Well.
A LOT HAS HAPPENED PEOPLE.
This book is a hefty one, weighing in at almost 800 pages. We have new characters, new species, new plot twists. And a corker of a final chapter.
One of the major new species is the Thunderbird, a race so powerful and dangerous that the people in charge have hunted them to (believed) extinction. It feels like that particular plot thread kind of fizzled out without going anywhere, so I do wonder if they are going to pop up again. And of course we get more shifters, including the dragons. It makes me wonder if there are shifters for every possible animal. Is there a platypus shifter out there?
Therion’s story gets a lot more complicated. In House of Earth and Blood he comes across as a harmless surfer dude. In this book it’s revealed he is all but a sl//ave in the River Queen’s household. I’m not sure jumping to the Viper Queen is a good solution to his problems but I guess if the alternative is being squished like a bug you make do.
The ocean mer, on the other hand, were super cool. I would love to see more of them.
Cormac was a genuine shock and I’m sad we didn’t get to learn more about him and how he came to his choices. I was really bummed at his death, especially given his last interaction with Ruhn made it seem like they had finally buried the hatchet. But I guess at this point he finally knew for sure that Sofia was dead, and if they were mates that meant he didn’t feel like he had a lot to be sticking round for.
I had a lot of theories about Day. I thought she was maybe Hypaxia at first, which would have been funny given that she was also his arranged marriage. Then I thought maybe she was Celestina and when the relationship between Hypaxia and Celestina was revealed I was hoping they would end up with a triad when everything shook out. I mean, even his dad would probably be fine with it. (It does make we worry about how many secrets Hypaxia knows. I don’t think she would betray them on purpose, but by accident? It could happen.)
I did not see the big reveal about the Hind coming. At all.
On the other hand, the reveal that the Asteri are the bad guys and that the war with Hel is ongoing wasn’t really terribly shocking after everything we have already found out about them.
The final reveal of where Bryce landed when she went through the portal – I was NOT expecting that. I now get why everybody says to read ACOTAR first. And I’m genuinely intrigued but how the worlds are going to be revealed as different. (Certainly Anwen in her angel form was a LOT different from the angels in Midguard.)
And a thought I had just I was closing the book – Bryce is gone to another world. Nobody knows if she’s alive or if she’ll be back. They’re all going to be worried about her
But also? Juniper is going to feel terrible.