I recieved an ARC from the author in exchange for a honest review. When I finished Stones of Light last year, the ending left a sour taste in my mouth knowing I would have to wait a whole year to see how the story will end. Pain, grief, and fear are put on full display for our characters as they have to deal with the return of the heralds. Alverax may be the secret weapon to battle the heralds but his whole world just got spun upside down in the aftermath of book 2. Will our characters be up for the challenge? This will be a spoiler free review but I will be touching upon events from the previous novels.
Chrys is once again united with his family and free of the control of the Apogee. Having escaped the Endless Well with Willow and Roshaw, Chrys will need to use his knowlegde of the theoliths in order to defeat the heralds. Chrys may also need to seek an unfriendly alliance to gain as much support as possible. Laurel having been in the care of Alabella after her theolith was destroyed. Once again united with her chromawolf Asher, she plots to take her revenge on Alabella so that the heralds can’t use her powers. United with the crew once agin, Laurel is left with more questions than answers. Finally we have the obsidian threadlight user Alverax. Named the watchlord of Felia, Alverax is tasked with defending the Empress Jisenna from the deadly corespawn. The day is ultimatley saved when the heralds defeat the corespawn but kill the Empress. Now boarding a ship with his friends, Alverax is shocked to discover that his father Roshaw is alive.
The main takeaway I had when closing the last page is “This is how you end a trilogy!” With edge of your seat action and fast pacing, this is sure to be a story all fans of the series will love. I wanted to touch upon the main themes of this concluding volume as I feel that they are done extremely well. This first is the concept of making sacrifices and doing what needs to be done for the greater good. This is a phrase that I see as a reader time and time again but the physical and emotional ramifications of these choices are rarely seen to this degree. Pain will be felt on multiple levels. This also leads into the other theme of freewill. People are defined by the company they keep and the choices they make. The concept of freewill is played with very well in the novel to the point where I wasn’t sure who was calling the shots. The consequences of one wrong choices will have the most devastating effects of everyone around you. Job well done!
I started this series when it first came out over two years ago to its concluding volume about to be released. If you are looking for a fast paced series with morally grey characters and a fun but complex magic system than look no further. I look forward to the next series Zach Argyle will write but until that time, Congratualtions!
Cheers!
Under The Radar SFF Books 