Whatever the subtle romance or spark that was there before, it all turned into something cheesy so much so that I just couldn't bear it. God, why?! I mean I get it if Sabaa Tahir needs extra time to make it the best finale it can be, but I don't think I can survive a wait that long 😞 I hate nothing more to say. I am so disappointed in this book, and I truly think if it wasn’t for this I would have loved this series a lot.

Until A Sky Beyond the Storm, despite several shortcomings, the plot kept me anchored to the series: It was interesting, fast-paced, eventful, full of twists, and often felt like an emotional roller coaster ride. There was never a dull moment. So, one would not expect it to change at the final book. Unfortunately, that's exactly what happens with this one. The main twists introduced here are not at all in harmony with rest of the series, making everything too complicated, and the result was -at least for me- one of the most unsatisfying endings I've ever come across. IV: Laia K eris Veturia is in Marinn and she is just yards from me. How? I want to scream. Only days ago, Musa’s wights reported that she was in Serra. But what does that matter when Keris can call on the Nightbringer? He must have ridden the winds and brought her to Adisa. My pulse pounds in my ears, but I force myself to breathe. The Commandant’s presence complicates matters. But I must still get Nikla out of the throne room and to her apartments. The Scholars and Martials in Delphinium have few weapons, little food, and no allies. If Nikla does not hear what the Blood Shrike has to say, any hope of aid is lost. Silently, I weave across the floor until Nikla and Keris come into view. The Mariner princess is poker-straight upon her father’s massive driftwood throne, her face in shadow. Her burgundy dress is cinched tight about her waist and pools on the floor like blood. Two guards keep watch behind the throne, with four more on either side. The Commandant stands before Nikla in her ceremonial armor. She carries no weapons, wears no crown. But she does not need them. Keris’s power has always lain in her cunning and her violence. Her skin gleams silver at her nape, for she wears the living metal shirt she stole from the Blood Shrike. I marvel at her size—she is a half foot shorter than me. Even after all the misery she’s caused, one could see her from afar and think that she’s a young, harmless girl. As I inch closer, the shadows on Nikla’s face shift and seethe. Ghuls, feasting on the crown princess’s pain, swirling around her in an unholy halo that she cannot see. “—cannot make a decision,” Keris says. “Perhaps I should speak with your father.” “I will not trouble my father while he is ill,” Nikla says. I’m just going to say it… this book was full of so much Sexual Tension, it was painfully but I loved every single minute of it. I said what I said. But how do you think Sabaa Tahir was able to create such resilient characters? Fiction is truth, and is derived from truth. Nothing is ever created; it is remade. Sabaa Tahir has encountered a soul as fiery as Laia's, as tough as Helene's, as good and as beautiful as Elias', as soft as Harper's, as enduring as Musa's and Livia's, as determined as Quin's. These people exist, and they are stories that live inside us. They are stories that will always be there, just around the corner of our minds to pull strength from. They will never go away. As long as we remember this story. Well, this is it folks. I give the Ember Quartet recognition for being one of the first series to truly get me interested in fantasy as a genre. It is a sweeping epic, told through many eyes. It is no stranger to tragedy, but is also steeped with many joys.Elias is constantly complaining about his feelings and his role as the Soul Catcher. He was annoying to read about. The themes of this book – and this series really – still resonate throughout this final installment: The potency of memory, the power of love, and the beauty of serving something larger than yourself. The world-building remains as rich as it ever has, as the story switches between the Tribespeople, the Marinn kingdom, Helene’s Empire-in-exile, and several other locations at a rapid clip, allowing us to see the breadth of its scope. The main problem, though, is that the POVs were interchangeable and indistinguishable. Sometimes I would forget whose perspective I was reading. Helene, my poor little angry cinnamon roll, felt like Laia. Elias was as moody as Laia. Laia was good with weapons like Elias and Helene. At 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. Don’t even get me started on the final battle scene, because that was an utter mess, which I will talk about later.

Okay, time to go and break something because this one is bringing out the monster in me as I so wanted to destroy this one and wanted another version of this book 🤦 Sorry, dear pillows, bear my silent mind screaming 😌I like the lead female characters but I do not appreciate the tone they were using describing men. If it happened with the guys talking about women the same way (talk stereotypes!), there would have been more problems I guess. With that, he closes his eyes, but I cannot sleep. I stare up at the peak of the tent and listen to the rain drum down on the canvas. Emifal Firdaant, I beg the skies. Emifal Firdaant.”