Amanda’s Reviews > Darkdawn > Status Update

Alas. Given the ending, this moved from a 4 to a 3.5

It's too sadly YA & emblematic of the Shadow & Bone type of ending. We circumnavigate the genre & glittering crass darkness the author spent three books saying we were in.

Goooooodddddd. Tric’s goodbye scene is SO DEAD PERFECT. From the words, to the promise, to the knuckle kiss. This is an adult love our YA girl can’t recognize.

Oh. Thank god. One of the “assassin masters” was finally allowed to actually be & have acted as one. So few of them got to show any skills worthy of being the premier master after book 1. To a way too convenient amount. (Don’t get me started on how sending every assassin from every church after her was less than 20 easily defeated people, too.)

“like she was born to poison” — except we haven’t seen Mia poison anyone in two books, right? So this doesn’t fit either anymore.

I don’t believe this scene of her crying. We’ve been in her POV too often before now without a whisper in her thoughts or actions. This is too convenient. And the only thing this scene has proved is that Tric is a better person over and over, through all actions, sayings, choices. The way his love is unconditional & not jealously childish only.

I was nearly cheering for Ash getting stabbed on the Sky Altar finally. ALAS.

I need Ash to stop having pov chapters. It only makes me like her less. These only breakdown to justifying her book 1 actions, dramatic teenage declarations, or sex. There’s no remorse for the past choice mingled in certainty; there’s almost no mention of her brother’s loss or him at all except as the occasional detail.

I feel like too much might be happening, with too many at this point. Mia barely seems to remember Mercurio.

Eclipse’s dramatic shift from paired up fondness/defending her with Ash last book has transitioned into Eclipse’s full attention on Mia’s little brother this book without any regard for Ash.

Sigh. I do kind of wish she would at this point.