I could basically copy and paste my review of the second book here. Henrietta continues to be a Damsel in Distress even though there's no one left to save her. The books are entertaining enough and easy to read, with enough action and unique mythology to keep it interesting, but lord... I would rather read this entire thing from Maria or Magnus' point of view and have had Henrietta throw herself into the sea from the last book. She's such a damp towel but Now With Less Virginity! ( )

Literary Merit: okay
Characterization: Fair
Recommended: No
Level: High School

Summary:

Henrietta, Lord Blackwood and their group head to Sorrow-Fell for their impending wedding. Henrietta soon finds out Soorow-Fell is not the safe place she believed it to be, finding danger and dark secrets instead. She her friends and allies for the impending battle with The Ancients. She also has to figure out how she feels about, not two, but three boys along the way.

Evaluation:

It should be noted that I only read the first book to this series, so I don't have the full picture of how we got to this conclusion.
I was completely let down by the "big conclusion" of this book. It felt very fast and forced. I doubt I would have felt any differently about it if I had read the second book, but it may have. The three-boy love entanglement was very distracting from what was otherwise a very well realized world. If we hadn't focused as much on the love interest and had a little more time with the "final battle" I think I would have felt very differently about this book.
There is plenty of action, fantasy, monsters and love to hold the interest of those reading. This wouldn't be the first series I would hand to a teen looking to get into this genre, but it will be a great read for those who have devoured a lot of other series in this same lane.
Recommended for High school +. ( )

i likes the ending ( )

I loved the first book, really liked the second, and feel vaguely let down by the finale. The relationship between Blackwood and Henrietta was not healthy, but they both kept talking about fate and destiny and wanting like those things were enough to make it all okay. And the ending, which felt like it was trying so hard to be big and epic, was trying too hard and ended up being a big mess. I did, however, like the Epilogue and thought that the conclusion to Rook's storyline was damn near perfect.

I liked it while I was reading it; it's only in thinking about it a few hours later that it sort of falls apart. It was four stars while reading and probably two stars in retrospect, so three stars. ( )