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This book is killing me. I’ve had this giant ball of anxiety in the pit of my stomach for most of this book and, as a result, I’m a complete mess. And don’t get me started on that ending: one of the worst cliffhangers ever. What an aptly titled novel; and yes I’m going there: this book Ruined me. I’ll be continuing with the final installment of this series ASAP and it will feel my Wrath if Storm dies �� I have a thing for wolf companions. Just putting that out there.

This book is once again action-packed, leaving all our main players in mortal danger at some point. Stressful, yes, but the worst part was the sense of injustice and unfairness that drove the plot at times; that was just hard to bear. Bad guys pretending to be good and, worst of all, those same bad guys laying all they have done at the feet of our heroes just made my blood boil. But not everything was painful, there were moments which were highly satisfying; moments when our heroes triumphed or shone. And, incredibly, some adversaries I really wanted to see die actually did meet their end. Huzzah!

I am so glad I powered through Malice (the first book) despite my immersion problems! This series is incredible and, from what I've heard, the final fourth installment doesn't fall short.
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Spoilers below!




After Nathair is finally confronted with the fact that he is not the Seren Disglair in Valour, I was most curious to find out how he’d react now that he knows the truth. I guess I should have seen it coming; silver-tongued Calidus twisting that truth to the point of unrecognizability, turning Nathair irrevocably to his cause. I guess it had to be this way as there seemed no way back for him, but to see him accept Asroth so readily as his master was painful.

But it’s not only Nathair who has to face some harsh truths; Corban does too. I really appreciated the symmetry here: Nathair realizes he is not what he thought he was at the beginning and Corban realizes he is not what he thought he was at the end of the book. In fact, Nathair is not the prophesied hero of the story but its villain (though he tries to sugarcoat it); Corban is not the prophesied hero but merely a young man, seemingly picked at random. What hurts most of all, though, is that there is no such thing as a prophecy, that it’s all been a lie; ultimately, Nathair is not even the Black Sun and Corban is not the Seren Disglair. As devastating as that is for Corban, I appreciated that spin on the “chosen one�� trope and felt it gave the narrative some extra weight. And yet, the story probably plays out as if they were what they thought they were, as assigned by both their own actions and by other people’s beliefs.

So here we are, Corban captured, Cywen and Coralen captive as well, Camlin on the run, Maquin, Krelis, and Fidele also on the run, and Veradis’s fate after failing to kill Calidus unknown. And let’s not forget Storm, injured and alone. I really need to find out what’s next.

Onward!