Reviews with content warning for Body horror - The Shadowglass

Conclusion to the best series I’ve read in a long long time. It’s a tragedy and you know that from the beginning. You know how it’s going to end because there’s no other way for it to end, really. But it’s deeply satisfying to watch it get there and with the structure of the narrative you can guess at twists without it ruining to reveal for you. Definitely going to be a long term favorite.

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amre23's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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thewildmageslibrary's review against another edition

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5.0

hahaha yeah that hurt😭
The conclusion to this trilogy is peak emotions. Every book in this series just got better than the previous one.

My live spoilery reactions below!

first mention of Kance in the present!
oh snap, the mahogany hua is the one she wears at the beginning!
aww Likh is jealous 😂
hahaha Tea, "to read everything we can get our hands on"
oh the blight is happening!
okay so Zoya and Shadi are still alive, so who's left for Tea to have killed?? Althy??
okay I'm pretty sure the person Tea kills is Daisy, her sister
but wow these elders are hypocrites!!
so the bard is definitely the heir to Drycht, calling it
omg it is Daisy
OMG NOT LIKH!! But he's fighting a battle in the present, so not dead?
and who is the traitor??
haha I like the Yadoshans
Omg drunk Tea is so affectionate 😂 talking about Kalen's...talents
Bullshit Khalad hasn't thought about Likh that way
Okay this mountain test reminds me of Dagobah😂
Wait Kance what do you mean about being a kinslayer??
Which SHE is the traitor?? Omg I need to know, I have no guesses

Okay wait I took a break and had this thought. What if the traitor is the oracle, and she's actually Little Tears?? Or Dancing Wind
Wait no the traitor was dosing them, had to be someone closer

is it Inessa?? or Likh?? "taught to hide"
Khalad KNEW it was Althy??
wait the oracle is DRUJ??
KHALAD AND LIKH HEARTSHARE, MY HEART
NO KALEN!! I mean we knew it would happen but 😭
Fox 😭😭😭
OMG THIS ENDING

okay but going back to my earlier notes: Tea DID kill Althy, so I'm counting that haha
also the oracle WAS a traitor, just not the one Tea meant

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jamielikestoread's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

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caseofspades's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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samusc's review

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This compelling conclusion to The Bone Witch trilogy contained every piece of an iconic, unique fantasy work:

An unapologetic, compassionate, misunderstood heroine faced with difficult choices and trials.
Lovely Queer representation.
Intricate politics, magic, and world-building. I adored the scenes in Yadosha!
Betrayal and twists foreshadowed expertly, yet still surprising.

Rin Chupeco excels at writing multiple complex character relationships within this story, and giving them all attention. Tea and Fox spend a majority of this installment separated from one another, but it's still evident how Tea's concern for her brother drives her motivations.

Kalen's loyalty really is what keeps Tea strong to see her quest through, while wrestling with her own mind. Seeing Khalad and Likh's relationship grow was the real treat of this volume

.
Once again, the alternating chapter perspectives provide great depth and intrigue to the story, as I spent a majority of the time wondering how can this saga possibly end happily for characters I've grown to care tremendously for.
Perhaps my favorite aspect of The Shadow Glass is the focus on how history becomes myths and is rewritten to fit a particular agenda. Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Baron also does a wonderful job of tying this into the main conflicts.

In the case of The Shadow Glass, I love how this ties into not just the history of asha, but also the meta narration with our bard and Tea's missing letters

.
This series and Never Tilting World has absolutely solidified Rin Chupeco as a must read author for me. The impact of their writing and support of debut authors of color is immeasurable.

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