immediate thoughts: amazing vibes as usual from heathers writing. i love the growing cast of characters. there’s a lot going on here!! i don’t mind the increase in action, but i do wish that the action didn’t eclipse some other things at times - mainly emily’s hesitations and concerns about her new life, especially the stuff about wendell being different, which was never truly resolved on the page. 

review: (thank you netgalley and del rey for the eARC :D)
I love this world that Heather Fawcett has created so much it was difficult to come to terms with this being the final installment. I really enjoyed getting to see Emily (and Wendell) in a new environment as they take on new foes and explore new lands. This book balances Emily working on her own and accepting help from her growing group of friends and family, which was fun to read! We also get to see some glimpses of Poe and Snowbell, who are delightful as always. I adore Shadow and Orga, who got tons of great (and tearjerking) moments throughout. I adore Emily and thought this book's insight into her fears and motivations was fascinating, if not as deep as I'd have liked. And Bambleby is amazing and delightful and odd as usual. I love their relationship and banter.

This one is definitely a lot more plot-heavy and tense than the previous two books, which takes away a bit of the cozy vibes I've come to expect from Fawcett, as well as the character-focused time I love to have. I finished the book feeling a little unsatisfied - one extra chapter for Em and Bambleby to talk privately about her concerns of him changing and her being a queen as well as just to resolve some more of the tension would have done wonders for me as a reader. Otherwise, I had a great reading experience and wish there were 10 more of these books to wrap myself up in.