The final instalment of the Red Queen series, this book contains a number of short stories, including the two that comprise the book 'Cruel Crown', alongside some of Julian Jacos' "research" into the history of Norta and a glimpse into the future of the world.

I really liked the historical notes and the additional comments scribbled in the margins by Julian's character. To me, it just illustrates how deeply the author has thought about the world her characters inhabit and the lengths she has gone to to make it as 'real' as possible. A history of the monarchy of Norta, details about all of the other realms, and the setting out of the link between their reality and ours makes me want to read more reference books about it, before remembering that the place is fictional! And there's even a cheeky Batman reference, which I applaud!

As for the story elements, as I've already read 'Cruel Crown' I will admit to skimming those two stories quite quickly. I'm a little confused by the inclusion of 'World Behind', a story about a Silver princess running away from a forced betrothal; I may be missing something, but none of the characters were familiar to me. While it's a nice little interlude, it doesn't seem to have any bearing on the actual story of Mare, Cal etc. and so just feels like a bit of filler.

However, the other three shorts; 'Iron Heart', 'Fire Light' and 'Fare Well' continue the main narrative of the series and draw together a lot of the loose ends. It also gives me the happy ending I was waiting for - part of me wonders if the author realised she made a mistake at the end of 'War Storm' (or got a lot of stick for the ending) and wrote these to correct it. In particular, I really enjoyed the 'full circle' moment it rewards the reader with, and the fact that it gives the characters the endings they deserve without detracting from their development or personality. The addition of Cal trying to keep a diary is lovely and a couple of his comments made me chuckle. And the author's addition of an extract from a text set a few decades further on just adds the cherry on top, as it leaves you with the satisfaction of characters with lives well lived.

I think the only character that is spoiled by these stories is Queen Anabel. The clothing and exterior remains constant, but her personality seems to undergo a change for no real reason save a grandmother's love, which just doesn't chime with the steely, duplicitous nature of the previous books. But it's a small niggle in an otherwise very enjoyable read.