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.