Published: 2017 (Titan Books)
Pages: 666
Blurb: Witness the fate of beloved heroes - and enemies.
THE BALANCE OF POWER HAS FINALLY TIPPED...
The precarious equilibrium among four Londons has reached its breaking point. Once brimming with the red vivacity of magic, darkness casts a shadow over the Maresh Empire, leaving a space for another London to rise.
WHO WILL CRUMBLE?
Kell - once assumed to be the last surviving Antari - begins to waver under the pressure of competing loyalties. And in the wake of tragedy, can Arnes survive?
WHO WILL RISE?
Lila Bard, once a commonplace - but never common - thief, has survived and flourished through a series of magical trials. But now she must learn to control the magic, before it bleeds her dry. Meanwhile, the disgraced Captain Alucard Emery of the Night Spire collects his crew, attempting a race against time to acquire the impossible.
WHO WILL TAKE CONTROL?
And an ancient enemy returns to claim a crown while a fallen hero tries to save a world in decay.
My opinion: Oh well, where should i start? This journey was a wild ride, right from the beginning of this trilogy. And I mean that in the best way possible. I'm really going to miss these characters. It's like saying goodbye to old friends. I felt sympathy towards most of them, especially Kell, Lila, Rhy and Alucard.
Lila is by far my favourite. She's strong in many ways, also very headstrong, and undergoes a lot of character developement. This young women is who girls should look up to. A friend of mine said that she wanted to be Lila. Well, we might have a problem here, because I want to be her too. At least we can all try to be like her!
There is a special chemistry between Kell and Lila, it seems very natural. Not planned or even forced like some relationships in literature, which makes me wonder if the author had that on her mind from the beginning. Their relationship is so healthy and balanced, also a rare thing in this genre. It also wasn't some love-at-first-sight-bs (it sneaked in slowly) because I'm awefully sick of that kind of kitsch.
The only POVs that I didn't like that much where those of the king and queen. Sure, their stories were important too, but I just didn't care much about them. Probably because they weren't very present before.
There was also a little too much drama with Alucard's family, in my opinion. I understand though that it was important for him (and in a way for Rhy).
SPOILER: I was abesolutely sure that they would get together in the end.
SPOILER: I knew that Hastra would die, actually already in the previous book. He was a side character and then we learned more about him. That he wanted to be a priest instead of a soldier. That's like wearing a red shirt on Star Trek, because those always die. (I've never actually watched Star Trek, I just know that from The Big Bang Theory. So correct me if I'm wrong!) When he died, I wasn't really surprised, I had just hoped that the author wouldn't do that.
All the time I was so scared that someone important would die. They had all grown dear to my heart and I never new what twists and turns the plot would take.
But the story itself was a little slow at the beginning. It picked up pace when our heroes went on their journey. Ships and pirates were what I loved so much in the second book and what I missed during the first half of this onr. I'm so glad the author brought that back!
It's just a little sad that they didn't travel as much to Grey London as they did before. Actually, travelling between worlds wasn't as important any more, but I understand why.
What I'm a little unhappy about are the antagonists. I'm sure V. E. Schwab could have done that better. Osaron is that I'm-evil-because-I'm-evil kind of guy. Well, he is what he is.
Holland felt more like a victim than an antagonist in this book. But that was probably what the author wanted. Btw, why is he named after a part of the Netherlands?
SPOILER: I'll never get over not finding out where Kell came from or at least what K. L. means. I unterstand why he doesn't want to know it, but I'm certainly NOT FINE with that! Maybe that's an option for a short story? Pretty please? I'd also be happy with just a very short story about Kell's and Lila's new adventures.
All in all, leaving this unique worldbuilding, these realistically written characters and an exciting plot, hurts quite a bit.
My rating: 4/5 Buttons
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