A review by jlaney
An Apprentice to Elves by Elizabeth Bear, Sarah Monette

3.0

When I started reading this book, I was so disappointed that there was very little Isolfr, Skjaldwulf, and Vethulf (this spoiler mentions the final relationship results from the end of the previous book)

Spoiler

especially since Skjaldwulf and Vethulf finally found each other at the end of the last book.

I was elated and excited to see more of them but they were wholly missing from the majority of the time. Alfgyfa and the elves didn't intrigue me as much as the men and wolves in the beginning, but I still couldn't put it down and continued to read.

While I loved this series and the writing is great, the ending to this last book seemed rather rushed. For the entire last third, I kept wondering how everything was going to be wrapped up in time. (I kept expecting Alfgyfa to

Spoiler

become bonded with a wolf

which eventually sort've happened a little? But not nearly as early as I was expecting and that too felt rushed and last minute.) While it was wrapped up well enough, it felt like it came to a very abrupt ending, because (this spoiler contains why it feels abrupt, but no details as to what actually happens to anyone)

Spoiler

the last, what I thought to be one of the most important battles is cut off at the beginning and skipped over. It is viewed in hindsight in the epilogue.

Don't get me wrong, though. It's still a good read and I still recommend it~