I was kind of sad at how this one ended. In all fairness though, it really couldn't have ended any other way. I would like to see a sequel trilogy to pick up where this one left off. ( )

This was a pretty good trilogy, and different from anything I personally have read before because it has a large focus on orcish culture. I don’t remember reading anything where orcs even had a culture, much less where the reader was given details about it. Orcs have never held any particular interest for me before, but I really liked the way they were presented here.

The angsty romance that annoyed me in the second book didn’t have as much focus this time. It was still there, but I didn’t feel like it overwhelmed the story as much. The story itself held my interest well, and I particularly enjoyed watching the main character learn how to function in the new situation she found herself in. I’m being deliberately vague because I don’t want to spoil the actual story from the previous books.

I did occasionally feel restless while reading, though. The story never had me “on the edge of my seat”, anxious to see what would happen next. I think this is largely because there were prophetic visions in the series, and that usually makes books feel more predictable to me. Even though the visions in this story often didn’t play out exactly in the manner I might have expected, they still gave a general impression of how things would turn out and that reduced some of the suspense for me.

The ending was very bittersweet. I think, if I’d been more invested in certain aspects of the story, I might have been upset by the ending. Instead, I was ok with how things turned out and I thought the ending fit the story well. ( )

The final installment of the trilogy finds Dar alive, but the tenuous alliance formed with Queen Girta to bring peace between orcs and humans is crumbling. Although the black wizard was defeated, he is not dead only changed, and his dark presence is spreading a dark influence at court. Dar's old enemy the Mordant Kol has the queen's ear, and without her presence to guide them, the orcs left to guard the human queen are rudderless.

Nor is Dar's own position secure. Her new role as queen is viewed by some as temporary. They feel she should pass the power back to a true orc, and plot to see her brought down.

As the dark magic grows stronger Dar must discover a way to preserve the orcs and the fragile peace, but the price she pays may be everything she holds dear and even her own life.

Fantastic conclusion. This may never be one of my favorite series, and it doesn't have the typical happy ending, but it's well written and I'm sure I'll find myself re-reading it now and againl ( )

D: I unfortunately must concur with the low opinion of this final book shared by some other members. Let me still say a few positive things about the book, because some people will probably love it regardless. First, Dar is a terrifically imagined and executed character. If she is the reason that you liked the first two books, then this one will not disappoint you. The author does an excellent job of portraying her inner struggles as she tries to avert disaster for her adopted culture.

But I still didn't like the book. I have previously described the author's style as "utilitarian." Howell's writing is very good at getting from plot point A to plot point B, but there's no poetry. This book, an epic tale of the burden of power, would really be enhanced by a more subtle approach. This is most apparent in the author's choice to tell the story from every characters' perspective, including the villains'. Although there are ways to make such an approach work, in this particular book, the omnipresent narration saps the uncertainty from the plot. Furthermore, Howell misses an opportunity to add some depth to the villains. Howell's good guys are very emotionally complex and interesting, but his bad guys are just bad. For a book that in every other way tries to portray a harsh, believable fantasy world, the use of melodramatic arch-villains is disappointing. ( )

http://sfreader.com/Home/BookReview/tabid/55/Default.aspx?book=1199 ( )