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The Atlantis Trilogy #3
The Tempest of Reckoning
Reanna has finally accepted the Composer’s message of peace, but peace seems impossible with the reckoning of Atlantis upon the world.
After their search for the trident goes terribly awry, Reanna and her friends have been separated and imprisoned. None of them know who still lives—or if they’ll ever be reunited again.
Through a desperate series of tribulations, Reanna, Trevor, Laile, Adam, and Laeserno must each find a way to rebuild the trident and end the war over Atlantis. But the ghosts and mistakes of their pasts are determined to bring them to their knees.
In the thrilling finale of the Atlantis Trilogy, Queen Arana’s desperate plans draw closer to fruition, and Reanna is faced with her ultimate challenge. She must finally confront her past, her mother, and herself, as she learns that the only way to save her life…might be to give it up.
After their search for the trident goes terribly awry, Reanna and her friends have been separated and imprisoned. None of them know who still lives—or if they’ll ever be reunited again.
Through a desperate series of tribulations, Reanna, Trevor, Laile, Adam, and Laeserno must each find a way to rebuild the trident and end the war over Atlantis. But the ghosts and mistakes of their pasts are determined to bring them to their knees.
In the thrilling finale of the Atlantis Trilogy, Queen Arana’s desperate plans draw closer to fruition, and Reanna is faced with her ultimate challenge. She must finally confront her past, her mother, and herself, as she learns that the only way to save her life…might be to give it up.
508 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 20, 2025
1 person is currently reading
15 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 30, 2025
It's hard to land the finale to a trilogy just right and to everyone's contentment, isn't it? Sometimes, the final book is a crash landing, sometimes it's a near-miss, and sometimes it's a smooth landing. I think this one is somewhere in-between; neither a crash nor entirely smooth.
I didn't enjoy this third book as much as the previous two, mainly because it felt like it was rushing to the finish line, and crammed so much in so little space. The story was sprawling and getting bigger and bigger by Book 2 that I suspected it would have to be a series to tie all the threads properly, giving every arc time to solve its issues and wrap up organically. Instead, it felt like it jumped from one location to another, from one POV to another, in a mad-rush and too quick pace that hardly gave you time to breathe before throwing the next big thing at you. The trilogy was always fast-paced, energetic, very plot-driven, with quick back-and-forth dialogue, but in this last book it felt manic. It didn't give you a moment to process things, all emotions came rushing on and overwhelming and characters could hardly experiment one before the next.
With such a rushed pace, these characters feel a bit hollower, unaffected for how much they were put through. I'd have wanted them to process it all, be given time for it, especially as one of the things I praised about the first book was its approach to the psychological consequences of childhood abuse. The protagonists certainly would have PTSD after everything that happens in this last book, but it doesn't show much.
And speaking of characters, a second reason I wasn't enjoying this as much as I hoped was that there wasn't enough Idiot Quarterback here. For his importance to the story, Trevor had surprisingly few chapters, even missing from one part, whilst plenty of chapters were given to a character I rather disliked. I wasn't, and still am not, a fan of Adam's POV but I can understand why he had one, whilst Laeserno was, in my opinion, the weakest standpoint in the trilogy. He's not particularly interesting to hear from, and the temptation to skip or skim-read his chapters is always present.
But, above all, I wasn't onboard with how the ending was written, the breaking of the curse was too convoluted, but the solution to Adam's identity and the fate of Reanna and the Idiot Quarterback was hard to digest. If the cursebreaking was convoluted, that was one step further. I don't believe there was proper consequences for messing with the timeline either, and some things are confusing, unexplained, and would probably require at least a novelette to properly wrap up.
Definitely not how I wanted the idiot Quarterback and Reanna to come together. Too contrived and hard to swallow for me personally. I could have accepted the whole 'forgive thy enemy' spiel with the wicked queen, I had already guessed that would be the finale anyway and this only confirmed it, but the end Trevor/Reanna/Adam arc? I can't shake the feeling of disappointment off.
Of course, I did say it wasn't a terrible ending. There's still things to like for me. The banter is still there, the silly pop-culture references are still as abundant as always, and some of the side characters without a POV were funny new inclusions. The vampire Claudiu, for example, reminded me of a male version of Thessa: too ancient and too oblivious to get the joke. The conversation about Count Dracula cracked me up! It was very similar to one about "vegetarian vampires" I had myself in my youth. I wonder where Hannah Carter gets all these hilarious Gen Z pop culture ideas from, probably her circle.
I did notice that this was written as if the author was courting exhaustion, too. Some authors are pros at long-running, sprawling stories and seem to have the long endurance of a workhorse, and others are superb at turning short spurts of creativity into small works of literary art, like racehorses. Sometimes, authors force themselves into the type that least suits them, and they grow tired of their own creation and want to be done with it. I can't say if that was the case here, or that the solution to the curse and the fate of the protagonists took too much mental energy, but there was an undercurrent of wanting to finish the story already.
To sum it up, it was a decent enough but not optimal ending for me.
I didn't enjoy this third book as much as the previous two, mainly because it felt like it was rushing to the finish line, and crammed so much in so little space. The story was sprawling and getting bigger and bigger by Book 2 that I suspected it would have to be a series to tie all the threads properly, giving every arc time to solve its issues and wrap up organically. Instead, it felt like it jumped from one location to another, from one POV to another, in a mad-rush and too quick pace that hardly gave you time to breathe before throwing the next big thing at you. The trilogy was always fast-paced, energetic, very plot-driven, with quick back-and-forth dialogue, but in this last book it felt manic. It didn't give you a moment to process things, all emotions came rushing on and overwhelming and characters could hardly experiment one before the next.
With such a rushed pace, these characters feel a bit hollower, unaffected for how much they were put through. I'd have wanted them to process it all, be given time for it, especially as one of the things I praised about the first book was its approach to the psychological consequences of childhood abuse. The protagonists certainly would have PTSD after everything that happens in this last book, but it doesn't show much.
And speaking of characters, a second reason I wasn't enjoying this as much as I hoped was that there wasn't enough Idiot Quarterback here. For his importance to the story, Trevor had surprisingly few chapters, even missing from one part, whilst plenty of chapters were given to a character I rather disliked. I wasn't, and still am not, a fan of Adam's POV but I can understand why he had one, whilst Laeserno was, in my opinion, the weakest standpoint in the trilogy. He's not particularly interesting to hear from, and the temptation to skip or skim-read his chapters is always present.
But, above all, I wasn't onboard with how the ending was written, the breaking of the curse was too convoluted, but the solution to Adam's identity and the fate of Reanna and the Idiot Quarterback was hard to digest. If the cursebreaking was convoluted, that was one step further. I don't believe there was proper consequences for messing with the timeline either, and some things are confusing, unexplained, and would probably require at least a novelette to properly wrap up.
Definitely not how I wanted the idiot Quarterback and Reanna to come together. Too contrived and hard to swallow for me personally. I could have accepted the whole 'forgive thy enemy' spiel with the wicked queen, I had already guessed that would be the finale anyway and this only confirmed it, but the end Trevor/Reanna/Adam arc? I can't shake the feeling of disappointment off.
Of course, I did say it wasn't a terrible ending. There's still things to like for me. The banter is still there, the silly pop-culture references are still as abundant as always, and some of the side characters without a POV were funny new inclusions. The vampire Claudiu, for example, reminded me of a male version of Thessa: too ancient and too oblivious to get the joke. The conversation about Count Dracula cracked me up! It was very similar to one about "vegetarian vampires" I had myself in my youth. I wonder where Hannah Carter gets all these hilarious Gen Z pop culture ideas from, probably her circle.
I did notice that this was written as if the author was courting exhaustion, too. Some authors are pros at long-running, sprawling stories and seem to have the long endurance of a workhorse, and others are superb at turning short spurts of creativity into small works of literary art, like racehorses. Sometimes, authors force themselves into the type that least suits them, and they grow tired of their own creation and want to be done with it. I can't say if that was the case here, or that the solution to the curse and the fate of the protagonists took too much mental energy, but there was an undercurrent of wanting to finish the story already.
To sum it up, it was a decent enough but not optimal ending for me.
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June 30, 2025As an editor for this book, I cannot leave an official review.
But I’m just saying that Adam is my sweet precious son and I will defend this messed up boi from any and all who would dare attack him. :3
But I’m just saying that Adam is my sweet precious son and I will defend this messed up boi from any and all who would dare attack him. :3
Read
August 22, 2025Aww gosh. That ending did things to my soul. <3 That was actually a really satisfying conclusion.
September 20, 2025
The Tempest Reckoning is magical and exciting from page one! You better take off for the day because you won't be able to put it down. Our girl Reanna has come along way since book one and her companions and they continue to grow and learn and come into themselves through this book. This is probably my favorite in the series you will find wit, adventure, magic, redemption, and naked cupcakes! expect nothing less than perfection from a Hannah Carter novel.
August 28, 2025
I had the privilege to beta read this in spring 2025 and it is a phenomenal ending to the Atlantis trilogy! All the emotion you expect from Hannah Carter with twists I didn’t see coming. With themes of unconditional love, found family, healing, and redemption, this is most definitely my favorite of the three! (And there’s still plenty of banter, don’t worry)
All I can say right now is grab you a “naked cupcake” (no icing) and start counting down to the release with me. I can’t wait to add this to my shelves and reread the entire series!
All I can say right now is grab you a “naked cupcake” (no icing) and start counting down to the release with me. I can’t wait to add this to my shelves and reread the entire series!
October 4, 2025
I don’t think words can describe how much this trilogy has changed my life, but I’m going to try anyway.
I could probably go on and on about the characters in this book for a solid decade. Their personalities are iconic and their banter is infectious. The idea of romance is gentle and intertwined with fate and destiny. They are messy. They are healing. They are children and it shows so clearly. Their struggles though…. It is incredibly hard for a writer to create heart wrenching scenes, but to create moments that can shake you to your core and resonate with memories long-forgotten, that is innate talent.
I’ve been a fan of Carter’s work for *years*. While I’m used to her darker stories and I am forever impressed by her talent for making my skin crawl and my stomach flip, her softer scenes amidst the chaos are by far my favourite part of the final Atlantis book. Without giving any spoilers, I can think of a dozen moments in this trilogy of quiet reckoning, earth-shaking realisation and acceptance of something beyond comprehension; each of them is beautifully written and reflects the shunned aspects of human living in a way that doesn’t make you want to run from the brutal reality of being human.
I am a firm believer that it’s not the wisest thing to confess your emotions to the internet, but I will say this. I had the absolute privilege of growing with this trilogy. From being a high school senior to being in my final year of university. From a novice writer to an author and soon-to-be screenplay writer. From a kid who didn’t know how to deal with gigantic icky emotions to someone with an understanding of mental health I wish I had known before. I am sad to see a large part of my life come to a close, and I would read it all over again if I could.
Thank you Hannah.
(I am also convinced that closing the book made it go *shurp*)
I could probably go on and on about the characters in this book for a solid decade. Their personalities are iconic and their banter is infectious. The idea of romance is gentle and intertwined with fate and destiny. They are messy. They are healing. They are children and it shows so clearly. Their struggles though…. It is incredibly hard for a writer to create heart wrenching scenes, but to create moments that can shake you to your core and resonate with memories long-forgotten, that is innate talent.
I’ve been a fan of Carter’s work for *years*. While I’m used to her darker stories and I am forever impressed by her talent for making my skin crawl and my stomach flip, her softer scenes amidst the chaos are by far my favourite part of the final Atlantis book. Without giving any spoilers, I can think of a dozen moments in this trilogy of quiet reckoning, earth-shaking realisation and acceptance of something beyond comprehension; each of them is beautifully written and reflects the shunned aspects of human living in a way that doesn’t make you want to run from the brutal reality of being human.
I am a firm believer that it’s not the wisest thing to confess your emotions to the internet, but I will say this. I had the absolute privilege of growing with this trilogy. From being a high school senior to being in my final year of university. From a novice writer to an author and soon-to-be screenplay writer. From a kid who didn’t know how to deal with gigantic icky emotions to someone with an understanding of mental health I wish I had known before. I am sad to see a large part of my life come to a close, and I would read it all over again if I could.
Thank you Hannah.
(I am also convinced that closing the book made it go *shurp*)
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews