Hawl was next to leave. “I shall dream of blood and snapping bones,” they said, sounding happier than they had all week. “A satisfying battle.”

4.25⭐ rounded up to 5. What a great ending to a captivating series.

Note: I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for honest feedback.

❤️ Fast pace and high stakes
❤️ Animal companions
❤️ Character and relationship development
❌ Cringey sexual violence
❌ Unnecessary deaths

Trigger Warnings: violence and torture, blood and gore, death, war, public sex, cannibalism, abduction, abuse and death (including of animals and children), trauma, etc. (check the list at the end of the book before you dive in).

Plot:
King Arthur is dead and the war between Pendrath and its neighbouring kingdoms has finally ended. But the world faces an even greater peril, as an old evil is stirring and threatening to destroy everything in its path. Morgan and Draven must choose between staying behind to protect their vulnerable family, rushing to their allies’ aid, or facing the threat head-on.

This book was fast-paced and immersive, with high stakes and great reveals, but no tedious info dumps. It was definitely hard to put down! However, I feel like only one of the character deaths made a lot of sense and drove the plot, while others felt rushed or like they were added for shock value. I also felt like leaving Medra behind without a more decent plan, and making an outsider regent, made no sense whatsoever.

Characters:
No surprises here: the animal companions were my favourite characters, again! I’d seriously read a novella on Hawl and the bearkins. I MEAN, who wouldn’t love a whole book on a snarky, gender-fluid, talking master-chef warrior bear? Sign me up! Odessa was also a nice surprise. I don’t feel like we saw much of her in the previous books, but it was great to get to know her better and I loved her interactions with Medra.

I wasn’t a fan of Morgan throughout the series, but she grew on me in this one. She was a strong, yet flawed character who struggles with self-doubt and contradictions. I loved, loved, loved Draven, but some of his lines made me cringe. I know, I know, the dark romance genre glosses over all kinds of red flags, but I really can’t deal with she-asked-for-it quotes like “If you start this, you should know I won’t be able to stop and I can’t be gentle.” I also found that these additions felt a little forced, uncharacteristic for Draven. Other than that, I really loved Morgan and Draven’s relationship and how it wasn’t always sunshine and rainbows. Just like it’s great for characters to have flaws, I think relationships (especially the main ones) should also face some ups and downs and come out strong. It makes the characters more relatable, and the relationships feel more genuine, believable. The same applies to Morgan/Lancelet, and Crescent/Medra.

Writing:
Well written. Evocative, with vivid descriptions, great atmosphere, and top-quality banter! I’d be curious to read more from Boleyn.

(Ok, maybe it’s just me, or maybe it’s a non-native English speaker thing, but do grown women really use the word “belly” to refer to their midsection? Especially in bed? It sounded weird to me, aha!)

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