The Bitter Kingdom

This was a much anticipated finale, especially after the ending of The Crown of Embers. And I have to say, this starts off with a bang. Elisa has friends with her but none to guide her anymore. She is the one they look up to and she uses all her intelligence and smarts to make plan after plan to find Hector. We get a few chapters with Hector's POV and I loved knowing how he thinks and strategizes. I really understood what they meant to each other and how they were so perfect together. Elisa becomes a formidable Queen and Hector is her perfect partner, not at all intimidated at being her subject and trusting her implicitly. The revelations of Storm's history and his growth here is tremendous. He and Elisa become friends and partners in magic and it was great to see them help and save each other.

There was a lot of action, the plot was very engaging and very fast paced. The ending felt a little rushed but it was still the exact ending I wanted for Elisa and all her friends. This has been a great series with wonderful storytelling but I will remember it most for its fierce heroine who doesn't need anyone to save her – she is the one doing the saving – and the healthy relationships throughout of all kinds – Love, female friendships and also male female platonic friendship. There are very very few YA books that handle all relationships so well. I definitely recommend this series to anyone interested in YA fantasy.