“Once upon a time, an angel and a devil pressed their hands to their hearts and started the apocalypse.”
(As always, this is a review of the last in a series, so anything I mention might in some ways be a spoiler for the first two books. Read on at your own peril!)
The stories of Karou and Akiva, chimera and seraphim, Earth and Eratz, have spun through two novels already – Daughter of Smoke and Bone and Days of Blood and Starlight. In this final part of the trilogy, we get our answers, as well as some further players: what are Akiva’s long-lost relatives, the Stelians, capable of? And who is the mysterious Eliza, plagued by nightmares and terrified of being found?
I had an odd time reading this book. With other things on the go, I wondered more than a few times if I’d lost interest, but every time I picked it up I was sucked back into the story. As soon as I put it down, though, I wasn’t quite so fussed. Not sure what I make of this! I am, however, very glad to have finished this – any! – series, given my awful habit of ‘having a little break’ and forgetting what previously happened!
As in the previous books, I have to say that the teen-ish romance bits didn’t do a great deal for me, although somehow things felt better handled here. To begin with I was a little irritated by the addition of new elements this far into events – things like Eliza, whoever she might be – but they are worked into the story very well and everything pulls together excellently by the end.
Likewise, I also felt – although it worked out very well by the end! – that we had an ending to the bulk of the main plot two thirds of the way through this. The remaining threads, however, had been woven lightly through the rest, so it wasn’t entirely disjointed. Still, it was a little… something?
Regardless, I’d certainly recommend the series if it sounds at all like your cup of tea, as I enjoyed reading it a great deal. Some of the ideas are very cool, and I hope will stick with me; the writing is strong; I perhaps just wasn’t a fan of the romance angle (which was rather half the point!).
Hardback: 613 pages / 86 chapters
First published: 2014
Series: Daughter of Smoke and Bone book 3 (of 3)
Read from 31st July – 9th September 2018
My rating: 7.5/10
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