The problem with finishing an EPIC series very late at night is that you have to lie there alone in the dark and contemplate the meaning of life.

You cannot message your friends, you might wake them and make them start reading. You cannot scream into the abyss and ask, “What am I supposed to do now?” You might wake up your household.

It is too late to start a new book. And, it feels impossible to fall asleep because your brain is still firing on all pistons thinking of the book that just wrung you dry.

This was me with Furysong at midnight last night.

*Sigh*

If you have not read the other books in this series, here is all I can say to you. The series is amazing, go start it, and then come back here before you read book 3.

Spoilers ahead!

Okay.

By now you should know how book 2 ended with that kick off the cliff, lol. “He” is not dead. That literally made me scream out loud. Because his death hurt. It was also a turning point for many characters in book 2. His loss pushed them to make things impossible for Annie to do her job.

Well, in book 3, we explore what happens when nothing works out as we think it will. There are definite highs that go better than expected, but the lows make you wonder if to brace yourself for an ending that will leave you weeping.

And be warned, fellow reader, there will be weeping in this book.

Ms. Munda does an incredible job getting us to feel what the characters are dealing with. The moments of joy, pain, and sheer disbelief come through deeply and succinctly.

But what can we expect, when we had an oppressive regime, followed by a bloody revolution, which then had a rebellion and a simultaneous infiltration of the old order? (see you need to have read book 2 to even understand what I typed there… told you!)

The parts that really will catch you, though, are the intimate moments when truth, not to others but to self, is acknowledged and revealed. We also get direct insight into the tremendous sacrifice that goes right alongside love, and wanting what is right and fair for all. Too many times fantasies sing us a false narrative that honor and justice are easily won. They really are not. It takes everything you have, then a lot more you did not think you had to get to a fair balance all parties can live with.

In my opinion, this was the third and final masterpiece of a series that has earned its best-selling titles. Prepare yourself for an ending that brings satisfaction and lingering memories of love and sacrifice written to impact your soul.

As with all of the books in The Aurelian Cycle, prep the time to sit and indulge in the haunting prose and mesmerizing story lines. This series is now a part of my core book memories. I loved all of it and it will take me some time to recover.

Wow…I really have no idea what to read now. I might have to go watch some TV.