A Curse of Krakens

A fitting end for a fun series with surprising twists. 

I really prefer this approach to a trilogy about war, where figuring out how to handle grief and emotions matters as much as processing desire for revenge and justice, and the emotional impact of participating is acknowledged and people are allowed by their peers to not be 100% enthusiastic about violence. 

But it's not just about war and loss, it's about people and how they survive life changes. I love that ordinary people in this world matter, in most countries, and that there's hints of more positive changes to come - the initial invasion should have impacts on everything, and it's satisfying that it does - and not just in Brynt. 

I've liked the magic system the whole way through. I loved finding out more about Zalost and the “everyone's only heard about me, not heard what I'd say about myself” sneaky self-serving meeting with Zalost and Koesha's return to let him know the results of his plans, and her realizing he wasn't sincere about giving up. 

I'm so glad this series exists.