I cannot express to you how glad I am that this series is over. Like I said when I first read TNAIM, there was a lot of potential initially, but unfortunately, Piper continued to disappoint with every plot twist. Book 3 ends off with Nox & her pals killing Millicent, aka the Hand and the Hammer, who I totally almost just called Pollux. And Amaris and her pals are over killing Queen Moiroi. Who we still have no answers about, btw. I think it’s kind of ridiculous that if you want to know what is up with that whole business, you have to buy a special edition of this book just to read a 100-page novella explaining it when it could’ve been explained in the actual book, but whatever.
The first 100 pages involve Nox dream walking back and forth between everyone and explaining to them all what happened in the last book. Then she has dream sex with Malik. I hated it. Ash and Tanith also bone, it’s also awful. I will say that Piper’s writing has improved a bit. Unfortunately, this was still a slog, especially towards the end, but it was far easier to get through than the last three books. After all the dream conversations and sex, they make the decision to travel to Sulgrave to try and forge peace with them or something despite the fact that Tanith was sent to their continent from Sulgrave to genocide anyone with human/faerie blood. I think it was kind of incredibly stupid to have that knowledge and then decide to make a journey across the Frozen Straits where many people are known to die with next to no supplies but more on that later.
Before they cross the Straits, they decide someone needs to be left behind to rule over Aubade(but not Ceres’ kingdom?). So, who do they choose? Fucking Malik. Despite the fact that Malik is a reever and is meant to be like a witcher and play no part in the king’s wars, etc. But it’s fine because his girlfriend asked him to do it. So, if you’re a Malik fan, I’m sorry to tell you that he gets shelved for 85% of this book. He’s left behind while everyone else goes to Sulgrave and only shows up for a few dream convos with Nox. I skimmed the last three chapters, so I don’t know if he even shows up then. But he definitely wasn’t even there for the final battle…speaking of, there WAS NO FINAL BATTLE. Personally, I think it was dumb as hell to have Nox herself go to Sulgrave especially when she only just conquered these kingdoms and hasn’t even had an official coronation or established her power in either place. Like she basically pulled a khaleesi and was like okay you’re free from your evil leader now…but I’m going to peace out before I can do anything to help improve your lives. Good luck! This is my friend Malik, he has no idea how to run a kingdom either but don’t worry guys, I’m sure you’ll be fine. I’m gonna go cross a treacherous frozen landscape even though I’m the only heir to these thrones and hope that I survive!! stupid as fuck lmao.
There’s a point where Tanith uses her demon-controlling ability to summon a bunch of harpies to spread the word of…something. And that’s all they do. They never show up again. Also, the northern lights show up, which made me LOL because she keeps just cherry-picking things from other mythologies and tossing them into her fictional world. The northern lights, or aurora borealis, are named that because they were named after the Greek god of the north wind, Borealis and the Roman goddess of the dawn, Aurora. Like, plz, Piper. This would be fine, but this is set in a world where there is literally only one religion, and that’s the All-Mother, so where are we getting these names from? There are mentions of old gods, but they’re never expounded upon. I would love it if she somehow told us a backstory where this used to be our world, but something happened to make it so there’s only the religion of the All-Mother or something, idk. If Sulgrave managed to cut itself off from the rest of the continent why do they all have the same religion?? It doesn’t make sense.
I do like that some things from the older books are making a comeback, like the teleporting carriage the Madame had. (I still want to punch Amaris for being like, ‘Oh, this belonged to the lady who wanted to buy me,’ and then thinks nothing of Nox, as usual. Oh, it’s not like she had to go in your place and be forced into sex slavery or anything, aha) I was initially pumped that they were going to go back to the university(also big LOL there’s only one university in the entire continent. apparently very few people get educated in this universe….which makes sense considering they’re all so dumb) to get the greenstrike blood to help Tanith(another thing that is hardly explained or utilized) but that was the world’s biggest disappointment just like the university plot was in book 2. Amaris went there, overreacted when Gad said they were just fight pals, broke into the room of prophecies from HP, and then magically healed Gadriel’s broken wings, and ran away. It was all just convenience for the plot. It seemed entirely useless. If they’d actually done something of note there, this plot would be so much more exciting, too. I was initially excited to see the potential drama of Amaris and Gadriel returning there, but we didn’t even get that. Instead, Yazlyn goes to negotiate with the university while Amaris and Gadriel make out in the forest. It felt like a complete letdown for some actual interesting tension. Then after this, the three of them have to travel across the frozen straits to meet up with the others in some mysteriously hidden boat. Amaris has to be carried by Gadriel and because he has a magic body-warming ability, they’re relatively comfortable while poor Yazlyn is just SUFFERING. I do understand why she’s so miserable and won’t stop complaining but Piper really has a talent for writing dialogue in the whiniest, most annoying way possible. All I wanted was for Yazlyn to stfu even though I completely get why she’s so angry.
Eventually, they make it to the boat. Gadriel tells Amaris that Nox getting sold into sex slavery is not her fault. I mean…I’m gonna be real, I disagree. While Amaris may not have used her compulsion on Nox to force her to wait, she *did* tell Nox to wait for her and gave her the expectation that she would come back for her only to abandon her at the first chance and not even think once about going back for her. Nox could’ve been waiting out there for just a few minutes longer before she was caught and sold to the brothel. So, it’s still Amaris’ fault. And it’s Amaris’ fault for being so self-centered that she never once thought about what might’ve happened to Nox or about getting back to her. If she did think that Nox had escaped, why wouldn’t she ever once think about where Nox was? What she was doing? If she was looking for Amaris? You can’t convince me Amaris doesn’t suck, Piper, I’m sorry.
So they travel for like two weeks on this frozen lake on a skiff on skates. It’s boring and it sucks, for them and for me. There’s a monster hunting them that only Amaris can see. The part when they dance under the northern lights was hilarious because it says they dance like the man who first discovered fire, so I imagine them all dancing like cavemen. Then their ship gets broken, and they use all their convenient powers to fix the boat(just realized that Malik was likely left behind because he has no powers), and the monster attacks. It’s called an aboriou but I literally kept reading ‘an abortion’. Amaris tells everyone to fly away so she can face the abortion and she’s all like ‘oh no I have no weapons’ apparently forgetting she has a shock wave scream. Gadriel almost drops Ash so he has to set him down and readjust his grip which draws the abortion’s attention and Amaris just keeps flailing her arms like an insignificant ant trying to get the abortion’s attention, apparently forgetting she has a ***shock wave scream*** Don’t worry though, she remembers it as soon as Yazlyn gets swatted out of the sky like a fly and Tamlin almost gets eaten. She can apparently punch shock waves into the ground now? I don’t remember her learning that ability but okay. She beats up the monster, Tamlin tames it with her demon controlling ability?(they literally said the abortion isn’t a demon it’s an animal, but okay) and then nox befriends it by giving it all of their food supply. So. Great ruling there nox.
They get to sulgrave and everyone is shocked when Tamlin turns out to actually be a criminal. They get taken to some Diplomatic hall and talk to these people who are in charge of different territories and they all have special color-coded outfits. Nox and Amaris finally bone, and they have magic communicating flowers in their room that have no on or off button so the poor guy at the front desk probably has to sit there and listen to them boning.
I need to take a second to mention how uncomfortable the polycule in this story makes me. There’s Amaris who’s apparently in love with Nox, who is also getting head from Malik on the side who is also kind of Amaris’ brother. And then Amaris is in a weird uncomfy BDSM relationship with Gadriel who is also Nox’s cousin. Amaris is the immaculately conceived child of the goddess who was made based on a prayer from Daphne, Nox’s mom—and Nox’s dad, Ceres even says that Amaris is kind of like his daughter. So it’s like…one big weird incest square almost, and I don’t like it. I want poly rep but…not like this lmfao. This makes me uncomfy. Not to mention how Gad literally tells Amaris that he owns her and she belongs to Nox so Amaris is in this really toxic throuple where she’s being shared by two cousins who own her??? Not to mention the super bizarre obsession with Amaris losing her virginity.
The relationship between Yazlyn and Ryu came out of nowhere. They shared a sort of look that’s supposed to suggest they’re interested in one another and then suddenly like idk a hundred or so pages later we get a POV from Yazlyn where she’s talking about how into Ryu she is and how great their first date was but we missed all of that which I find a huge bummer. For a story that was advertised as a bisexual fantasy I was really expecting to get to read about some actual romantic relationship building between two women. There is honestly none in this series whatsoever. Yes, I know the two lead women are meant to be in love and the main couple of the books but they spent 3/4 books apart and in this one they barely talk. We got more from the relationship between Gadriel and Amaris than any other couple. I can’t relate or empathize to any of these relationships because I didn’t get to experience them blossom at all. It’s just suddenly slapped on the page like oh btw, they’re together and deeply in love now! Am I supposed to be happy for Yazlyn that she’s staying behind with Ryu? How can I be when I don’t understand why? I never saw any of the things that convinced her to stay.
Ash risks it all to save Tanith which is the dumbest subplot to me. You cannot make me believe that Ash and Tanith really love each other I’m sorry but you can’t. Ash goes to Tanith’s church to try to like cajole them into releasing Tanith and he’s like ‘she should be proud of me I went to her church for her!’ Like…her church that wants to genocide you but yeah! I will never buy that these two are genuinely in love. Trauma bonded? Okay, maybe. But Tanith literally has changed zero of her opinions about half-faeries, which her boyfriend Ash happens to be. Sorry, but no.
I don’t know how it went from Ash asking the church if he could see Tanith to everyone getting arrested but somehow that happens, and everyone blames Ash. I really wish there would’ve been more time delving into the church and how it was a cult and shit but…it’s not that at all. In fact, it’s written in a way that basically makes no one culpable of their shitty racist thoughts. More on that soon…
Meanwhile while everyone is imprisoned by the genocidal church, Gad and Amaris go on a hike up to the winged part of Sulgrave to visit Gad’s parents. The winged fae are called seraphim and are described as dove-winged which confused the shit out of me because don’t Gad and Yazlyn have black feathered wings? Are seraphim specifically white winged? If Gad’s parents are seraphim then why does he have black wings? Also seraphim–another thing cherry picked from yet another religion. really using that folklore degree for good, piper. Anyway, they get to his parents house and they’re not home so Gad immediately is like oh we have a house to ourselves and I can smell that you’re no longer a virgin so let’s fuck(ew)! Amaris is like….I don’t really want to but since I know Gad doesn’t take no for an answer I’ll have to use my safe word but…I’m not gonna do that…instead I’m going to literally fight for my life and make this man best me in battle before we’re allowed to fuck. Then precedes some incredibly rapey quotes.
*her gasps of protest and pressing hands were mere signs of encouragement to the predatory male.*
*For months, he’d stopped her advances. For months, she’d tried and failed to lure him into exactly this moment. The message was clear. This was not her choice; it was his.*
Meanwhile, this man is literally beating her up and tying her up not accepting any protests unless they’re accompanied by the word snowbird. I know she was trying to do like some kind of mr and MRS SMITH sexy fight scene but the reason that scene worked is because they’re two people who were in love that were genuinely trying to murder one another. This reads as one person very convincingly trying to get away while the other refuses to let them. Oh and then also when they finally do bone THERE’S NO FOREPLAY. HE JUST GOES STRAIGHT FOR PENETRATION. But the orgasm was so good that her sonic scream shattered all the windows.
I won’t lie I kind of blacked out most of what happened after this because it was so boring. Somehow Amaris & Gadriel team up with Ryu and some other people from Sulgrave to go rescue everyone. I don’t remember how they got Tanith out but she somehow helps Amaris and Gadriel. Nox does exactly what Amaris did in book one when she called out Moiroi for casting an illusion and calls Daifa out in front of everyone for implanting memories which is why everyone was a racist. Daifa’s response is oh well you’re just a liar and a false queen. Now everyone is fighting. Somehow the abortion showed up to help out too. Nox literally kills Daifa in a fucking dream and that’s it.
Oh, there’s a part where they fight the church, one of them telekinetically throws a lot of swords and shit at Tanith and Ash dives in front of the swords to save her but somehow not a single one pierced Tanith(that’s not how that would work at all but okay piper, whatever you say). So I’m just imagining the tips of all these swords just embedded in him hahaha. Anyway, Ash dies sacrificing himself for the nazi girlfriend who wanted to genocide him and then gets turned into a fucking GOLD COIN and is never mentioned again. my god.
The main bad guy is never killed because apparently this is mean to lead into the Villains prequel but…This book feels like it’s the start of a new series, but it’s supposed to be the finale of this series yet it’s got an open-ending to lead into the prequel series of the villains. Which again, if it’s a prequel series it takes place before this series so why did this series need an open-ending unless of course, there’s going to be sequel series to this which if there is I am going to shoot myself. I’m begging you Piper, let Amaris die. She sucks.
So this book is weird to me because we defeated the big bad in the last book and now there’s a new big bad in this book who never gets defeated so…I’m confused. Like how would this series be finished then. I feel like she’s going to magically be like HAHA SIKE ITS NOT OVER THERES FOUR MORE BOOKS COMING OUT.
Oh, I do want to mention to any of you who’ve been purchasing the character art of Malik that that shit is traced. Look up the Entertainment Weekly cover of Charlie Hunnam when he was promoting King Arthur. The wrinkles on his shirt, the sword hilt, the placement of his fingers, the wounds on his arms. All of that is traced with a disproportionate head of like Liam Hemsworth slapped on top. Do with that information what you will. ¯\\\_(ツ)\_/¯
And that’s all I have to say. Goodbye.
by Live-Needleworker-60