Who was I kidding? I totally finished the pack of chips. Okay to get that random reference, please see my review of book two. Basically I dove straight into this book after the last one because holy cliffhanger, Batman! Anyway, last books in series can be tricky because they have the potential to make or break the entire thing, and so I was understandably apprehensive. Happy to report that I was extremely satisfied with what I found. Both the romance and the action reached a crescendo in this installment and I was here for it.

We are so used to seeing physically formidable heroines in YA fantasy, but I cannot stress enough how wonderful it is to see someone like Kestrel who relies primarily on her smarts and her strategic brain to win her battles, her mind her sharpest weapon. Even after all the horrors she had to face. It also helps that she won’t hesitate to make some hard choices along the way. It’s even more heartening to see her grow and learn accountability along the way, and to see that she truly understands the weight and consequences of her choices. It’s also nice to see our boy Arin get with the program, even if he’s still a sweet little Simp sometimes. His devotion to Kestrel gets me all melty when I think of it. As fascinating as they both are, Roshar might be the most interesting, and possibly my favorite character of the last two books, his layers many and inviting you to dig further. Also he’s gosh darn funny.

You can feel the research that went into this book, with the tense and complex war maneuvers the author describes in detail, as well as the implications of each strategy. Her writing is beautiful, even as she’s describing war and pain and injuries and the heavy cost of it all. Most of the book is some form of war and battle, but it neither felt slow nor rushed, and the conclusion felt satisfyingly tied up.