Beyond the Empire and within it, the threat of war looms ever larger.
The Blood Shrike, Helene Aquilla, is assailed on all sides. Emperor Marcus, haunted by his past, grows increasingly unstable, while the Commandant capitalizes on his madness to bolster her own power. As Helene searches for a way to hold back the approaching darkness, her sister’s life and the lives of all those in the Empire hang in the balance.
Far to the east, Laia of Serra knows the fate of the world lies not in the machinations of the Martial court, but in stopping the Nightbringer. But while hunting for a way to bring him down, Laia faces unexpected threats from those she hoped would aid her, and is drawn into a battle she never thought she’d have to fight.
And in the land between the living and the dead, Elias Veturius has given up his freedom to serve as Soul Catcher. But in doing so, he has vowed himself to an ancient power that will stop at nothing to ensure Elias’s devotion–even at the cost of his humanity.
What can I say about the book that made me stay awake all night because I couldn’t imagine sleeping without knowing what was gonna happen next in the story.
While I assumed that this third book would be much more bleak and hopeless, and there were many dark things that happened, it was also a very interesting book to read and I enjoyed the history of the world so much. We also get to see so much more of the empire as well as the surrounding kingdoms, and it was great to visit all these new places. There is also a lot more political intrigue in this one than I expected along with action, and this was a perfect balance by the author.
I think I can finally say that I’m a total Helene Acquilla fangirl. She may not always be a great strategist, especially when it comes to handling the cunning Commandant; but she is the most loyal person I’ve met in this whole series and her love for her people and her sister was even more pronounced in this book. She definitely is prejudiced towards the Scholars but I can see that changing slowly and I hope she becomes even more formidable in the final book. I also like her bond with Harper and the way he is always protecting her is very admirable. I’ve also really come to like Dex, Faris and Livia a lot and I can’t wait to see much more of them.
Laia and Elias are both trying their best to do their duties and their paths went in directions I did not see coming. They are both their formidable selves but I can see them both individually becoming forces to reckon with in the finale and I hope they can find their way towards each other again.
To conclude, this was an excellent third book and now I realize how much of a wait everyone else must have felt when the books were releasing. I’m lucky I got to binge read the three but now I’m gonna join all the fans in the wait for the finale which I know will be explosive. I’m just scared because Sabaa has promised there will be lots of tears and heartbreak and I don’t know how I’ll ever be ready for that. Let’s wait and watch.
YAY I AM SO GLAD YOU LOVED THIS BOOK!!!!!! This series is one of my absolute FAVOURITES, and unfortunately compared to other books it is quite underrated. So I am always so happy to see other people loving this series. Now you get to wait for the 4th book with us!!!! Wonderful review!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Haha I know right… the wait isn’t gonna be easy but I’m glad I waited till now to binge read it because my wait is less than yours 😜😜😜
And thank you so much for checking out my review 😊😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow! Sahi, your blog looks super cool since the last time I visited. 🙂 Nice work!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ohh that’s so sweet of you. Thank you so much 😊😊😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
OMG YOU’RE FAST!!!!! And such a great review, I’m honesty craving this series more and more. Like I need it because you’re super positive about it!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Haha… I read them all about 10 days ago I think… but yes, I read all 3 in just 3 days, didn’t even sleep one whole night coz I couldn’t put it down…
hope you enjoy it too if you pick them up 😊😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hahahaha omg I could neeeever do that, I’m such an early to bed goer, I don’t ever stay up after eleven or rarely after twelve!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Haha good for you though… definitely good for your health. I hate waking up in the morning but I could go on reading through the night 😂😂😂
LikeLiked by 1 person
hahhahahha understandable lmao!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am happy you loved it! I was disappointed by Elias and Laia here honestly and surprisingly impressed by Helene!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Helène is definitely awesome in this one…
LikeLike
Nice review!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Omg, now I NEED to pick this one up next week!
(www.evelynreads.com)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Haha I hope you like it 😍😍
LikeLiked by 1 person