Rating: 3 out of 5.

This is a satisfying ending to a good YA Fantasy trilogy. Conrí, former Crown Prince of Oriel, married Queen Euthalia of Calanthe to fulfill the prophecy that would end Emperor Anure’s cruel hold over the empire. But they failed. Con gave it all he had and Lia gave her life – temporarily- but nothing worked.

The couple return to Lia’s island kingdom of Calanthe, which has awakened and wants blood. It is tearing the island up and Lia’s subjects are in mortal danger. Slowly a plan is formed to return to Anure’s fortress, rescue the other royal captives, and kill Anure. This time they must not fail.

This book picks up almost immediately after the last book ends. While I liked this book, there seemed to be something missing. Although their circumstances were dire, I didn’t really feel a sense of urgency. The book focused on Con and Lia almost exclusively, with almost no minor characters making an appearance. The minor characters rounded out the stories in the first two books, and that was missing here. There was also a lot of inner dialogue which started to annoy me. For two commanding characters, there was way too much indecisiveness and angst.

Overall, however, I enjoyed the book and am pleased with the ending. If you want a fun, quick and easy YA Fantasy series to read, I recommend you read this one.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press. All opinions are my own.