What do you think?
Rate this book
Effigies #3
Legacy of Light
The world is in chaos.
After Saul’s strike on Oslo—one seemingly led by Maia herself—the Effigies’ reputation is in shambles. Now they’re being hunted by nations across the globe, grouped in with the very terrorists they’ve been trying to stop.
With Maia’s resurrected twin, June, carrying out vicious attacks across the world, everyone believes Maia is a killer. Belle has gone rogue, Chae Rin and Lake have disappeared, and the Sect is being dismantled and replaced by a terrifying new world order helmed by Blackwell. As for Saul, his ultimate plan still remains a mystery.
And Maia? No one has seen or heard from her in weeks.
It’s all somehow connected—Saul, Phantoms, the Effigies, everything. But if the Effigies can’t put the pieces together soon, there may not be much left of the world they’ve fought so desperately to save.
After Saul’s strike on Oslo—one seemingly led by Maia herself—the Effigies’ reputation is in shambles. Now they’re being hunted by nations across the globe, grouped in with the very terrorists they’ve been trying to stop.
With Maia’s resurrected twin, June, carrying out vicious attacks across the world, everyone believes Maia is a killer. Belle has gone rogue, Chae Rin and Lake have disappeared, and the Sect is being dismantled and replaced by a terrifying new world order helmed by Blackwell. As for Saul, his ultimate plan still remains a mystery.
And Maia? No one has seen or heard from her in weeks.
It’s all somehow connected—Saul, Phantoms, the Effigies, everything. But if the Effigies can’t put the pieces together soon, there may not be much left of the world they’ve fought so desperately to save.
448 pages, Hardcover
First published December 4, 2018
34 people are currently reading
1765 people want to read
About the author
Sarah Raughley
14 books670 followersSarah Raughley grew up in Southern Ontario writing stories about freakish little girls with powers because she secretly wanted to be one. She is a huge fangirl of anything from manga to SF/F TV to Japanese Role Playing Games, but she will swear up and down that she was inspired by ~Jane Austin~ at book signings. On top of being a YA Writer, she is currently completing a PhD in English, because the sight of blood makes her queasy (which crossed Medical School off the list).
She is represented by The Bradford Literary Agency.
So far, you can also find her on Twitter, where work ethic goes to die.
She is represented by The Bradford Literary Agency.
So far, you can also find her on Twitter, where work ethic goes to die.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews
November 11, 2018
Legacy of Light by Sarah Raughley is the third book in the young adult fantasy Effigies trilogy. Each book of the series builds upon the last with the story picking up shortly after it had left off so this would definitely be a series you would want to begin from the beginning.
In the first book of the series readers were introduced to high school student Maia Finley who knew that one of her idols must have died because Maia had been chosen to take her place as the new Fire Effigy. There were always four Effigies at any given time and when one died another young girl is chosen by fate to inherit the magical abilities of one of the four elements.
When the city of New York came under attack from phantoms with the protection system down Maia found herself tossed into the middle of battle without a clue what to do. Luckily Belle, another Effigy showed up and saved the day but it wasn't long until Maia's secret was out and she was pulled into battle with the other girls and the secret government program, the Sect, that is in charge of the Effigies.
Now the Effigies are split apart as Saul had brought back Maia's twin, June, to use her to make people believe Maia had been attacking the city. With Belle gone rogue and Chae Rin and Lake disappeared, Maia branded a terrorist and the sect being dismantled the fight against Saul is at an all time high.
The entire Effigies series was really non-stop action from the opening pages of book one. I was hooked on the story from very early on and even at book three the author continued to surprise me at some of the twists and turns in the series. The characters and world building was great and the story ends up spanning generations of Effigies and tying everything together quite nicely after keeping readers on their toes as the girls fought to bring down the evil forces.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/
In the first book of the series readers were introduced to high school student Maia Finley who knew that one of her idols must have died because Maia had been chosen to take her place as the new Fire Effigy. There were always four Effigies at any given time and when one died another young girl is chosen by fate to inherit the magical abilities of one of the four elements.
When the city of New York came under attack from phantoms with the protection system down Maia found herself tossed into the middle of battle without a clue what to do. Luckily Belle, another Effigy showed up and saved the day but it wasn't long until Maia's secret was out and she was pulled into battle with the other girls and the secret government program, the Sect, that is in charge of the Effigies.
Now the Effigies are split apart as Saul had brought back Maia's twin, June, to use her to make people believe Maia had been attacking the city. With Belle gone rogue and Chae Rin and Lake disappeared, Maia branded a terrorist and the sect being dismantled the fight against Saul is at an all time high.
The entire Effigies series was really non-stop action from the opening pages of book one. I was hooked on the story from very early on and even at book three the author continued to surprise me at some of the twists and turns in the series. The characters and world building was great and the story ends up spanning generations of Effigies and tying everything together quite nicely after keeping readers on their toes as the girls fought to bring down the evil forces.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/
July 6, 2020
⭐⭐⭐
3 STARS!!
**Finished July 2, 2020**
Okay, much like the second book (Siege of Shadows), I feel like it was slow to start, and I feel like a lot of it was just … running. From people. Just on the run from terrorist Saul and friends. What I was really missing in this book was Chae Rin with her quick wit, snarky remarks and sarcasm, Lake’s bubbliness throughout, and Rhys’ cuteness and honestly the whole chemistry between him and Maia, but none of what I’d loved was hardly present. Any of it. I miss the teams whole dynamic and Rhys with them. While I am fully aware that them all being separated and working to find each other was part of the plot, I still missed the group dynamic vibes. I don’t know, Maia just running and running and running got kind of boring and didn’t really sell it. It only really started to pick up for me when we began to see more memories from past Effigies surfacing and the actual plot surfaced. The backstory is really what held my attention and actually kept me reading. Although, it headed in an entirely different direction than I ever expected with all the … fate and destiny stuff, I guess. Anyway, all in all, I feel that the ending was relatively satisfactory once you finally get to it, I mean it was kind of a blur for me and I barely remember it, no offense but I was just eager for it to be over. This book took some serious stamina and attention span.
3 STARS!!
**Finished July 2, 2020**
Okay, much like the second book (Siege of Shadows), I feel like it was slow to start, and I feel like a lot of it was just … running. From people. Just on the run from terrorist Saul and friends. What I was really missing in this book was Chae Rin with her quick wit, snarky remarks and sarcasm, Lake’s bubbliness throughout, and Rhys’ cuteness and honestly the whole chemistry between him and Maia, but none of what I’d loved was hardly present. Any of it. I miss the teams whole dynamic and Rhys with them. While I am fully aware that them all being separated and working to find each other was part of the plot, I still missed the group dynamic vibes. I don’t know, Maia just running and running and running got kind of boring and didn’t really sell it. It only really started to pick up for me when we began to see more memories from past Effigies surfacing and the actual plot surfaced. The backstory is really what held my attention and actually kept me reading. Although, it headed in an entirely different direction than I ever expected with all the … fate and destiny stuff, I guess. Anyway, all in all, I feel that the ending was relatively satisfactory once you finally get to it, I mean it was kind of a blur for me and I barely remember it, no offense but I was just eager for it to be over. This book took some serious stamina and attention span.
December 27, 2018
*Source* Library
*Genre* Young Adult / Fantasy / Contemporary
*Rating* 3.5
*Thoughts*
Legacy of Light is the third and final installment in author Sarah Raughley's The Effigies trilogy. The story picks up shortly after the events of Siege of Shadows. The Effigies are split apart after Saul brought back Maia Finley's twin, June, to use her to make people believe Maia had been attacking the city of Oslo. Belle Rousseau has gone rogue after attempting to kill Maia; Chae Rin and Lake have disappeared. Maia and her group have been branded a terrorist. As for Saul, ultimate plan still remains a mystery.
*Full Review @ Gizmos Reviews*
https://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/20...
*Genre* Young Adult / Fantasy / Contemporary
*Rating* 3.5
*Thoughts*
Legacy of Light is the third and final installment in author Sarah Raughley's The Effigies trilogy. The story picks up shortly after the events of Siege of Shadows. The Effigies are split apart after Saul brought back Maia Finley's twin, June, to use her to make people believe Maia had been attacking the city of Oslo. Belle Rousseau has gone rogue after attempting to kill Maia; Chae Rin and Lake have disappeared. Maia and her group have been branded a terrorist. As for Saul, ultimate plan still remains a mystery.
*Full Review @ Gizmos Reviews*
https://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/20...
April 8, 2020
Legacy of light blew me out of the water! Not only was there action from beginning to end, there was so much growth and redemption packed into this book! So many questions were answered and things wrapped up. So glad that everything worked out, no matter how many times it looked like they were all failing. The moral of this book was definitely careful what you wish for and never lose hope. Hopelessness leads to so many horrible actions. I'm so glad with how the story ended. I didn't think I'd actually like this series because the first book was pretty awful. But this book made it all worth it.
May 25, 2022
Het was me een bevalling, deze. Maar ik wilde de serie met de mooiste covers in mijn kast echt wel uitlezen.
In ieder boek zaten minder van de elementen die ik in het eerste boek zo gaaf vond, en meer elementen die mij minder interesseerden in deze serie. De corrupte organisatie bevechten? Dode personage's die terugkwamen? Op een gegeven moment had ik dat wel gezien.
Wat ik wel tof vond: de dynamiek van de meiden onderling allemaal.
Maar verder was dit voor mij gewoon too much van.. vanalles.
In ieder boek zaten minder van de elementen die ik in het eerste boek zo gaaf vond, en meer elementen die mij minder interesseerden in deze serie. De corrupte organisatie bevechten? Dode personage's die terugkwamen? Op een gegeven moment had ik dat wel gezien.
Wat ik wel tof vond: de dynamiek van de meiden onderling allemaal.
Maar verder was dit voor mij gewoon too much van.. vanalles.
August 17, 2020
Before I begin, I want to point out that I wasn't a big fan of the series from the get-go (although my opinion did worsen as I went along...), and I only continued reading out of sheer curiosity about Saul, and Marian. 😅
OKAY, SO, I very much did not enjoy Legacy of Light, even though I kinda wish I did. 😅 I think the story had a lot of promise, but its execution was extremely lacking, and had A LOT of stuff taking away from it.
As I mentioned earlier, I continued the series simply because Saul, and Marian - as well as the lore of the Effigies series - were really interesting: it was really neat slowly learning about where the Effigies' powers and the Phantoms came from, and how it all related to the tragic, and twisted histories of Nick, Alice, and Marian. 😊 Unfortunately, a lot of these mysteries were resolved through several H-U-G-E info dumps, but the reveals were cool nonetheless. 😂
Welp, moving onto my slew of complaints with the book ,then! 😂 From the very beginning, two of the things that I really disliked about the series were the characters, and the writing style. Every single character (besides Nick, and Alice, really) was so lacklustre: everyone was very... archetypal, and I didn't care about any character enough to want to know, or even care about what happened to them next. 😭 I will admit, though, that while all the protagonists were varying degrees of boring, and annoying (especially the main character, Maia 😑), the antagonists were all a bit more enjoyable to read about insofar as it was interesting seeing how good people can break because of the unfair things things that happened to them, and ultimately become the "villains" of someone else's story - even if just for a little while. TO PUT IT DIFFERENTLY (and less psychotically, LOOOL), the antagonists had FAR MORE depth to them than all of the protagonists combined. U_U
Then, there's the writing style of the series. I've likely pointed this out in a prior review in the series, but the narration is just so... cringe-y. 😂 It's written in the voice of someone STRUGGLING to sound youthful, and witty, but missing the mark entirely, which was SO INCREDIBLY DISTRACTING. 😭😭😭
But, that wasn't even the worst of it.
^^^ THAT is the worst part of the writing style. A thousand times per chapter, the author would randomly insert one of those ~dramatic~ sentences, which do effectively heighten the tension of the scene when used sporadically, but when used C-O-N-S-T-A-N-T-L-Y only serve to interrupt the flow, and pace of the story. OTL I honestly can't remember if this narrative choice was present in the first two books, as well, but I assure you, it was annoyingly abundant within this one. 😂
Finally, we have reached my last piece of criticism for Legacy of Light, which actually pertains to its conclusion: I, a person who is an absolute sucker for happy endings, was so annoyed with how conveniently everything worked out for Maia. 😑 An overarching theme to the story was how life wasn't fair - sometimes bad things happen to good people, and things don't turn out the way you want them to - but you've just got to make peace with that, and move on. Both Belle, and Natalya, had to accept that Natalya was dead - as untimely, and unfair as her death was - and that dead people couldn't come back to life. Rhys had to learn how to live with a guilty conscience, and atone for all his wrongdoings. Goodhearted Nick just wanted to be with his love, Marian, and ended up torn apart from her, instead, while There were so many characters who suffered at the whims, and fancy of fate, and had to learn to deal with that, and yet Maia is somehow impervious to it all: where everyone before her failed, she somehow manages to attain a happy ending at no real cost at all. Like, what??? 😂😂😂
Anyhow, I regrettably didn't end up enjoying the series - despite its interesting premise - so I defs wouldn't recommend it to anyone. 😇 Although, if you enjoyed the first two books, you'll likely still enjoy Legacy of Light since it's all very much the same thing (e.g. the convenience of the ending is comparable to the convenience of Rhys falling for Maia), and you'll be happy to know that Maia does, ultimately, get a happy ending with no strings attached. 🤷♀️😂
OKAY, SO, I very much did not enjoy Legacy of Light, even though I kinda wish I did. 😅 I think the story had a lot of promise, but its execution was extremely lacking, and had A LOT of stuff taking away from it.
As I mentioned earlier, I continued the series simply because Saul, and Marian - as well as the lore of the Effigies series - were really interesting: it was really neat slowly learning about where the Effigies' powers and the Phantoms came from, and how it all related to the tragic, and twisted histories of Nick, Alice, and Marian. 😊 Unfortunately, a lot of these mysteries were resolved through several H-U-G-E info dumps, but the reveals were cool nonetheless. 😂
Welp, moving onto my slew of complaints with the book ,then! 😂 From the very beginning, two of the things that I really disliked about the series were the characters, and the writing style. Every single character (besides Nick, and Alice, really) was so lacklustre: everyone was very... archetypal, and I didn't care about any character enough to want to know, or even care about what happened to them next. 😭 I will admit, though, that while all the protagonists were varying degrees of boring, and annoying (especially the main character, Maia 😑), the antagonists were all a bit more enjoyable to read about insofar as it was interesting seeing how good people can break because of the unfair things things that happened to them, and ultimately become the "villains" of someone else's story - even if just for a little while. TO PUT IT DIFFERENTLY (and less psychotically, LOOOL), the antagonists had FAR MORE depth to them than all of the protagonists combined. U_U
Then, there's the writing style of the series. I've likely pointed this out in a prior review in the series, but the narration is just so... cringe-y. 😂 It's written in the voice of someone STRUGGLING to sound youthful, and witty, but missing the mark entirely, which was SO INCREDIBLY DISTRACTING. 😭😭😭
But, that wasn't even the worst of it.
^^^ THAT is the worst part of the writing style. A thousand times per chapter, the author would randomly insert one of those ~dramatic~ sentences, which do effectively heighten the tension of the scene when used sporadically, but when used C-O-N-S-T-A-N-T-L-Y only serve to interrupt the flow, and pace of the story. OTL I honestly can't remember if this narrative choice was present in the first two books, as well, but I assure you, it was annoyingly abundant within this one. 😂
Finally, we have reached my last piece of criticism for Legacy of Light, which actually pertains to its conclusion: I, a person who is an absolute sucker for happy endings, was so annoyed with how conveniently everything worked out for Maia. 😑 An overarching theme to the story was how life wasn't fair - sometimes bad things happen to good people, and things don't turn out the way you want them to - but you've just got to make peace with that, and move on. Both Belle, and Natalya, had to accept that Natalya was dead - as untimely, and unfair as her death was - and that dead people couldn't come back to life. Rhys had to learn how to live with a guilty conscience, and atone for all his wrongdoings. Goodhearted Nick just wanted to be with his love, Marian, and ended up torn apart from her, instead, while There were so many characters who suffered at the whims, and fancy of fate, and had to learn to deal with that, and yet Maia is somehow impervious to it all: where everyone before her failed, she somehow manages to attain a happy ending at no real cost at all. Like, what??? 😂😂😂
Anyhow, I regrettably didn't end up enjoying the series - despite its interesting premise - so I defs wouldn't recommend it to anyone. 😇 Although, if you enjoyed the first two books, you'll likely still enjoy Legacy of Light since it's all very much the same thing (e.g. the convenience of the ending is comparable to the convenience of Rhys falling for Maia), and you'll be happy to know that Maia does, ultimately, get a happy ending with no strings attached. 🤷♀️😂
March 6, 2022
Well, I truly don't know what to say about this book.
The thing is, I wouldn't be surprised if Sarah Raughley was on speed and a lot of other substances while writing the story, but I gotta say, the result is not bad.
The story reads like a blockbuster movie, with alllll the ingredients. Zombies, ghosts, spirits, an evil twin, phantoms, superheroes, goddesses, enhanced agents, a sect, a deserted island, zapping from one place to another...
If this were a pizza, it would have salami, pineapple, mozzarella, mushrooms, many cheeses and shoarma.
Really, it's completely over the top and ridiculous, with monologues that are absurd and too long, but: I TOTALLY ENJOYED IT.
The thing is, I wouldn't be surprised if Sarah Raughley was on speed and a lot of other substances while writing the story, but I gotta say, the result is not bad.
The story reads like a blockbuster movie, with alllll the ingredients. Zombies, ghosts, spirits, an evil twin, phantoms, superheroes, goddesses, enhanced agents, a sect, a deserted island, zapping from one place to another...
If this were a pizza, it would have salami, pineapple, mozzarella, mushrooms, many cheeses and shoarma.
Really, it's completely over the top and ridiculous, with monologues that are absurd and too long, but: I TOTALLY ENJOYED IT.
June 21, 2024
I liked this series and I liked the first two books, but this book took me so long to read. I think my main problem with it stems from the fact that the characters are supposed to be ages 16-26ish and they all talk like they’re 45. Every time a new fact is introduced it’s super blunt and clearly stated instead of being insinuated. There are also so many characters I kept forgetting who was who and I still don’t know. I had no emotional connection to most of them because I couldn’t remember why they were even significant to the story. Overall, the plot was good, but super drawn out and it became painful to read near the end.
February 25, 2019
Enfin ce troisième et ultime tome qui conclut une excellente saga ! J'ai passé un beau moment et j'ai bien aimé connaître l'histoire des premières Effigies.
Le seul bémol que je peux reprocher c'est la longueur des chapitres... Je ne voyais pas le bout du tunnel 😂 Surtout quand ton côté maniaque ne supporte pas ne pas finir un chapitre avant de dormir... MDR
Bref, excellente saga !!!!
Le seul bémol que je peux reprocher c'est la longueur des chapitres... Je ne voyais pas le bout du tunnel 😂 Surtout quand ton côté maniaque ne supporte pas ne pas finir un chapitre avant de dormir... MDR
Bref, excellente saga !!!!
November 25, 2019
Oh boy. I was so excited for this book and couldn’t wait until my local library finally had this on the shelves. But needless to say I was left profoundly disappointed. My original rating for this book was 3.5 stars but having slept on it for a couple of weeks I need to drop the score to a 2. This book should be used as a teaching lesson for what not to do in the final book of your trilogy.
The Good
Like many of the reviewers have said the diversity of the cast of characters is beautiful! I love how through all the books we’ve seen the struggles each girl has gone through personally as they grow as fighters, teenagers and in some cases how they deal with certain life events that are familiar with real world minorities such as xenophobia. This was so different from the usual focus on the stereotypical hero story that’s usually male centered.
The Bad
The Lies
Through the second book there was a lie that was revealed at the end that brought about an unfortunate incident that opened up the third book. And through the third book we see that Maia is beating herself up about not being honest and hurting a friend. But that doesn’t stop her from continuing to lie over and over. Like you’d think that she’d take responsibility for causing this rift and would be forthcoming as possible going forward but we see her going back to the behavior that led to her getting stabbed in the chest because she has this notion that keeping important information from her friends will somehow protect them.
The romance… WTF was that? I get the whole trope of finding love despite being in the middle of war or terrorist attacks but this was crazy. The love story bordered heavily on the annoying trope of “love is strong enough to conquer all”. In this case love seemed strong enough to conquer imprisonment, human experimentation and in one case mind control. Brooding dark stories are not always what people want to read but at the same time cheesy 1990s tropes are not the best way to counter life and death scenes, it’s 2019 we can do better.
Nothing seemed to happen… For the first two thirds of the book I struggled in being engaged with the story. Nothing happened. There was a lot of world travelling and mystery exploration but nothing seemed worth the trouble given how the ending panned out. I wish that there were more phantom battles or at least more Effigy related battles that had they using their powers for hard-core combat than as a means to an end to get out of trouble with human authorities.
That Ending though! And finally the biggest offender was the ending, more specifically the final battle and the epilogue. The Final battle was a mess. People died and went to the afterlife to talk to the gods of fate to get a wish. How did that go? A mad dash to get a wishing stone that resulted in Looney Toons level of oversight that gave Saul the wishing stone to kill Maia and the dying guy (forgot his name), only for Maia’s sister to wish to be the next Effigy, Maia uses her sister’s body to come back and they stab Saul in the back while he’s having his little bad guy victory dance, which ends with the two sisters wishing to get rid of the phantoms and destroy the Effigy line. Maia has to die cause she died before the wish could be made but the gods of Fate or whatever are impressed by the sacrifice that they give Maia another life… If that sounds like lazy writing to end a story that’s because it is. Personally making a wish at the end of a story is so close to the “it was all a dream” trope because it takes away something to the ending that you invested time to get to. It isn’t a rewarding payoff.
Leading from that is where the characters end up… God this was annoying. After a boo where hundreds if not thousands of people were killed as a result to Effigy failure and company failure our girls get to go home to live normal lives. Maia gets to have her love affair with Rhys as if the events of the last 3 books didn’t matter. We are expected to forget that he killed a bunch of people, that he was tortured physically and mentally; having been forced to kill a friend and so forth. Hey as long as he gets the girl at the end it’s all good right? Who cares about PTSD, being on trial for crimes that include terrorism, murder and kidnapping? Who cares that he killed a friend of his in front of the dude’s wife? At least he has been redeemed in order to make out with the pretty girl, in his elitist apartment that his billionaire mother probably pays for.
The Effigy ending is not much better. The meet up at a bridge somewhere having been invited by Maia for a sleepover and they all seem to be happy and fine despite that a bunch of their friends and people who were helping them with their cause are dead. There is no talk about the sacrifice that brought them to this point in time that they are enjoying. The city is in ruin and rebuilding, a bunch of civilians are dead and so forth but hey that’s not their problem at all it’s SLEEPOVER TIME!
Yeah I sound a bit bitter but I loved this series. This isn’t the way I wanted this series to end. The characters main and small deserved better than what they got in the end. And fans of this book deserved better than what they ended up getting.
The Good
Like many of the reviewers have said the diversity of the cast of characters is beautiful! I love how through all the books we’ve seen the struggles each girl has gone through personally as they grow as fighters, teenagers and in some cases how they deal with certain life events that are familiar with real world minorities such as xenophobia. This was so different from the usual focus on the stereotypical hero story that’s usually male centered.
The Bad
The Lies
Through the second book there was a lie that was revealed at the end that brought about an unfortunate incident that opened up the third book. And through the third book we see that Maia is beating herself up about not being honest and hurting a friend. But that doesn’t stop her from continuing to lie over and over. Like you’d think that she’d take responsibility for causing this rift and would be forthcoming as possible going forward but we see her going back to the behavior that led to her getting stabbed in the chest because she has this notion that keeping important information from her friends will somehow protect them.
The romance… WTF was that? I get the whole trope of finding love despite being in the middle of war or terrorist attacks but this was crazy. The love story bordered heavily on the annoying trope of “love is strong enough to conquer all”. In this case love seemed strong enough to conquer imprisonment, human experimentation and in one case mind control. Brooding dark stories are not always what people want to read but at the same time cheesy 1990s tropes are not the best way to counter life and death scenes, it’s 2019 we can do better.
Nothing seemed to happen… For the first two thirds of the book I struggled in being engaged with the story. Nothing happened. There was a lot of world travelling and mystery exploration but nothing seemed worth the trouble given how the ending panned out. I wish that there were more phantom battles or at least more Effigy related battles that had they using their powers for hard-core combat than as a means to an end to get out of trouble with human authorities.
That Ending though! And finally the biggest offender was the ending, more specifically the final battle and the epilogue. The Final battle was a mess. People died and went to the afterlife to talk to the gods of fate to get a wish. How did that go? A mad dash to get a wishing stone that resulted in Looney Toons level of oversight that gave Saul the wishing stone to kill Maia and the dying guy (forgot his name), only for Maia’s sister to wish to be the next Effigy, Maia uses her sister’s body to come back and they stab Saul in the back while he’s having his little bad guy victory dance, which ends with the two sisters wishing to get rid of the phantoms and destroy the Effigy line. Maia has to die cause she died before the wish could be made but the gods of Fate or whatever are impressed by the sacrifice that they give Maia another life… If that sounds like lazy writing to end a story that’s because it is. Personally making a wish at the end of a story is so close to the “it was all a dream” trope because it takes away something to the ending that you invested time to get to. It isn’t a rewarding payoff.
Leading from that is where the characters end up… God this was annoying. After a boo where hundreds if not thousands of people were killed as a result to Effigy failure and company failure our girls get to go home to live normal lives. Maia gets to have her love affair with Rhys as if the events of the last 3 books didn’t matter. We are expected to forget that he killed a bunch of people, that he was tortured physically and mentally; having been forced to kill a friend and so forth. Hey as long as he gets the girl at the end it’s all good right? Who cares about PTSD, being on trial for crimes that include terrorism, murder and kidnapping? Who cares that he killed a friend of his in front of the dude’s wife? At least he has been redeemed in order to make out with the pretty girl, in his elitist apartment that his billionaire mother probably pays for.
The Effigy ending is not much better. The meet up at a bridge somewhere having been invited by Maia for a sleepover and they all seem to be happy and fine despite that a bunch of their friends and people who were helping them with their cause are dead. There is no talk about the sacrifice that brought them to this point in time that they are enjoying. The city is in ruin and rebuilding, a bunch of civilians are dead and so forth but hey that’s not their problem at all it’s SLEEPOVER TIME!
Yeah I sound a bit bitter but I loved this series. This isn’t the way I wanted this series to end. The characters main and small deserved better than what they got in the end. And fans of this book deserved better than what they ended up getting.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 19, 2019
I loved this book, we have the answers to all the questions and the world building is incredible. I am sure going to read the next Sarah Raughley's book.
October 9, 2020
As much as I like the first two this one was boring for me and was almost a DNF. Really disappointing.
December 28, 2020
A great ending to this series! Lots of action and drama. I liked how the girls stuck together.
Want to read
November 15, 2018I received a copy of this book from Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
July 18, 2025
This is a good read :) So much character development, and such a wholesome ending. I enjoyed the action and seeing different characters struggle with what they wanted and what was the right thing to do. The ideas of death, life and particularly how the characters struggled with free will vs fate was very interesting.
January 18, 2019
The Effigies, four girls chosen to be gifted with powers from each of the four elements, are running out of time in this breathtaking finale of the Effigies trilogy. The Effigies must stop Saul from destroying the world, but they are scattered around the world, and unbeknownst to the others, one of the four is conspiring with Saul.
Meanwhile, Blackwell, the leader of the Sect, the army that is supposed to be supporting the Effigies and maintaining order, is pitting Sect members against each other and framing them and the Effigies for crimes they didn't commit, so he can set himself up as dictator.
Maia must confront the dark secrets of past Effigies to find the answer that could change everything and finally put an end to the deadly phantoms.
I loved the first two books and was really looking forward to the last installment, but when I finally read it, I have to admit I was a little disappointed.
For me, the best part about the first two books was the sisterly bond between the Effigies and the sweet romance between Maia and Rhys. I especially loved the mentorship and playful banter.
The girls were apart for most of the last book so it was missing the dialogue from the earlier books that made me laugh out loud and wish I was a member of the group. And, except for the last five pages, there were very few scenes with Maia and Rhys, which I had been looking forward to the most.
Much of the last book was fighting and action but it was a little too predictable for me. In fights, none of the "good guys" got hurt, and the "bad guys" always lost. There were a lot of battle scenes, but the Effigies only used their powers a few times. I found myself skipping pages, which I rarely do.
The best part of the book was seeing the lives of past Effigies. I also liked how the villain seemed more human as they revealed their complex past and motivations. By the end of the book, the line between the villains and the protagonists was almost blurred.
Overall, those who enjoyed the first two books will want to read LEGACY OF LIGHT to find out how Maia's journey ends.
Meanwhile, Blackwell, the leader of the Sect, the army that is supposed to be supporting the Effigies and maintaining order, is pitting Sect members against each other and framing them and the Effigies for crimes they didn't commit, so he can set himself up as dictator.
Maia must confront the dark secrets of past Effigies to find the answer that could change everything and finally put an end to the deadly phantoms.
I loved the first two books and was really looking forward to the last installment, but when I finally read it, I have to admit I was a little disappointed.
For me, the best part about the first two books was the sisterly bond between the Effigies and the sweet romance between Maia and Rhys. I especially loved the mentorship and playful banter.
The girls were apart for most of the last book so it was missing the dialogue from the earlier books that made me laugh out loud and wish I was a member of the group. And, except for the last five pages, there were very few scenes with Maia and Rhys, which I had been looking forward to the most.
Much of the last book was fighting and action but it was a little too predictable for me. In fights, none of the "good guys" got hurt, and the "bad guys" always lost. There were a lot of battle scenes, but the Effigies only used their powers a few times. I found myself skipping pages, which I rarely do.
The best part of the book was seeing the lives of past Effigies. I also liked how the villain seemed more human as they revealed their complex past and motivations. By the end of the book, the line between the villains and the protagonists was almost blurred.
Overall, those who enjoyed the first two books will want to read LEGACY OF LIGHT to find out how Maia's journey ends.
September 1, 2018
Took me a while to get into this, mostly because there were too many references to characters and events I'd already forgotten. But also a lot of it felt like the third movie in The Hobbit trilogy -- battle after battle after endless battle that dragged after a while.
That being said, I really like what we learn about the origin of the Effigies, and what needs to be done to stop Saul and the Sect. I loved the last few chapters, where this all unfolds, and thought the ending was strong.
I wish this book had been shorter / tighter, as some of the twists felt unnecessary and some of the battles endless (and not in a good way). I also highly recommend re-reading the first two books before reading this one, so you'll remember who so and so character is and why they matter.
Still, overall, this is a fitting end to the series, and I can imagine the trilogy being turned into a blockbuster YA movie trilogy.
That being said, I really like what we learn about the origin of the Effigies, and what needs to be done to stop Saul and the Sect. I loved the last few chapters, where this all unfolds, and thought the ending was strong.
I wish this book had been shorter / tighter, as some of the twists felt unnecessary and some of the battles endless (and not in a good way). I also highly recommend re-reading the first two books before reading this one, so you'll remember who so and so character is and why they matter.
Still, overall, this is a fitting end to the series, and I can imagine the trilogy being turned into a blockbuster YA movie trilogy.
October 15, 2021
As expected, this disappointed. I think the most baffling thing is that this book genuinely seems to be trying to say something about violence, and power, and inevitability... but that kind of gets lost in evil undead twins and mech-hands and something literally called the ring of wishes. What I'm trying to say is that this book is silly. And it's still trying to have a serious conversation.
I couldn't take its big ideas seriously. There was too much dumbness getting in the way. Gunshots seemed to mean nothing to the main characters. I believe Maia gets shot a grand total of three times in this series, and not once does it have real impact. None of the important characters stay dead. They all get free resurrections, for some reason. Figures who lives consist of watching over humanity somehow seem surprised by the willingness to sacrifice oneself for others? For REAL??
This series never got better.
I couldn't take its big ideas seriously. There was too much dumbness getting in the way. Gunshots seemed to mean nothing to the main characters. I believe Maia gets shot a grand total of three times in this series, and not once does it have real impact. None of the important characters stay dead. They all get free resurrections, for some reason. Figures who lives consist of watching over humanity somehow seem surprised by the willingness to sacrifice oneself for others? For REAL??
This series never got better.
June 24, 2019
J’avais eu le plaisir de découvrir le premier tome de The Effigies en 2017, grâce à un envoi d’un service de presse d’Interforum. Ayant beaucoup apprécié ce début de trilogie, je n’avais pas hésité à acheter le deuxième tome en 2018. Cette année, je ne pouvais pas échapper au troisième et dernier opus de la série. Après deux premiers livres aux nombreux rebondissements et aux dénouements nous donnant envie de connaître la suite, j’étais curieuse d’enfin découvrir le fin mot de cette histoire. Pour y parvenir, ça se mérite, puisqu’il faut dévorer près de 700 pages. Je dois l’avouer, j’avais un peu peur de me lancer dans ce gros pavé, d’autant plus que j’avais signalé quelques répétitions et longueurs dans les deux premiers tomes, qui étaient pourtant bien plus courts. Néanmoins, je dois reconnaître que le rythme dans Lueur dans l’obscurité est plus soutenu qu’il ne l’était dans les titres précédents, donnant au lecteur cette volonté d’enchaîner les chapitres pour en apprendre davantage et avoir en sa possession des éléments supplémentaires pour émettre des hypothèses quant à l’origine des spectres et des Effigies. J’ai aimé me plonger dans les souvenirs des anciennes Effigies pour en savoir plus à leur sujet, alors qu’elles n’étaient que citées de temps en temps dans les autres livres. Ainsi, on comprend mieux comment les personnages principaux en sont arrivés là et les liens qui les unissent les uns aux autres, alors qu’on aurait pu penser au départ qu’ils n’avaient rien en commun. Si quand on commence la trilogie, on a du mal à saisir la complexité de ces relations, ce dernier tome nous révèle toutes les ficelles de cette intrigue et le grand travail de création de l’auteure. Chaque petit détail a été pensé pour que la révélation se fasse progressivement et que le suspense soit conservé jusqu’à la dernière page, pour finir sur une scène encore inattendue quelques chapitres plus tôt. L’action et la résolution de l’intrigue vont crescendo, mettant en avant la parfaite maîtrise de l’histoire de la part de l’auteure.
Côté personnages, ils ont beau être très nombreux à intervenir, on parvient tout même à suivre le rôle que chacun doit jouer et son importance dans l’histoire. J’ai apprécié le fait qu’ils aient tous une personnalité différente, et non pas qu’ils soient de pâles copies les uns des autres, mis en scène simplement pour expliquer tel ou tel événement. Chaque protagoniste a une façon d’être et de penser singulière, permettant à l’auteure de jouer avec leurs émotions et leurs réactions pour créer des retournements de situation inédits.
Petit bémol, indépendant de la version originale, ce sont les coquilles et fautes présentes dans le texte. Je l’avais déjà signalé à propos des autres séries des éditions Lumen et, malheureusement, c’est toujours le cas. J’aime beaucoup leur ligne éditoriale et leurs choix graphiques, mais modifier des prénoms suite à une étourderie, par exemple, c’est tout de même gênant pour le lecteur.
En définitive, j’ai beaucoup aimé découvrir la fin de la série de The Effigies. C’est une saga prenante, qui est très bien menée par Sarah Raughley. Si vous ne l’avez pas encore lue, je vous la recommande.
Côté personnages, ils ont beau être très nombreux à intervenir, on parvient tout même à suivre le rôle que chacun doit jouer et son importance dans l’histoire. J’ai apprécié le fait qu’ils aient tous une personnalité différente, et non pas qu’ils soient de pâles copies les uns des autres, mis en scène simplement pour expliquer tel ou tel événement. Chaque protagoniste a une façon d’être et de penser singulière, permettant à l’auteure de jouer avec leurs émotions et leurs réactions pour créer des retournements de situation inédits.
Petit bémol, indépendant de la version originale, ce sont les coquilles et fautes présentes dans le texte. Je l’avais déjà signalé à propos des autres séries des éditions Lumen et, malheureusement, c’est toujours le cas. J’aime beaucoup leur ligne éditoriale et leurs choix graphiques, mais modifier des prénoms suite à une étourderie, par exemple, c’est tout de même gênant pour le lecteur.
En définitive, j’ai beaucoup aimé découvrir la fin de la série de The Effigies. C’est une saga prenante, qui est très bien menée par Sarah Raughley. Si vous ne l’avez pas encore lue, je vous la recommande.
May 4, 2019
I don't remember the last time I was so disappointed in a book that I was looking forward to so much. I mean...I'm not entirely sure what I just read.
There are some good points in the book - like the awesome feminism, the point Lake makes that the POC Effigies aren't there to just be POC Effigies - and I love the fact that we finally have a series about people with special powers that isn't, really, a book about people from America with special powers. That goes for the previous two books in the series, as well. But this book...
It feels like the first two books were cohesive, that they were working towards an obvious end. This book doesn't even fit in the general feel. It was political (which meant I found it boring) and until the final fifth, I don't even remember a single phantom battle on screen. (It could have been there, considering that I think it took me about two months to read this book, but still.)
So much of the first 150 pages Maia is not even around the other Effigies and to me that's when this story is at it's worst. That's why it took me so long to get involved with the first book. Because the only Effigy I like less than Maia is Belle and she was the second one we actually dealt with in this book. (As well as the first book, too.)
And I reread the first two books before reading this one. Where was the foreshadowing? Where were any hints that the big reveal was going to be ? I mean, what the hell was that even?
No, I'm sorry, the first two books were awesome. This one doesn't even feel like the same story to me.
There are some good points in the book - like the awesome feminism, the point Lake makes that the POC Effigies aren't there to just be POC Effigies - and I love the fact that we finally have a series about people with special powers that isn't, really, a book about people from America with special powers. That goes for the previous two books in the series, as well. But this book...
It feels like the first two books were cohesive, that they were working towards an obvious end. This book doesn't even fit in the general feel. It was political (which meant I found it boring) and until the final fifth, I don't even remember a single phantom battle on screen. (It could have been there, considering that I think it took me about two months to read this book, but still.)
So much of the first 150 pages Maia is not even around the other Effigies and to me that's when this story is at it's worst. That's why it took me so long to get involved with the first book. Because the only Effigy I like less than Maia is Belle and she was the second one we actually dealt with in this book. (As well as the first book, too.)
And I reread the first two books before reading this one. Where was the foreshadowing? Where were any hints that the big reveal was going to be ? I mean, what the hell was that even?
No, I'm sorry, the first two books were awesome. This one doesn't even feel like the same story to me.
November 11, 2019
Oh boy. There is nothing more sad than losing stars with every book in the trilogy. Ugh. So in book 1, I labeled Maia as anti-confrontation, lacking self-confidence, etc. These aren't bad things; I struggle with them, many people do. But over time, you expect to see a character grow, and I felt that lacking with every book. She did handle Natalya better, eventually, but that's about it. She was still undecided about Rhys, she still tends to let people walk all over her, and I just felt like she never fit in with the Effigies. There was little growth, here. She made such a huge sacrifice in the end, and that was momentous, but then, it was for her sister, and was that really anything other than sisterly love? We'd all have hated her if she'd done anything else. The true test would've been if she'd been willing to do that for someone else. Like, say, Belle. So I wasn't impressed with her, and even a little annoyed by the end, which is never good with the main character.
For the most part, I felt Belle was well done, considering the shite she's been through, but she also wavered a lot. Chae Rin was like the only character that didn't doubt herself constantly. I liked her best. I never did get attached to Rhys, he was just whatever, and not bonding with the romance sucks! Ultimately, I didn't bond with much of anything in this series, which is why the final book has only 3 stars. And it only got 3 instead of 2, because I stand by my initial high rating of book 1. I'm too disappointed and annoyed to ever read this again, or to recommend it to anyone.
For the most part, I felt Belle was well done, considering the shite she's been through, but she also wavered a lot. Chae Rin was like the only character that didn't doubt herself constantly. I liked her best. I never did get attached to Rhys, he was just whatever, and not bonding with the romance sucks! Ultimately, I didn't bond with much of anything in this series, which is why the final book has only 3 stars. And it only got 3 instead of 2, because I stand by my initial high rating of book 1. I'm too disappointed and annoyed to ever read this again, or to recommend it to anyone.
December 4, 2018
ARC provided by Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing via NetGalley for an honest review.
I have really enjoyed this series. The world that the author envisioned is just so interesting and so like our own and yet different. The ending was also perfect and pretty much what I wanted. I was a little worried that it was going to end with everything being wiped clean, but it wasn’t. This world has a long way to go to heal itself, which felt authentic to me.
Maia continues to be our only narrator, and she goes through a lot in this book. All of the issues I had with her in the last book have disappeared. She still has many doubts about what she is doing, and that is ok. Their are many people doing deals and double crossing each other, that you really can’t tell who are the bad guys here. There were a few moments when I worried about Maia going down the wrong path. But she keeps her head and her sanity and comes out on top at the end. Her relationship with her twin sister, June, is explored in the book, which was interesting and really gave you more insight into Maia.
All of the other Effigies are still around and still fighting, although Belle does go down the dark path. The other two, Chae Rin and Lake, really get their acts together in this book and come to help Maia and support her in so many ways. I like the Effigies powers being elemental and always being girls. The whole back story of how they came to be is explained in this story and I found it to be fascinating. The Phantoms origins are explained in more detail and I found then even more terrifying after learning it.
The plot of this book is very convoluted and at times a little hard to follow. There is a lot of double crossing and conspiracies and it is very hard to keep up with who the bad guys are and who is just pretending or feel like they don’t have a choice or is being controlled. The pacing does get a little bogged down by this, but it is still a riveting read. I especially liked the mix of a little mythology into the story. Every question I had about the Effigies and the Phantoms was pretty much answered by the end of this book, which was great. I hate it when I still have questions at the end of a series.
Overall this was a fabulous series that had a very different take on the superhero plot and origins. Even if you are not into superheroes I think you might enjoy this series, it is very well done and well written.
https://elnadesbookchat.com
I have really enjoyed this series. The world that the author envisioned is just so interesting and so like our own and yet different. The ending was also perfect and pretty much what I wanted. I was a little worried that it was going to end with everything being wiped clean, but it wasn’t. This world has a long way to go to heal itself, which felt authentic to me.
Maia continues to be our only narrator, and she goes through a lot in this book. All of the issues I had with her in the last book have disappeared. She still has many doubts about what she is doing, and that is ok. Their are many people doing deals and double crossing each other, that you really can’t tell who are the bad guys here. There were a few moments when I worried about Maia going down the wrong path. But she keeps her head and her sanity and comes out on top at the end. Her relationship with her twin sister, June, is explored in the book, which was interesting and really gave you more insight into Maia.
All of the other Effigies are still around and still fighting, although Belle does go down the dark path. The other two, Chae Rin and Lake, really get their acts together in this book and come to help Maia and support her in so many ways. I like the Effigies powers being elemental and always being girls. The whole back story of how they came to be is explained in this story and I found it to be fascinating. The Phantoms origins are explained in more detail and I found then even more terrifying after learning it.
The plot of this book is very convoluted and at times a little hard to follow. There is a lot of double crossing and conspiracies and it is very hard to keep up with who the bad guys are and who is just pretending or feel like they don’t have a choice or is being controlled. The pacing does get a little bogged down by this, but it is still a riveting read. I especially liked the mix of a little mythology into the story. Every question I had about the Effigies and the Phantoms was pretty much answered by the end of this book, which was great. I hate it when I still have questions at the end of a series.
Overall this was a fabulous series that had a very different take on the superhero plot and origins. Even if you are not into superheroes I think you might enjoy this series, it is very well done and well written.
https://elnadesbookchat.com
July 2, 2023
The first book was amazing. It helped pull me from a reading slump. My expectations for this series was high.
Second book the story became unnecessary complex and the addition of unnecessary characters gave us less time with the ones we cared about.
That leads me here. Many a time I wanted to skim or just stop reading. The story became so convoluted that at one point I was rooting for Saul to eliminate the world. A book where death for the most part is meaningless. Where no matter how bad the actions (mass murder, assassination, betrayal) they weren’t complete control over their actions. So should be forgiven. It didn’t sit right with me.
The two characters I like the most ,Victoria Lake and Chae Rin, are not in it nearly enough. It was because of them that I couldn’t give this book a one star. They are the best part of the book.
Worst part - adding mind control, effigy
Like army, Minerva, fates, flashbacks, decrying while fighting, revived twin, Saul-Alice-Nick, the non explanation of the phantoms and the meaninglessness of sacrifice.
I’m disappointed in the direction the series took and the end.
Second book the story became unnecessary complex and the addition of unnecessary characters gave us less time with the ones we cared about.
That leads me here. Many a time I wanted to skim or just stop reading. The story became so convoluted that at one point I was rooting for Saul to eliminate the world. A book where death for the most part is meaningless. Where no matter how bad the actions (mass murder, assassination, betrayal) they weren’t complete control over their actions. So should be forgiven. It didn’t sit right with me.
The two characters I like the most ,Victoria Lake and Chae Rin, are not in it nearly enough. It was because of them that I couldn’t give this book a one star. They are the best part of the book.
Worst part - adding mind control, effigy
Like army, Minerva, fates, flashbacks, decrying while fighting, revived twin, Saul-Alice-Nick, the non explanation of the phantoms and the meaninglessness of sacrifice.
I’m disappointed in the direction the series took and the end.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 20, 2020
Since I've been wanting to finish this show for so long, this is done. I loved the first two books, this one even more.
You learn right away that the world is in chaos and that it's not the effigies that can put an end to it. Four girls who are linked by powers related to the four elements. In the eyes of everyone Maia is a traitor, except that it is her twin sister June, who has returned from the dead, who sows chaos wherever she goes. They all think Maia's joined the enemy camp. Bella's no longer with the group, and Chae Rin and Lake are missing. The cult no longer exists, but Blackwell still runs it. The Effigies are wanted for crimes and Maia's disappeared off the face of the earth. They need to find the link between Blackwell and the ghosts. The spectres are a vital link.
I immediately hooked on the story that was so captivating, addictive, gripping and full of suspense and twists and turns with endearing characters. I would read the original version of the show to myself later.
You learn right away that the world is in chaos and that it's not the effigies that can put an end to it. Four girls who are linked by powers related to the four elements. In the eyes of everyone Maia is a traitor, except that it is her twin sister June, who has returned from the dead, who sows chaos wherever she goes. They all think Maia's joined the enemy camp. Bella's no longer with the group, and Chae Rin and Lake are missing. The cult no longer exists, but Blackwell still runs it. The Effigies are wanted for crimes and Maia's disappeared off the face of the earth. They need to find the link between Blackwell and the ghosts. The spectres are a vital link.
I immediately hooked on the story that was so captivating, addictive, gripping and full of suspense and twists and turns with endearing characters. I would read the original version of the show to myself later.
January 26, 2019
I will say this: I didn't foresee many of the things that happened in this book.
Many of the events that happened in this book took off in a completely different direction than I anticipated. Specifically, the fact that deities were suddenly introduced, and that it became a race to get the three stones representing each of the three goddesses to make a wish. Maybe I didn't read the previous books carefully enough, but I don't think they alluded this happening?
Regardless, I still enjoyed the comradeship between the majority of the Effigies. Save for Belle, who also took a completely different turn than I anticipated. I also liked the fact that there was still a "good" section of the Sect, working in the interest of the people.
June's appearance put a nice twist to the plot. She certainly threw a wrench in everyone's plans, especially Maia. However, the dynamic between the two could have been fleshed out a little more; I would have liked to see Maia truly grasp what June was thinking, rather than just insisting June was someone to save above all measures.
I'm not too sure what happened to Saul in the end of the book, or the role the whole goddesses played since they kind of dictated the ending. But it still was a happy ending, which is all I can ask for. This series was still a good read, but I had just wished it had gone in a different direction!
Many of the events that happened in this book took off in a completely different direction than I anticipated. Specifically, the fact that deities were suddenly introduced, and that it became a race to get the three stones representing each of the three goddesses to make a wish. Maybe I didn't read the previous books carefully enough, but I don't think they alluded this happening?
Regardless, I still enjoyed the comradeship between the majority of the Effigies. Save for Belle, who also took a completely different turn than I anticipated. I also liked the fact that there was still a "good" section of the Sect, working in the interest of the people.
June's appearance put a nice twist to the plot. She certainly threw a wrench in everyone's plans, especially Maia. However, the dynamic between the two could have been fleshed out a little more; I would have liked to see Maia truly grasp what June was thinking, rather than just insisting June was someone to save above all measures.
I'm not too sure what happened to Saul in the end of the book, or the role the whole goddesses played since they kind of dictated the ending. But it still was a happy ending, which is all I can ask for. This series was still a good read, but I had just wished it had gone in a different direction!
March 25, 2019
3,5/5
I finally read the end of this series ...
I am so upset and relieved at the same time =) I first read book 1 : Fate of Flames when it came out : "Sailor moon meet Pacific Rim met Avenger" with a headline like this I couldn't pass it right ?
I loved book 1, I was confused with book 2, and book 3 was so damn long and complicated to get into, at least for me.
I saw a lot of good reviews about this book so please go check them out !!! I don't know what went wrong with me ... I still love the series all in all but this last book was a hard read for me. I wasn't into it and so much stuff was happening and at the same time it was slow ... anyway : if you are a fan of girl band with superpower who fight evils, please read this series. I wasn't in a right set of mind to finish this series but you will be when you will start it right =)
<3 <3 <3
I finally read the end of this series ...
I am so upset and relieved at the same time =) I first read book 1 : Fate of Flames when it came out : "Sailor moon meet Pacific Rim met Avenger" with a headline like this I couldn't pass it right ?
I loved book 1, I was confused with book 2, and book 3 was so damn long and complicated to get into, at least for me.
I saw a lot of good reviews about this book so please go check them out !!! I don't know what went wrong with me ... I still love the series all in all but this last book was a hard read for me. I wasn't into it and so much stuff was happening and at the same time it was slow ... anyway : if you are a fan of girl band with superpower who fight evils, please read this series. I wasn't in a right set of mind to finish this series but you will be when you will start it right =)
<3 <3 <3
July 24, 2019
I really enjoyed this book, was it amazing? Out of this world? Well no, however compared with its predecessors it was a huge step up. The main character, Maia, was finally, Finally was able to progress and develop as a character. I think what most aggravated me in the first two books was that it seemed as though Maia was progressing, learning, gaining confidence but when it came down to making a decision, she caved. Every time the writing boosted her up and then...nothing happened. It was very disappointing. However this book was a much improved her character and I was actually beginning to like her throughout the book instead of being constantly frustrated with her. I rather wish this book would have cut down on the majority of "end of the world" battles but I must say, I did enjoy them. So well done Legacy of Light, I was dubious and frustrated at first but you made up for it.
January 5, 2021
Hovered between two and three stars on this one, as the plot is incredibly convoluted, the main character’s ship situation is a trainwreck and ‘evil widely smiling’ trope needs to Stop. As does abuse excusing murder. Also, the main character is.... /gestures.
But! Character arcs for the other three leads was dead fucking on (seriously, all of them were handled so beautifully), and I lived for when they took center stage. Most of the leads being NOT white was also brilliant (Chae Rin is Korean Canadian, Lake is Black British and MC Maia is African American) and added this rich depth to the story, especially in light of them being celebrities (and therefore exposed to sky-high standards and rampant racism). I thought everything with Natalya (and Natalya and Belle) came to a satisfying conclusion, thank fuck.
This was definitely one of those trilogies where I think the book would’ve been much better if the plot was simplified a whole lot (if not removed all together, and replaced with something that just focuses on teenage girls learning to balance being celebrities and heroes...).
The ending was sweet.
But! Character arcs for the other three leads was dead fucking on (seriously, all of them were handled so beautifully), and I lived for when they took center stage. Most of the leads being NOT white was also brilliant (Chae Rin is Korean Canadian, Lake is Black British and MC Maia is African American) and added this rich depth to the story, especially in light of them being celebrities (and therefore exposed to sky-high standards and rampant racism). I thought everything with Natalya (and Natalya and Belle) came to a satisfying conclusion, thank fuck.
This was definitely one of those trilogies where I think the book would’ve been much better if the plot was simplified a whole lot (if not removed all together, and replaced with something that just focuses on teenage girls learning to balance being celebrities and heroes...).
The ending was sweet.
December 8, 2021
I hate leaving such low reviews, but this was not good. First, the editing was truly one of the worst I've ever seen and it actually seemed to get progressively worse. I complained out loud every time as it broke my already fragile concentration on this book. With at least 4 really bad mistakes I can directly remember in grammar and content, I'm docking a star. For the uneven pacing, absolute nonsense of plot point revelations, and the fact that all the characters were the most boring I've encountered in a really long time, I'm docking two more stars. You'd think I'd be left at two stars. I thought about it, and the fact that I will completely remove this series from my memory in a week or two means I'm just done.
I wanted to like this, I really did...
I wanted to like this, I really did...
Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews