It has been an amazing journey but at the same time it broke my heart and I'm sad about some people that we lost in the books. I thought the potential of him and Helene was sweet and I definitely like the idea of them when developed. I’m glad she is still surrounded with kind people too but I would have loved Harper with her as well ! I just couldn’t connect the same way with the other books in this series, especially books 3 and 4, probably because of some tropes that I personally don’t enjoy.

Laia of Serra, now allied with the Blood Shrike, struggles to recover from the loss of the two people most important to her. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.This is one of those books that doesn’t pull its punches with the ending and everything the characters have to do to get to the end and “win” (aka, not everyone miraculously survives) but also was really slow and tough to get through to that ending.

Our team is made up of book lovers who are dedicated to sourcing and providing the best books for kids. But I realized that no matter how many times I reread this series, even when I start memorizing every single line of each and every book, it will still yield the same pain, the same love, the same heartbreak.Plus, like you say, having those moments of peace that allow you to process the moment before moving on. It will rattle you so hard you won't know what to do with your mortal life for the next few days, the next few weeks. What disheartens me is, most of them not receiving the satisfying ending they deserve, after everything that has happened. I actually think a perspective from The Commandant’s POV through the whole series would have brought it to new heights. I reeeealllyy wanted her to have some form of a happy ending and I think Sabaa did the rushed Musa bit to give us readers some comfort.

By the way, I knew the moment Helene tells him to stay away… that wasn’t going to happen, but I expected him to just get badly hurt or gives us a scare.But it came and went in a matter of sentences, and her part in the end battle didn't make much sense either. As Laia, Elias and Helene became battle hardened, shed their innocence and felt the pain of loss, this series matured and became darker with them. Laia and Elias are determined to break into the Empires most secure and dangerous prison to save Laias brother; even if for Elias it means giving up his last chance at freedom.

Yeah, the fast pace just never allowed me to feel like there was enough exploration of the emotions around the moment. Had I been reading this series as the books were being released, this book would've been the disappointment of the year for me. I have to say my heart rate was at a sky high for MULTIPLE reasons, and when I say nobody is safe, I mean nobody is safe.But there was something beneath that emotion when I finished, some small, quiet thing inside me that insisted it breathe: happiness. Then we have the warrior Helene, like if I was in a fight I’d need Helene on my side because she’s such a bad ass! She got hurt so much, and her mother was taken from her, and Keris was forced to listen to her own being tortured to death. Registered office address: Unit 34 Vulcan House Business Centre, Vulcan Road, Leicester, Leicestershire, LE5 3EF.