be Mirra. It was such a fitting role for her, though, and I’m satisfied with her ending, and with Elias being free to be with Laia FINALLLLYYYYY.
A few Elias moments that got me emotional were when Elias’s chapters switched back from being “Soul Catcher” to “Elias.” I was waiting for that moment and it was so satisfying when it happened and he finally made that switch again. The other Elias moment that got me was when he proposed to Laia. I was so happy that these two ended up together and got that happy ending that they so deserved (after suffering for so long). ANNDDD of course we can't forget about that mango seduction scene. mangoes are my favorite fruit and let's just say I can never look at them the same way again. That scene was so weird and it came out of nowhere literalllyyy made me laugh.
Another moment that caught me by surprise was Helene becoming empress. She’s been so adamantly against it for the entire series that even though she was offered the position, I never thought she’d accept it. But I did think it was fitting that she named Zacharias as her sole heir, and I think her finally accepting that position shows great character growth for her.
What pissed me off though was that Helene and Harper did not get the justice they deserved. Helene spent so long trying to deny her feelings for Harper, so I knew naturally that he was doomed, especially after she finally confessed her feelings, but Helene has lost everyone else in her life that I really hoped she’d get to keep Harper. BUTTT NAHHHH. Dude, I feel so bad for Helene. The author really didn't have to do her that dirty. His final moment with Elias was another heartbreaking one.
The one thing I could have done without in this book happened right at the end, as the story was wrapping up. Helene and Musa had a sweet moment together at the end, and it seemed like it was hinting toward a potential relationship for them. That felt a little rushed to me, especially with how much Helene loved Harper and how recently he died. Still, Helene deserves to be happy after Sabaa absolutely destroying her book after book. BUT STILLL MUSA???
As always, the writing was in this book was beautiful, and I feel as connected with the characters as I ever have. Reading this book was honestly a stressful experience because I was constantly worried about something happening to these characters. They've been through so much. All in all not bad. really well done. For me it's all about the characters even though at times the plot was unnecessary long.
This book just like the other books in this series had some seriously devastating moments. Just when you think these characters can’t suffer anymore, Sabaa finds a way!
SPOILERSSSSS
Honestly I knew sabaa was going to kill off some of her characters but had no idea who. That part when Helene's sister dies at the hand of the fucking commandant arghhhhhhhh. That whole part of her dying literally dying in front of her baby and her reaching out to play with his fingers while she was taking her final breaths got me so emotional. like wtffff. I felt sooooo bad for Helene. The death happened so quickly. Helene losing the last member of her family (other than baby Zach) was absolutely heartbreaking.
And when Darin decided to find Laia, I think we all knew that wouldn’t end well for him. Im like dontttttttt u idiot. But that didn’t make it hurt any less to see Laia also lose that last member of her family.
The introduction of a new villain was definitely something I didn’t expect. The Nightbringer was funneling souls into the Sea of Suffering instead of to the Waiting Place to increase its power and unleash suffering onto the world. It was a great way to increase the stakes of this book and add to the Nightbringer’s terrifying power, and I think it was done really well! I’m soooo glad Laia was able to get her revenge on the Nightbringer, even if it played into the plan he had.
Something I didn’t see coming was Mirra coming back, but in hindsight, I should have. After all, if you don’t see a body, you can’t assume the character is dead. Even more so, I never thought she would be the one to replace Elias as Soul Catcher! Elias continuously remembering his vow to Mauth to serve until he found a replacement had me thinking he would get out of his vow, but I never imagined it would be Mirra. It was such a fitting role for her, though, and I’m satisfied with her ending, and with Elias being free to be with Laia FINALLLLYYYYY.
A few Elias moments that got me emotional were when Elias’s chapters switched back from being “Soul Catcher” to “Elias.” I was waiting for that moment and it was so satisfying when it happened and he finally made that switch again. The other Elias moment that got me was when he proposed to Laia. I was so happy that these two ended up together and got that happy ending that they so deserved (after suffering for so long). ANNDDD of course we can't forget about that mango seduction scene. mangoes are my favorite fruit and let's just say I can never look at them the same way again. That scene was so weird and it came out of nowhere literalllyyy made me laugh.
Another moment that caught me by surprise was Helene becoming empress. She’s been so adamantly against it for the entire series that even though she was offered the position, I never thought she’d accept it. But I did think it was fitting that she named Zacharias as her sole heir, and I think her finally accepting that position shows great character growth for her.
What pissed me off though was that Helene and Harper did not get the justice they deserved. Helene spent so long trying to deny her feelings for Harper, so I knew naturally that he was doomed, especially after she finally confessed her feelings, but Helene has lost everyone else in her life that I really hoped she’d get to keep Harper. BUTTT NAHHHH. Dude, I feel so bad for Helene. The author really didn't have to do her that dirty. His final moment with Elias was another heartbreaking one.
The one thing I could have done without in this book happened right at the end, as the story was wrapping up. Helene and Musa had a sweet moment together at the end, and it seemed like it was hinting toward a potential relationship for them. That felt a little rushed to me, especially with how much Helene loved Harper and how recently he died. Still, Helene deserves to be happy after Sabaa absolutely destroying her book after book. BUT STILLL MUSA???
As always, the writing was in this book was beautiful, and I feel as connected with the characters as I ever have. Reading this book was honestly a stressful experience because I was constantly worried about something happening to these characters. They've been through so much. All in all not bad. really well done. For me it's all about the characters even though at times the plot was unnecessary long.