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The Sunken City #3
War of Shadows
The Fallen Witch has risen, bringing chaos back with her. The Ten Kingdoms have splintered. Amare and her friends are on the run. Tectixa is dead set on raising the oceans, wiping out all of humanity in the process. And, as if that weren’t enough, Lukas’s first love is back from the dead.
Before Amare can ask what this means for their relationship, Lukas and Phoebe are stolen away, sending her into a magic-fueled rage. Now, if she wants to save the man she loves and protect the Ten Kingdoms from all-out war, she’ll have to go undercover, pretending to get close to the witch she despises most of all.
Alliances will be formed, trust will be broken, and true love will be the final test.
Before Amare can ask what this means for their relationship, Lukas and Phoebe are stolen away, sending her into a magic-fueled rage. Now, if she wants to save the man she loves and protect the Ten Kingdoms from all-out war, she’ll have to go undercover, pretending to get close to the witch she despises most of all.
Alliances will be formed, trust will be broken, and true love will be the final test.
388 pages, Paperback
First published October 13, 2022
76 people are currently reading
2079 people want to read
About the author
Emma V.R. Noyes
4 books513 followersAuthor also writes under Emma Noyes
Emma Noyes is the author of HOW TO HIDE IN PLAIN SIGHT, GUY'S GIRL, and The Sunken City trilogy. She grew up in a suburb outside Chicago and attended Harvard University, where she received a degree in History & Literature. She lives in Chicago with her Swedish husband and their accident-prone pomeranian.
Emma Noyes is the author of HOW TO HIDE IN PLAIN SIGHT, GUY'S GIRL, and The Sunken City trilogy. She grew up in a suburb outside Chicago and attended Harvard University, where she received a degree in History & Literature. She lives in Chicago with her Swedish husband and their accident-prone pomeranian.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 132 reviews
August 3, 2022
I have finally finished the third book in The Sunken City trilogy, and let me tell you - I am so excited to share this book with you all! It's a wild ride to be sure.
March 30, 2023
*2.5*
it wasn't that I didn't like it. it's that there wasn't much to LIKE.
it felt slow and the plot was lacking. it felt like the dilemmas were resolved too quickly and easily, and I found myself bored throughout the book 🤷♀️
also, amare and lukas just didn't have the same chemistry and energy between them as they had in The Fallen Witch (that's book 2, and I loved it).
overall, it's a good end to the series (I guess??) but I felt unsatisfied and a bit disappointed when I finished this book. the previous two are a lot better.
it wasn't that I didn't like it. it's that there wasn't much to LIKE.
it felt slow and the plot was lacking. it felt like the dilemmas were resolved too quickly and easily, and I found myself bored throughout the book 🤷♀️
also, amare and lukas just didn't have the same chemistry and energy between them as they had in The Fallen Witch (that's book 2, and I loved it).
overall, it's a good end to the series (I guess??) but I felt unsatisfied and a bit disappointed when I finished this book. the previous two are a lot better.
August 12, 2022
okay i am in love. i freaking love this trilogy and Emma Noyes writing. at this point i would read her grocery list. the war of shadows… like y’all it was so good i am speechless. i mean i have plenty of things to say, but like i feel like i won’t be doing this book justice for how good it is.
let me just say, this book crushed me and made me ANGRY SEVERAL TIMES. i love when books do that, but MANNNNN IT DIDNT HAVE TO BE LIKE THIS!!! WHY DEATH??? i screamed at the death of my fav at the end (no spoilers but i was about to be in Emma’s ig dms yelling at her for doing that. hallelujah for how it ended because i would have gone FERAL). i didn’t see it coming and i full on raged. again hallelujah for the end with that one bc my heart couldn’t have handled it. and the death of ***** (not spoiling but, wow did it hurt… bc there was no coming back from that death)
also is it bad that i loved tectixa??? like Ik she was evil but i sorta liked her??? and what happened with her at the end?? loved it.
phoebe’s revelation made me sad, but i am glad her and *SPOILER* my least favorite mason boy, finn, are a thing.
LUKAS AND AMARE MY HEART YESSSSS. MARRIAGEEEEEEE!!!! THAT IS 100% A SPOILER IM SORRY BUT IM NOT SORRY THEY ARE LITERALLY SO AMAZING I CANT!! AND THE ENDING MY LANTA I LOVED IT AND MY HEART CAN REST IN PEACE AND HARMONY OVER THEIR HAPPY ENDING!!! i could literally speak of them forever, but for now i will just say you will not be disappointed! (although book 2 had more of them and their interactions, this one still SERVES!!)
shoa!!! i have loved her from day one, she just got cooler. i still stand by her needing a novella or something. i love her.
faizrah was a nice edition. girl gave off immaculate vibes and i love her too.
okay the story was so good too. i didn’t see a lot of it coming! i saw the thing with amare being related to you know who coming, but other than that, i was happily surprised in this book.
the book was so good. i am sure i will think of more things to say later, and i will probably add it then. BUT FOR NOW, LET ME SAY I LOVE IT AND YALL BETTER BE READY FOR DECEMBER 6th 2022!!!
i will never tolerate hate on this book or any of the sunken city trilogy. i love it so so so so so so so much and any hate against it will NOT stand for me.
so all that being said ofc i recommended this book and all of them. you won’t regret it AT ALL!!
also thank you so much to Emma Noyes for the e-arc!! i will 100% be buying the physical book when it comes out!
let me just say, this book crushed me and made me ANGRY SEVERAL TIMES. i love when books do that, but MANNNNN IT DIDNT HAVE TO BE LIKE THIS!!! WHY DEATH??? i screamed at the death of my fav at the end (no spoilers but i was about to be in Emma’s ig dms yelling at her for doing that. hallelujah for how it ended because i would have gone FERAL). i didn’t see it coming and i full on raged. again hallelujah for the end with that one bc my heart couldn’t have handled it. and the death of ***** (not spoiling but, wow did it hurt… bc there was no coming back from that death)
also is it bad that i loved tectixa??? like Ik she was evil but i sorta liked her??? and what happened with her at the end?? loved it.
phoebe’s revelation made me sad, but i am glad her and *SPOILER* my least favorite mason boy, finn, are a thing.
LUKAS AND AMARE MY HEART YESSSSS. MARRIAGEEEEEEE!!!! THAT IS 100% A SPOILER IM SORRY BUT IM NOT SORRY THEY ARE LITERALLY SO AMAZING I CANT!! AND THE ENDING MY LANTA I LOVED IT AND MY HEART CAN REST IN PEACE AND HARMONY OVER THEIR HAPPY ENDING!!! i could literally speak of them forever, but for now i will just say you will not be disappointed! (although book 2 had more of them and their interactions, this one still SERVES!!)
shoa!!! i have loved her from day one, she just got cooler. i still stand by her needing a novella or something. i love her.
faizrah was a nice edition. girl gave off immaculate vibes and i love her too.
okay the story was so good too. i didn’t see a lot of it coming! i saw the thing with amare being related to you know who coming, but other than that, i was happily surprised in this book.
the book was so good. i am sure i will think of more things to say later, and i will probably add it then. BUT FOR NOW, LET ME SAY I LOVE IT AND YALL BETTER BE READY FOR DECEMBER 6th 2022!!!
i will never tolerate hate on this book or any of the sunken city trilogy. i love it so so so so so so so much and any hate against it will NOT stand for me.
so all that being said ofc i recommended this book and all of them. you won’t regret it AT ALL!!
also thank you so much to Emma Noyes for the e-arc!! i will 100% be buying the physical book when it comes out!
March 27, 2024
there were a few moments where I was just like … sorry what … until I remembered they’re all children and idiots and could use some serious underwater therapy
November 22, 2022
Looking back, I rated The Sunken City (book 1) 5 stars for the perfection that it was and marked it as my favorite fantasy book during my 2022 mid-year check in. I also rated The Fallen Witch (book 2) 4.5 stars, with my biggest gripe being the flippancy of the love triangle.
So, going into book 3, I was fully expecting to have another fiver on my hands. What I was not expecting was to not like this book! I still love Emma and I’m going to be as delicate as I can, but yeah, not my favorite.
What I liked about the book:
1. I liked how much page time Tectixa actually got in this book. Typically, we don’t get to see too much of the main baddie except in times of fighting, but I really liked the approach Emma took with allowing her to seem like an ally at times.
2. The perfections that are Lukas Mason and Maoke kept my heart fluttering right to the end. I would read a spin off on either of their backstories in a heartbeat!
3. I like being right! Now, I’m not going to spoil anything by telling you which of my predictions were correct from books 1 and 2, but let’s just say it was quite a huge percentage.
What could have been better:
1. I hate being right! I love when a book keeps me on my toes and goes a completely different route than I think it’s going to! Unfortunately, Emma and I must be on the same wavelength about where this story was going to go, which made it really hard for me to keep reading at times.
2. I really did not like the first third or so of the book. It was supposed to be a lot of backstabbing and strategies within strategies, but it just wasn’t cohesive to me. That mixed with a lot of new characters made it hard for me to get invested in this one. Plus, Lukas wasn’t even really there for the first third so…
3. Speaking of cohesive, one of my bigger gripes with this book was it felt like there were a lot of little bits just thrown together around the overarching plot. Like the author was trying to patch together enough words to make a third story, and by doing that, the story had a lot of pacing issues for me. I would much rather this have been a duology with each book having a slightly larger page count, but with better flow from start to finish.
4. Besides Lukas and Maoke, I really didn’t like anyone by the end of the story, which is crazy because I loved nearly everyone at one point!
Tectixa? – I did not buy her motivations and her feelings changing the way they did. There was so much potential for her to be such a badass villain and to cause a lot of big problems, but then it just fell flat and resolved itself in the most Hallmark-esque way I’ve ever seen. Needless to say, I didn't care for it.
Mira? – so forgetful and kinda boring. During one chapter her name was mentioned again and I was like “Who the fuck is Mira?”. This is not the reaction I should have had to this character with how big of a deal she was supposed to be.
Finn? – where the hell was he most of this book?
Shoa? – where the hell was she most of this book?
Cora? – for the love of God, stop being so judgy!
Phoebe? – I have less opinions on her now than when she was dead.
Amare? – She was by far the largest disappointment of this series. She went from a total badass who was going to be a Queen Pirate Witch, to a whiny middle school girl with minimal strategy skills and a wicked jealousy streak. My respect for Amare slowly sank with each installment of this series and was nonexistent at the end.
Final Thoughts:
Overall, the series was still good, but after the perfection that was book 1 and near perfection that was book 2, I was expecting a lot more from this story's ending. The end results were right, but the execution was where the story lost me.
Final Rating: 3 sunken stars
Thank you to Emma V.R. Noyes for the free copy of this book. I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
So, going into book 3, I was fully expecting to have another fiver on my hands. What I was not expecting was to not like this book! I still love Emma and I’m going to be as delicate as I can, but yeah, not my favorite.
What I liked about the book:
1. I liked how much page time Tectixa actually got in this book. Typically, we don’t get to see too much of the main baddie except in times of fighting, but I really liked the approach Emma took with allowing her to seem like an ally at times.
2. The perfections that are Lukas Mason and Maoke kept my heart fluttering right to the end. I would read a spin off on either of their backstories in a heartbeat!
3. I like being right! Now, I’m not going to spoil anything by telling you which of my predictions were correct from books 1 and 2, but let’s just say it was quite a huge percentage.
What could have been better:
1. I hate being right! I love when a book keeps me on my toes and goes a completely different route than I think it’s going to! Unfortunately, Emma and I must be on the same wavelength about where this story was going to go, which made it really hard for me to keep reading at times.
2. I really did not like the first third or so of the book. It was supposed to be a lot of backstabbing and strategies within strategies, but it just wasn’t cohesive to me. That mixed with a lot of new characters made it hard for me to get invested in this one. Plus, Lukas wasn’t even really there for the first third so…
3. Speaking of cohesive, one of my bigger gripes with this book was it felt like there were a lot of little bits just thrown together around the overarching plot. Like the author was trying to patch together enough words to make a third story, and by doing that, the story had a lot of pacing issues for me. I would much rather this have been a duology with each book having a slightly larger page count, but with better flow from start to finish.
4. Besides Lukas and Maoke, I really didn’t like anyone by the end of the story, which is crazy because I loved nearly everyone at one point!
Tectixa? – I did not buy her motivations and her feelings changing the way they did. There was so much potential for her to be such a badass villain and to cause a lot of big problems, but then it just fell flat and resolved itself in the most Hallmark-esque way I’ve ever seen. Needless to say, I didn't care for it.
Mira? – so forgetful and kinda boring. During one chapter her name was mentioned again and I was like “Who the fuck is Mira?”. This is not the reaction I should have had to this character with how big of a deal she was supposed to be.
Finn? – where the hell was he most of this book?
Shoa? – where the hell was she most of this book?
Cora? – for the love of God, stop being so judgy!
Phoebe? – I have less opinions on her now than when she was dead.
Amare? – She was by far the largest disappointment of this series. She went from a total badass who was going to be a Queen Pirate Witch, to a whiny middle school girl with minimal strategy skills and a wicked jealousy streak. My respect for Amare slowly sank with each installment of this series and was nonexistent at the end.
Final Thoughts:
Overall, the series was still good, but after the perfection that was book 1 and near perfection that was book 2, I was expecting a lot more from this story's ending. The end results were right, but the execution was where the story lost me.
Final Rating: 3 sunken stars
Thank you to Emma V.R. Noyes for the free copy of this book. I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
November 19, 2024
will never get over how the whole premise of this book was that it took place in an underwater city, and then the author made up a set of rules just so that it didn’t have to operate like an underwater city at all
September 25, 2024
kind of a cheesy ending but I loved this series so much🫶🏼
August 14, 2022
Thank you so much to Emma V.R. Noyes for letting me read this awesome book early! I loved it and loved every book in this trilogy! Underwater kingdoms, saucy pirates, witches, and prophecy, who could ask for more! Great characters, lots of excitement and romance. I loved all of the descriptions of people and places in this story. The author has a fabulous imagination! Such attention to descriptive details I really felt submerged in the story lol! All three books were definitely page turners! I couldn’t put them down and this was no exception! I’m so sad to see it end. This author is on my favorites list now! I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!
August 21, 2022
Thank you so much to the author for letting me read the ARC for War of Shadows!
First of all: wow. This was an amazing ending to this trilogy. It’s the classic big ending battle type of book where it’s just the battle between good and evil and tying up the loose ends. But they do have their own kind of charm and this book was great.
My favourite thing about this book was definitely watching the characters grown into themselves. Amare coming to terms with her shadow self, Shoa accepting her role in all of this etc. The past was tied together with the present and it was beautiful.
For anyone looking for a series with fantasy + pirates + romance + great characters then this is for you!
(Full review will be published on my Instagram)
First of all: wow. This was an amazing ending to this trilogy. It’s the classic big ending battle type of book where it’s just the battle between good and evil and tying up the loose ends. But they do have their own kind of charm and this book was great.
My favourite thing about this book was definitely watching the characters grown into themselves. Amare coming to terms with her shadow self, Shoa accepting her role in all of this etc. The past was tied together with the present and it was beautiful.
For anyone looking for a series with fantasy + pirates + romance + great characters then this is for you!
(Full review will be published on my Instagram)
Want to read
June 5, 2022Two books published in the same year?? This girl is churning books out like we’re running out of butter! Love it!
Can’t wait to read ****squeals****
Can’t wait to read ****squeals****
July 2, 2023
*This review contains a very small spoiler about the two brothers*
Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely loved the first two books, and my expectations were high about this one but I was a tidy bit disappointed. The idea of the plot was very good but it could have been written better, the dilemmas were resolved very easily in the book and it was a bit boring how everything was going according to plan.
Also for some reason I didn’t love Lukas in this book as much as I loved him on the previous two books. I didn’t feel and chemistry between Amare and Lukas, and I feel like the plot between the two brothers was not that good, Lukas said “I’m sorry for being a bad brother” once and BAM, Finn just forgives him right here and then.
Overall I still enjoyed it and it got me out of my reading slump so yay!
Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely loved the first two books, and my expectations were high about this one but I was a tidy bit disappointed. The idea of the plot was very good but it could have been written better, the dilemmas were resolved very easily in the book and it was a bit boring how everything was going according to plan.
Also for some reason I didn’t love Lukas in this book as much as I loved him on the previous two books. I didn’t feel and chemistry between Amare and Lukas, and I feel like the plot between the two brothers was not that good, Lukas said “I’m sorry for being a bad brother” once and BAM, Finn just forgives him right here and then.
Overall I still enjoyed it and it got me out of my reading slump so yay!
August 26, 2024
Overall 2.5 for this series but I think that it was just meant for a younger age range than 25 loll
April 14, 2023
This book did not disappoint. I litterly cried when Maoke and Lukas died, I was happy when Amare and Lukas got married, I was surprised about Pheobe and Finn and about Cora and Shoa but I couldn't be happier about them, I was glad Kawai and Lyra appeared again and Amare slayed as a captain and queen. Faizrah was a new character that surprised me in a good way. I saw another part of Tectixa and I was happy to discover that she died for family and finally I loved the ending even though I want another book but every time i finish a series that I absolutely and utterly love and devour I feel a little different and of course I want another book and I make different scenarios wishing for it to continue. Emma Noyes did it again, she made me experience every single possible emotion over and over again and she made me fall in love with her books again.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 17, 2022
Emma has done it again. What an absolutely wonderful way to end this series! Trust me this one is worth the wait you guys.
No spoilers ahead but prepare yourself for a wild ride with all the characters you love, new friendships, love in places you didn’t expect, second chances, lots of tears(keep your tissues handy), and plenty of magic and chaos (we’d expect nothing less from Amare).
Make sure you have lots of time when you open this book because you’re not going to want to put it down from the moment you start. I can’t recommend this series enough and enjoyed every moment of reading all three books. Someone get us a TV show or movie! We need more!
No spoilers ahead but prepare yourself for a wild ride with all the characters you love, new friendships, love in places you didn’t expect, second chances, lots of tears(keep your tissues handy), and plenty of magic and chaos (we’d expect nothing less from Amare).
Make sure you have lots of time when you open this book because you’re not going to want to put it down from the moment you start. I can’t recommend this series enough and enjoyed every moment of reading all three books. Someone get us a TV show or movie! We need more!
September 6, 2022
I am so sad this trilogy is over!
Reading the series has been so much fun and I am more than satisfied with the final book.
If you like underwater adventures, magic, Fated lovers, found family, and pirates then pick this up!
I highly recommend this trilogy and look forward to reading anything else Emma Noyes writes!
Thank you to the author for sending me an ARC for an honest review!
Reading the series has been so much fun and I am more than satisfied with the final book.
If you like underwater adventures, magic, Fated lovers, found family, and pirates then pick this up!
I highly recommend this trilogy and look forward to reading anything else Emma Noyes writes!
Thank you to the author for sending me an ARC for an honest review!
December 4, 2022
“ It doesn’t matter how good you are with a pair of daggers. How brilliant. How daring. All insecurity needs is one paper-thin shred of doubt. One tiny crack in the hull, and the whole ship crumbles.”
Finally, The Sunken City series comes to an end!
It has all the sweet, sad and action scenes wrap in one book.
War of Shadows picks up right after the ending from the previous book, the unexpected twist which comes to the story from the 2nd book really change Amare’s character.
Truthfully, I feel slightly annoyed with her in the first half part of the story because she doesn't seem like herself at all. Fortunately, she doesn’t stay like that and got back to her old self again.
The addition of new characters in here is a great touch, like Faiz for example. She is my new favorite, she’s a badass person and I like her growing friendship with Amare and the gang.
While I really like some of the new comers, sadly some of the old characters don’t show up much in this book.
Speaking of characters, we can’t forget about the villain who finally break free. I like the background story of the villain to understand her motive. But I can’t help but feel that she’s not the big bad villain I expected her to be.
There’s a lot of things going on in this book but not enough rooms for exploration and development hence the flow of the story felt rushed especially towards the end.
Nonetheless, I'm still satisfied with how things got wrapped up in the end.
Overall, I really enjoy reading this trilogy. I would definitely recommend to those who loves to read books with magical world building, sweet and angsty romances, pirates and under water kingdom.
I’m looking forward to read future books from this author!
Actual rating: 3.5⭐
I received this advanced review copy for free from the author and I’m leaving this honest review voluntarily.
Finally, The Sunken City series comes to an end!
It has all the sweet, sad and action scenes wrap in one book.
War of Shadows picks up right after the ending from the previous book, the unexpected twist which comes to the story from the 2nd book really change Amare’s character.
Truthfully, I feel slightly annoyed with her in the first half part of the story because she doesn't seem like herself at all. Fortunately, she doesn’t stay like that and got back to her old self again.
The addition of new characters in here is a great touch, like Faiz for example. She is my new favorite, she’s a badass person and I like her growing friendship with Amare and the gang.
While I really like some of the new comers, sadly some of the old characters don’t show up much in this book.
Speaking of characters, we can’t forget about the villain who finally break free. I like the background story of the villain to understand her motive. But I can’t help but feel that she’s not the big bad villain I expected her to be.
There’s a lot of things going on in this book but not enough rooms for exploration and development hence the flow of the story felt rushed especially towards the end.
Nonetheless, I'm still satisfied with how things got wrapped up in the end.
Overall, I really enjoy reading this trilogy. I would definitely recommend to those who loves to read books with magical world building, sweet and angsty romances, pirates and under water kingdom.
I’m looking forward to read future books from this author!
Actual rating: 3.5⭐
I received this advanced review copy for free from the author and I’m leaving this honest review voluntarily.
September 4, 2022
“War of Shadows” by Emma V. R. Noyes is the last part of the trilogy “The Sunken City”. The book will be released towards the end of the year. I am extremely grateful to the author for sending me an advance copy (ARC) of her fantasy novel. I've already told you how much I like the trilogy and how I can't believe that the author is self-publishing. The books are really great and definitely deserve a bigger audience. I love Emma's style, which is always loaded with a great sense of humor. I think this part was the perfect ending to the story. There were great twists and unexpected moments that kept me on edge until the end and I read the book in two days.
I really like the characters, my favorites are Amare and Maoke. At first, I was skeptical about the love triangle - the girl is first with the good brother, then she chooses the bad one. It definitely gave off The Vampire Diaries vibes. And, you can't help it - the author is definitely a fan of it. But other than that, it has nothing to do with the other series. Here the action takes place mostly under the surface of the ocean, and from time to time we return to the pirate ship where Amare's story began. I found the main character herself quite grown up, but still wild. I liked the love passions in this part. Overall, I think the characters are real and each has their own voice, and even in their actions and phrases, you can't mistake who the perpetrator is.
Besides the characters, of course, I really liked the plot and the world itself, which the author has built. It's so colorful and different. When you hear about underwater kingdoms you immediately think of mermaids, but there are none here at all. It's very interesting indeed, and here we also meet creatures from the other underwater cities and it was quite exciting to see how they all live. The final battle was very well done and its unexpected ending was great. There were quite a few twists and turns. Some of them broke my heart, others completely caught me off guard. The book had everything I look for in a fantasy - an interesting world, real characters, fresh dialogue, unexpected twists, a love story - and all of the above was skillfully written. Ah, the action is dynamic and won't let you get bored!
I really like the characters, my favorites are Amare and Maoke. At first, I was skeptical about the love triangle - the girl is first with the good brother, then she chooses the bad one. It definitely gave off The Vampire Diaries vibes. And, you can't help it - the author is definitely a fan of it. But other than that, it has nothing to do with the other series. Here the action takes place mostly under the surface of the ocean, and from time to time we return to the pirate ship where Amare's story began. I found the main character herself quite grown up, but still wild. I liked the love passions in this part. Overall, I think the characters are real and each has their own voice, and even in their actions and phrases, you can't mistake who the perpetrator is.
Besides the characters, of course, I really liked the plot and the world itself, which the author has built. It's so colorful and different. When you hear about underwater kingdoms you immediately think of mermaids, but there are none here at all. It's very interesting indeed, and here we also meet creatures from the other underwater cities and it was quite exciting to see how they all live. The final battle was very well done and its unexpected ending was great. There were quite a few twists and turns. Some of them broke my heart, others completely caught me off guard. The book had everything I look for in a fantasy - an interesting world, real characters, fresh dialogue, unexpected twists, a love story - and all of the above was skillfully written. Ah, the action is dynamic and won't let you get bored!
April 11, 2024
4.8/5⭐️
“Men are good for one thing, and it certainly didn’t require love”
“You were always destined for more than me darling”
“My life began the day I met you, and it will end the moment you take your last breath”
I started this series think it was a cute YA little mermaid/pirates of the Caribbean spin off and they’d go on little adventures maybe fight a bad guy or two.
I didn’t expect to be sobbing multiple times through this book.
Lukas and Amare’s relationship RUINED me. I was hoping I got ACOWAR ch 77ed and I got ch 77ed and I nearly threw my kindle both times.
I adored seeing all the side characters stories come more to life and I’m so glad Finn got his happy ending, I almost wish he was more present as a character in this book like he was in the last two, but it makes sense why he wasn’t.
“Men are good for one thing, and it certainly didn’t require love”
“You were always destined for more than me darling”
“My life began the day I met you, and it will end the moment you take your last breath”
I started this series think it was a cute YA little mermaid/pirates of the Caribbean spin off and they’d go on little adventures maybe fight a bad guy or two.
I didn’t expect to be sobbing multiple times through this book.
Lukas and Amare’s relationship RUINED me. I was hoping I got ACOWAR ch 77ed and I got ch 77ed and I nearly threw my kindle both times.
I adored seeing all the side characters stories come more to life and I’m so glad Finn got his happy ending, I almost wish he was more present as a character in this book like he was in the last two, but it makes sense why he wasn’t.
June 1, 2023
4.5 stars
ok i loved this series. first of all the characters are so good and the plot was amazing. although i probably should have guessed the plot twists i didn’t which made it even better. BUT I DID CRY. which never. ever happens. i was crying like a little baby. the only thing i didn’t like was the build up to the war scene and the actual war scenes.they were written really well and they didn’t feel rushed but they were really short and before the war i feel like we didn’t get much about what they did and i would’ve liked to read more about it. i still really enjoyed this book and loved reading it.
ok i loved this series. first of all the characters are so good and the plot was amazing. although i probably should have guessed the plot twists i didn’t which made it even better. BUT I DID CRY. which never. ever happens. i was crying like a little baby. the only thing i didn’t like was the build up to the war scene and the actual war scenes.they were written really well and they didn’t feel rushed but they were really short and before the war i feel like we didn’t get much about what they did and i would’ve liked to read more about it. i still really enjoyed this book and loved reading it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 2, 2023
This wasn't as great for me as the second book. The plot seemed rushed which also meant the character arcs were rushed as well. I was partly here for the romance as well as the pirating. So I was a little disappointed when the chemistry that I enjoyed so much was not there with Amare and Lukas. I do however like the redemption (despite rushed) of one of the characters ❤️
January 18, 2025
This book healed me, scared me and healed me again.
When the book was finished, I had both laughed, cried and giggled. This series always have and always will be sacred to me. A series that to begin with saved me.
I love the character building, I love how the fallen witch has a very understandable weakness. I LOVE THIS WHOLE SERIES. I love how there's always something going on. How it's funny, yet emotional at the same time. Emma Noyes really captured the emotions right!
I now must book therapy sessions since my favourite series of all time has ended, plus this book pained me. I've never cried so much over a book as I did with this one.
When the book was finished, I had both laughed, cried and giggled. This series always have and always will be sacred to me. A series that to begin with saved me.
I love the character building, I love how the fallen witch has a very understandable weakness. I LOVE THIS WHOLE SERIES. I love how there's always something going on. How it's funny, yet emotional at the same time. Emma Noyes really captured the emotions right!
I now must book therapy sessions since my favourite series of all time has ended, plus this book pained me. I've never cried so much over a book as I did with this one.
April 6, 2024
2.5 ⭐️ - Sadly, the conclusion to this series was really all over the place. The pacing was extremely inconsistent, the characters’ objectives and motivations felt weak, things unraveled that had already been tied up in the previous book…it was just a mess. Still a fun series, but a poor ending.
June 12, 2024
3.5⭐️ bc i loved this series but this one wasnt my favorite
July 30, 2024
definitely a 5⭐️ series overall
August 30, 2024
4.5⭐️this book was a good ending to the series!! yay for lucas and amare getting married. i was SO upset when maoke died i freaking loved her. tectixa can suck it fr still. her mom coming back!!!! crying! when lucas died crying! i wish there was more detail about everything but i think this is her first book series so it’s okay!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 10, 2025
Stop it this was so incredibly good. Practically finished in two days. Couldn’t put it down. Great conclusion to the story. I laughed, I cried, I want more!
September 5, 2025
great end to to the series ive loved every minute of this series and I am so gutted that it's over
February 1, 2023
Two things, I'm glad I finished this series, but I'm also glad it's over. Maybe because I read it all at once it felt like a lot but this series started out OK, book two was the best and this 3rd book really felt off for me. This book has nice moments and has romance tropes we appreciate but overall this trilogy is just okay. I mentioned in my first 2 reviews if I was still into YA I'd probably appreciate it more but no long lasting punch here for me.
All pros/cons are my opinion but can be used to help you decide if this series is worth it for you! (some mild spoilers!)
Pros:
-Like the first 2 books, this third installment is fast paced and on the shorter side, can easily be finished in a day.
-The writing in this is still great quality
-There were some great moments between Amare and Lukas
Cons:
-The plots in this felt really rushed. Something would pop up, and resolve within a page or two. EX. Amare and the other pirate lord, solved that within 2 pages. I totally get it helps solidify her claim but throwing it in with no real stakes to it wasn't great for the progression of this book.
-IDK if this is a YA book thing but at the end of book 2 Amare and Lukas chose each other, great, in this one BOTH feel insecure in this relationship when neither had any doubts?? Felt unnecessary
-Phoebe and Finn? WHY. It felt weird to me
-. There were a couple of inconsistencies. For example, Maoke couldn't free her family, yet Amare says the ship has enough money to free them. This does not match up with other books
All pros/cons are my opinion but can be used to help you decide if this series is worth it for you! (some mild spoilers!)
Pros:
-Like the first 2 books, this third installment is fast paced and on the shorter side, can easily be finished in a day.
-The writing in this is still great quality
-There were some great moments between Amare and Lukas
Cons:
-The plots in this felt really rushed. Something would pop up, and resolve within a page or two. EX. Amare and the other pirate lord, solved that within 2 pages. I totally get it helps solidify her claim but throwing it in with no real stakes to it wasn't great for the progression of this book.
-IDK if this is a YA book thing but at the end of book 2 Amare and Lukas chose each other, great, in this one BOTH feel insecure in this relationship when neither had any doubts?? Felt unnecessary
-Phoebe and Finn? WHY. It felt weird to me
-. There were a couple of inconsistencies. For example, Maoke couldn't free her family, yet Amare says the ship has enough money to free them. This does not match up with other books
June 18, 2024
“It’s okay to be upset. It’s okay to cry. You don’t have to be so fucking extraordinary all the time. Sometimes, you can just be a girl afraid for the boy she loves.”
“I didn’t write any vows, because I already knew them. I started writing them the day we first met.”
I don’t want to spoil anything but all I have to say is THE VOWS HAD ME CHOKING ON MY TEARS . And the damn ending had me so upset I was actually nauseous.
I’m so glad we got a happy ending for literally everyone. Finn’s ending was actually so cute, so was Omars. I wish we got more of Shoa and Cora’s ending though.
This book was amazing. I loved it. This series was such a fun read. I will definitely be reading anything else that Emma writes!
lukas<3
SLIGHT SPOILER AHEAD
I experienced every emotion possible reading this book lol (i got sarah j maased, specifically chapter 54ed and 76/77ed, iykyk)
“I didn’t write any vows, because I already knew them. I started writing them the day we first met.”
I don’t want to spoil anything but all I have to say is THE VOWS HAD ME CHOKING ON MY TEARS . And the damn ending had me so upset I was actually nauseous.
I’m so glad we got a happy ending for literally everyone. Finn’s ending was actually so cute, so was Omars. I wish we got more of Shoa and Cora’s ending though.
This book was amazing. I loved it. This series was such a fun read. I will definitely be reading anything else that Emma writes!
lukas<3
SLIGHT SPOILER AHEAD
I experienced every emotion possible reading this book lol (i got sarah j maased, specifically chapter 54ed and 76/77ed, iykyk)
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