content warnings:

Spoiler

major character deaths, grief, on-page murder, fratricide, sororicide, mercy kills, suicidal ideation, queerphobia, dysphoria, unintentional misgendering, ableist language, mind control/manipulation, bullying, underage drinking

rep:

Spoiler

Asian-coded setting & cast; trans female major char [Likh], MLM major char [Khalad], trans F/M relationship, WLW minor characters [Zoya & Shadi], minor F/F relationship, diverse minor char's

Wow. Thank you, Rin Chupeco, for tearing out my heart.

The structure of this trilogy finally grew on me: in this final installment, the dual timelines run parallel for a while before they finally collide, with a final few shocking reveals and an explosive climax that had me in literal tears even though I knew certain character deaths were coming. (You know it's well-written when the same event(s) makes you cry multiple times.)

Considering that series finales and I don't tend to get along, I'm actually quite impressed with how satisfying I found this one. Loose threads are wrapped up, alliances shift and settle, yet more betrayals and deceptions are uncovered ... and goodbyes are said.

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CONVERSION: 11.1 / 15 = 4 stars

Prose: 5 / 10
Characters & Relationships: 9 / 10
Emotional Impact: 8 / 10
Development / Flow: 7 / 10
Setting: 8 / 10

Diversity & Social Themes: 5 / 5
Originality / Trope Execution: 3 / 5
Memorability: 3 / 5