I think there's absolutely nothing wrong with occasionally just throwing out everything you're "supposed" to do in a genre and instead just go a little nuts. In fact, I'd argue there's something very right with it. Subverting expectations is how you create a memorable story.
So, I'll get some things out of the way up front: Prose. Pretty good. There are times it feels like a creative writing degree is being flexed at me, and other times it feels like Morgan is aware of what's happening and pumps to the brakes. It's a minor complaint, but I wish she had just gone all in with this respect. If you're going to be flowery and extra, you might as well keep it consistent. It's never bad, but this feels like a story that could have benefited from going full throttle.
And that is in part to the story. This is a book which largely says "Screw it" and just throws everything at you. Fey words and names that no one on the planet can pronounce, wild fight scenes, and morally ambiguous protagonists. All of which is great, and if you're going to end a series, you could do it a lot worse than this.
Which I guess leads me to my two main gripes. The first being the dialogue. For as wild as the prose could be, I didn't find that it transferred over to the characters diction. Again, it was never bad, it was just all very effective. Everyone conveyed their meaning and allowed the scenes to progress, but little of it was as memorable as the rest of the story. It waa good when it was a half step away from being great.
The other complaint was that I couldn't find a cohesive philosophical message. This wouldn't normally be an issue, not everything has to be profound, but I often found myself picking up on the hints of a philosophy only for it to fall apart when I thought about it. This might be a me issue though, and maybe upon a second reading I'd pick up on things I missed on the first go around.
This, however, I think speaks to the strength of the book: I'd give it a second read. It was shorter than I would have liked, but that also works in the books favor. Things are happening, not everyone knows what to do, and there's a real sense of urgency for everyone involved.
Overall I appreciate that I couldn't tell what would happen from one page to the next, and it kept me turning the pages, and in the end that's all I can ask of a book like this. A story more memorable than it's characters, but one that felt like a rollercoaster with the brakes cut. Looking forward to what the author does next, and I think with perhaps a better editor they could have something really special.
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.
All 3 for you in this series
See full series
Customers who bought this item also bought
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
About the author
Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
Reviewed in the United States on September 28, 2019
Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2019
Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2017
Reviewed in the United States on January 25, 2018
Top reviews from other countries
Richard M. Ankers
A sumptuous end to a sumptuous series!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 3, 2018