If there was a way to rate this book more than 5 stars, I would do it. To think that this series could get any better after such a brilliant sequel, the Hanged Man. K.D. Edwards does not disappoint, with every newest addition to this series, I learn more and more about the characters and I'm left thinking wow. I never saw this plot twist coming. My expectations continued to be exceeded as I was flown through such a whirlwind of an experience. Full of a beautifully crafted mystery/thriller, Rune and his family are able to face new foes, uncover disgusting truths of their pasts, and give light to a future they fought tooth and nails for. 

To say that I loved this book is the highest compliment because it was honestly still a difficult read, content wise. There are SO MANY moving parts and plots lines that could be explored. A superb magic system, with political intrigue done right and brutal societal conflicts and changes that need to be made from the inside out. Truly this series deserves a nine book in-depth explanation. I love to witness the different versions of Rune and Brand and all their found family members as they grow into better, stronger versions of themselves. 

I love the 2nd generation of Rune's throne as well. 

There was just enough balance of life and death in this book. I am so grateful that the pacing allowed the reader to feel how high stakes this was all while still feeling easy to follow and not rushed. 

Maybe this book is my best book of 2024 because it really entertained me and I had to get through it slowly because of how well-written it was. I started feeling so attached to these little traumatized fictional characters, I cried throughout the chapters reading what they were going through.

I highly recommend this book. I'm so thankful I pushed through and continued to read this story. 

I love this book. I can’t wait for the next book to release

This one was a little hard for me to get into initially. The persistent mentions of the pandemic were one reason: while this is an urban fantasy series, I don’t feel like the story of this type requires this much grounding in reality. Moreover, New Atlantis is such a separate location. While it has humans living alongside magic beings, it’s pretty disconnected from the rest of the world, and its residents have wards, healing spells, rejuvenation technologies, and the ability to use infectious diseases to fuel magic. It just doesn’t make sense they would be affected by the pandemic the same way we were, so it took me out of the story a bit early on. There was also a bit of a disjointed sense to the start. There was the plot with the attack on the rejuvenation clinic and something big and dangerous brewing that Rune was being excluded from, there was the build-up to Rune’s coronation, and for the first few chapters, those felt like separate plots that were distracting from each other.

However, pretty soon the two storylines coalesced into one absolutely glorious, higher-stakes-than-ever whole, and I couldn’t tear myself away from the book. It was an absolutely wild, exciting, and heartbreaking ride. I’m in awe of how well all the time-travel weirdness was executed: just enough of a mindfuck to keep me from getting too confused, with the foreshadowing and reveals balanced just right. So many small plot threads from all over the previous books got continued, all the characters got amazing development, there were scenes that had me outright sobbing as well as banter that had me laughing out loud. 

I very much appreciate how diverse the series is becoming. The author is very much making up for the earlier absence of interesting female characters. And just honestly, all the new and returning members have so much depth, just like all the continuously developing relationships between them! I’m just so in love with everyone in this book, and with how intricately the character arcs and the plot challenges are balanced. It was awesome to get immersed into the Arcana politics, to get to know more about Ciaran, to realize that somewhere along the way I’ve become a fan of Lord Tower (insert a spring of incoherent mega-spoilerific emotions here, because that one plot point, how am I supposed to even live with it, please undo it, arghhhh). Rune, Bran, and Addam continue to be the sunshine of my existence, whether it’s all three of them on the page together or any two of them.

Certain reveals from the past still have me shaking, and so do certain hits at what’s to come in the future. It’s so hard to talk about this book without spoilers, tbh! This entire series is so going on my list of the 2024 best reads. From what I know, the author is still in the process of writing book 4, and I’m wishing him all sorts of success and zero writing block, because I can’t wait. Meanwhile, I guess I’ll go buy the first book from the side series about the younger generation.