This book was almost one thousand pages and I still wish it had been longer. While a great deal happened and the important loose ends were tied up there was still so much more that I wanted. But overall, it was everything I could have wanted and I especially loved the very last sentence.
My biggest frustration is over Eyllwe. After Aelin’s anger and regret over the death of her friend, princess Nehemia, and knowing of Aelin’s desire to protect the Ytger family and their land as a means of honoring her friend, we never really get to go to Eyllwe or meet any of the royal family. We only ever see its shores and hear about what is happening inland and I was a little disappointed in this. Nehemias sacrifice was made with the intention to push Aelin into action so that she could potentially end the war with Erawan, and I was really looking forward to Aelin meeting her parents to express her love and gratitude for what their daughter did.
While the battles sequences were important to the storytelling, the back and forth between the southern army marching towards Orynth, in order to provide much needed aid, and the active massacre occuring, was so incredibly long and exhausting. It made me feel as though the end of the book was rushed because so much text was spent on describing the battles as well as the despair of both those fighting and those trying to reach them on time to save the city. It leaves you wondering what went on in the following weeks as all the main players began to rebuild the city, heal the wounded, and figure out how they were going to rule. I would have enjoyed reading about the aftermath, it would not have been as exciting as the battle sequences but it would have been interesting to me.
Besides all of that, I did enjoy the way the series ended. I was left wanting more, in a good way, but I am happy that the book had a mostly positive ending for the people trying to do right by the world.
Nonfiction and Nonsense 