The Violet Keystone

The Seventh Tower #6

by Garth Nix

The final adventure in the thrilling fantasy series from award-winning author Garth Nix.

Tal and Milla are only one step away from death, while the evil that has controlled their world for so long is about to triumph. If the Veil is lifted, nothing can save the Dark World.

Their one glimmer of hope is to confront the monster Sharrakor and regain the Violet Keystone. But first they must climb up to the highest levels and find their way into the Seventh Tower...

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Fiction, Childrens, Middle Grade, Adventure, Magic

288 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2001

About the author

Garth Nix was born in 1963 in Melbourne, Australia, to the sound of the Salvation Army band outside playing 'Hail the Conquering Hero Comes' or possibly 'Roll Out the Barrel'. Garth left Melbourne at an early age for Canberra (the federal capital) and stayed there till he was nineteen, when he left to drive around the UK in a beat-up Austin with a boot full of books and a Silver-Reed typewriter.

Despite a wheel literally falling off the Austin, Garth survived to return to Australia and study at the University of Canberra. After finishing his degree in 1986 he worked in a bookshop, then as a book publicist, a publisher's sales representative, and editor. Along the way he was also a part-time soldier in the Australian Army Reserve, serving in an Assault Pioneer platoon for four years. Garth left publishing to work as a public relations and marketing consultant from 1994-1997, till he became a full-time writer in 1998. He did that for a year before joining Curtis Brown Australia as a part-time literary agent in 1999. In January 2002 Garth went back to dedicated writer again, despite his belief that full-time writing explains the strange behaviour of many authors.

He now lives in Sydney with his wife, two sons and lots of books.

Reviews

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 2 out of 5]

An underwhelming finale to a mediocre series.

[Spencer Borup · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you've read my reviews of the first five books of The Seventh Tower series, you'll know I love it and everything Garth Nix. So I'll skip all the geek-out moments and go right to my problems with THE VIOLET KEYSTONE and the series as a whole.

Nix tried to paint a masterpiece without enough canvas. There ya go. He has created a BRILLIANT world with no room to explore. If I were to accept that, yes, this was written for small children, as a kind of "epic fantasy" scaled down for elementary grades, then I would say: WHY ONLY SIX BOOKS? The ending of the entire series was incredibly rushed and stakes could have been raised higher to make a seventh book for the big final epic. DUDE, YOU CALLED THE SERIES THE **SEVENTH** TOWER! You based your magic and caste system on the 7 colors of the rainbow. SO WRITE A SEVENTH BOOK!

But, unfortunately, sadly, HEARTBREAKINGLY, it's more than that. This story could have been so absolutely incredible--we KNOW Nix can write the hell out of a book; SABRIEL came out 6 years before The Seventh Tower--if it had been given that larger canvas and if Nix had spent more time crafting a well-rounded story to frame his breathtaking world. We have not one, not two, but THREE vastly different worlds inside this series, and at the end you're left STARVING because none of it feels substantial. Give us more. For Jeebus' sake, at the end Tal congratulates himself for (SPOILER ALERT) saving his whole family, and then the reader thinks, "Wait a hot second... We never EVER get to meet Tal's father... or his brother... or his sister.... Why do I care if they're okay?!"

Again, this series was amazing. Don't get me wrong. But it could have been something so much more.

[Nicky · Rating 3 out of 5]

The final book of the Seventh Tower series. Ultimately, I didn't think this series was as good as Garth Nix's other work, but I thought it was a lot of fun to read, and I think it would make a good introduction to Nix's work, particularly for kids. It has interesting characters, who have faults and good sides, and several strong female characters who are active in the story and fully as capable as the male characters -- often more so. Plenty to interest kids regardless of gender: pacy and fun, with a whole world to explore.

For an adult reader, it lacks subtext and polish, but Garth Nix is always worth a read, to my mind.

[Cláudia · Rating 3 out of 5]

ACABEI

levou treze anos, mas terminei A Sétima Torre.

vídeo em breve no www.youtube.com/tolendo :3

[Kiki · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am not in the age range this series of books aimed at. But I was also not in the age range of the Abhorsen trilogy and I really enjoyed those books. So I thought I’d give The Seventh Tower a try.

I enjoyed it, but it was written much more simply than Abhorsen was – more aimed at its demographic without hoping to also please older readers. And the plot was also simpler. It felt more by-the-numbers, like the author was going through all the correct steps to create a plot, without enough focus on character to make the reader care deeply for them. Young readers out for an adventure might not notice, but older readers will.

I think I was also off-put by the fact that a major goal of the story was (SPOILER ALERT… but not really…) to keep the world dark. In the context of what was happening in the story, that made perfect sense, but it’s still really hard to put your heart into blocking every ray of sunlight from the fictional world you’re living in.

And last, but not least, I felt the author broke one of the unspoken promises that every author makes to their readers at the beginning of a book. SPOILER ALERT (AND I MEAN IT THIS TIME): The book ends without any explanation being given for why the war(s) had started in the first place. And there was absolutely no need to withhold this information – there were multiple characters who could have revealed EVERYTHING we wanted to know. You can’t do that. If you raise questions at the beginning of a book, you’re promising the reader that you will answer them before the end. This is the end. The war is over. We should get to know why it started.

That said, it is true that the world was unique, the characters were likeable, and the adventure was adventurous. I suspect kids in the targeted age range will enjoy these books just fine.

[ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Violet Keystone: Or, What Just Happened aka The End

I honestly don't know what or why or how anything in this novel happened, but it did and now this series is over. Tal, Milla, Adras, Odris, and all the rest of the merry gang of Spiritshadows, Chosen, Icecarls, Underfolk, etc. etc. come together in their last battle to do something regarding a Veil and shadows and sunstones. Idk, y'all.

Things are so convoluted and I still don't know how the rules of this world work. I still don't know how anything in this world works. Maybe that is my problem? It was okay? Things happen, characters do stuff, and an ending is reached. I think I enjoyed it and I think I know what is going on, but I really don't.

I know I liked the Spiritshadows Adras and Odris. They were fun! I think I liked the initial concept of the world back in the first few books. There was just such a fast-paced plot that I never had time to stop and really think about what was actually happening.

So ultimately, The Seventh Tower series was just okay. A bit confusing and meddled, but quick-paced and with some fun characters. Nothing too memorable though.

[Saher Estrada · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Violet Keystone is honestly my absolute favorite book of all the book in the seven tower series.The Violet Keystone is the last book of the seven tower series and it bring back all of our main charcters and i'm saying ALL!The characters are of course Milla the war chief, Tal a chosen, Malen a crone, Ebbit and Crow both Freefolk ,Odris and Adras the spirit shadows, Fashnek, and who can forget Quorr Quorr Quorr Ahhtorn Sezicka or Zicka for short and of course the main villan Shishin or Sharrakor the thing controlling Shishin.How this connects to me is becouse one day we had a family Reunion and it felt happy or better that there is more of us working together like in the story. The characters stop the villan and my favorite character Crow kill The villan but crow also met the light.I really recommend this book to people who love this series or fantisy but of course read the other books first.:)

[Jacqueline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good. Really enjoyed it

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fast paced conclusion to a fun series. Definitely very geared towards youth so don't expect incredible dialogue or arcs.

[chloe-phloe ₊ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finished: 12/31/2021, 11:59 PM

DANG I RACED AGAINST THE CLOCK

I’m literally IN CHAOS right now. Fireworks are everywhere, AND CROW IS DEAD AAAA. NO.

For a moment, lemme just give the quartet their good things.

Tal and Milla??? Crying dude, I’m so proud of them. The new year firework shooting stars going on are for you. They grew together and matured together. Flipping funny.

ADRAS AND ODRIS UNDERRATED. Those conventional poppy fireworks are for you. These two carried (figuratively and literally) the plot AND I AM SO PROUD. Love them. Also funny.

Honorable Mentions:
EBBITT SOB SOB AAAA
CROW WHYY
Malen really said hi for a book and a quarter—
ZICKA AND YAZEQ PFFFT WHAT

[AE · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a good balance of using some standards while maintaining a certain freshness. It wasn't entirely predictable despite hitting a trope here and there.

I wish we'd had more time to get to know Crow and the Crone girl (can't remember her name), because they end up pretty important. My other (main) complaint is that the book ends too quickly and we never got as much info as I wanted. For starters, what exactly did Milla and Tal do to stop the fighting? What exactly is Tal going to do to improve the class issues among the Chosen? Also, I would have liked to know more about the machine creatures in the tower, and maybe some more details about the previous war and Ramellan and Danir and so forth.

That being said, I super appreciated the ending. Things aren't perfect, but people who die are (largely) still dead. I can't even be mad about Ebbitt because I love him and also how can anyone be upset that he's going to go chat up some old Crone lady probably with science? It's also made clear that things aren't going to be easy, and Milla and Tal will both have a lot of work to do for their respective people - and they're both going to have to change some things in both their cultures due to their now-expanded viewpoints.

But on top of that, I especially appreciated the lack of teen romance. There wasn't some kind of awkward dialogue thrown in at the end, they don't have some vague implied scenes anywhere, it's just a boy and a girl who become friends and then go off as allies whose priorities are their respective people. I liked that. I wish more books were comfortable with that sort of thing rather than feeling the need to throw in feelings and crushes and true love every time.


Overall, would recommend this series. It's a pretty solid middle grade fantasy, with some cool worldbuilding, a fun fast-paced storyline, and cool characters that AREN'T forced together.

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, so this is the last book in the series. If you decide to read these books, and I hope you do, I recommend getting the combined volumes, rather than reading them one little book at a time. The continuity would have been nice.

So the pros: The best thing about this book is that it is so Garth Nixish. The only way to describe it is realistically abstract. The characters are real. The society speaks to challenges in our own society. The setting is blissfully fictional. I really really really hope I find more to read by Nix.

The cons: I have pointed it out for every volume: this was written for a really young audience. While I think it hit its mark, I can't help but think that it was a waste of Nix's talent. He can do so much more for a 9th grade+audience, that writting for a 4th grade audience seems like a total waste. Take Aenir and super-size it. Make the world deeper, the denizens of Aenir more co-dependent, their society more relevant. Take the number of characters from among the chosen and double them. Let them run amuck, running into each other, affecting Tal, having their own subplots. This could have been Harry Potterish in scope rather than Junie B Jonesish (don't get me wrong I love JBJ too). Sigh. Just a lost opportunity for so much more enjoyment.

4 Stars. Double the length/depth and it is 5.

[Kat_mein · Rating 4 out of 5]

This whole series just needs props for the fact that it stars a male and a female character who hate each other initially, come from completely different cultures, learn about each culture, work together and realign their world views about each other and their cultures, become allies, and end the series NOT ending up together and going their own separate respective ways with respect for each other but also their own lives (which make A LOT of sense given their separate goals and priorities).

I initially read the series as a 10 year old, and then re-read them as a 20 year old, and gosh it is SO refreshing to read a series where the male and female leads (who have equal screen time, and agency, and their own strengths and weaknesses) are just friends (and honestly, it's more like begrudging allies from shared suffering). It's so rare in books nowadays (not just YA, but kids books too, for there to be a relationship that isn't deep friendship where they all get along swimmingly/romance by the end of a long series).

4 stones out of 5.

[Sol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty solid ending, liked how Nix suddenly crammed in a bunch of bizarre elements (the biomechanical locomotor, Yeerk-esque "mind-drills" out of nowhere, the implication that the Chosen created or altered the biosphere out on the Ice) in the final volume, though it was certainly no Keys to the Kingdom. It was also the last place I ever expected to find the temperature inversion of higher atmospheric layers come up.

I appreciated immensely that it wasn't a status quo ending and gave the impression of a single episode in a longer, untold story, even if I didn't get quite as much explicit lore as I would've liked. And the lack of a shoehorned romance. I would've liked a bit more (you call the series seventh tower then only write 6 books? C'mon man), which is a good sign. Hopefully Sabriel manages to live up to the absurd hype.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Looking back at this series from some distance (it's months since I read this volume and years since I started the series) it feels very much like an author learning his trade; the contrast in writing quality between first and last volumes is large. Perhaps the best aspect of the series is the imagination on display, which certainly intimates what Nix would prove capable of in later works, particularly the Old Kingdom and Keys to the Kingdom series.

THIS REVIEW HAS BEEN CURTAILED IN PROTEST AT GOODREADS' CENSORSHIP POLICY

See the complete review here:
http://arbieroo.booklikes.com/post/54...

[Lynette ~ Talia's Tomes ~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Violet Keystone was a stunning conclusion to the Seventh Tower series. I absolutely ADORED it!
So many new revelations, exciting turns, and just overall amazing-ness.

Full review to come soon.

I'm 15, and I HIGHLY recommend this book.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

   Tal and Milla have come a long way from the boy seeking a Sunstone for his family and the girl who dreamed of becoming a Shield Maiden on the Ice. Now Tal, holding the Violet Keystone, is Emperor of the Chosen, and Milla is the War-Chief of the Icecarls in their push to take the Castle from the power of the Chosen and their Spiritshadows. There is much danger before them yet, especially from the ancient shadows who never forgot the war thousands of years ago, the raising of the Veil, and the Forgetting . Milla and Tal will have to rely on their allies new and old, as well as the strength each has found in themselves and in the magical tools from their ancestors which once saved their world from shadows. With more than a little luck, they just might be able to save it again, and maybe not die in the process.
   Into Battle promised a big battle, and everything reaching its climax and highest level of danger in The Violet Keystone. Everything is on the line – the Dark World not only as Tal and Milla know it, but also as it may become, if it can survive the invasion of the Aeniran shadows. There is no slowing down, no breaks, just onward and forward, headlong into danger, hoping that allies can be trusted and that together they will be strong enough to survive the devastation the Shadows are causing.
   I’m starting to think that when I mainline older series, I start to read too fast (for various reasons) and the later installments don’t hit as strongly or stick as much as the earlier ones did. And that is unfortunate, because I do enjoy them, but they also just sort of blur along, too. I was happy to see Tal and Milla reunited in this book, and the acknowledgment of how much they have changed since they met with all they have seen and done, together and apart. The danger keeps them and the story moving, as they seek out Sharrakor, to reach the Violet Tower and restore the Violet Keystone and the Veil. The dangers are very real, and the concern we have for Tal, Milla, Uncle Ebbitt, Crow, and the others is palpable. Though I was a little unsatisfied with a couple elements which didn’t seem to fit the established world-building: Tal “becoming” Emperor solely because he held half the Violet Keystone – when Sushin took it, there was a sort of acknowledgment that he was technically the Emperor, though it didn’t play out as such. I kept waiting – and hoping – that there would be a revelation that Tal was descended from Ramellan somehow, another line from the one that lead to the Emperor Mercur, which would have also better explained Sushin’s early interest in Tal and his family. His dad Rerem being the guardian of the Orange Keystone helped, but considering how many other keystones there were…it was a bit of a stretch. And we only got a single line telling us how he was recovering after being freed. Then there was how they finally took down Sharrakor – I found it a bit unbelievable that all it took was a faceful of caveroach poison, however potent the stuff may be, to basically kill him, before the fall he took from Old Khamsoul. It felt a little rushed and anti-climactic with everything Tal and Milla had gone through leading up to these moments. Despite that, I did enjoy this book, and the series as a whole, and will be keeping it for future re-reads/generations to enjoy.

Typo:
Crow looked down at his black robes, so different from the white normally worn by Freefolk, or the white with black lettering of the Underfolk. - page 60 - except, that is reversed: the Underfolk wear plain white ribes, while the Freefolk had white with a black letter written on them.

[Michael Reyes · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ah! I finally got to finish this "epic" bildungsroman of Tal [of the Chosen] and Milla [of the Icecarls]. Being the last book in the series, I'll be giving my 2 cents on the book itself and then the series as a whole.

As the last book in the series, it finds itself wanting. Sure it's a Garth Nix book, but I feel that this project didn't do his creativity justice. The final showdown was a bit of a letdown. So much needless deaths. Underused characters... The ending of this book, although open-ended and left more questions than answers (like the previous books in the series) felt more like a proper ending for the first book in a series of books, and it doesn't look like the publishers are going to make more books for this series.

Now on to the series itself. It isn't the best fantasy series that's aimed at budding teens, but it is unique. Imagine a world plunged in utter darkness, illuminated only by the light of sunstones. Then you have, at the very least, 3 distinct civilizations: The Chosen - people that live within a huge castle that know nothing of the outside world, The Icecarls - nomadic tribes that follow the migration pattern of ice creatures called Selskies, and Aenirans - beings that live on a different plane of existence that turn into sentient shadow when entering the Dark World.

I LOVE the concept... But the execution fell short of what it could have been. Honestly speaking, instead of releasing a new book every 3-4 months, they could've just spent a year or two working on making ONE BOOK, the first in a series of books. I think it would've been better that way.

Reading this series has proven to be an exercise in patience, especially if you were following this series when if first came out. The introduction of certain people that actually didn't provide anything to the plot, or were just forgotten as the series wore on, make it hard to invest feelings for them. But if there's something that one can take away from the series is the lesson of being understanding of cultures outside your own, and maybe learning something from it and improving your own. And that leads me to the quote that irks me the most, "The Chosen has become an Icecarl, and the Icecarl a Chosen" (or something to that effect). The reason being is that this quote is inaccurate when it comes to Mila. All she did was learn how to use Light Magic, and maybe tolerate the shadow beings a bit, but does that make her more of a Chosen? No! To be a Chosen, you have to believe in the need for the hierarchy of colors. To the Chosen, nothing is more important than rank. Your life's goal was to raise your family status to reach Violet (Ebbit was an exception to this rule because he's got a bit of a screw loose) and this is something that Mila never got. Just being able to use Light Magic doesn't make her more of a Chosen. It's the same as saying that by being able to wield a katana, it makes me more of a Japanese. No, it doesn't. FACT. Tal, on the other hand had become more of an Icecarl. His belief in the hierarchy has faded. His high & mighty attitude, gone. He started adapting to the Icecarl way of doing things. So that part of the quote was a bit true.

All things aside, this is a series that you should read, at least once. Especially if you're a fan of Nix.

[Hayden Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's starts off at the end of the last book as usual and it's where Tal keeps getting knocked out over and over again. Then at the third time he finds himself in a crystal ball and he wonders what it was and then he remembers when Milla was in the crystal ball and they had to free her out. Then he realized he was in the hall of nightmares. And it scared him a little when he tried to escape using his newly found power now is the king of the chosen and so he tries to control the sunstones that surround the crystal ball one by one but then the keeper of the ball realizes and tries to stop him by starting the machine and then he blacks out and goes to sleep. You will have to read the rest to figure out what happened next. There are many figurative devices in the seventh tower the violet keystone but some of them are. First is an onamonipiea:"It pulsed. Once ... twice ... three times." Next is imagery:"It was as wide as the fort and tall as an Icecar, rushing forward with a deafening crash and rumble." Next is personification:"It had veered a little to one side in the rebound. Only half of it would strike the Icecarls fort." Next is an onamonapia:"When they burst out of the Veil, output into the sunstone lit corridor winding it's way up and around ahead of them."

I would rate this book 4 stars because of like every book it's fun to read I also like books that continue on sure you have to wait but the author usually makes you wait and it is like a cliffhanger and you don't like it so you wait till the second book comes out. I also like the book because of the adventure and the different things like how there are different keystones that power the veil or how all of the free spirit shadows try to break the veil so that they can become in control again. This book is different than most of the books I've read and I like it. That's why I would write this book a 4 out of five stars.

[Nicholas Lange · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nix, Garth. The Violet Keystone. HarperCollins Childrens, 2010.

Genre: Fantasy, Fiction (2 books)

Summary:
This is one of the last books in the Seventh Tower series, which is why I have rated it so low. This is no fault of the author Garth Nix, but I was completely lost as to what was going on. I was unaware that this was a full series or else I would have tried to look for another book, or hopefully find the original. If you started this series from the beginning I'm sure that you will love this one as the culmination seems pretty fitting, but I have no way to be sure. Our main characters, Tal and Mila now have gathered more allies in an effort to battle the mighty dragon Sharrakor who is evil and has plans of destroying their world. Will they succeed? You will have to pick up this book to find out. As I have stated above, I unintentionally read this book out of order, so I spent more time googling what happened prior in an effort to help me understand what was going on. I don't know about you, but anytime I have to stop where I am in a book and open my computer to understand what was going on is beyond frustrating. Given who our characters are though if you are someone who is currently in middle school and have read the books that precede this one, I think you will be very happy with this series.

A Creative Writing Lens:
Nix does a nice job of having his characters provide something significant to the story. What I mean by that is that each and every ally that Tal and Mila befriend provides some sort of important skill or trait to help the siblings progress on their journey to defeat Sharrakor. I often have two very important characters in my stories and everyone else just becomes part of the scenery. I would love to try and improve that in my own writing.

[Tereza S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Závěr série byl přesně takový, jaký jsem ho čekala. Zpočátku dětský příběh už tady pomalu začal nabírat na akčnosti, hrdinové dospěli a autor se vůbec s nikým nemazal. Všem postavám připravoval opravdu kruté chvilky, nikdo snad nebyl vůbec v ničem ušetřen. Poměrně dost postav tu i zabil, což mě v některých případech docela dost mrzelo. V jednom díle si mají hlavní hrdinové jakoby myslet, že je někdo mrtvý, pak se s nadšením dozvědí, že nakonec přežil, a v posledním díle ho autor stejně nechá odkráglovat. Tak k čemu bylo celé to drámo? Mohl ho nechat zabít rovnou a hotovo. Všichni si mohli ušetřit ten dvojnásob slz.

Závěrečná bitva byla zajímavá. Ten začátek v tornádu jsem si absolutně nepamatovala, ale to byla opravdu síla. Také zjištění, že duchostíny jsou vlastně pro hrdiny i dost slabou stránkou. Kdyby je Tal s Millou neměli, Sharrakor by jim nemohl provést to, co jim tu udělal. Měli je osvobodit mnohem dřív.
Celkové vyústění příběhu se mi líbilo. V podstatě všichni docílili toho, oč usilovali. Nesnáším ty vícedílné série, kde se hrdinové celou dobu honí za nějakým lékem proti něčemu, aby pak na konci zjistili, že žádný lék není. To je neskutečný podraz na čtenáře a například sérii Labyrint bych kvůli tomu prohodila pořádnou vatrou.

[ofits · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Who started the war between our worlds?" he asked.
"Which one?" The Old Khamsoul sighed. "Which one? There have been so many wars.

This was a good series.

It's funny, I read the first book around 20 years ago, only remembered a handful of things about it, and discovered upon rereading that apparently one of those memories was fabricated. I have (had?) a distinct memory of Tal asking someone in one of the higher orders if they could remove his deluminants. Now that I write it out, I think my memory of Harry Potter asking various adults in his life if they could sign his Hogsmeade permission slip is bleeding into my memory of The Fall.

Anyway. This is a young adult series, and it doesn't try to be anything else. I like that it doesn't try too hard. It isn't pretentious, the worldbuilding happens organically and isn't too ambitious, and the characters are interesting enough without trying to be too complex.

There's nothing mind-blowing or life-changing here. The Seventh Tower isn't going to win any awards. But it's cozy, creative, and easy to read, and sometimes that is enough.

3 stars for the last couple of books because the crazy uncle and the rogue servant tropes were a bit heavy handed and started to grate, but still a great little series.

[Christy Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clearly the best book of the series, this book had action, good pacing, strong characterization and growth, and a solid ending. I appreciated that the ending wasn't comprised of purely of sunshine and rainbows for a perfect happy ending, but of sacrifice, strong friendships and alliances that will work together to face upcoming trials in the new society. I just wish that after spending six books watching Tal work to reunite his family we could have seen them all together even once. The reader was robbed of that moment after such build up. Seeing and experiencing after such build up would be better than simply knowing it happened. Also, I couldn't ever tell if Sushin lived or died. Maybe I missed that, but as long and arduous as it was for me to finish the series, I won't be rereading it anytime soon. Glad I stuck it out.

[Sean Bai · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a story that takes me back to my youth. I remember when I had dreams after reading book six, feeling like I was in the world. Garth Nix builds a very captivating world, and I finished reading this series for the second or third time right after I graduated from university with a BA. In this world, there are two groups of humans. One group lives in a castle and there is a heirarchy of lower class citizens who don't have mastery over light and higher ranked people who have magical stones that allow them to wield different colors of light, and there is another group of humans that live out on the ice.

[Ashleigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great end to the series that ties everything neatly together. I quite enjoyed how this series defies the almost expected narrative of having the two main characters end up romantically together. Good to just have a male and female protagonist.

I enjoyed the world, the themes and the adventures, even Ebbitt grew on me by the end of it. Book 3 was probably the only dud, focussing too much on trying to showcase how weird Aenir was and feeling all over the place.

One of the other aspects I quite enjoyed is how Milla and Tal meet in book 1, but for much of the series aren’t even together, focussing on their own goals and missions.

[Danus.knihy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poslední díl téhle oddechové série. Dost dlouho mi trvalo než jsem se k ní dopracovala. 🤷‍♀️
Měla jsem celkem čtecí krizi a takhle série mi od ní pomohla. 👍
Skvělé zakončení. Nechyběla zde akce, také jsme měli možnost poznat další zákoutí v Hradu i v Aeniru. Postavy jsou hezky napsané a celkově ten nápad s kameny se mi zamlouval.
Možná to bylo trochu utahané, ale mě to vůbec nevadilo. 🙂
Celkově celou sérii hodnotím kladně a dávám jí 4⭐️.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I felt like the ending was anti climatic and the bad guy easily defeated.
Also, we still don't know why the war was started in the first place. The magic system is still a bit unclear. And why was Tal's family specifically targeted?There are a few key questions that he never answered in this series.
Basically this series was good enough for a good read. I'm not sure I will ever read it again though.

[Michael Davenport · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars: slightly above average of the series.

Great ending to the series. The main characters have developed and realize they are more than their label. For example, Tal realizes he behaves more than just a chosen, but an Far-Raider.

The ending was good. I was disappointed that their was no dialogue between Tal and his father.

Tags: Clean, Death occurs

[Brunno Voronkoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sensacional !! Desfecho perfeito, não poderia ter sido melhor! Uma revelação de cair o queixo; sem falar na forma maestral em que somos conduzidos até o incrível conflito final com o vilão Sharrakor! Esse último livro faz valer a pena toda a sequência! Parabéns, Garth Nix! 👏👏👏

[Clare · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a series!!! I have thoroughly enjoyed every book and could not wait to find out what happened to Tal and Mills in the end. Sad to have finished the series though, this is definitely a series I would read all over again and enjoy just as much.