In some ways, this is a review of the whole trilogy rather than just this one book. I love Sharon Shinn's world building and characters, and that's true with these books as well, but something about this set just left a bad taste in my mouth, especially in books 1 and 3.

I simply couldn't accept the king and his sons as the preferable victors, I suppose. They enabled and coddled the king's rapist son and had the temerity to EXECUTE (so far as they knew) a woman (and two innocents) for defending herself against him! No matter how much we were told that Jordan is kind and good, he didn't do a damn thing, apparently, to speak out against Jameson or the execution, and I simply couldn't get that out of my head.

And how many of all these things happened because the damned king insisted on marrying a woman who didn't want him in the first place? Guess that apple didn't fall far from the tree.

Basically, it was all interesting world-building, but in the end, I found myself sort of hoping the rebels would win, at least to some extent. Certainly the current regime felt rotten to the core.

I loved the aspect of getting the story from an awakened echo's perspective. One thing that annoyed me was this weird perspective shift, sometimes mid-sentence. Example "Elyssa and her echoes walked out the door and we walked down the hall." So it was Hope's perspective, but also trying to be outside looking at Elyssa. It was jarring when it happened.
I guessed the ending partway through the book. I knew Jordan was going to lose an echo somehow (or Hope would spawn another one - but we also got that with Marguerite, so I'm not surprised Jordan just lost one), I just didn't know quite how. I'm just glad that Shinn didn't try to redeem Elyssa after making us hate her in the first book.

Ahoy there me mateys!  I absolutely love Sharon Shinn and featured her works in me Broadside No. 2.  I finished the Elemental Blessings series, was sad and then Matey Nicole @ bookwyrmknits told me that this YA series existed and of course I had to track it down.  The author's website describes the world of these books as:

In the Kingdom of the Seven Jewels, many of the highest nobles are attended by one or two or three echoes—creatures who look exactly like them, who move with them in perfect synchronicity, but who have no thoughts or volition of their own. Centuries ago during wartime, the echoes were a gift from the triple goddess, who bestowed them as a way to keep nobles safe from constant attempts at assassination. But what if an echo wasn't always exactly as it appeared . . .

I read the three books back to back and enjoyed them.  Just be forewarned about two things:

a) the echoes and how they work make no real sense; and
b) each plot is basically the same: young non-noble girl meets rich noble man, doesn't recognize him, insta-lust ensues, shenanigans ensue, happy ever after.

Now normally both of those things would irk me to no end.  However, this is Sharon Shinn and I love her writing.  Sure things don't make sense and these plots are super problematic but I still enjoy the world building and characters.  Even if even the characters were kinda special snowflakes and things worked out for them rather easily.   The echoes are a concept are fascinating and so I loved reading about them.  Each book focuses on a slightly different aspect of echoes.  Just don't think too hard about them cause inconsistencies abound.  I needed a distraction from life and these worked perfectly for the mood and moment.

This were fun and fluff but I have no urge to own them.  I also got them as part of Kindle Unlimited and so didn't have to pay the absurd ebook price for them.  The concept is both the strongest and weakest part of the book.  These are not her best books (in fact may be her weakest) and I wouldn't recommend them but I am so very glad I read them.

If ye be interested in any of Sharon Shinn's works, I suggest ye hoist those sails and visit her amazing website.  Literally one of the best author websites I have ever seen.  Arrrrr!

Like the other books in this series, this one felt uneven. Shinn's work is always extremely readable and her fantasy worlds are delightfully imaginative. I also enjoyed both Hope and Jordan.

Buuuut Hope is a newborn, so inexperienced and innocent, and the way-too-quick romance felt really wrong as a result. I see why Hope might have a crush on Jordan - he is basically written as the Perfect Prince - but it really feels like Jordan is robbing the cradle here.

I did enjoy the politics and how the larger story unfolded over the course of the trilogy, even if the ending felt a bit forced.

i loved the self-actualization process. wish more of the novel focused on it.

3.5 stars, maybe 4 for entertainment value?

I enjoyed this one a lot more than I anticipated.

The political intrigue was very interesting and we certainly had a unique perspective for this book. I expected to be bored to tears listening to an echo learn about the world but I think it was well managed for the most part.

At the same time, the ease with which Hope navigated her new awareness seemed a bit like lazy writing to me. Everything she'd learned through Elyssa-osmosis seemed very cherry-picked to suit the story, with no real rhyme or reason as to why she attained some things and not others. Still, I think it kept me more engaged as a reader to not be so bogged down in the character development.

The end to the war, though, seemed almost too lazy to excuse. We've spent the last 3 books hearing all about the tensions between provinces, and how everyone is on the cusp of war. Finally it all comes to a head, and we spend only the closing 20% of the last book hearing about it. Not only that, but the actual resolution of tensions comes about through convenient divine intervention. Again - lazy writing.

Overall, I think this trilogy/series had a lot of potential, and I can only wish it had been fulfilled. The characters Shinn gives us are intriguing, and the setting even more so, but the world building definitely fell by the wayside in these novels. Perhaps I'm too accustomed to expansive high fantasy, but I can't help but be a little disappointed.

despite DNFing the second one, I really enjoyed echo in amethyst. some of the events are the same as the first book, however told in a different perspective. I like that these books are linked but I didn't need to finish the second one in order to enjoy this one.

i loved the self-actualization process. wish more of the novel focused on it.