but ultimately, the story wasn’t very climatic. despite the twisty revelations, there was no big crescendo, no build up to the pinnacle of the story— the whole book had a very... underwhelming pace. there was no action. very little intensity. i wasn’t on the edge of my seat at all. i was expecting some clash of powers or slaying of enemies, just something. so, now that ive finished this trilogy, i honestly feel indifferent more than anything. despite my very long review full of opinions... this whole trilogy has been pretty average and underwhelming. i think it had the bones to be a lot more complex than what it was, but Maniscalco just didn’t delve deep enough either the characters while focusing too heavily on a smutty romance that felt like catering to fan-service more than it being relevant to the actual story. Nothing felt new, the plot staled and the romance I found so exciting and breathtaking in the previous books, was a little too prominent in this one. this is also the spoilery part of my review, so congratulations on making it this far! you got through all of my whinging... enjoy the rest of my review where i also whinge, just with a few spoilers here and there). while this didnt quite excite me as much as ‘kingdom of the cursed’ (its honestly a perfect sequel with literally no flaws), i still really enjoyed being in the world of the seven circles and exploring all of the different kingdoms of the demon brothers, as well as some new places and characters. the plot is also wrapped up very nicely and everything that began in book #1 gets resolved in a very satisfying way.

but im so glad im finally done with this series, it was a mess lmao. and i will be waiting for the spin off💅🏻While this wasn't my favorite book of the trilogy, KotF definitely was the one that was fuller in terms of plot and the one that entertained me the most after the masterpiece that is KotW. just market the books as adult fantasy!! just be straight up!! this “meeting in the middle” type marketing really bugs me since, yeah it widens the target audience for different demographics, but certain scenes should not be read by younger teens. meanwhile, the writing style, again, was superfluous. i skimmed paragraphs upon paragraphs of Emilia saying the same shit in a different font over and over again— it was my issue with the previous book, and my review of that goes into more detail. i cba rehashing old issues lol.

My smile was a beautiful nightmare. For the first time, Vittoria’s brow creased as if she’d just realized there was one fatal flaw in her plan. Monsters could be created but never tamed.”

As this is a work of pure fiction, I'm considering it as it is. My own beliefs are not causing any sort of hindrance in my rating. While I've read a lot of fantasy, and I do cause it's one of my favourite genres- I do not agree with everything I read. It is meant to be taken as a work of fiction, aka not real. I should have lowered my expectations for this one, then I wouldn't have been so disappointed. I don't even remember why or how I liked the second book. Every time I see someone post the exclusive bonus content of a book for those of us who are international, my heart grows three inches. Bless you all. You're doing the lord's work.