This is one of the best endings to a trilogy that I’ve read in a long time. This book felt like it wrapped up most of the loose ends that were left over from the previous two books and I was extremely satisfied. I have a pretty unpopular opinion about Locke’s death offscreen. I think having him die offscreen was the most fitting way for him to go because he was such an attention whore while he was alive that it makes me happy to know how much it would have irked him to know he wasn’t even important enough to have a scene dedicated to his death. However, maybe I’m just more petty than the average reader. I do think that Taryn and Jude’s reconciliation happened pretty quickly. However, I think that has to do with the fact that Taryn’s actions speak louder than her words. Through the act of killing Locke it displays that she understands that he was not worth betraying her sister. She was infatuated with the idea of Locke and once married to him had a very rude awakening to how miserable being married to him was. I don’t think she needs an entire redemption arc because it is heavily implied. Taryn also is a beautiful reflection of someone who saw her mother’s mistakes and opted to not repeat them. She didn’t need Locke to be her Madoc with her being pregnant and all. In some manner I think her pregnancy is a good way of symbolizing the beginning of her new life. 

The best part of this last installment by far was the development of Cardan and Jude’s relationship. The argument they had about him banishing her was the best married couple spat. I still can’t believe that he banished her to impress her. He’s obnoxiously adorable and loves his wife! I think she should have been able to figure Cardan’s loophole out, though, but I think that her lack of security in his love for her is what stopped her from going back for so long. That and the fact that Cardan’s love letters to her were intercepted. I know that maybe calling them love letters might seem like a stretch for some people, but coming from Cardan, they read like love letters. Jude doesn’t spend as much time scheming in this book, but it’s mostly because she has found her place in Elfhame at Cardan’s side once they reconcile. She is in a position of power when she returns and has found a sense of security within her relationship with Cardan, which is nice because they were both being stupid about it for a long time. 

The prophecy plot twist was something I didn’t see coming, at least not in the way it was manifested. I would have never guessed that Cardan would be cursed by breaking the crown. I’m glad the perpetrator of the curse died immediately after that because he deserved it. Jude got a huge amount of character development in this final book which as a result helped her solidify her relationship with Cardan. She could have chosen to enslave him to her which is something I’m sure she would have done in the first book. However, by now she has grown to love and trust him enough to prefer him dead and free rather than enslaved, even if it was to her. Her hunger for power is no longer her priority like it was before. Everything resolved beautifully and came full circle when the end of the prophecy came to fruition and Cardan was returned to his faerie form. This is how a book trilogy should be concluded, I think. All the loose ends that were most important were concluded and yet I was left with enough threads open ended that it doesn’t feel like everything was too perfect in the end. One of the best reads of the year for me.