Started: 19/06/22
Finsihed: 23/06/22
Spoilers: No
Plot
We pick up more or less where we left off in book two, with Jude in exile in the mortal world, but when shit starts going down in faerie, Jude finds herself returning in secret to help. The plot was great. I really enjoyed reading this and found it difficult to put down at times, often staying up until 3 am to read another chapter.
I love a good war, and the prospect of a civil uprising was so interesting and well explored.
However, I would have liked more at the end. When we finally got to, what had promised to be, the big battle, it was very rushed and brushed over, to the point where it didn't feel like we got a battle at all. Maybe Holly Black doesn't like writing full-on, high-stakes battle scenes, or she just wanted to be done with this series and wrap it up, because after all that build-up, the lack of actual battle was disappointing and anticlimactic, to say the least.
I'd say this is easily the best one in the series. This first book was good but somewhat annoyed me cause Carden was such an arsehole. Second book was better but felt too much like a filler book. This one was pretty on point most of the time.
Characters
Okay, so considering I sort of hated Carden in book one, I kind of loved him now. He's really shown some remarkable growth as a character, and I think that's entirely down to Jude. She's made him a better person and shown him the value of love over malice, as well as show him his own worth. Looking back after finishing this book, I feel the reason for Carden's cruelty stemmed from his own insecurities and deep down believing no one could ever love him. Jude has smashed through those insecurities and given him a reason to open his heart. Despite being a little toxic at times, it's been a lovely character journey.
Jude was instantly way more likeable in this book. I never disliked her or anything, but I really feel like she shines in this one. This final book is definitely a significant moment for all the characters and their growth. Everyone felt like they'd reached their final stage of evolution and were embracing this new phase.
Setting
It's always fun returning to this world and, I must admit, I'm gonna miss it. Faerie can be a pretty cruel and mercurial place at times, but I think the best way to describe it is whimsical. I love the variation n in creatures and species and how it's all so totally normal to Jude. It does a lot to make the reader feel more comfortable in faerie than we do in the mortal world.
Writing Style
I think the book was too short.
I know, right? Coming from someone who is instantly put-off massive fantasy books?
But seriously, I'm not saying this needed to be six hundred pages long but, as I mentioned before, that final battle definitely needed more. As is, it's probably one of the most unsatisfying battles I've read (Breaking Dawn is still the worst ever).
The writing in general though is compulsively readable. I don't know how Holly Black does it. I struggled to put this down at night. She just has a way with pacing and chapter endings that left me prioritising another chapter over sleep.
Final Impression
I'm very glad I persisted and finished the series. Ultimately I'm going to look fondly back on this series and I'm going to miss this world and these characters. One can only live n hope that maybe Holly Black will miss them too and take us back there.
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