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As a kid, S.M. Gaither spent way too much time playing video games like Final Fantasy and reading every book she could get her hands on instead of doing silly things like her assigned homework. As an adult…Well, not much has changed. Her goal is to write books that distract others from their life’s obligations, too, thus creating an army of fellow procrastinators over which she can reign supreme. These days, her personal favorite places to procrastinate are in the mountains near her North Carolina home, in the company of her husband, their daughter, and their very spoiled dog.
I really wanted to love this but it was so rushed I felt like we lost the author's voice and subsequently that of the characters. There was little to no dialogue for long stretches of time, making it difficult to read. That said, I still was happy to read the conclusion of the series, but this book was the weakest one of them all IMO.
This series never lived up to the potential in the first book. I finished it more out of a need to complete it than any real desire to read it. The ending was a satisfying conclusion to the story. I never really connected with the characters and the gods/goddesses/spirits hierarchy was confusing. It didn’t help they had multiple names. Overall this series should have been three books, not five.
I am so hesitant to give this 3 stars, especially considering that this series started so strong for me. I loved the magic, the mystery, the found family, the romance, the tension, and the world building. But the last couple books have seemed to diminish the world instead of expanding on it. Since the world felt smaller, the stakes also seemed lower than before.
Often times, I felt that any built-up tension was significantly lessened after multiple "fake deaths," characters with diminishing power easily triumphing over Gods and Titans, perceived obstacles becoming inconsequential in the face of hope and love, etc., etc... I'm not bitter about the theme of love conquering over evil BUT it should come at real sacrifice -- of which there is little.
Not to mention that the "evil" villain Malaphar has yet to illicit any strong feelings for me. He is an upper god that is supposed to be the physical embodiment of darkness, death, and despair -- the ultimate antagonist and antithesis to everything Cassia represents. And yet, we rarely see Malaphar; when we do see him, he appears more mortal than Titan. Light magic must be the strongest plot armor of all time because it seemed so easy to defeat him at every turn.
Speaking of Light magic, we were often reminded that it was a limited resource and should be saved for emergencies. And yet Cass and Elander still depended solely on magic for every. single. obstacle. they faced with absolutely no consequences. So, what was the point? the frequent lack of consequences is a personal pet peeve and made the story feel repetitive.
The highlight of this book IMO was Varen's arc and the complex relationship between him and Cassia. Their few scenes together provided some much-needed emotion turmoil, paired with the only real sacrifice.
Perhaps I am a sadist for hoping for a bloodier conclusion, but I can't help the way I feel. Overall, I enjoyed this series and would recommend it to others, but this last installment was not my cup of tea.
This series started out so well... I had such high hopes for it, that it wouldn't fall into the 'and they lived happily ever after' category, that the victories wouldn't feel cheap and easy, and at least someone of importance would die or get severely injured. But all of that happened in this book. Everything turned out fine. For every one. Hell, not even the villain died or got a fate worse than death! I was truly disappointed. I wanted to love this. But alas, I cannot.
It took me 43 days to read this. I usually finish books this size in 1 or 2 days. I was just... so bored. This series started off as ✨️amazing✨️ too, so to end like this was extra disappointing.
It felt as if something was missing in this last book. Maybe too much time passed between the book prior and this conclusion? But I’ve waited longer and still felt more connected to stories in other books for that to be the case. I really, really enjoyed the earlier books in this series and something about this one felt out of place.
Increasingly spoiling spoilers as this review progresses. Proceed at your own risk:
The book prior left us on a rather dooming cliffhanger. And it was resolved almost immediately. Which made it feel almost like a joke? Which I suppose is good because I wouldn’t want Casia in some perpetual nothingness for a long period of time. But apparently her situation wasn’t as dire as we were made to believe so the resolution felt very anticlimactic.
Still love Elander. He can do no wrong.
Varen’s redemption arc was great. Still a villain but the one we needed. His sacrifice was felt deep in my soul.
A little bummed the magic will eventually fade out of the mortal realm. I was hoping there was a way for Malaphar to be beaten and magic to stay. If any authors stumble upon this review and miraculously puts any weight into my opinion….. please always end your series with magic in the world and our main characters abundantly blessed with it.
Anywho: satisfying conclusion to the series. Latter half of the book was stronger than the beginning, so stick with it.
3.75 This was the final book in the series and I did enjoy this one but when I think about this series book 3,4,5 they all seemed the same it’s hard to explain i couldn’t explain each book because they all blurred together I really wanted this series to stand out for me but looking back at it this just didn’t hit how I wanted it to I’m slightly disappointed as I’ve put hours of reading into this series while I did love the characters especially elander I can’t really say much more the plot was ok but it just didn’t hit would I recommend this series yes in a way I would but it’s a big commitment it’s 5 books so don’t go in with high hopes or you may be disappointed don’t get thinking I don’t like the series I did but it isn’t up there with my favourites
Thank you to S.M. Gaither for an ARC of the finale!
What a beautiful ending to an amazing series. Everything wrapped up in such a beautiful way but didn’t come without sacrifice. I love that Casia was loyal to herself and her friends until the very end. I’m sad it’s over but so happy to have been involved in both reading and promoting this series along the way ❤️
No sé por donde empezar, todo esta aventura, dios mio buenisimo, desde el libro 1 hasta el último (5)😭 le sufri, miedo de que uno del grupo muriera o pasara algo, jsjs pero todo bien, todo perfecto, amo todo, los amo a todos 🤧❤️🩹 todo el grupo de Casia, Zev, Rhea, Laurent y Nessa + Elander, MI FAMILIA😭❤️ no quiero que termine pero también estoy feliz que termine jaja porque así ya todos felices🤧 todo este libro me encantó, y no esperaba ese epílogo hermoso, justo lo que más me gusta❤️🩹 y aparte están todos juntos🥹 necesito un extra o algo más, para ser más feliz🤧 en fin ya los extraño❤️🩹 Casia y Elander, lo mejor que existe❤️🩹🏠
Honestly, this series wasn't bad, I think it didn't need to be five books long. I think after the first book it lacked clear structure with a mini obstacle for each book which I think can make series like these feel especially long and drawn out while simultaneously like nothing is happening. Like there should be a clear objective in each book that connects to the bigger plot of the series if you're gonna make it five books long.
Anyways the first two books probably would be the only two I recommend but then its a bit of a drag.
3.5 maybe? Really annoyed with the narration. I didn't feel connection at all with the last book and the urgency to try to finish this so soon after book 4 was what hurt it. Casia got really annoying and I don't think it was possible to feel differently.
i dragged my feet on starting — and then finishing — this one, because it’s the end of the shadows and crowns series, the end of cas’ story, and the end of one of the best kindle unlimited romantasy series i’ve ever read.
absolutely magnificent series — check here for my review of book one if you need extra enticing — and the way this wraps up is as lovely, tense, and sentimental as all of the other books in this series.
the final book for cas sees her through a significant moment — the battle is here. the battle for her and her loved ones’ safety, the battle against tyranny and corrupt godly rule, the battle for which she’s been spiritually designated to tackle — the battle for humanity. and she’s more than ready to face it, hand-in-hand with elander, and back-to-back with her allies.
this was heartbreakingly sweet, with an ending that had me bawling into my emotional security blanket. the story itself in this one is a bit slow, as we gear up for the impending battle, and it would absolutely behoove you to reread at least the previous book, because i remembered nothing going into this one (and that hindered my enjoyment from the start, i think), but the story, the journey, and the ending felt very right for these characters and this world.
begging SM for a bonus time-jump epilogue, because i’m not quite ready to say goodbye just yet.
read this series if you’re looking to fill a throne of glass hangover — these characters, this world, and this story is reminiscent of our favorite epic fantasy with a heavy helping of romance and lovable side characters.
Once again mourning yet another book series I have finished, it’s taken a while to get through this series because of life getting in the way but between all the chaos reading these books has been a pleasure and the way this book both gripped me and had me in tears was amazing. 5 stars without a doubt <3
What a great ending book!! This was such a satisfying ending to this saga. The story and characters were so well done and had depth and courage and humility and humor and love!! SO SO GOOD!!!
I luckily caught that this was out early on audio and took immediate advantage of seeing how this series came to a close. And I enjoyed it!
I’ve always loved the relationship between Elander and Casia. They’re still one of my favs and there were many sweet moments and a few scenes I didn’t know I wanted and melted me into a puddle.
There’s PLENTY of action and battle scenes. Filled with a sense of what those meddling gods are going to do next. I liked most of this and thought certain character arcs ended where they needed to.
I feel like I was missing that last little connection to give a five star. Something was just holding me back. I still sincerely loved this series and recommend!
Overall audience notes: - Fantasy Romance - Language: some strong - Romance: 2-3 open; low/moderate explicit - Violence: high - Trigger/Content Warnings: battle themes, loss of life, near death experiences
First I would like to say thank you to SM Gaither for sending me an ARC of this masterpiece.
Now onto the review🌷
There will be potential spoilers so read with care ..
I don’t even know where to start with this book. It picks up right where the fourth one ended and made my heart beat uncontrollably fast.. Elander going feral over the fact that Casia is gone was probably one of my favorite things to read about. Them>> Their reunion and The thing with Nessa had me sobbing. How dare you. 😭 Casia getting here revenge and becoming the queen she is since book one was one of the best parts of the series. I love how strong of a character Casia is and how whipped Elander is for her. ❤️🔥
Varen… I- That was uncalled for and I was SADDD. However I think it should’ve happened. STILL HEARTBREAKING.
Zev and Elander were probably again one of the best part of the book, their relationship >> it made me giggle and kick my feet.
Needless to say I loved this book. But…the ENDING. Oh how I loved the ending of this book. The epilogue, damn. It was all I could’ve asked for and more. Alright one thing I need is a book about Nessa and Laurent. they are so freaking wholesome.
The fighting, the revenge, the tears, the laughter, the heartache and the happy ending .. all was there and I couldn’t have asked for a better ending. Thank you for this series that has become one of my favorites!!❤️🔥👑
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 🌶🌶/5
romantasy found family gods hidden identity banter spice enemies to lovers
Tbh this series went on for way too long I got bored after like the 2nd or 3rd book, all the books are basically the same. 2 stars because the plot was kinda good at times but not good enough, like I said it's pretty repetitive and dragged on for way too long, I was pretty happy when I finally finished it.
Sadly not as good as some of the early books in the series. I honestly hate it when people get brought back to life over and over again. Just let these characters go through some real trauma please...
This is the last book in this series. I really enjoyed the first one and this one. Everything inbetween was kind of hit or miss for me.
I liked the journey to the wrap up at the end. The battles, the action, the characters, the relationships, were well done. Now I didn't like how things magically appeared/disappeared at just the right moments without any action from the MCs. Once or twice is fine but it was repeatedly the case in this one. Not really my favorite. But the "everything else" is what kept me in. So 4 stars.
I liked this book so much better than the last two. I would love to travel to Mistwilde. Would not surprise me if the author took some inspiration from Tolkien! Either way, the part about Varen made me happy/sad and the final battle was what we deserved frankly!! Solid epilogue, and a long.. but good story.
This was the perfect conclusion to the series and while the pacing of this one was much better than the last two books in the series I do feel like it could have been a bit shorter. All in all I would still recommend this series to friends. Great world building fairly good writing and an overall enjoyable series.
3.5⭐️ Overall it was a good story. Nothing groundbreaking but it was done well. Thankfully I didn’t hate the FMC like I normally do, she had her moments but overall she was a solid character. The love story was nice and the found family trope was cute 🥰
I’ve been a fan of this series since it came out, and while I’m sad that it’s over I’m glad that it finished up the way it did. I thought it was a very satisfying ending to a strong series that I will be revisiting through the years.
It wrapped up in a way that made sense for the characters and didn’t backtrack on any of the development we’ve seen throughout the series which I really appreciated. Pacing was good - it never felt like it lagged or rushed, which is an issue I’ve had with a lot of recent reads lately so I was very happy to not experience that here.
I did go in with very high expectations and I feel like they were definitely met. I went through the whole array of emotions while reading this book and didn’t want it to end.
Disclosure - I received this as an ARC from S.M. Gaither for my honest review.
I have so much respect for writers who have to use several books to set up a satisfying climax and actually pull it off. Is this book series one of those? Eh.
It wasn't necessarily bad, but I also wouldn't really call it good. It was mostly very cliche and predictable and it seems that, for most people, that worked! Just not for me.
The thing is, it feels like I'm missing a lot of context and history. Apart from three maybe four characters, I have no idea how old everyone is. (For context, I know Cas, Varen and Soryn's ages but everyone else's is unclear and never even hinted at.) I don't even know how old Elander is and he's the goddamn love interest! At one point they mention a year, 537, which was when Cas's great-grandparents were alive and looking at my own family, that must have been 90-120 years before the start of the story. But when did they start counting years? When people received their sentience/intelligence? Later? Does that mean the three upper gods have been in that world for 600-something years? How old are the other gods? How old are Cas's friends? None of that is relayed to the reader.
I also think that, overall, this series is a little too much like Throne of Glass. A light-haired young woman is a criminal for hire, she gets involved with royalty, the male love interest is an enemy at first (though he can't hurt her when his "employer" wants him to), male love interest is freed from said "employer", female main character is almost stuck as "employer"'s slave, she also turns out to be royalty, yada yada. Idk, there's probably more but I'm tired. I know those are all valid tropes but all of them at the same time is maybe a little much...
I could probably go on about this series' issues but like I said, I'm tired. And I don't care about these books that much, anyway.
Honestly, if it hadn't been so boring I might even recommend it to others.