Stars (Out of 10): 9/10 Stars
Favorite Character: Liam (so much depth throughout the story!)
Spoiler Free: Oh man, I could not put this book down! This definitely would’ve been one of those “devour in one sitting” books had I not been reading it on my commute (and been forced to put it down constantly.) Right from the beginning, the plot and world just draw you in. You’re constantly forced to consider every event and the secrets it holds, as Jules constantly reminds you that secrets are everywhere, and the Geldings and other royals will do whatever it takes to keep them. And this book definitely delivered on that front! I questioned everything, had so many theories, and still I was surprised by every twist this book seemed to take! That, plus the able to fully capture my attention without a full focus on romance, just proved how well written this book was, and how fascinating the idea was.
Almost everything about this book screamed that it was just another YA fantasy book in the kingdoms wave. Yes, the premise seemed awesome, but so many do. So needless to say, I definitely went in with mediocre expectations. But with each new page, the book constantly rose above and beyond anything I expected it to be!
Careful! Spoilers beyond this point!
Spoilers: Ahhhh. Just everything that happened in those last 50 pages has me reeling!
I can’t believe I didn’t realize Caro was controlling everything all along. It was so obvious there was something off about her (her constant watching of Jules, often pushing her to do things that could reveal the truth, etc.), but I still was so blind to it! She seemed so trustworthy to me, as a reader, that it’s no wonder Jules fell into her trap in the actual story.
Also Liam! I definitely guessed early on that Liam was the true love interest, but I still didn’t expect that whole mess to turn out as it did! (Why didn’t she kiss him!!!) Also, can I just say again that I love when MC’s find out the “big bad guy” is actually a sweetheart? Definitely feel that vibe happening here, and I love it! Only thing I’m mad about is that Liam didn’t end up going with her. So now in Evermore I first need to wait for them to reunite.
Also, what is up with Roan? It was never fully mentioned, but there was definitely more to him than originally shown, and I hope the next book starts unraveling that thread. From Bea warning Jules that she was better than that snake, Bea smiling at Roan until realizing Jules was with him (when servants are usually pretty shy around the royals?), and Roan always smelling like a different type of flower/perfume, it definitely seems like that dude was super shady and sleeping around with more than a few servant girls. In the end, I think this realization, either conscious or subconscious, is what made his death not break Jules’s heart. Maybe she realized that the kiss they shared wasn’t one out of love, but of lust or manipulation instead? Who knows! I just hope this is a path that’s uncovered farther.
And then there was the plot, which didn’t let go for a moment the entire book. From page to page, we are constantly gaining more clues to put together the puzzle, and it makes even the normally filler scenes super interesting to read!

Stars (Out of 10): 4/10 Stars
Favorite Character: I didn’t get to know anyone enough to like them (only decent dude seemed to be the love interest though)
Spoiler Free: Let’s preface this by saying I was originally going to give this a 6/10, but then I started actually writing this review.
There were many things I didn’t like about this book. First, we have this random romance that really had no purpose at all, and completely disappeared once the real plot got started. Additionally, I didn’t find myself actually liking any of the characters. Sofia just got on my nerves, and I couldn’t find myself relating to her at all from the very beginning. In a horror novel, this lack of attachments means you just end up not caring what happens to the character, which takes away the impact all the torture and gore had.
Also, I personally felt that gore/violence was used to substitute for actual plot, which kinda had me rolling my eyes at points. This also mean that the ending kinda fell flat due to wishy-washy build up.
However, I do have to say this book made me curious to the truth behind it. Due to my dissatisfaction with the lack of concrete answers to any of my questions in this book’s endings, I feel almost forced to continue the series. I’m way too curious now to know what’s all going on!

“The world will end. The big picture cannot be changed. But in the meantime, as Loki once said, we can choose to alter the details. That’s how we take control of our destiny.”
Stars (Out of 10): 8/10 Stars
Favorite Character: Hearthstone
Spoiler Free: I have to say, this finale was leagues better than the end of the Heroes of Olympus series, which goes to show that even as a veteran author, Riordan is still growing throughout his novels.
I have to preface this by saying that I went into this novel with a goal beyond enjoyment, as I actually had to write a paper on the gender roles shown within this novel/series for a class assignment. So I definitely went in with a much more critical mindset, especially in terms of the characters. However, I still ended up thoroughly enjoying this book, even if it felt like “homework” sometimes!
To begin with, I loved the abundance of minor mythological characters within the storyline. It wasn’t just Thor and Loki and other big Norse names, but plenty of lesser known ones as well. While this does mean there are a lot of introductions and new names to remember, it also removes biases/expectations we might have had of these characters from other forms of media (specifically films). For example, the representation of Thor within this novel is a far cry from the popular Marvel films, which often causes readers (or me at least) to expect different actions/emotions from the character.
Overall, it was a wonderful ending to a wonderful series. This installment was action-packed, with every chapter containing either an important plot point or a moment of character growth. Additionally, while I have some issues with the ending, it overall was a realistic yet proper send-off to the series, while still hinting at more (as Riordan always does!)
Careful! Spoilers beyond this point!
Spoilers: I have to say, my only real issue with this book was the lack of gravity the ending had. In the end, nothing had really changed. No characters died or were changed in any major way, and even the evil characters were locked away for another day (which does come with the myth Riordan chose to tell.) However, this lack made their win seem almost too easy, even with the struggles the characters all faced along the way.
On the other hand, the fact that this is the only issue I had with the novel definitely goes to show how far Riordan has come from Blood of Olympus, which had felt rushed and unrealistic at best.
What I loved about the ending was how it catered to each of the character’s skills, and the combination of which ended up saving the day. For example, Magnus wasn’t suddenly the best warrior in the world, nor the most eloquent with words, but rather used his love of his friends and his feelings to smite Loki to the size of a bean. This definitely added to how feasible the ending seemed, and made it overall seem more realistic while still happily ending the series.
To round off, I also have to say that I’m glad Riordan continued the “show don’t tell” in terms of Alex. He both made sure the gender fluid part of her was not ignored, yet also didn’t make this novel a “queer” novel. Additionally, this makes the book skilled in introducing the concept of gender roles/gender freedom to kids, as it explains Alex in a positive way while giving readers the space to digest it (as the characters within the story must do as well.)

First off, I would like to thank the publisher and author for providing me this ARC to review (as well as Netgalley for putting me in touch with them). Please note that the version I read was an advanced copy, and certain events/language may be changed in the published edition.

Stars (Out of 10): 7/10 Stars

Favorite Character: It kept bouncing between Zach and Cal!

Spoiler Free: When I picked up this book, I didn’t know what to expect! While it has all-around decent reviews, it also did not have the largest readership yet (although I hope to change this!), so it really could’ve gone either way.

While I’d consider the beginning fairly rocky, as we were introduced to our MC and her life (and extreme prejudice she faces due to her gift), it quickly got better as we were introduced to the partners in crime. I “hit it off” with Zach and Cal almost immediately, but it did take me a few chapters to connect with Lire and her sometimes brash personality.

Additionally, while I usually find myself lost in a book without a clear cut plot, I found myself just enjoying the day to day antics this trio got up to (all enhanced by Cal and Zach’s witty banter/comments!).

My main issue with the novel was revealed in the chaotic ending, and my inability to keep track of what was even going on at points. This part of the book revealed that the world is explained as things relevant are occurring, which often led you to being overwhelmed with important information exactly as action was also taking place. It also led to important parts of the world being concealed until later in the novel, even if they seemed like things that should have definitely been mentioned earlier on. (Lastly, as soon an important world point was shown to the reader, it seemed to appear quite frequently in Lire’s inner thoughts, contributing to the oddness of certain facts not being mentioned sooner.)

All in all, this was definitely a great read, and I hope the series continues! I miss these characters already!

Careful! Spoilers beyond this point!

Spoilers: Lemme just talk about that ending for a bit. What even happened in that last 20%?? We got thrown into so much new stuff, from world building to character reveals. And then it all gets taken away from Lire too, so it feels like it didn’t even happen in the epilogue. Additionally, why are we just now heading about sidhe queens and kings in the last bit of the book when they are obviously important to the overarching series plot?

I dunno, just feels like the world information could definitely have been plotted out better.

But still! The characters more than made up for it, and I still can’t decide if I like Lire better with Zach or Cal (even though my overall favorite is definitely Zach.)

Which, now that I’m on characters, made me really dislike the epilogue. It felt almost unnecessary, and made the last chapter feel cheap almost. Lire is shown 3 months later, with a new friend, having gone to the homecoming dance with Ted (as friends, is claimed), and shows the quickly deteriorating communication between her and Zach/Cal. If anything, this would have been a much better start to a second book, with our trio coming back together again shortly after (maybe with the addition of Lire’s new roommate.) Overall, that extra epilogue added nothing but sadness to my perception of the book, and made the relationship/adventure Lire had with Zach/Cal cheaper in a sense.

“For anyone who has been taught that good equals small and silent, here is my heart with all its ugly tangles and splendid fury.”

Stars (Out of 10): 6.5/10 Stars

Favorite Character: Honestly, this was the kinda book where every character wasn’t necessarily made to be likable, but rather to be interesting.

Spoiler Free: I was so hooked on this book! With so many twists and turns to navigate, and the unique way of the story being told backwards, I could not put this book down! I enjoyed almost every chapter of this novel.

However, with such a positive intro, you may be wondering why this book only has 6.5/10 stars. This is all due to how the book ended, and while I won’t go into too much detail here to avoid spoilers, it honestly was kind of disappointing. There was all this build up and exciting twists and turns that ended up feeling like they went nowhere, and the potential was wasted.

Additionally, another thing to know going into this book is that the writing style is fairly clear cut and simple, and thus the connection you get to the characters, and sometimes the plot, is also that. There are no beautiful words and luxurious phrases to make you think the MC, Jule, is the best person out there. There is simply what happened, occasionally what Jule thinks of it, and that’s about it. This detachment is also enhanced somewhat by the use of third person, since we never seem to be directly controlled by Jule’s thoughts. However, all of this ends up adding to the story, and allows for the reader to create their own opinions and theories about what the hell went down in this novel without the biases of the narrator overshadowing it completely.

Careful! Spoilers beyond this point!

Spoilers: They say the universe will end not with a bang but with a whimper, and I feel that’s the exact idea this book copied.

I was fully planning on giving this book 8 or 9 out of 10 stars until the letdown that was ending. This entire book felt like the continued increase of speed and beat within a song, but then inevitably failed to deliver a proper culmination of all that tension. The book made the events all seem so planned and calculated on Jule’s part, and continued to strengthen this assumption up until chapter 2 or 1. Then, it turns out the entire event was based around a bunch of accidents, from accidentally getting the catering job to accidentally running into Imogen’s mother to even not meaning to kill Imogen. It all felt like a let down after seeing the calculating and often cut throat mind of Jule.

Now I get there is some meaning to be found in this sort of ending, where it is entirely different from what you expected and you end up learning the villain/anti-hero isn’t quite so evil as expected, but I just can’t get over that feeling of disappointment.

However, the reveal of Jule being the girl Imogen used to be forced to hang out with was definitely a nice touch, seeing as she turned into Imogen’s chosen best friend in the end.