The Black Song

Executive Summary: I struggled with this one at times and enjoyed it at others. I thought it was a fine conclusion to the duology but not as enjoyable for me as [b:The Wolf's Call 41021418 The Wolf's Call (Raven's Blade #1) Anthony Ryan https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1551413903l/41021418.SY75.jpg 64015574].Audiobook: Steven Brand once again does a fantastic job. He does some voices and just generally does a good job with cadence and volume. His excellent narration made it easier to get through the parts I found slow. I think the audio is an excellent option for this book/series.Full Review[b:Blood Song 13569581 Blood Song (Raven's Shadow, #1) Anthony Ryan https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1421573407l/13569581.SY75.jpg 19148922] and [b:Tower Lord 18138189 Tower Lord (Raven's Shadow, #2) Anthony Ryan https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1382486392l/18138189.SX50.jpg 25481154] are among my favorite fantasy books. However I struggled with [b:Queen of Fire 18405221 Queen of Fire (Raven's Shadow, #3) Anthony Ryan https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1417350958l/18405221.SY75.jpg 26039753].When [b:The Wolf's Call 41021418 The Wolf's Call (Raven's Blade #1) Anthony Ryan https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1551413903l/41021418.SY75.jpg 64015574] came out I had been a bit dubious. I enjoyed that one more than [b:Queen of Fire 18405221 Queen of Fire (Raven's Shadow, #3) Anthony Ryan https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1417350958l/18405221.SY75.jpg 26039753] and was looking forward to see if he'd do a better job with the ending for this series.My opinions are a bit mixed. I probably liked this ending better, but not by much. I found myself just sort of eager to see it all wrapped up, and not terribly interested in any of the battles.As someone who loves the magic school trope, I was pretty excited by the temple at first, but inevitably found that segment mostly unsatisfying.2020 was a tough reading year for me. So far 2021 isn't shaping up to be much better. It's quite possible I just wasn't in the right mood for this book, but I think this is mostly another case of not being able to recapture the magic of those first two books.