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First Year Book 1 review: 4 stars
Apprentice Book 2 review: 4.5 stars
Candidate Book 3 review: 5 stars

"In fairy tales, the prince saved the girl. In mine, the princess destroyed him."

I think bittersweet is just the word to describe the end of such a beloved series. Who would have guessed that I would have fallen in love with this the way I did? Certainly not me. I had so many doubts and kept waiting for the shoe to drop....bit it never did. It constantly kept me on my toes, swept me off my feet, took my breath away, and left me feeling euphoric. It was truly an outstanding story from start to finish.

"Gods, every one of us was tainted. All of us shades of gray. This world of innocence was a lie."

The amazing aspect of this story is the ever evolving characters. Ryiah goes from a naive overwhelmed girl wanting to make a difference in the world to young woman who learns to stand on her own two feet and fights for what she believes in. Darren, from an arrogant entitled prince to a man of many layers. Priscilla, from conniving brat to someone deemed worthy of respect. Dear lord, I can just keep going.

"I had wanted to be the hero. I just hadn’t known the price."

I just... You guys need to give these books a try. They're worth every dime and every second of lost sleep.

"I could be the girl I wanted to be. I could save the boy. And so I did. And as that last gasping breath took in an intoxication of violet and ice, I lost myself to the end.
And then?
I was free. "