This book was hard to get through because it is just SAD. Victra, Ephraim, Lyria, Volga, and the Obsidian storyline are just so damn hard. They are good, do not get me wrong, just sad. I wish for the love of god something could go right for Victra, Lyria and Volga and I hope the next installation leaves them with their revenge and to finally know peace.

I liked having a POV from Virginia, her storyline was just eh but her perspective was cool to get. Darrow’s story in this book, just like in the last one, bored me, and I did not care what happened to him… until Cassius came back. All I hope for in the last book is Cassius and Darrow delivering the final blow to the society and Lysander.

I want to hate Lysander, but I don’t. I still don’t like him particularly either. His “morality” or virtues or whatever tf it is that drives him makes no sense to me… I HATE that Brown has made him into a “man” and excused the grooming from the Grimace family. He is still essentially a child, just like Darrow was in the beginning.

I also hate the Red Hand and what it turned into. Harmony turning into what she did didn’t sit well with me or seem accurate to what she did in the first three books. I’m glad she is dead and I hope that storyline is done. Focusing for so long on child brides and rape was so hard and served little purpose to this story.

Ultimately, I will finish this series. I think the original three were fantastic. But I question Brown as an author and a person. The mention and use of sexual assault and rape is so rampant in these books when it is unnecessary, it is rather troubling.