The long-imprisoned jinn are on the attack, wreaking bloody havoc in villages and cities alike. But for the Nightbringer, vengeance on his human foes is just the beginning.
By his side, Commandant Keris Veturia declares herself Empress and calls for the heads of any and all who defy her rule. At the top of the list? The Blood Shrike and her remaining family.
Laia of Serra, now allied with the Blood Shrike, struggles to recover from the loss of the two people most important to her. Determined to stop the approaching apocalypse, she throws herself in to the destruction of the Nightbringer. In the process, she awakens an ancient power that could lead to her victory- or to an unimaginable doom.
And deep in the Waiting Place, the Soul Catcher seeks only to forget the life- and love- he left behind. Yet doing so means ignoring the trail of murder left by the Nightbringer and his jinn. To uphold his oath and protect the human world from the supernatural, the Soul Catcher must look beyond the borders of his own land. He must take on a mission that could save- or destroy- all that he knows.
Loved
- *** Just a disclaimer- this will NOT contain any spoilers related to this fourth book, but may contain information learned in the other three books of the series!***
- OH MY GOODNESS. What is there not to love about this book? I don't know where to even start raving about it because it was so devastating and heart wrenching and just perfect. My heart is still recovering!
- The character development. I've talked about this in my reviews of the other books in this series, but for me what separates this series from other YA fantasies is the phenomenal character development throughout the series. Not only do the three main characters stretch, grow, and overcome, but the secondary characters and the villains do some stretching, growing, and paradigm-shifting- which is SO COOL. I seriously love every single character just for how much they change and develop over the series.
- Elias. Okay I've got a massive book crush on this guy. We've all loved him from the beginning, and that's why his journey in Reaper and Storm is so painful, but so riveting! As Soul Catcher he is so frustrating with his stoic stubbornness, but watching him reconcile his sense of duty with where his heart leads him is fascinating and makes us love him even more. His battle between Soul Catcher and Elias gave this story a complexity and depth that keeps us dying to know how his journey ends and rooting for Laia as she stubbornly fights to hold on to the Elias she knows still exists.
- Helene. Throughout the series I haven't necessarily loved Helene's personality or the decisions she makes, but she is definitely the most interesting character in this series because she is so complex and brutal. But in this last book she is at her most lovable because she grows into her role as Blood Shrike while *finally* letting herself love and be led by her heart instead of her sense of honor and revenge. Over and over again she blows us away with her strength and resiliency, even when she is met with constant tragedy and heartbreak.
- Laia. Throughout the rest of the series I've liked Laia, but haven't completely loved her character. But in this book she becomes a wise, fearless, and loving leader who is able to make difficult decisions and guide her people effectively. Laia's ability to love fiercely shines over and over again in this last book, enabling her to save so many people. I loved having a heroine whose capacity for love is her ultimate weapon, not her ability to fight, outwit, or command (which she definitely wrecks everyone at these things too ;)
- The crew. One of my favorite tropes in books is having a crew who teases and provokes each other, but also defends and supports each other through everything. In this last book we have the whole crew together, which results in fun banter, unlikely friendships, and heartfelt advice. Every time Laia and Helene joked, did each other's hair, or fought together my heart just warmed :)
- The details. Sabaa Tahir is a truly a kehanni, or master storyteller. She has the ability to give us tiny details and clues that are obvious in hindsight, but shocking when revealed in a plot twist or revelation. This ending did not disappoint in tying up loose ends, combining all the history and magic learned about in the other books, and fulfilling prophecies given throughout the series. This is a complex world, and Tahir did a fabulous job of tying together all the elements and clues throughout the series into a beautiful and heart-wrenching climax.
Didn't Love
- My only complaint is that my heart will never be the same and might possibly be broken forever because of this story, but it was wonderful and beautiful and perfect ;)
Content
Content
- Language:
- Fairly frequent uses of "a**," "damn," and "whore."
- Frequent uses of "Bit**."
- Very frequent uses of the phrase "ten hells," or "bleeding hells."
- Very frequent uses of "bleeding" or "bloody."
- Sexual content:
- There is a quite a bit more sexual content in this story than in the other books.
- Various kisses between male and female- described as his hands on her hips, kissing each other's necks, her biting his lip. One of these kisses happens when the female is wearing only a shift that is way too small for her, showing off her curves.
- A male and female undress in the baths and kiss in the pool- her legs wrapped around his waist, describes their hands and lips exploring everywhere. Implied sex. Later talks about her drinking tea to keep her from becoming pregnant.
- References to this same couple stealing moments to kiss, undress, and share each other's beds.
- A male and female have one sex scene- described as undressing each other, kissing all over each other's bodies, running hands over each other. Also described as "she takes my hand, moving it to the sweetest part of her body . . . she rocks above me, loses herself in pleasure." Then intercourse described as "her hooking her leg around my hips and pulling me toward her until it is not her moving, nor me, but us. . . she loses herself in the movement of our bodies, to that ancient alchemy melding the agony of desire with the ecstasy of desire with the ecstasy of fulfillment . . . her body arches into me, as we move together toward the same place, that ineffable crossroads of pain and pleasure, together as one at last" (pgs. 420-421).
- References to brothels. One character describes her past "trysts"- one at a brothel, one continuous relationship with a boy in her class who was "way more experienced than she was."
- Violence:
- As in the other books, we've got a LOT of violence in this book.
- Injuries/deaths from throat slashings, stabbings, and arrow piercings are a regular occurrence and happen in nearly every chapter.
- A battle scene where people are executed by being throw off a cliff. Realization that some of these people are still alive, but cannot be saved. Others revolt and many are killed by stabbing, shooting, and getting beheaded. A leader of a cult is beheaded and his head is held up as a victory.
- References to human sacrifice- small children being raised for sacrifice, and women being burned alive.
- A character watches her sister's throat be cut open and she dies.
- Many cities are taken and tens of thousands of people die by being stabbed, shot with arrows, or burned. The villains watch the cities burn and revel in hearing the screams of the victims and seeing their blood and corpses.
- A character watches a villain kill children who are in the path. Also watches soldiers cut down prisoners who were set free. She holds a small boy as he dies from being stabbed.
- There is a huge battle at the end of the story where thousands are killed by stabbing, throat slashing, arrows, knives, getting beheaded, and a cyclone. Some secondary characters die from being stabbed and having their neck broken.
- Other themes:
- There is a place called the Waiting Place, where souls wait to pass on to the next life. Some souls are disturbed and angry at their deaths and they cannot move on. One character must coax some characters to move on to the next life and help them make peace with their deaths.
- LGBTQ: A secondary male character has a secret relationship with a man.
- Fairly frequent uses of "a**," "damn," and "whore."
- Frequent uses of "Bit**."
- Very frequent uses of the phrase "ten hells," or "bleeding hells."
- Very frequent uses of "bleeding" or "bloody."
- There is a quite a bit more sexual content in this story than in the other books.
- Various kisses between male and female- described as his hands on her hips, kissing each other's necks, her biting his lip. One of these kisses happens when the female is wearing only a shift that is way too small for her, showing off her curves.
- A male and female undress in the baths and kiss in the pool- her legs wrapped around his waist, describes their hands and lips exploring everywhere. Implied sex. Later talks about her drinking tea to keep her from becoming pregnant.
- References to this same couple stealing moments to kiss, undress, and share each other's beds.
- A male and female have one sex scene- described as undressing each other, kissing all over each other's bodies, running hands over each other. Also described as "she takes my hand, moving it to the sweetest part of her body . . . she rocks above me, loses herself in pleasure." Then intercourse described as "her hooking her leg around my hips and pulling me toward her until it is not her moving, nor me, but us. . . she loses herself in the movement of our bodies, to that ancient alchemy melding the agony of desire with the ecstasy of desire with the ecstasy of fulfillment . . . her body arches into me, as we move together toward the same place, that ineffable crossroads of pain and pleasure, together as one at last" (pgs. 420-421).
- References to brothels. One character describes her past "trysts"- one at a brothel, one continuous relationship with a boy in her class who was "way more experienced than she was."
- As in the other books, we've got a LOT of violence in this book.
- Injuries/deaths from throat slashings, stabbings, and arrow piercings are a regular occurrence and happen in nearly every chapter.
- A battle scene where people are executed by being throw off a cliff. Realization that some of these people are still alive, but cannot be saved. Others revolt and many are killed by stabbing, shooting, and getting beheaded. A leader of a cult is beheaded and his head is held up as a victory.
- References to human sacrifice- small children being raised for sacrifice, and women being burned alive.
- A character watches her sister's throat be cut open and she dies.
- Many cities are taken and tens of thousands of people die by being stabbed, shot with arrows, or burned. The villains watch the cities burn and revel in hearing the screams of the victims and seeing their blood and corpses.
- A character watches a villain kill children who are in the path. Also watches soldiers cut down prisoners who were set free. She holds a small boy as he dies from being stabbed.
- There is a huge battle at the end of the story where thousands are killed by stabbing, throat slashing, arrows, knives, getting beheaded, and a cyclone. Some secondary characters die from being stabbed and having their neck broken.
- There is a place called the Waiting Place, where souls wait to pass on to the next life. Some souls are disturbed and angry at their deaths and they cannot move on. One character must coax some characters to move on to the next life and help them make peace with their deaths.
- LGBTQ: A secondary male character has a secret relationship with a man.
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