Stars: 3.5 out of 5
This was a decent final book in a series that I truly appreciated, though it feels like the series as a whole lost its focus once they defeated Samir. The confrontation with Samir was built up to and anticipated in so many previous books that it felt cathartic once it was done. I would honestly been happy if the series had just ended there. The other books before this one felt like filler or side-quests for Jade and the crew now that they had defeated the final boss. And pulling the First and the big bad for this last installment felt… rather anticlimactic, I guess?
I mean Samir had been built up as this big bad during the course of all the books in the series, and he had done some horrible things both to Jade and to her friends. He was bad, we hated him, so we rooted for Jade to finally triumph while also keeping her freedom and saving the lives of her found family.
The First though? We didn’t even know he existed until 3 books ago. His motivations are vague to non-existent. His powers are… rather underwhelming. So he can control shapeshifters… But only a certain number of them at once, and he must be close enough to exert that control. So he used to be able to see the future, but he is so arrogant about it that he doesn’t even doubt the visions he had almost half a century ago. This makes him a rather laughable opponent instead of a real villain to be feared.
I also didn’t particularly appreciate the fact that they turned Alec into a damsel in distress for this book. I mean, you have a badass shapeshifter character that can compel other shapeshifters into shifting with his roar alone. Who is a strong and capable fighter… and the only use you find for him is to make him a hostage to keep Jade properly motivated? That’s wasted potential right there.
Same with Harper and her other friends. It almost seemed like the author didn’t know what to do with them anymore, and she really wanted to have Jade be the lone hero for this final confrontation with the First, so everyone else is relegated to inconsequential tasks. Again, lost potential for collaboration, comradery, and all in all-in-all badassery during the final battle and even before.
All in all, though, I am happy that Samir’s heart has been properly eaten and digested so that Jade’s amulet doesn’t have to be this McGaffin that everyone wants anymore. It was also fun to see the Mother of vampires, though her character was greatly underused. I don’t know if the author was planning a spin-off series or more books about Jade, but it feels like she just appeared to solve a problem, and hasn’t been heard since.
I also liked that even though the seal is broken, the world hasn’t ended. In fact, a new life started for some of the characters involved.
I am happy I happened across these books and decided to stick with them til the end.