This review originally appeared on the book review blog: Just One More Pa(i)ge.

Ahhhhhh the finale – triumphant, dark, blood-spattered and not without its share of emotions (yes, I did shed tears a few times). Again, we pick up the story exactly (like, literally in the same minute) where the last one left off. Mia’s small-chances-of-success gladiatii plan has completely succeeded (well, at least as far as she knows). As a bonus surprise, she picked up her long-thought-dead brother, Jonnen, along the way. However, of course, not all was as it seemed…and Scaeva yet lives. So in the final chapter of Mia’s story, she sets off to finally, for real this time, kill Scaeva and along the way, end the traitorous Red Church close out some family drama, settle a personal love triangle and, as a bonus, restore the balance of the gods, the night and day, the dark and light, the sun and moon, on a very un-asked-for, destiny-like, quest.

Oooof a lot happened in this final book! We set off thinking and planning one thing and are completed derailed and rerouted a number of times. It was nonstop action and I was really feeling that pacing in the wrap-up to this story. I love having to stay on my toes (or the edge of my seat) as the reader. I do have to say that the footnotes and snark were at the lowest in this volume. I mean, don’t get me wrong, they were definitely there, but as the story got more intense and serious and god-related, there seemed to be less space for that kind of vibe. However, the non-traditional approach Mia takes to being the “chosen one,” which has been refreshing from the start, stays strong. And that, that I really liked.

The was some character turnover in this last one too. I started pretty lukewarm on Jonnen (I can’t lie, young children in fantasy novels is just one of those things that really annoys me – they get in the way and/or are not developmentally appropriate and I just usually dislike them), but the way he was written honestly and centrally, but not overly much, turned out alright. And the role he ended up playing was a good one, as far as making sense and being fitting. I loved the addition of Cloud and the pirates (in opposition to my thing about kids in fantasy, I’m a huge sucker for a fantasy pirate). And the return of our favorite gladiatii from the last book was both expected and a warm homecoming. I also tend to be a sucker for a found family trope and these books really all have that in spades. We also got one surprise return character in a new form, which I loved and also was heart-broken over (and provided some of the most unique love/hate triangle situation I have ever read, murderer-murdered/dead-boy/Mia, and I was here for it). Seeing and getting to know Mercurio more/better was also a favorite part of mine. And oh goodness there were quite a few losses that got me. Some pretty big characters are brought down and some smaller ones that affected me a little more than I would have expected. And overall, there was some great character growth, relationship development and connections made/flourished.

As far as the story itself, the mythology of the fallen god and the Crown of the Moon, how that was all connected to darkin, and the role(s) Mia and Jonnen and Scaeva all played, I thought it was well done. I can’t say that it was totally original, but there are fantasy tropes for a reason. And I did like the parallels between the suns/moons/day/night god-family situation and the way Mia’s own family situation played out. It was a cool way to create and recreate it all. And, worth mentioning again, I loved the way Mia approached her role – selfish until the end, focus on the people (the familia) that mattered to her, and single-mindedly so. It showed her heart so well, so strongly, so consistently and got us to the ending the way fate/destiny needed but still in a way that was through her own choices, and that is something rarely seen in this genre. Refreshing and, honestly, way more recognizable and empathize-able, for me. And the little post-denouement ending, kinda like an epilogue, made my heart smile (and one more plug for how cool, and a fantastically normalized handling of bisexuality, I thought Mia’s romantic relationship(s) were). Last small note that I didn't want to forget to add: I loved all the nicknames and titles Mia picked up throughout this tale, from Pale Daughter to little Crow to Lady of Blades and so, so many more. They were such a great small detail.

Ahhhhhh now I have to sum it all up? All the reviewers were right – this was bloody, brutal, epic, snarky, fast-paced and totally engaging fantasy trilogy. Mia was a fantastic heroine and anti-heroine all combined into one person and her story and growth into herself and her full power and her full life was everything I had hoped for. Yet again, I was totally into Kristoff’s characters and world-building and plot unfolding and goodness this was the escapist reading I needed. So good, so entertaining, such a great adventure!

“Sometimes the past won’t just die. Sometimes you have to kill it.”

“And the more I live it, the more I realize ‘deserve’ has nothing to do with this life. Blessings and curses fall on the wicked and the just alike. Fair is a fairy tale. Nothing’s claimed by those who don’t want it, and nothing’s kept by those who won’t fight for it. So let’s fight. Fuck the gods. Fuck it all. Let’s take the world by the throat and make it give us what we want.”

“Love often rusted into hate when watered with scorn.”

“How easily a parent can make a triumph of their children, gentlefriends. And how easily they can make a ruin.”

“And some loyalties just don’t die quietly, no matter what the storybooks say.”

“A dizzying kiss. An endless kiss. A kiss full of sorrow and regret for things they might have been, a kiss of love and longing for all the things they’d had, a kiss of joy for all they were, right at that moment.”

“You never know what can break you until you’re falling apart.”

“…fear wasn’t ever a choice. To never fear was to never hope. Never love. Never live. To never fear the dark was to never smile as the dawn kissed your face. To never fear solitude was to never know the joy of a beauty in your arms. Part of having is the fear of losing. Part of creating is the fear of it breaking. Part of beginning is the fear of your ending. Fear is never a choice. Never a choice. But letting it rule you is.”