The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! đ
veronica87's review against another edition
4.0
And so I've come to the end of the Alex Craft series. The series has veered more towards fae plotlines in these last two books and that's suited me just fine since that's the aspect of Alex's life that interested me the most. In this book it seems that all of faerie is under attack so the stakes have never been higher. To make matters worse, Alex is on her own for about half of the book, cut off from those who could help her the most. It was a fast paced ride, probably more so because I get the feeling the author was trying to tie off as many plot threads as she could. I don't know if this series ended because the author ended it or if it was the publisher's decision but, to me, the series still had so much more potential. The places Alex finds herself in both in her personal and professional lives opened up whole new avenues to explore and I'm sad that that won't happen. Plus, though my theory about Alex's father was correct, I still have lots of questions about her family. There is no cliffhanger ending and I couldn't be more pleased with the way Alex's love life wrapped up (though technically that happened in the last book...this one just sealed the deal). Though this was an uneven series at times, it's mostly enjoyable and I'm sad that I've reached the end.
little_caprice's review against another edition
5.0
It's simply amazing.. perfect ending, although I'm sad it's done now and wish there were more of that story..
storytimewithlily's review against another edition
2.75
 Defintiely not my favourite of the series, but still ended well.
Spoilers ahead for my view on the entire series:
(but if you're up to the last book I assume spoilers don't matter)
Although I liked each individual book (particularly the ones focused on witch magic instead of fae magic) the overall story for the series was a bit lacking. And because the overall story was a lacking it made the final book which was supposed to tie up all the loose ends feel a bit lackluster.
Things I didn't like:
- Why did we spend so much time on Alex's relationship with Death? We all knew Falin was end game and having her in a relationship with Death felt like stalling. And in the end Death didn't even play much of a role in the overall story. He became an ex machina for several books and then just disappeared in the final. Surely if we were going to spend so much time with him and even have Alex in a relationship, there must be some kind of payoff in the final book that cements their friendship over romantic relationship. And that scene in the car does not count.
- Why was her brother the planebender? Like I knew it was coming, it was fairly obvious since they kept mentioning how her brother had disappeared and then the planebender never took off his hood, but it didn't mean anything? He didn't play any big role in the last book. It was almost like the author had planted this in the beginning and then got to the end and went 'oh yeah I forgot about this, let's just wrap it up real quick and move on'
- The final battle was so short. Like Alex went on this cool journey meeting all these different people and making new friends/allies and then almost none of them come into play in the final book. Most of her friends are in the mortal world I guess just waiting to die, Nori just stops being involved less than half way through the book, what about all the independent fae Alex had met and helped and befriended on her journeys? Surely in the last book she could pool her resources and get the fae to help her?
Things I'm not sure I liked or not:
- Alex becoming the High Queen. Again it was fairly obvious that her dad was the High King, but why did she need to become the High Queen? I guess it makes sense, she goes on this journey and learns about her heritage and then inherits the position, but I don't know if I liked it. Honestly I thought she was going to become the Winter Queen and that was going to be how she saved Falin and I was pleasantly surprised that Falin became the Winter King instead.
- Merging with Faerie. This kinda ties in with my mixed feeling about Alex being the High Queen. I think maybe I would have liked it if she merged with Faerie or even, as a planeweaver, was able to interact with Faerie in a way no one else could, but she didn't become Queen or even merge with Faerie to do it.
Things I did like:
- The characters. Particularly Alex and Falin. I liked them and I liked them together. I just wish the other characters had been utilised better in the final book.
- The murder mysteries. I think this is where Kalayna Price really shined. She made interesting and creative murder mysteries tied in with her world and worldbuilding, like the body snatcher or the ghouls or the necromancer
- I really liked the witch magic and wished we could have explored it more (but with how the series was going I guess it made sense to explore fae magic more even though Alex never learns how to use fae magic by the end of the series??!!)
Okay so I think we can all agree that I liked the series but I have serious grievances with the last book.Â
Spoilers ahead for my view on the entire series:
(but if you're up to the last book I assume spoilers don't matter)
Although I liked each individual book (particularly the ones focused on witch magic instead of fae magic) the overall story for the series was a bit lacking. And because the overall story was a lacking it made the final book which was supposed to tie up all the loose ends feel a bit lackluster.
Things I didn't like:
- Why did we spend so much time on Alex's relationship with Death? We all knew Falin was end game and having her in a relationship with Death felt like stalling. And in the end Death didn't even play much of a role in the overall story. He became an ex machina for several books and then just disappeared in the final. Surely if we were going to spend so much time with him and even have Alex in a relationship, there must be some kind of payoff in the final book that cements their friendship over romantic relationship. And that scene in the car does not count.
- Why was her brother the planebender? Like I knew it was coming, it was fairly obvious since they kept mentioning how her brother had disappeared and then the planebender never took off his hood, but it didn't mean anything? He didn't play any big role in the last book. It was almost like the author had planted this in the beginning and then got to the end and went 'oh yeah I forgot about this, let's just wrap it up real quick and move on'
- The final battle was so short. Like Alex went on this cool journey meeting all these different people and making new friends/allies and then almost none of them come into play in the final book. Most of her friends are in the mortal world I guess just waiting to die, Nori just stops being involved less than half way through the book, what about all the independent fae Alex had met and helped and befriended on her journeys? Surely in the last book she could pool her resources and get the fae to help her?
Things I'm not sure I liked or not:
- Alex becoming the High Queen. Again it was fairly obvious that her dad was the High King, but why did she need to become the High Queen? I guess it makes sense, she goes on this journey and learns about her heritage and then inherits the position, but I don't know if I liked it. Honestly I thought she was going to become the Winter Queen and that was going to be how she saved Falin and I was pleasantly surprised that Falin became the Winter King instead.
- Merging with Faerie. This kinda ties in with my mixed feeling about Alex being the High Queen. I think maybe I would have liked it if she merged with Faerie or even, as a planeweaver, was able to interact with Faerie in a way no one else could, but she didn't become Queen or even merge with Faerie to do it.
Things I did like:
- The characters. Particularly Alex and Falin. I liked them and I liked them together. I just wish the other characters had been utilised better in the final book.
- The murder mysteries. I think this is where Kalayna Price really shined. She made interesting and creative murder mysteries tied in with her world and worldbuilding, like the body snatcher or the ghouls or the necromancer
- I really liked the witch magic and wished we could have explored it more (but with how the series was going I guess it made sense to explore fae magic more even though Alex never learns how to use fae magic by the end of the series??!!)
Okay so I think we can all agree that I liked the series but I have serious grievances with the last book.Â
madwonder's review against another edition
4.0
No no. I need a few more loose ends tied up. This canât be the end
saucyknits's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent end to the series! 4.5âď¸ and a solid overall 4 for the series. Will most likely reread at some point.
cancourtneyread's review against another edition
2.0
Great series ended with a whimper. What happened to the story line with Death? With The Mender? The ending felt completely rushed. Disappointed.
chefgirlsatan's review against another edition
3.0
Not the best book in the series but I enjoyed the ending
tsprengel's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
prfctlymismtchd's review against another edition
3.0
I loved this book. It was such a great take on the Fae and Witchcraft. I tore through these really quickly. I wish Death had been a bigger part of the later books. I also liked the earlier books that focused more on her Grave magic and less on other skills more.
lavenderbug's review against another edition
5.0
WHHYYYYY is this the last in the series? There are too many unanswered questions! I love the world that Kalayna Price has made. Her ability to slowly unravel intrigue is wonderful and refreshing in a genre where authors have a tendency to Tell instead of Show their story. I enjoyed how her books are steeped in magic, but magic is not what motivates the characters. I kinda wish some aspects turned out different, but i have genuinely enjoyed this series.