Lightbringer is the conclusion to the Empirium Trilogy. It picks up right where Kingsbane left off, with Rielle having left Audric after their wedding night and Eliana being blind-sighted by Simon and captured by the Empire. Eliana is betrayed, heartbroken, and stubborn as Corien tries to force her to use her powers to go back in time to bring Rielle to the present before her demise. Meanwhile, back in time, Rielle faces her own struggles with trusting Corien and keeping her powers under control. Will Eliana be able to hold off Corien's mind games and torture or will he succeed in bringing back what could be the ultimate destruction of the known world?

To me, this was a very satisfying ending to the series. The torture that Corien put Eliana through that was echoed in what he had done to Rielle in the past was uncomfortable and manipulative, and it helped to emphasize the influence that Corien had on them. To me it felt as though there were parallels to emotional abusive relationships, and the way that Rielle kept going back to Corien even after she tried to escape from him was heartbreaking, and made me want so much more for her. It was interesting to see the differences between Rielle and Eliana in these instances, because Rielle pulled out of it and told Corien if he tried fogging her brain that she would kill him, while Eliana suffered the torture without being able to threaten her powers on him, but did it to save the world she knew. Eliana seemed to have a stronger confidence in herself than Rielle throughout the whole series, and it was only emphasized in Lightbringer. I understood Rielle's hesitance because she wanted people to love her and the deck was stacked against her because of the prophecy and overall way of the times, which was countered by the immense power she had. In Eliana's time, she came from being a nobody, someone who was the Dread of Orline, and became someone that others believed in, also because of the prophecy, but also because of what the past had done to Rielle. The multitude of effects that the past has on the future was clear in this story, and only enhanced with how things played out.

To avoid any real spoilers, I'm just going to say that I was completely satisfied with the ending, and it wasn't what I had expected at all. I'd be lying if I said it didn't rip my heart out and I shed quite a few tears, but those are the best kinds of endings, right? I felt a little lost after finishing this book, which to me always says that it left an impression if I felt for the characters and feel a sense of loss when it's over. I would definitely recommend this series for fans of YA fantasy with elemental magic and dueling timelines that intertwine.