I really enjoyed this finale!! (Honestly, I really enjoyed this duology overall.) It's definitely not a favorite series ever, but I genuinely would recommend this, and felt it stuck out (in a good way) from other YA fantasy series out there!

My review of The Storm Crow really went into detail on what this book/series does differently from other YA fantasy books, and after finishing its sequel, I can safely say that most of those features continued well into this book!

First, I absolutely love how the romance was resolved in this book. While it did end up falling into a love triangle, it solidly ended one relationship (and in a great way! they're still friends! and it all makes sense instead of it just being from drama) before moving on to the next. Additionally, even though the romance did become the one stereotypically expected from this kind of set-up, it still played the same role in the story as the other one did instead of taking over like most romances do in YA. Other relationships and friendships in the story remained just as vital to Thia, and I just loved seeing that in this book.

Second, I feel like this series is the absolute perfect length. Many fantasy series go on for books and books (or are at least trilogies), and it leads to some books feeling less important than others, especially second books. This series could have easily been stretched out to a third book, but instead we now have two books that are evenly paced, are both just as exciting, and didn't feel like they dragged on at all. The pacing of the overall story between the two books also worked extremely well, with enough twists and action in both. It made the story feel seamless, something I noticed since I read these two back to back.

I also ended up really enjoying the plot and characters. The plot, while semi-predictable at points, kept my interest the entire time. The action/battle scenes were also extremely well-written, and I was definitely on the edge of my seat during many of them. I also liked where the story went, and the choices Thia struggled with (fulfill her need for revenge or stop it's never ending cycle?). It overall felt like the plot and characters directly affected each other, with important events having lasting effects on characters (that they couldn't just brush off). I also just really grew to love Thia, especially as an MC. She's far from the 'badass woman who can do everything', but we've honestly had so many of this kind of MCs lately. She has flaws and weaknesses, and constantly struggles with PTSD and depression from past trauma, and none of it is dealt with lightly. It's not just there for drama, but actually impacts her actions and choices, and we see Thia constantly struggle with it. It felt real and raw, not just a 'character trait.'

Overall, I really enjoyed this series, and I'm excited to see what else Kalyn writes next!