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peterkeep's review against another edition
5.0
I love this series and I love this book.
Django Wexler has masterfully crafted a series that marries gunpowder and muskets with demons and sorcery...it's damn near perfect.
Django's characters are so good, and that stays true here. Winter is charismatic and exciting, Raes grows as a diplomat and is as conniving as she is loyal to her people. Marcus is thrust into leadership and continues to exude competence. And Janus is....well, Janus. There was a perfect moment in the early parts of the book where I actually said out loud, "What's Janus up to here?" That about sums him up. Django does a great job of writing a convincing genius. 5 books in we kinda know what we're getting with the main characters, but they're still so wonderful.
There's a really nice cast of secondary characters. Django did a really nice job of giving the background characters real roles throughout the series, so by now they're familiar even if they only have a little "screen time." Characters like Abby (one of my favorites) and Cyte.
This book in particular is great because it pits titans against each other. Marcus vs Janus. Winter vs Jane. Infernivore vs the Beast. Vordan vs Borel. Monarchy vs Democracy. There's a lot going on, and it all converges to a fiery, fast paced plot. Django has spent the beginning of the series building up these ideas and themes and his planning really pays off here.
Anyways, I can't say enough good things about this book and this series. It wraps up really well. I'll definitely miss it now that it's finished.
Django Wexler has masterfully crafted a series that marries gunpowder and muskets with demons and sorcery...it's damn near perfect.
Django's characters are so good, and that stays true here. Winter is charismatic and exciting, Raes grows as a diplomat and is as conniving as she is loyal to her people. Marcus is thrust into leadership and continues to exude competence. And Janus is....well, Janus. There was a perfect moment in the early parts of the book where I actually said out loud, "What's Janus up to here?" That about sums him up. Django does a great job of writing a convincing genius. 5 books in we kinda know what we're getting with the main characters, but they're still so wonderful.
There's a really nice cast of secondary characters. Django did a really nice job of giving the background characters real roles throughout the series, so by now they're familiar even if they only have a little "screen time." Characters like Abby (one of my favorites) and Cyte.
This book in particular is great because it pits titans against each other. Marcus vs Janus. Winter vs Jane. Infernivore vs the Beast. Vordan vs Borel. Monarchy vs Democracy. There's a lot going on, and it all converges to a fiery, fast paced plot. Django has spent the beginning of the series building up these ideas and themes and his planning really pays off here.
Anyways, I can't say enough good things about this book and this series. It wraps up really well. I'll definitely miss it now that it's finished.
canaanmerchant's review against another edition
5.0
I haven't been this anxious about a book in a long time. Not only does it carry the weight of being the last book in a series but the events at the end of book 4 couldn't have been more dire.
A lesser author may have found themselves painted into a corner but Wexler's great talent is plotting that is as nimble as the maneuvers of the genius character Valnich himself.
A lesser author may have found themselves painted into a corner but Wexler's great talent is plotting that is as nimble as the maneuvers of the genius character Valnich himself.
crimsoncor's review against another edition
5.0
Yeah, this is a fantastic conclusion the series. Really, one of the biggest surprises about this ending was . I am definitely going to miss this world and these characters. There really hasn't been anything else like this series that I've come acrosss.
Spoiler
the fact that the final showdown between Winter and the Beast was so normal. That isn't a bad thing: the entire series rested on the premise that Janus always had another trick up his sleeve that the reader didn't know about. And to subvert reader expectation like that was a really neat trick (though you could also argue that the entire showdown was engineered by Janus as his final trick, though this time it was directed at the Beast and not at the reader).amybraunauthor's review against another edition
5.0
Well, that was intense! This was exactly what I've come to expect from the SHADOW CAMPAIGNS novels, and the ending was exactly what I wanted. There book started off suuuuuper intensely and from there it was a journey of choice, sacrifice, and faith. There were a few twists and one major one that I did not see coming (seriously, I'm still trying to process it), but all in all I was perfectly satisfied with everything that happened. The world building was expanded and we were introduced to new characters that I wanted to know more about. The primary characters filled their arcs exactly as I hoped they would, the women were the toughest fighters, and the action was completely solid. I'm definitely sad to see this series go, but I will hopefully find time to read it again in the future and definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a change in their fantasy, an interest in historical warfare, or just looking to read a good book in general. This series is for you!
shadowthrone11's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
girasoldelluvia's review against another edition
4.0
What can I say? After my horrible record of my favourite character always dying by the end of the book, this series is a breath of fresh air. My favourite survives and that's all that really matters to me. Also, give me all the happy endings.
theduchess93's review against another edition
5.0
I cannot put into words how extremely brilliant this series was. Phenomenal characters, queerness abounds, and I cannot say there is a single plot point or element that I felt could have been done better. Please please PLEASE read this series!!!!
tani's review against another edition
5.0
You know how there are some series that you just cannot be rational about? You love them in their entirety, and it's only once in a blue moon that you find even a single fault with them? Let me tell you, this series is like that for me. Despite being slightly underwhelmed with book 4, I found my heart once again completely captured by this final book in the series. An honest fact: I was crying on and off for the entire last hundred pages, just because I was so emotionally overwrought, partially by events, and partially by the mere idea that the series was over.
This series houses some of my favorite characters in the recent history of my fantasy reading. In particular, let me tell you of Winter Ihernglass, because she is my heart. She's smart. She's modest. She tries to do the right thing, even when it's hard. She makes mistakes, but she owns them and does everything she can to make up for them. She tries to take too much responsibility, and she doesn't turn aside when the choice is between her own life and the lives of everyone else in the world. In short, she is absolutely fantastic, and definitely a big part of why I love this series so much. Which is not to discount Raesinia and Marcus, as well as the wonderful cast of supporting characters. Wexler certainly doesn't neglect them. Even characters who are little more than background decoration most of the time feel real in these books. Inevitably, that character who's just been hanging around for chapters will take that one action or say that one line that really makes you feel their humanity. I love that.
I also love the diversity of topics that the book covers. I think of it as primarily military fantasy, but it also has religious elements. It has political and social issues that it covers, especially in relation to gender, but certainly not exclusively. The stock market, of all things, plays a huge role in this particular boo, which I thought was awesome. There's just a depth to the world-building that makes me tremendously happy when I read these books.
The emotional themes of the book were another big draw for me. Each character has emotional issues and challenges to face. Winter deals with the burdens of command, with family, both found and blood, with the question of who she wants to be and how she wants to be seen. Marcus also has family issues, but he's additionally confronted again with his issues regarding gender, as well as questions of loyalty. Raesinia has to juggle what she wants from her life with what is traditionally expected of a monarch. For the most part, these issues don't have big and resounding answers, but they do get answered, and I have to admit, I was truly happy with the answers that each character found.
There is one thing about the book that part of me wants to criticize, and that's the ending. On a personal level, I loved it. I couldn't have asked for anything different. But some may find that it's too pat, maybe not messy enough, for all of the events that preceded it. Again, personally I had no problem with it, but not everyone will feel the same way, I'm sure.
Anyway, I'm glad to say that Django Wexler really stuck the landing for me, and this series will remain one of my favorite series ever.
This series houses some of my favorite characters in the recent history of my fantasy reading. In particular, let me tell you of Winter Ihernglass, because she is my heart. She's smart. She's modest. She tries to do the right thing, even when it's hard. She makes mistakes, but she owns them and does everything she can to make up for them. She tries to take too much responsibility, and she doesn't turn aside when the choice is between her own life and the lives of everyone else in the world. In short, she is absolutely fantastic, and definitely a big part of why I love this series so much. Which is not to discount Raesinia and Marcus, as well as the wonderful cast of supporting characters. Wexler certainly doesn't neglect them. Even characters who are little more than background decoration most of the time feel real in these books. Inevitably, that character who's just been hanging around for chapters will take that one action or say that one line that really makes you feel their humanity. I love that.
I also love the diversity of topics that the book covers. I think of it as primarily military fantasy, but it also has religious elements. It has political and social issues that it covers, especially in relation to gender, but certainly not exclusively. The stock market, of all things, plays a huge role in this particular boo, which I thought was awesome. There's just a depth to the world-building that makes me tremendously happy when I read these books.
The emotional themes of the book were another big draw for me. Each character has emotional issues and challenges to face. Winter deals with the burdens of command, with family, both found and blood, with the question of who she wants to be and how she wants to be seen. Marcus also has family issues, but he's additionally confronted again with his issues regarding gender, as well as questions of loyalty. Raesinia has to juggle what she wants from her life with what is traditionally expected of a monarch. For the most part, these issues don't have big and resounding answers, but they do get answered, and I have to admit, I was truly happy with the answers that each character found.
There is one thing about the book that part of me wants to criticize, and that's the ending. On a personal level, I loved it. I couldn't have asked for anything different. But some may find that it's too pat, maybe not messy enough, for all of the events that preceded it. Again, personally I had no problem with it, but not everyone will feel the same way, I'm sure.
Anyway, I'm glad to say that Django Wexler really stuck the landing for me, and this series will remain one of my favorite series ever.
metalandteacups's review against another edition
This did not end the way I anticipated. In fact, I found this series wildly unpredictable.