This book was a great closing on my journey with Hadrian and Royce. I found myself constantly wanting to continue going to find out if and how they were going to survive. The characters that we lost broke my heart, and yet, due to the knowledge from the Age of the First Empire, I know they will find peace. Honestly, I think Gaunt was perfect I kept wanting someone to punch him in the face, and when it did I was like, do it again lol. But that ending, I do hope I get to see Royce and Hadrian again even if just a short story about their life after this book rebuilding the world.