Kingdom on Fire #3

You can find my reviews of the first book here and the second book here.  I really wanted to do a series review, but I didn’t have time to reread the first two books so I was afraid I wouldn’t do them justice.  There may be spoilers ahead for the first two books, so if you haven’t read them, you might want to stop reading now.  

A Sorrow Fierce and Falling by Jessica Cluess

Publication Date: October 16, 2018

Summary from NetGalley:

It’s time for war.

After suffering terrible losses, Henrietta and Lord Blackwood have led their warriors to Sorrow-Fell, a vast estate where only those invited by a Blackwood may enter–and the ideal place to plan a final assault against the Ancients.

It’s time for a wedding.

Henrietta nervously awaits her marriage to Blackwood, but when the ritual to become his bride reveals a dark secret, she realizes that Sorrow-Fell is not a safe haven; it’s a trap. Convincing the sorcerers of this, however, is not easy. So with Maria, the true chosen one, and Magnus, the young man who once stole her heart, at her side, Henrietta plots a dangerous journey straight into the enemy’s lair. Some will live. Some will die. All will be tested.

In this stunning conclusion to the Kingdom on Fire series, Henrietta must choose between the love from her past, the love from her present, and a love that could define her future. While battles rage, the fate of the kingdom rests on her decision: Will she fall or rise up to become the woman who saves the realm?

It’s time for Henrietta to make her stand.

ARC provided by Random House Children’s via NetGalley for an honest review. 

Confession:

I wasn’t sure how I wanted this series to end, but what happened was just perfect.  This book, like the other two before it, was very hard to put down.  The plot twists and the constant battles kept you turning pages.  The romance was very well done I thought, it really did justice to the idea that you can love more than one person at the same time, just in different ways. 

Henrietta is still a strong character, however she still makes some mistakes that I found hard to believe.  Her relationship with Blackwood was not the best in this book, at times it was unhealthy for both of them.  She needed a bit more back bone to stand up to him earlier when he didn’t support her ideas on how to win the war.  Fortunately, the others around her were willing to listen and work on the goal of getting rid of the ancients.  

Blackwood was interesting in this book.  He got a little bit caught up in not becoming his father, and doing the right thing and to hell what anyone else thought.  Although, I didn’t like him much in the other books, I really despised how he treated Henrietta at one point in this book.  He does redeem himself in the end though.  

Rook, sadly, mostly disappeared in this book.  But when he did finally show up he played a very crucial role.  I was sad about what happened to him in this series.  No one deserved his life, for he was such a sweet and gentle boy.  

Magnus is still my favorite of Nettie’s suitors.  He was funny and kind and genuinely cared for her.  He suffered a lot in this series, and yet he still managed to make those around him happier and stronger.  He ended up being the leader I knew he could be. 

The world that was created for this series is still amazing.  The alternative Victorian England setting was fascinating and the Ancients that were destroying it were very different than anything else I have seen in fantasy.  R’hlem was also quite interesting as the villain of the story.  We get a lot more back story on him and on Henrietta’s family, which was very interesting.  The magical system was unlike anything else, with the three tiers of witch, magician and sorcerer.  They talked a little bit about the origins of the three in this books which was very intriguing.  I would love to see a spin off series on that topic.

A great ending to a wonderful series.  I look forward to seeing more by this author.