War Storm (Red Queen)

Although I am sad to see this story end and I don't completely dig the ending. War Storm is like the rest of the books in the Red Queen series. Once you start the story immediately grabs you in and immerses you in the story like no time has passed. For the most part most of the important characters and how and where the end up is clear and again although I wasn't completely satisfied with the ending. Overall I'm happy with how this story as a whole was told.

This book was a good book, until the end. It left me vastly unsatisfied after all the ups and (much more) downs, I really wanted it ending on a more happier note. I loved all the well written war scenes, and the was a lot of good character development, but their was one romance (Kilorn) that seemed really forced and out of nowhere. Honestly it seemed to me the only characters who really didn't get a HEA was Mare and Cal. And I hated that. After all the stuff they went through, together and apart, I just would have loved to see a better ending for them. More concrete. Still a pretty good book, but didn't leave me happy.

Love the book and the plot but all of the sexual refrences make it inappropriate and it adds nothing to the story. Christians beware that there are gay couples in it..just in case your kids want to read it.

You know how this series REALLY, annoyingly drills in the theme "anyone can betray anyone"? Well, with this final installment Aveyard has betrayed an entire fan base. I guess we shouldn't be surprised? This series wins the award for most pointless ending of all time. Seriously, did we all just waste all our money and time buying and reading the books in this series for THAT? I am so mad, guys. So frustrated that I ever even started this series.

I don't read books unless they have romance in them. I read primarily YA Fantasy and Sci-fi but to get on my TBR list there must be a romance aspect. It doesn't have to be the center of the book or even a main thread, but it has to be there and it better end well. Now in the Red Queen series Aveyard focuses on THREE guys being head over heels for the main character (who doesn't deserve any of them with how Mare treats people - but I digress) for her to give a grand brush off in the end? It's stupid. I know the author was trying to pull the "strong girl don't need a man" bit but guess what? Mare just ended up looking weak and pathetic. Not strong. She was too WEAK to try for a relationship, to work through problems. Running and hiding and ignoring personal faults is never strength so don't pin it up as some powerful woman move on her part. Mare is a selfish idiot who deserves to be alone and there is no way to paint that differently.

The final 50 pages cemented Mare as one of the worst, weakest female characters in recent fiction. I'm telling everyone I know who hasn't started this series to turn and run away from it. Aveyard has lost my trust and is going on my Do Not Buy list.

Overall, this was not a good ending. My main gripes though, really just have to deal with the fact that the series seemed to get worse as it progressed. The author started off an amazing series and did not know how to finish it.

Personally, I loved the Red Queen. I shipped Cal and Mare for most of that book until the end when I switched to Maven. Glass Sword was a slow book and didn't really get better until the end. A main problem with that book is that there was hardly any Maven. I really felt the author also dropped breadcrumbs in that book that Mare might end up with Maven but I rleally wish she had not dropped those. Mare and Cal's relationship in Glass Sword was also lackluster and boring and they still continue to bore me as a couple. So, the second book faltered, but Maven was back in King's Cage. That was a bit better since Mare was with Maven, but ultimately fell flat towards the last 100 pages or so. Also, Mare finally realized that Maven was not who she loved, so therefore she goes and does the nasty with Cal.

Now, with War Storm, I knew Mare/Maven ship was pretty much toast, but was still holding out hope for redemption for Maven or a friendship and growing back together with Cal and Mare. No such thing. Cliche' ending. No chemistry really between Cal and Mare. And....Maven gets the crap end of the stick.

I'm sorry, but I expected a better ending and at least something worth reading. As much as the political part was "good" it lacked in so many other aspects. I also feel like Mare was going to end up with the wrong person. Sigh. Another wasted YA series. Moving on.

If you are looking for a series that ends up staying pretty consistent with the main characters ending up with who they should (love wise) read Falling Kingdoms Series by Morghan Rhodes. Very satisfying.

I wasn’t holding out much hope when I preordered this book, and sadly I was right in feeling that way. It’s twice as thick as the other books, and VA has juggled many POV’s here, which she does decently enough. Sadly, she gave Evangeline more than I was comfortable with and Maven - the one I wanted to have POV from - far too few. The suspicion I had about Maven’s romantic involvement with another guy before Mare was confirmed. Once again, if I had wanted a series with these types of characters I would have on purpose searched for that plot line. Between him and Evangeline’s POV’s it’s too much, and I’m returning it. It’s very clear what this Author’s entire worldview is (especially when you read her Thank You notes at the ends of the books) and she makes no attempts to avoid preaching it. If you have young children I do not recommend this series.

I had this book on pre-order because I wanted to see how it was all going to finally wrap up. I feel like I’ve worked hard to get to this point in the story —much like the characters— so l’m going to see it through even if it’s not pleasant. Now I don’t know about anyone else but I’ve always found this author’s style of writing to be somewhat disjointed and hard to follow, and that continues in this book. Plus there are plot elements which just aren’t important to the to really story; they’re just extra pages to get through before you can get back to the main plot. Plus there are some stupid choices that the characters make just so the author could set up a confrontation scene that could have been handled easily in another more logical way. But if you’re looking for the characters to really grow or change in this book, you’ll be disappointed. It’s pretty much the same confrontations and dialogue from the previous three books. One character does have a mild breakthrough at the very, very end but then we never get to learn how those decisions actually play out. The sending comes rather abruptly and with little relief or happiness. I wanted to see them have some happiness after all of the misery they have been out through but the author continues in the vein of “no one wins in war” so there is no real happy ending. We’re sort of left hanging. I’d love it if there was a follow up novella that showed the characters thriving and flourishing after the war is over. Is the author even willing to imagine a life that Cal and Mare could share that allows them to be useful in the new society and happy at the same time?

For me this was a lot of distance to cover for a not so happy ending. There is no satisfaction or relief in the end. It just ends. And that is a shame.

This is a difficult one for me. No real spoilers, but I might elude vaguely to some things that happened, so beware. I want to start this off by saying I loved Red Queen, thought Glass Sword was just OK, then was back on board after Kings Cage, but I have mixed feelings about this final book. If this were a longer series and more stories were coming I’d be fairly happy with War Storm. But as far as I know, this is the last. My main issue is the non-ending. I did have some other problems with it, too. I found myself really bored with the chapters from Iris’s point of view. I understand why it was necessary, but I had a hard time getting through those chapters. I had one character issue and it was with Maven…he didn’t seem like the Maven from the other books. He did things that seemed very un-Maven-like. I was also disappointed with the entire Jon the eye/seer resolution & his prophecy regarding Mare from Book 2. I kept waiting for the storm Mare was supposed to become, but the lightening girl didn’t seem especially powerful or important to the war effort this go-a-round, it wasn't her alone but a group effort. I was actually looking forward to seeing Mare become a powerful force of nature & it all fell a bit flat. Now on to the ending. There are several sentences in the final few chapters that very much make it seem like there’s another book coming, but we're told this is the last, so why the foreshadowing of things never explained or resolved? Besides those references, there’s a total lack of real resolution for most of the characters. There are characters that leave, that quickly exit the story, but while reading I kept expecting there to be more to it, some confrontation in another chapter or something more than their uneventful exits, but no…so many characters exits are done in completely anticlimatic ways. I got to the epilogue and assumed there would be some resolution there, but again NO. If there was some finality, something that made this book seem like it was the last one, I could have loved it. Or if another book were coming out, I’d have been fine with the way War Storm ended, but It was very cliffhanger-like for a final book. I read a lot the 5-star reviews, and I’m sorry, but did we read the same book? A few reviewers thought the ending was wonderfully realistic and rather enjoyed being able to imagine their own ending. I read for escapism and when a 4-book series is over, I want an END. I still love Red Queen and can see myself re-reading that one down the road, but I won’t be picking up any future books by Victoria Aveyard when I feel like she left this series unfinished. Once burned your fault, twice burned, mine.

For a novel of 657 pages, "War Storm" really had very little going on. I'm not sure I've ever read a book of this length with so much filler. Except for the passages with active battles, nothing much really happened.

It was the same old political machinations, resentments, battle preparations and push-pull between Mare and Cal. I'm Team Maven, but even I was thinking "Jeez, just let Mare and Cal have their HEA already!" It was oh so tiring reading about the increasingly flimsy reasons why the lightning girl and the heir couldn't be together. And I do mean flimsy. SPOILER!!! When all it took was reading his mother's diary and a short discussion with his uncle Julian about why Cal wants the kingdom (Norta) and the crown, it causes Cal to reevaluate his choice. Really, that's all it took? Cal sees now that he doesn't truly have to hold onto the kingdom in order to hold onto (honor) his parents? Was it truly that easy?! And then of course, to the very end, these two lovebirds *still* can't get it together. I couldn't believe Mare decided for both of them that it was better to separate while each attended to healing themselves (physically, emotionally, psychologically) and their corners of the world. And to top it off, Mare even tells Cal she won't ask him to wait for her?! WTF??!! I feel sorry for Mare/Cal shippers, as Maven/Mare shippers like me at least have a clear resolution to their relationship. Team Cal have to console themselves knowing the pair love each other, but just can't be together for now, and who knows what the future holds. END SPOILER!

Returning to my earlier theme of easy, pages upon pages of trickery, evil deeds, malevolence, conflict and angst and THAT was how Maven was defeated?! This surely was one of the most underwhelming climaxes I've ever read. Again, this book was just so much filler, because Maven's comeuppance could have occurred so much sooner since Anabel and Julian's plan seemed so, so easy to come to fruition. Did the reader really need chapters of Iris's POV to stretch out what ultimately was a thin plot to this conclusion of the Red Queen series? (sigh)

Speaking of Maven, although I loved the final showdown between him and Mare, and most especially where it occurred, I felt Victoria Aveyard chickened out in the "money shot" as it were. SPOILER!!! Perhaps there was another reason why Maven's body wasn't found, and no one seems to know where his corpse lies. When Mare pointedly asks where is Maven's body and someone answers "I don't know", I can't help but feel the author isn't quite done with the younger Calore son. Perhaps he'll reappear in an e-book in the future. To be clear, this is merely my own assumption, as it's quite telling that there is no corpse. END SPOILER!!!

And finally, I thought I detected a hint of real world politics (Trump presidential election and aftermath) inserted into the novel, and was proven correct with the author's Acknowledgement. While I myself didn't mind this whiff of current events making its way to Norta and its environs, (after all, what is fiction if not a way for artists to make statements about what is happening in the world?) I wasn't sure how other readers as a whole may feel. It just seems that as of the writing of "War Storm", any perceived slight against Trump supporters or the anti-global warming faction immediately gets people riled up, and feeling attacked - real or not, intended or not.

And thus endeth the Red Queen series.

I almost feel like this series could have ended with the third book (if the author would have tied up all the loose ends). War Storm was just...okay? The first book and last half of the third book is probably my favorite in the series.

I think the tension between Mare and Cal was done pretty well...it could have been better but I wasn't constantly rolling my eyes. The battle scenes were very good but not as good as in the last book. (The scene in the third book where Mare is escaping and Mare and Cal are forced to fight each other will forever be branded in my mind...I loved it so much) I think in the third book the author just created so much tension that I thought literally anyone could die...it isn't the same with this book.

You get multiple perspectives in this book and I wasn't a huge fan of Iris's. I found myself wanting to skim her chapters and the only time it was somewhat interesting was when she was having a mental showdown with Maven but we kind of got a lot of that already in the third book with Mare.

There were a few romances in the book that seemed kind of random to me. You'll know it when you read it.

I'm having a really hard time reviewing this book. It wasn't a bad book at all. The writing was fine, though I could almost feel the author stretching scenes out for all they were worth. I think the love story could have ended a little better but it fit. I'm definitely not mad about it.

The showdown between Mare and Mavin though was definitely the least satisfying... I was kind of like...really? That's it? This series has so many great scenes with them in it, I was just kind of shocked with how...boring it was.

I probably enjoyed Cal's character arch the most out of everyone's in War Storm...Eveangeline's was a close second and I feel like Mare's character definitely peaked in the last book but she didn't annoy me or break out of character in this book either.

Anyways, I enjoyed the series as a whole. It's not my favorite but I don't get why people were giving it such a hard time when it first came out. I didn't think it had any more tropes than most YA books and I think it was definitely darker than most.

Overall, I'd give the whole series 4 stars

I'll definitely read more by this author.

I wanted to get into this book. I just could not finish it. War Storm is a very slow moving book with too many POVs.

Don't get me wrong I don't mind having POVs but when you put them in there they better have a purpose. For me it seems like everyone just wants to be on the Cassandra Clare band wagon with her 10,000 POVs. (looking at you Mortal Instruments) Yes I like hearing/seeing what others are thinking but I would have been just fine with just Mare, Maven, and Cal.

Anyway, besides the many characters and their views this book is a big pile of mud. I hate feeling like I have to force myself to finish a book. I wish I had liked this book more but when I decide to re-read the series I'll skip the last one.

The last book in a series is always the most important. If you fail to deliver a good conclusion it tends to ruin everything you read previously. If you are into open ended books and not reading a well written, romantic, satisfying conclusion to your series then this is the book for you. If you are more into HEA's (and are invested in the relationship between main characters) then you will not be happy with this ending.

Bought the hard back in BnN knowing ( As a fan)I would want to keep it and read it again. BIG MISTAKE! This book is such a disappointment.

Forget, that it was a terrible non-ending etc etc.. (which is true) but not the most disconcerting thing.

How can 3 books be so cleverly written, quick- witted, face-paced, while the fourth makes you want to die? Seriously.

How can you go from savoring every word of a novel, to skipping full pages. Weird.

Aveyard, took advantage of a loyal fan base.

My Current Conspiracy Theories:

1: The Red Queen and sequel 2 and 3 were ghost written. War Storm, was written by Victoria herself.

2. War Storm was ghost written, because Victoria ran out of ideas.

3. The Red Queen was written while the author was in her fine arts program, and was continually work- shopped by other more talented writers and professors. War Storm is the result of working alone.

4. Some kind of personal life event caused the author to spin into a depression, and loose all her creative juices/edge/touch on reality

5. The author gave up, and one of her editors decided to fill in the blanks.

Warning: unpopular opinion here! Read at your own risk and know that it could be spoilerish even if I'll try to avoid it.

War Storm was one of my most awaited release of 2018.

waiting

I fell in love with Red Queen, was disappointed with Glass Sword and got some hope with King's Cage.

Would War Stom be the book to save the series and put Victoria Aveyard on a pedestal?

When I got the book I began reading immediately as I knew that I had ARCs coming soon and did not want to wait weeks to finally know what woud happen.

It's a big book (657 pages).

Usually I can read them in two days or three days max. I read it in five days....

This is the first sign that something was amiss.

First of all what is the book about?

Well it's the fourth book in the Red Queen's series (you have to read them in order) and it begins right after King's Cage ended.

The Good

1) The Cover!

Just gorgeous and badass.

2) Mare.

She has finished her character's growth and is much pleasing in this last installment! Less "I am the next best thing" she also learned to let go of some of her guilt at having people diying "for" her.

This is war and you'll always have casualties. The others choosing to fight in "her" war are adults enough to make their own decisions and know the risks.

3) Evangeline.

She has her character's growth in War Storm and is nearly loveable.

After all she was the product of her upbringing. She does not fit in the mold of the flawless silver heiress because she loves girls (shocking!). She has always tried to make daddy proud of her but traveling to Montfort and seing people free to marry the same gender she'll begin to doubt...

4) We also learn the true reason behind the endless war between Norta and Lakelands.

"Our war with the Lakelands served a purpose. Reds outnumber us. Reds can overthrow us. But not if they die in greater numbers than we do."

The Bad

1) Cal.

Sorry but he was just a coward. Yes he fought battles alongside his soldiers. Yes he wanted to make daddy proud too. Yes he would have made a better king for the red bloods than another BUT he PROMISED Mare! And he turned her down. He did not dare going on another path less conventional. I am a big romantic and I WANTED Cal to choose Mare! Not ask her to be his piece on the side!

"Stop moping Calore." "You forged this crown yourself -now wear it. Or don't."

2) Maven

In a maybe sick way I got to love Maven in the other books. He was twisted but as a product of a mad queen. He had an intensity. He was obssessive. He was scheming and winning. He had a presence. He had charisma.

In Warstorm it's like the flame is extinguished. He was a pale copy of his former self. A mockery.

"In spite of my better instincts, I feel the smallest pang of pity for Maven Calore. He is not of his own making. Not entirely. Someone else perfectly cut him apart and poorly put him back together."

Yes he was still obssessed and scheming but it was written in such a way that he seemed like a five years old toddler being a brat. He was so much more than a monstrous and foolish boy king painted in this story!

Where was my ideal "in shades of grey" villain?

His stardom disappeared for his wife Iris Cygnet.

3) Iris

For as much as she is a main protagonist of this story her chapters felt like fillers. Yet they are justified in the plot but I did not care for her POV. I just wanted to skim them just to go to the end and know what would happen.

4) Many battles and yet I did not feel invested

The "best" battle scene, the one that caught my whole attention happened in Montfort in the beginning of the story. After this long scene the others did not truly interest me. I don't know why really as I think the author did nothing wrong there...maybe I was too impatient to know the ending?

5) The ending.

I won't give you any spoiler here just know that I was "All ado about nothing"! Please Mrs Aveyard tell me you made a mistake?

Stopping here as you can see that no, this fourth book won't put Victoria Aveyard on my authors pantheon.

Know that this is only my personal and biased opinion and that this book gets or will get probably many incredible reviews!

Oh I was so hoping this was going to be better than King's Cage. I mean it was a bit but not that much.
The first 30% was slow, in fact I was wondering how long it was going to take me to finish this book. 600 pages and if it didn't pick up it was going to take me forever to finish. But after that it did peak my interest a bit more and then finally about 60% it picked up to where I knew I had to find out how it would all end. But all the build up to the final war and the ending did not really live up to the expectations. Was kind of like oh that's it, it's over.
And I wish the chapters were shorter, long chapters especially at the beginning had me skimming at times. I don't like to stop reading in the middle of a chapter, and at times , again especially in the beginning, I was like OMG when is this chapter going to end so I can put this book down for a while.

This was told from the POV's of Mare, Cal, Evangeline, Iris and Maven. My favorite in this book was Evangeline. Oh how I loved her sarcasm. And how she kept trying to push Mare and Cal together. And her defiance to her father.

I was hoping for non stop, edge of my seat action. But that was not what it was for me. I mean there were parts after the half way point that had me thinking "Ooohhh alright this is getting good now" But then that moment would pass.

Well, this book drove me crazy just by thinking about how it was going to end. It was fast-paced but political intrigue, deceptions, and betrayals were still in the very foundation of the story. I mean, it was also a running theme for the entire series so I'm not that surprised.

I think I experienced a lot of feelings, a whirlwind of emotions while reading the novel. This made my reading experience quite enjoyable. I was so frustrated. I loath the fleeting feelings of teenage romance, the threat of death looming over their heads, and the constant hesitation (will they/won't they) throughout the book. After a while, it gets tiring.

If you're feeling quite hopeful, don't expect anything from this book. Don't say I didn't warn you. The author had already made it clear on her tumblr. If you follow her there (just like I do), you'll know (objectively) the side of the author especially when it comes to the romance in the novel. I'm unsure what I feel about this book to be perfectly honest. I can't say I'm unsatisfied but I wasn't satisfied either. One thing I'm looking forward to didn't happen. The book had so much potential to keep me at the edge of my seat. I was pretty excited going through the novel because of my expectation. Unfortunately, it didn't happen. I only expected ONE thing and it didn't happen. I mean, it doesn't need to happen but it would've been great, plot wise. I was referring to the development of Cal and Maven's relationship.

Character development was phenomenal on Evangeline. If she's your fave, you need to read this book. I liked her character in the novel and I wished there was more content from her.

As for the main characters:
- Mare: She was less annoying in this book. In fact, I liked her so much in this book. She was mature in here compared to the previous novels.
- Cal: FRUSTRATION, I tell you!
- Maven: He was like Joffrey from Game of Thrones meets Kylo Ren from Star Wars meets Draco Malfoy from Harry Potter, except he was more like, "My mother will hear about this" even if his mother was no longer around. Get it?

The ending leaves a lot to be desired, mostly because I wanted more from the story. It's like my excitement was an all time high and then it plunges down leaving me with more questions than answers. If you're looking for closure, this book ain't for you. My tentative rating for now is a solid 3.7/5. It wasn't bad per se as I liked it a lot more than the previous novel.

I also was unsatisfied with this conclusion to a 4 book series. 4 books!!! I agree with most other reviewers and find that they have week expressed my complaints so I am re-iterating the two biggest ones here

1. Lazy treatment of Maven as a character and missing the huge potential to develop Maven into an exploration into deeper themes: “my gripe is with “the other Calore” No, no, no, not because I was team Maven: that ship sailed burning over the horizon long ago – no way on earth that was going to end happily. But, Maven’s mind was torn apart by his mother: so much of what he did was literally out of his control. It was a fascinating premise, and I really did look forward to how it was handled. How was it handled, you ask? Poorly. It was an opportunity to explore mental illness and culpability; dogmatism and forgiveness. I’ve struggled with whether or not these themes were addressed, and I just didn’t like the message the author decided on....but no, I think not. It was just used as an opportunity to .....show Mare in a certain light. For a more in-depth (and spoiler-filled!) commentary on that, see the comment attached to this review.
2. THE ENDING!! UGH!! “Four books, two novellas....aaaaand more on the way! Because that ending *facepalm*. I have never seen a more blatant cash-grab. The epilogue should have just read, "ending coming soon.....for just three more installments of $4 in novella form!" I admire Aveyard's writing, I really do. But how this series was dragged out was unnecessary, and contributed to more money out of my pocket for less quality. I'm not putting any more money into this series, and I'm extremely hesitant to invest in any more from this author, if this is her standard.

I honestly need to sit on this one for a bit. I'll start by saying the book is not bad at all. Aveyard's writing is as solid as ever, the tension gets extremely thick, and the drama is at an all time high. Characters remain layered and complex, and there is no shortage of turmoil. I don't regret ordering this series and I totally love having a signed copy, and I will probably be buying more Aveyard books in the future. I loved the division of character perspectives, for the most part. Mare is always someone I enjoy, I really liked seeing things through Evangeline's eyes (who've thought?) and Maven is utterly fascinating. I flip-flopped on Cal's moments though, and didn't care about Iris at all. Yet as happy as I am to see this series reach it's conclusion, there were definitely things I took issue with. Mainly, CAL who is the most stubborn person I have ever met and try as I might, I just could not get past his refusal to bend and make the right choice. It made for a somewhat cheapened ending, and made the epilogue a little infuriating. I still can't decide if this was a good ending or not if it was better left open to interpretation. I know what my mind and heart say, but I honestly wish Cal had been more of the person I'd loved from the first two books. But again, I did like reading this series and it was great to see what all the hype was about. I wonder what Aveyard will come up with next!

******* spoilers******

Like other reviews on here, I was not completely satisfied with the ending. Though the dystopian world is fascinating I think, myself included, become attached to the main couple of the book. We hope for Mare and Cal to finally have a happy ending but the book doesn’t nessesarially give us that ending even in the epilogue. Though it isn’t clearly stated if the two will end up together, I think it is safe to assume that they will. Throughout the books you see how loyal Cal is to those close to him and I think that he would not simple let go of the one girl he loves. The girl who sees him as himself not a silver, prince, or even a king. Mare is the one to tell Cal to not wait on her but the only way that I see them not being together is if some way she’s the one to find someone else. And even then I don’t see Cal to completely let go of her similar how she couldn’t completely let go of Maven.

More over, the ending gives the reader the power to imagine what will happen next. Though I know I would want to see in writing that the two end up together, at the same time I respect the way the author ended the book. As if she’s saying to continue to imaging what could be. I’m not sure if that was her intentions but that’s what I’m feeling.

Though the ending can be better, I feel as though I can’t critisize the author because I don’t understand how difficult it is to write a single book let alone four.

I enjoyed the first two books in the series, and the third one started to fall flat for me. And this one was even flatter. I think when the multiple POVs came in is when I lost some of my interest. I found myself not enjoying reading the chapters that weren't Mare, but just had to read through. And I also feel like the story line got lost in pushing an agenda. The third book could have be so much shorter because of a lot of repetition, and this last book was so long and it didn't even advance the story line hardly at all. Over all, I think the series had so much potential that never took off.

This book completely ruined the series for me.
It is long, drawn-out and considerably boring. It engages in a lot of unnecessary political strategy which didn't help with the already-lackluster plot. The author also randomly threw in the male's perspectives, which are really dull and do nothing but add to the excessive page count.
However, it was the ridiculous cliff-hanger ending that stamped the final seal of disapproval from me. I normally like a little room for imagination at the end of a series, but this book is just flat-out incomplete.
I wouldn't recommend the Red Queen series to anyone who doesn't want a complete let-down.

This review DOES contain SPOILERS. Read at your own risk.

SERIES REVIEW (Books 1 through 4.)

I have read books one through three of this series twice now, and I am still just as much on the fence now as I was the first time that I read them. I did enjoy them more the second time around, but I truly think that it is only because I knew what to expect. When this series first came out I tried to stay away from all of the hype. Difficult, I know, when you are a part of the YA book community. Most people either loved it or hated it, but I felt myself smack in the middle, both loving parts of it and hating the other parts. I can honestly say that I have never been so emotionally frustrated by a book series because of this. Part of me wants to love it wholeheartedly, but other parts just can't. I am hopelessly, ridiculously thwarted from either loving or hating this book series.

The one thing that is lacking in most Young Adult books is the presence of family, but not in this series. While I thought that the main character's family could have been more involved in the story, I was still happy that they were there throughout the series.

I truly loved the premise of the story. I know that there are many books that have similar premises, but I adored it nonetheless. I loved the subtle dystopian aspect of the story.

The relationships of the characters were well written for the most part. I loved the friction and snappy dialogue between Mare and Evangeline. I loved the friendships that Mare forged along the way. Friendship is sometimes overlooked in Young Adult books and they sometimes only focus on romance, but this series surprised me there.

I loved the character growth of several of the characters. Their internal struggles and how they dealt with them as the story progressed. At the same time, I also felt that there were some characters that could have been more developed.

The plot was well done and the world well developed. There is a lot of political intrigue in these books. It makes me think of a line from the book that comes up many times, "Anyone can betray anyone." I am always a sucker for a "rich vs poor" trope, and this one was very believable.

One of the things that really brings the series down a notch for me is the romance. It was very bland. It certainly didn't leave me breathless or on the edge of my seat. While I became invested in the characters while reading, the story just feels incomplete because of the undeveloped romance. And it makes me angry because there was so much potential to have a romance that burns or even for some quite convincing and warranted love triangles.

Another thing that bothered me more than a little was that I didn't feel connected to the main characters at all. It is hard for me to love a story if I can't feel what the main character feels. I was disconnected from both Mare and Cal throughout the books. I knew their intentions (mostly) but I did not feel them. Both characters were very one dimensional. They lacked depth. And Mare specifically lacked likability. I don't even know how many times I wanted to smack her upside her head. She was very self-centered throughout much of the story. Most of all she just felt like words on a page, not someone that I was living through the story with. The disconnect with Mare is one of my most hated things about this series.

I did not care much for the ending of the series. Not one bit. It was vague, but not in a good way. I read the last words and thought, "Oh, okay. That's the end then." I didn't cry or express any sort of emotion whatsoever. And to me, that really speaks volumes.

There were several things that I would have loved to see in this series. I would have loved to see Maven recovered from his mother's torture and influence. Though I thought that Maven was one of the best characters in the story, I thought that his development could have been much deeper. He was a good character, but he could have been great. I would have liked to see things from Cal's point of view. I wanted to know what he was feeling and how he was dealing with all the traumas that he experienced in the story. We see things from Mare's eyes, and it really leaves things lacking. I think that it why I didn't feel much connection to Cal's character. Most of all I think that I just wanted Mare to be different. Or at least written in a way that made me feel something for her. I wanted to so many times, but it just didn't happen.

I suppose that this review wouldn't really help anyone interested in reading this series. I am quite in the middle of the spectrum when it comes to my feelings on it. But really, I am not in the middle at all and that is what is frustrating. One part of me in on the low spectrum and the other is on the high spectrum which just leaves me somewhere in the middle. -sigh- If I could impose anything on anyone that may be reading this it would be that I definitely think this series is worth reading. For bad or for worse.

Loved this series and couldn’t wait to read how it would end. Unfortunately, this ending is one of the biggest let downs ever. Aveyard’s writing is beautiful and creative, but none of my questions were answered. This leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth about the whole series. What a waste of something that could’ve been epic.

Title: War Storm

Author: Victoria Aveyard

Age Group: Teen/Young Adult

Genre: Dystopian Fiction

Series: Red Queen, book four

Star Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

I borrowed this book from my local library and reviewed it.

I’ve had War Storm on my list since before it came out; I was a little late to the party, concerning Red Queen, but I really enjoyed it, and after King’s Cage, I was desperate to finish the series. It’s been sitting in my library stack for a few weeks, and I pushed it to the top of my stack after I finished Dread Nation; I dived in immediately and finished it on Thursday. This review is kind of late, but I had so many feelings that I needed the weekend to process just how I felt. First of all, I just can’t believe that it’s all over; I’m so sad. But I’m also angry, confused, and more than a little upset. I mean… Just ugh! Even now, three days later, I’m still not sure how to put my feelings into words. But here we go. I’ll try not to say too much about the plot, for my readers that haven’t read it yet.

Mare has at last achieved victory, but it comes at a steep price. Cal has walked away from her, feeling that his calling lies with taking the throne of the broken country of Norta. Meanwhile, Maven is ripping the country apart with an ill-conceived civil war. Mare is resolute in her cause: she will overthrow the King of Norta, no matter who holds the crown. But unfortunately for her, a war cannot be won alone, and Mare must side with the man who broke her heart to finally defeat the one who almost broke her completely. Forced to join forces with Cal and his Silver allies, they all present a powerful force. But Maven’s obsession with Mare is so deep and driving that he will stop at nothing to have her, even if it means destroying everything. War is on the horizon, and everything Mare has risked hangs in the balance. Will she win the war at last? Or be silenced by her own demons forever?

This book was, in a word, intense. The pacing was breakneck, the political intrigue breathtaking, and I couldn’t put it down. Granted, there were a few times that I simply had to, because it got too intense and emotional. The book was also narrated from several people’s points of view: Mare, her archenemy Evangeline, Cal, Maven, and Maven’s wife, Iris. It was a little hard to follow at first because of it, the pacing tended to stutter and I had a hard time keeping everything straight. But I will say that the multiple points of view, once I got the pacing down, was a really nice touch: I really got a good feel for what everyone was feeling. The twists and turns were numerous, and I was either gasping, crying, or screaming in frustration as the book went on. As far as last books go, this one was really satisfying: all the loose ends were tied up, and the ending was shocking, heartbreaking, exciting, and more than a little bit terrifying. The large cast of characters was hard to keep track of; I almost wish Aveyard had put an index in the back so it was easier to keep track of. But one thing is for certain: I will never forget Mare, Maven, and Cal, and what they all went through, and I’m so sad that it’s all over. Red Queen is one of my favorite series of recent years, and I’m so sad that it’s all gone! I can’t wait to see what Victoria Aveyard has up her sleeve next! The bottom line: The final book in the bestselling Red Queen series, I loved War Storm: shocking, scary, heartbreaking, and unforgettable! I’m so upset that it’s all over! Next on deck: A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. LeGuin!

I have no words. Which is never a good thing. I loved the Red Queen and I really liked Glass Sword but I almost wish I hadn't because than I would have stopped the series there and never would have had to deal with the last two books in the series. After the frustration which was King's Cage I was really hoping War Storm would redeem the series for me but the last and final book dragged, it was such a slow read for me, it took me over three weeks to finish it.

Red Queen is the first series in a long time where by the end of it I didn't care for any of the characters that I loved in the first book, although I did find myself oddly rooting for Maven towards the last few chapters of War Storm, mainly because of how much I couldn't stand Mare and Cal anymore.

The book was unnecessarily long and the way it ended I just found it all to be so anti-climatic, in the end I was just pissed over 650 some odd pages and that was it?!?! yeah I'm still irritated about it. I invested so much time in this series for THAT!?!

Now as far as point of views go I was bored out of my mind with Iris, no one cares about her she wasn't relevant why not just have given all that extra space to Maven. On the bright side there was Evangeline, I loved her after War Storm sadly the only character I loved after this entire series, anyhow she was a nice surprise.

This wasn't so much of a review as it was me trying to put my thoughts together and not give any spoilers. So far this has been the most disappointing read of 2018 for me mainly because I still had high hopes for War Storm and really wanted to end this series on a good note actually loving Mare and Cal again but instead it has left me with no closure, frustrated and annoyed to where I'm ready to donate these books because I know I will never want to read them again. I know harsh but that is how I feel.

I have been meaning to write this review for weeks. Weeks I tell you! I sped-read through WAR STORM and now that so much time has passed, I feel like I won’t remember much of anything since I fail to retain book information for longer than a few days. But I will say that I went through a torrid of emotions because of this finale. And I am happy and upset and in wanting - desperate wanting.

So much happens. And when I mean so much - I mean a lot of action. There are so many battles to be had and so much….just in action! I don’t know any other way to describe it but it was too much for my neuroses to handle. I am normally not a fan of this sort of storytelling where fights after fights take place because I feel like it just takes away from the development of characters and relationships (which, let’s face it, are my favorite parts), but I have to admit that I really liked how this book flowed. I mean…WAR STORM is a thick book - I haven’t read one so long since…my Harry Potter days. It’s hard not to get lost in those scenes, but I have to admit that my heart was definitely racing from the thrill of what would happen, especially because characters like Evangeline are more prominent and kick ass.

The one (well, two, but I’ll get to number two in a few…) issue I had was Maven. I love Maven. I obviously fell for Maven as much as everyone did in RED QUEEN because he is so damaged and so traumatized from his mother’s manipulation and a life of being in Cal’s shadow. I thought his character was so much more villainized in this book much more so than the others in an attempt to make him look like an even bigger antagonist. And do not get me started about the ending when it concerns Maven because I am convinced that something big is going to come from it in the future - it may not be the next series that Aveyard has planned, but I think it’s pretty much like with Leigh Bardugo and SHADOW AND BONE/KING OF SCARS. It’s like you know it’s not the last you’ve seen of this character by any means.

Nevertheless, I still loved Maven. I felt sad for him because there was absolutely no one on his side and no one to bring him back. I found it even worse between Cal/Maven/Mare because of their entanglements and how much Cal and Mare truly cared for Maven. It was painful to read and I did feel the angst and bitterness in all of their characters.

I was absolutely pleasantly surprised by how much I loved Evangeline. I think she just blossomed and became such an epic character to me. She had always been kickass, I guess I had just been blinded by the fact that she just stood in the way of my Cal/Mare love, but I was young then and now I am so pleased with the direction her character took. She owns her silver powers and I felt so for how much she missed Elane. GO LBTQ REPRESENTATION! I found it incredibly believable (though, I will admit that I haven’t encountered it too much in the books I’ve read) and I liked that it made Evangeline so much more dimensional to me. Sure, she’s got her brave, stubborn, bold, and powerful side to her, but the vulnerable, pained, broken side of her makes that side so much better to me a reader. She is just one…awesome female character. To be quite honest, I find her even better than most prominent female leads in YA books. LET’S WRITE MORE CHARACTERS LIKE EVANGELINE SAMOS.

I feel like I need to talk about Mare. I think that her role in the books was cemented long ago. Not just who she was in RED QUEEN, but even in GLASS SWORD and KING’S CAGE. It’s hard to not see her for the character that she ends up being in the end of WAR STORM. The role of lightning girl isn’t who she is - it’s every so much a brand as Katniss was the girl on fire. LIKE COME ON. The things that Mare ultimately wanted were so modest and made me want to squish her as a character because I wanted her to have everything that’s happened, especially with Shade. And with Cal. And with Mavel. Oh, this girl has been through so much. She rises over and over again in this book regardless of how much she gets put down and pushed back. But she knows what she’s fighting for and I love that she still stans the rebellion, but knows that it’s not a cause that she wants to go on (granted, who ever wants these sort of things to go on except radicals).

Her emotions become tested and tested over and over again and it’s the worst to read because as a reader, we know how much she’s beaten and bruised and we just want things to just go right, but in a thick book like this, that just can’t happen.

And do not get me started about the Cal/Mare. I just can’t even with this. I leave that to you guys to judge on your own because I CAN’T DEAL WITH THIS.

I hate and love that the ending is incredibly open-ended. It’s hopeful and reminds me very much of the the ending of CROOKED KINGDOM and A CONJURING OF LIGHT. It’s somber and bittersweet, but hopeful. And I like that it could mean there’s something more down the line (BECAUSE THERE IS, THERE IS NO DOUBT IN MY MIND).

There are some series that really don’t need a fourth book. I think the RED QUEEN quartet definitely warranted four. And each one was better than the last. Give me more, Victoria Aveyard. I’m ready.

War Storm continued the theme of the Red Queen series, too many pages. I started off really liking this series. I'm not one to think of this type of book as "just another dystopia." I like that type of story, and therefore, enjoy another adventure into this kind of world. The issue for me with this series and especially War Storm was the over analysis of the emotional state of the characters. War Storm should have been 200 less pages. As the reader, we did not need to know how the character felt about every little thing. Scenes would take place in War Storm or something would be coming up, and instead of just letting that thing happen we would first need to go through a character's inner monologue of this is how I feel about this part of it, this is how I feel about this other part of it, this is what I am concerned about, this is what I hope happens, this is what makes me sad, and these are all of my feelings about everything in my life currently. Then the situation changes and we get to do it all over again. That is not to say that there were not good parts in this book because there were some really wonderful scenes. The part on the Hawkway was crafted so well that it was visually stunning as it played out in my mind. Other battle scenes were creative, dramatic, and enthralling. They were just too far apart, bogged down between lengthy and unnecessary emotional analysis. It made for slow reading, when what I really wanted was to fly through the book with my heart racing and chapters that hooked me from one to the next. My other issue was the ending didn't really have any resolution, especially for a series with so many pages. The ending was building great. The final battle in all its glory was raging, and then it just kind of fizzled and died. Switching from the epic battle to the scene with Maven and Mare seemed dull and lacking. I wanted more from the final moments. Even after that I needed more. Everything was left as this person is here and that person is there, and we kind of know what we are doing but there are still a lot of unfulfilled plot points. After committing to a series of this length, I expect more of a glimpse into the future of the characters or at least leaving them in a settled place. The use of abilities, the battle scenes, the society and culture, they were all very intriguing, but at the end of the day, I am glad that the series is done because it diverged from what I wished it could be awhile ago and never found its way back.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

When we left off things were not in a happy place. Not like book two where Mare is taken captive bad but Cal just agreed to marry Evangeline and basically just broke Mare's heart choosing a crown over her. So not a happy place. Plus he messed up Evangeline's happiness which thanks to book three I now want. But on more important news Cal's decision to fight for the crown has caused a hidden split with his Red allies as they don't plan to put another Silver in charge of them again. But first they must remove the current king and go from there meaning Mare must continue to work with the boy who broke her heart. Maven is a force but he is driven by an obsession deeper than any realize as he and his brother have more in common than they realize. Allies that want to overthrow them. It is all out war involving Silvers and Reds alike both on the same side and against one another. Who will win? Who will make it out the other side alive? What will Norta end up?

So this is a story of split war. I loved that we got so many new POV's. As I mentioned I was a bit leery of Evangeline getting a POV in the last book as I hated her but then I went and grew to like her. I didn't full on love her like some of my others as she was still kind of a witch but I understood her so much better. I even grew to want her to find a way to win, though only if she didn't mess with any of my others! Which is huge progress from the first two books. I looked forward to her story and seeing what was happening. I felt bad for her and the whole love situation she was in, seriously I almost cried at some parts. It was so messed up. She ended up being one of my favorites of the series so huge kudos to the author for making that even possible! We also got a new POV in Iris, the Lakelander princess / Maven's new wife. That was very interesting to see how things are on her side, we got both the Lakelander perspective as well as one so close to Maven seeing him with a new outside light. I liked getting to know more about the Lakelanders as they have been background for the first few books with new information constantly coming up. She/they were also a villain different from Maven and seeing the pair side by side was very interesting.

And for other new surprising POV's that don't happen much and start late we do get a couple chapters from Maven himself! I nearly swerved when the audiobook chapter stated "Maven" as the POV like what when did this happen??? The chapters while brief and limited are very enlightening. His mind, warped as it has been from childhood is a very captivating place to me. I can understand why the chapters are placed sparingly as too much from him would have taken away from him. Small glimpses was a treat and more than enough to see just what has been hinted at. On the flip side we also get to see a few chapters from Cal's POV which I enjoyed though as much as I enjoyed him, I didn't find them as fascinating as Mavens. They didn't offer as much new insight for me. I understood his reasons well enough as he is an open type of person who shares and is readable. I already knew his reasons and motivations he was easier to read. Still it was nice to have his own thoughts of his mother and brother that was a nice balm to the crazy going on.

Of course we have Mare as the main POV. I have some slightly mixed feelings on her. I did feel at times she could be a bit wishy washy but she made a choice and she stuck with it. She never wavered. She hoped for a difference and took time for her when possible but she didn't waver in the overall choice. I respect that. She had some bad choices throughout the books sure but I think she held firm on the important parts. I was with her in this, even as she struggled with her broken heart, her PTSD, and more she kept pushing forward. That is impressive no matter what anyone says. I enjoyed as she got to know more Newbloods like herself. Knowing she wasn't the only one was a sweet moment not only in solidarity but in that they can teach her more of herself.

There are so many side characters who really came to life in this story. Some stepped into new lights like Jullian. We got to see more of Evangeline's family which again is crazy and Cal's granny. We also got to see more from the Premiere and the world he lives in and wants to help spread. The world we want! The time spent there was beautifully written and impacted so much. And of course General Farley was up front and center because she has come a long way since we first met her and she has struggled through so much on her own. I really wished we had a few chapters from her. Some of the others we spent so much time with in previous books were less focused in this one like Cameron and Kilorn to name a few.

Overall the story was well done for me. There was action and intrigue as we expect and lots of political espionage happening in all corners. The character building and even world building as we tear down one part. It had a lot going for it in this book and series overall. The end had parts I expected and parts that shocked me. I was unsure how I felt at first having finished it just in shock of it all but it makes sense. It won't be a perfect happily ever after for anyone there was just a massive war both internal and external so lots happening there. That can't be solved or wrapped up in a little bow. It gave the open ending we needed to believe it was possible. Some relationships were broken but some have the possibility of rebuilding just like the world and I love that. I love the parallels there. At first I wanted a quick instant fix but then I realized that wouldn’t have fit with the epic journey we had just finished. So I am very satisfied with the ending. Even if I wanted more as soon as I finished!

Victoria Aveyard has finished the Red Queen series in a fantastic way. The ending wasn't predictable, and it left me feeling satisfied; it felt complete. I really took my time finishing this book. I had to not only because it was over 600 pages, but because there are a ton of things going on. There are many perspective changes within the book, so you are able to see multiple sides of the many battles that happen. The bonus to these is you are able to understand each character's point of view, and how they perceive the world. It is written in a way that you are savoring each section for each person.

Mare isn't the main focus of this book I feel. I feel like it's every character is equally important. I was a little let down at the end, I was expecting more of her power like some ultimate reveal but we didn't really have that. She goes through a lot of changes in the previous books and in this one she still is a little, but I feel like she aware of who she is going to be.

Evangeline has become a lovable character to me. You see her soft side when she thinks her brother is gone. You see her intelligence show when she is piecing together things while Anabel Lerolan, Cal's grandmother, is talking. She is a strong badass on the battlefield and her strength to continue the fight is amazing. Her strong emotions and opinions, like how much she cares for her brother and is repulsed by her mother, or her hatred/love for her father while he uses her as a bargaining chip. Her love and adoration for Elane, and her desire to be with her, but she can't because it is considered abhorrent and a waste of power. Victoria Aveyard has a knack for writing strong badass female characters for sure. I think if she were the main character it could have been great too. I think she could have had her own book.

Victoria Aveyard's greatest skill with this novel is the battle scenes. You read from Mare's perspective which she is at another location from the rest of the group and it is fast but intense and emotional. Then you get into Evangeline's perspective which when I was reading it I felt like it would be an amazing scene in a movie. You can feel the tension and the terror that Evangeline deals with while she is struggling to survive. That is just an example of only one of the many battles within the book. I loved reading the battles personally.

I completely think this series AS A WHOLE is a must read if you enjoy young adult books. If I didn't read past the first book, I might not have recommended it as strongly. Now, since I've read all the books I have to push for this one. I've seen the writing improve through all the books. I've seen the characters develop into memorable people that leave a lasting impression. I feel satisfied with the whole outcoming and the meanings behind certain aspects of the book.

I just finished reading this and have no idea how I feel lol. I think I envisioned the series ending a certain way and it didn’t…so I’m completely thrown off. I felt the ending was also too open-ended for my tastes. I won’t go into more details because spoilers but yeah. It almost feels like we need a novella to tie everything up. I prefer clean cut endings. I don’t like it when they end and I have to imagine different scenarios…..It’s just not my cup of tea. I’ve heard we are getting some novellas set in this world so I hope the author gives me a true wrap up to one of my all time favorite series.

One of the things I enjoyed most in this book was the longing between two characters. Actually, there was quite a bit of longing between several characters BUT I’m specifically referring to a certain couple. ((Don’t you just love it when you are trying to write up a review and keep it spoiler free? lol!!)) The moments between this specific couple were just the best. I craved more and more from these two throughout the entire book.

I truly loved how the Scarlet Guard kept fighting for what was right. It wasn’t easy and it went against everything that everyone knew up until that point. But still, they kept pushing and fighting for justice. I admired their perseverance.

The characters throughout this series are such memorable ones. I can’t help but picture where they are now and how their lives have changed. That’s another reason I’m hoping for more post War Storm novellas. Tell me all my faves are living their best lives ever!!

Overall, this book was a mammoth. I think it could’ve been shorter realistically. I also didn’t care for the pacing in the first half. I needed more push to the plot, more drive to get me invested in this finale. The second half was very dramatic/action packed as expected. However, I wish it would’ve slowed down just a bit to let the moments we’ve been building up to for several books last longer. I’m a huge fan of this series and still highly recommend it to everyone. It will always hold a special place in my heart. I cannot wait to read what this author comes up with next.

I thought the first books in this series were good. But this last one just fell "off." First of all, there was too much time spent on some character POVs I wasnt really invested in to begin with, i.e. Evangeline or Iris. Then we find out suddenly that some main characters were involved in gay relationships. It wouldn't be so bad if they added to the plotline. But no...Oh, Maven and Cal, our hero/anti-hero, are both made to look weak or former shadows of themselves. There's virtually no progression in their characters. Mare herself is ambivalent about her main man (because God forbid she needs/wants a guy). You can tell Aveyard is really pushing her own own liberal ideals. The author herself has acknowledged her dislike for Trump. But people read such fictional YA books to be entertained or inspired. This one does neither. It's like she got sidetracked with her own political agenda she forgot how to write a decent book.

After finishing the audio version I am really surprised by all the negative reviews.

The only negatives I found with this final book was the bouncing between narratives. I got impatient because I was interested more in Mare, Maven and Cal. The other characters narratives could have been more occasional for my preference. I also got bored with Evangeline's waxing poetic over her girlfriend.

But, this final book kept my attention the whole time. The fight scenes were great and I didn't feel like it kept me hanging at the end.

I was happy with Cal and Mare at the end. It felt real. I wasn't Team Cal since he kept not choosing Mare. He deserves to have to proove himself before winning Mare permanently and Mare herself deserves someone who puts her first.

The narrator for the audio version did a great job. I would prefer the ebook version only so I could skim past the Evangeline lovesick portions.

I don't usually leave such long reviews but felt this book did not deserve all the negative low reviews.

It didn't leave you hanging at the end but instead with the belief that Mare would choose correctly for herself when she was ready. It was time for Cal to have to wait for Mare to choose him.

This final book was definitely worth reading. I waited for it to become available at the library and it was worth the wait list.

Solid end to the series with a lot of tied up plots and a few Aveyard twists.

I saw a lot of reviews talk about how long-winded the book is or how they do too much and it takes a while... but I actually disagree with that. Yes, the book is the size of a brick and you could build a really solid housing foundation with it, but I was super pleased with the amount of things that happened in it.

I wasn't as thrilled with Glass Sword and King's Cage as I was in Red Queen and I think it was because I loved the interactions in Red Queen mixed with the plot twists. I loved the power imbalances working together. And War Storm brings that element back. Mare and Farley and the Scarlet Guard suddenly have to work together with Montfort, who shows them what a democratic society can look like, as well as the Kingdom of the Rift headed by Volo Samos as well as MY BFF EVANGELINE who has absolutely stolen my heart, AS WELL AS the piece of Norta loyal to Cal, the true heir. It's a mess. And I love it.

Not only is Mare struggling with her feelings for Cal so much she's calling him Tiberius to distance herself (which he obviously loves ... not), but everyone is struggling. And lying. And stealing. And murdering.

And then there's Maven.

But it's no secret all of the alliances are fleeting and threadbare at best.

I really enjoyed this final installment of the Red Queen series. Not because of all the war stuff and battle and heart-pounding moments, though there were many of those, but because we finally got truly see all of the characters interact again. Evangeline and Mare, most of all, were my favorites. But I loved the amount of button-pushing alongside having to work together.

My only grip was I thought the big fifty-page ending of chaos would have been a little more chaotic. Instead, I felt the battle before it kind of took the cake on that one. And maybe that's okay - but I felt like the final climax and ending was very abrupt and it totally worked, but it wasn't really my thing. The events were, the pacing wasn't.

I was proud of Mare for really sticking to her guns for what she believed in, even when she was hurt because of it. Her interactions with Maven were horrifying and amazing. Same with Cal.

Heartbreaking and full of darkness, but letting in the light. That was War Storm.
I loved it.

I've been devouring every book in the Red Queen series since I read the first book and the final one did not dissapoint. I read the 657 some page book in a little under four days and it is great for those lazy summer days. The story was full of action and suspense and while still mostly focousing on Mare's telling of the story, there were also chapters written through the eyes of some of our other main characters. (Such as Evangeline, Iris Cygnet, Cal, and Maven.) I enjoyed getting to see inside the heads of these characters, particularly Evangeline, and see the motives and reasons behind their actions. Although the end wasn't all I dreamed of it ended pretty well, even though I wish a bit more time could have been spent in the epilogue. Perhaps Victoria will write another novella about the years after War Storm. I would read it! One word of warning: do NOT skip ahead and read the epilogue!! Not knowing what was going to happen or who could die added so much amazing suspense to the story.
To end, I loved the book and as glad as I am that the years of suspense waiting to know what happens to the characters is over, I am sad to see the series end. Its not often I truely fall in love with a book series like this. Can't wait to see what Victoria writes next!!

This is hard to say, so I'm just going to come right out and say it: For me, the final book in the Red Queen series was just... meh. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't good either. Red Queen was simply amazing. The world building, the plot, the characters and their chemistry... not to mention that WTF moment at the end of the book. It was all it was hyped up to be plus more. However as the series went on each book got less and less amazing for me. I stuck with it simply because I fell in love with these characters in the first book. So by the time War Storm came out, I was ready for it to be over. I just wanted to know what happened in the end to Mare, Cal, and Maven. I also didn't really feel like it should have been a 600 + page novel. It definitely had that dragged out feel. It was the end that really got to me though. I wasn't satisfied with it, and I wasn't happy about how things were left with Mare, Cal, and Maven. I'm not going to get into the spoilery parts, but I just wasn't happy about it.

Bottom Line: In the end I am glad I read I this series. I loved the characters so much and I can tell the author really took the time to plot her books. But I wouldn't have read another book in the series if this one wasn't the last. I definitely feel like the whole series could have been condensed into three books.

There was SO MUCH potential for the plot of this book. The other three books built it up nicely and Aveyard could have (literally) gone anywhere. Instead it was one fight scene after another with no resolution. We get towards the end and everything happens at once and then it was over. The whole book could have just been the last 3-4 chapters and I feel like I wouldn’t have missed anything.

With all the negatives of this book, I will say the characters developed really well in this last book. Mare was whiney and needy in the first three books. There were times in this book where she was the same but other times when she sucked it up and decided to hold true to her principles. I actually hated Cal in this book. He got scared and went back to what he knew instead of moving forward. I enjoyed reading Iris’ POV and how she dealt with everything but her chapters felt like fillers. Evangeline!! I absolutely loved her chapters! Seriously, I would read another series just from her POV. In this book you learn more about her background and why she is the way she is.

I could go on a rant for days about the whole “romance” aspect of this book but instead I’ll just say I was very disappointed.

The reading level and ease was the same as the first three books. Miss Aveyard makes it easy to follow and understand what is going on.

The story line was rounded out and completed (for the most part). It did not end in a cliffhanger and I’m overall please with the way everything wrapped up.

With everything said and done, would I recommend this book? If you have read the first three then yes, for your own piece of mind you should finish the series. As a stand-alone book I thought it was boring. It could have been summed up in the last 3-4 chapters.

**MILD SPOILERS** To me this book was a little disappointing. Mare’s character comes off as more petulant and irritating that anything. She has issues with empathy, she is so mad at Cal for his decision to take the crown, knowing full well that he honestly believes it’s the best way to implement change. He doesn’t do it because he is selfish, the crown is a burden not a blessing, yet Mare acts like he wants it for that. It gets tiring. And she keeps making it seem like she’s mad that he abandon the “cause”, but really she’s just pissed he didn’t choose HER, it has nothing to do with her cause, so it’s hard to feel sympathy. By the end of the book I was wishing Maven killed her, and my favorite character was Evangeline, I actually wanted her to be happy, what a role reversal! I don’t think the ending was horrible, but I don’t like how she pushes Cal away like she’s doing him a favor, she’s so egotistical it’s maddening. Maybe that’s what the author was going for, but regardless it was hard to get through this book. definitely a disappointment compared to the other books before it.

5 Stars... This was a beast of a book and so worth every page turned... There has to be a certain challenge in concluding one’s series, making sure each of your characters has an honest ending and feeling as though the story reaches it’s epic conclusion that it deserves... As a reader, I look for a level of truth in the way in which a story concludes, and I found it in Victoria Aveyard’s words... She continued to take me on a remarkable journey with memorable characters in a unique and magical world all of which captivated me from the beginning of this series; but more importantly she held true to both the characters and the storyline... The choices of the characters felt genuine and the conflict was hard fought to resolve; it wasn’t all tied up in a pretty red bow but left the reader with some food for thought and potential for the characters to continue to grow... I loved every word and truly enjoyed this fantastic series:)

I was so excited for this book. I even put it off for awhile, because I was so in love with the series that I didn’t want it to end. And now? I wish I’d never read it at all. I wish I’d let my imagination finish the story.

I’m fine with the ending, really. I’m more peeved by the lackluster way in which the finale was presented. There was so much back and forth between the multiple POV’s that I felt I lost connection with almost everyone. Cameron, one of my favorite characters from prior books, is all but forgotten. The other newbloods as well. The first person narrative no longer works here, not when we’re constantly jumping from one to another. It’s jarring and distracting, and not well done.

I wish this wasn’t the end. It feels like a joke. I wish we had another book to look forward to, something that would right this wrong. But then, I’m not sure I could bring myself to read it. My investment feels lost. This series deserved better.

I was sooooo anxious to see where the path was going to take us and now that I have seen... I just cannot get enough of these characters, or the story! With each book, more gets added into the story and I seemed to get deeper connections with the characters. I would FLOVE if these series were turned into movies, and I already have characters that I have built into my mind that would be perfect for certain parts. Farley is the one that stands out to me the most and idk what it is about her but even with loving all the other characters ( well most anyways) I must say I think she is my favorite. Lots of things needed to happen for this story to go in the direction it had been heading and I think Victoria did a great job, in bringing everything together. I do hope to read more from her, in the future and would love to see where she takes me next.

I've been anticipating this book since the last book came out and I was a little disappointed. I think the author was trying to not focus on the love interest in the book and more on the plot of the book but it seemed like it didn't flow right? The author would focus on the politics of the book but throw in "what would Cal think" or "oh, he's in the room but I won't look". It was overwritten in a way? We know they love each other but can't be together but towards the end he does the one thing that will ensure they can be together but it still doesn't end the way it would've if it was a real romance? There was a lot of back and forth, with no real reason to it. I did like the point of view from different characters throughout the book, though it was confusing since the POV was sometimes interwoven with the last characters POV at the same discussion or meeting. Would've liked the concept of two totally different people overcoming adversary in their world/life and find happiness with one another, it shows we truly are all the same at the end of the day .

i loved the first three books in the series, and i was so excited to finally get my hands on this book. i read through the first 3/4 of the book and was LOVING it, but the ending for me felt a little flat.

What ruined it for me was the multiple perspectives. Part of the fun is being surprised when characters behave a certain way, or have certain plans that aren't immediately revealed to the reader. Because we were in the minds of the people who were on opposing sides, the reader kinda knew everything that was going to happen before it even happened. It seemed that the book spoiled itself in that regard.

WARNING - SPOILER: The ending seemed too unrealistic, based on the growth of Mare and Cal. They had given up so much for their love, had loved each other so much that it was impossible to stay away from the other, despite their different viewpoints. I don't believe that they would throw it all away once the war was mostly resolved. Yes, Mare killed Maven (for reasons that seemed a little shaky to begin with - why couldn't they just keep Maven under supervision until they found a way to cope or cure with his mental illness?). But Cal knew this would happen, had essentially told Mare to do it. Why would Cal hold it against her? If anything, he should be understanding, even in his grief.

Also the epilogue seemed weak to me, and was just a way to "leave us hanging". It was set only one week into the future. I completely understand that Mare and Cal may want a break to heal from the effect of the aftermath of war (an explanation that was the only function of the epilogue), but I think this series could have been neatly tied together if we had looked into a more distant future, one where Norta was in its way to becoming a Democracy, and maybe Mare and Cal had a life together? Like why write 4 books developing a romance between two characters, and then have it not work out in the end for a shaky reason?

Despite all this, I would still recommend this series to readers. The world was well built, and I loved all the characters in it. Even if the ending was not up to par, it was still worth my time.

This was the series that got me back into reading and finding the book community in the first place. So I was really excited and nervous to read this final book. Well I loved it. It wasn't perfect but I really enjoyed this final book a lot. I do have some issues with it. First, it was just a little too long for what it is. I feel like the story really didn't need to be dragged out that much for the final book. Second, probably my biggest issue, I wanted more chapters from Maven and Cals povs. I was so ready to have some incite into Maven and Cal but we only get a couple chapters for each of them. Also didn't love Iris' chapters. I felt like those could've been replaced with a Maven/Cal chapter. Third, the end. I was okay with most of how it ended but there were unfinished things that I was hoping to see. Still a great read and I loved being with these characters again.

--------- SPOILERS AHEAD ---------

I had no idea how the series was going to end. I loved this series, and when I finish beloved book series, I'm usually left empty that it's over, but pretty satisfied with how they ended, even when they end ambiguously. However, for this book, I found it to be great until I approached the end.

It was slow in the beginning, and then it felt rushed near the end. I had 20 pages left in the book and I was still wondering how it was going to get nicely wrapped up with decent time for all the main characters.

I enjoyed the perspectives, each with completely different people. Mare had great character development. She's still angry, but she's more conscious of the people around her, and I like how realistic that was. I didn't like how she pretty much dropped Cal. I understand her needing to find herself now that everything she's fought for is over, but I didn't see the need to distance herself from Cal that way, especially when he finally gave up the crown. Cal's POV was good, I enjoyed his character development, but I felt that it was a bit unnecessary for this book, like his entire perspective could have been a novella itself. Same for Maven. I liked knowing what was going through his mind after Elara ruined him, but I would have liked it better in a novella and to see the process of his degradation by his mother. I liked Iris, her relationship with her family and the fact that they have and worship gods while Nortan Silvers believe themselves to be gods was a very intriguing contrast. I also found it interesting that she and her mother were one of the few who knew that Cal didn't willingly kill his father and that Maven and Elara had something to do with it when pretty much everyone else either didn't know, didn't hear, or didn't care.

I love Evangeline. Her POV was the only one I felt that truly belonged because it seemed to have her own side story that was separate from the main plot. It gave a glimpse into a life that was supposed to be perfect by Silver standards, but was far from what she truly wanted. Love vs duty, especially duty for your family and as a High House. I loved it, very relatable, and the way her story ended was ambiguous enough, but satisfying, dare I say more satisfying than the actual main storyline ending.

I thought the strongest points of the book were the psychological aspects and the war strategies. Those impressed me the most and I feel like those are Victoria Aveyard's strongest suits. How each character thinks and interacts with others and plans against their enemies is amazing. I just think she may have been a bit too ambitious by cramming multiple perspectives in one book, especially the final book.

Overall, I wanted more for the ending, and a bit more explanation in certain areas and for certain people. I felt like the series could have been expanded a bit longer to give her some time and pages to write on the characters, the plot, and the world-building.

I have a love/hate relationship with this series. When I first heard about the Red Queen series, I thought that it would be one that I would really enjoy. This is coming from someone who really enjoys reading YA fantasy and sci-fi books. The first time I read Red Queen, I had a tough time getting through the first 50 pages or so. I felt that the story line was slow and the characters weren't very captivating. Once I dove deeper into the book though, I started to admire the character development, specifically of Mare and Cal. I thought that Mare was a strong-willed, driven young heroine who was willing to fight for her family and those were being oppressed. I found that Cal was willing to do whatever it took to support the girl the girl he was falling in love with. However, with the releases of Glass Sword and King's Cage, I found that Aveyard seemed to be dragging the series along at a slug's pace. There were definitely times where I wanted to DNF the series because I felt that it was not progressing, but then with the ending of King's Cage, I found that I had to keep going to find out what would happen with Mare, Cal, and Maven.

I felt that the way War Storm ended was very abrupt and open-ended. SPOILERS: Of course we all knew that the demise of Maven would come about in this book. He was a broken boy-king who would never end up with the girl he had his mind on; whether for right or wrong reasons. And the way that Aveyard left the relationship of Cal and Mare up in the air left me in utter confusion. Is she going to continue the series so we know if they get their happily ever after or are we supposed to be left with our own imaginations? I felt that many times throughout this book, there were parts that could have been left out and others that could have been more elaborated. I don't think that War Storm needed 650 pages worth of content to it. I think that there was too much "fluff" at times and not enough closure for a couple that we have invested several years to. Overall, War Storm was just okay in my mind. I would say read it just to find out what happens, but don't expect to have your mind blown with this one.

With long chapters varying between the main characters’ point of view, this book seemed to take an eternity to get through. I didn’t want to stop reading, not because it was a great book, but simply because I wanted to know how the story finally ended.

As is the case with many similar series, the first book in the series was probably the best, but once you’re invested in the story, you refuse to stop reading until you’ve read it in its entirety. Such is the case with this series.

The Red Queen series definitely took this genre to a new level of darkness and twisted reality. Even though it’s written for a YA audience, I wouldn’t recommend it to my daughter or her friends. It’s a little too dark.

I loved the red queen series until this last book. The book seemed to drag, and I found myself skipping ahead trying to find out how many pages I had left in the chapter and in the book. This book had the potential to be excellent - and I find myself feeling unsatisfied and blah. I am extremely disappointed with the ending and feel like she dragged out so many other parts of the book to sum it all up and end in 15-20 pages.

It feels very incomplete to me. And I feel like the author has left us hanging to write a spin-off on these characters... I wish we got to see mare and cal have a happy ending together. All 4 books are primarily about them and how have grown and suffered throughout... and this ending just does not seem right.

I hope Aveyard reads and listens to her fans reviews so she can maybe one day give these characters an ending they deserve. I find it odd that a side character, Eve gets her complete and happy ending but mare and cal don’t. Disappointing!

Oh my god War Storm!!! Finally the time has come!!
The story is even better now that we get multiple view points (Maven’s POV!!!!!) So much scheming and too many players that want something. That’s what I love in this series: everyone has it’s one agenda and you can’t never see the twists before they come!
And the book came to an end..I really don’t know how I feel. I’m still recovering. I can’t believe that we won’t get more, that the series is over. The final book was something else. I thought that it was difficult to surpass “King’s Cage”, but Victoria Aveyard succeeded.
It was a beautiful ride, one I’m surely going to experience again soon. Many thanks to the author for giving us these books, it was an extraordinary ride!

This final book in the Red Queen series was a huge let down. The book series built into an amazing journey through many points of view which were intriguing. But this last book all 600+ pages were building into a climatic resolution that didn't happen. The last 150 pages were confusing, inconsistencies in writing with abilities and emotion. It was disappointing and underwhelming and just plain ol' frustrating. If you need to finish it please do but don't built up any expectations. At the end of the book it left me feeling that I read so many pages and went on this long journey with no true ending or resolve to any of the situations. It was sadly lazy story plot.

There really aren't words that adequately sum up my thoughts on WAR STORM. I loved it, obviously. It was brilliantly plotted, whip fast (which is saying something for a 600+ page book), and was SO TENSE. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time; there was never a dull moment, and I was so scared and nervous and anxious the whole time I was reading it. The ending...yeah. It was literally what woke me up this morning. It was exactly what the series called for. It has left me heartbroken, but in a good, unexpected way, if there is such a thing? Mare and Cal will always have a special place in my heart, as will this series. Bravo, Victoria Aveyard.

Great conclusion to a stellar series. I feel like this really followed a trajectory for Mare's characterization that never wavered, and I loved the ending to the book. (I know a lot of people have been wavering about it or claim it was a disappointment for its lack of clear-cut answers, but I was happy with the ending I could imagine long after the book's end and was happy for the ambiguity of how it got there.)

I loved the first books and I was so excited to read this one and see how the story ended, but I couldn't even make it through this book. I actually listen to the audiobooks on a my commute and since I couldn't skim or skip pages, I found myself getting frustrated with the tedium of non-essential filler that makes up what seems like at least half of this book. I finally gave up just over halfway and googled the ending. Seeing other reviews at least reassured me I wasn't alone in this feeling. I was very disappointed to have my view of this series change so much not because of the ending (though it reinforced my disappointment), but from the quality of this book.

Personally, I thought this book was the best in the series, with Red Queen being a close 2nd. It was action-packed, and it didn't stale out like King's Cage ( sorry, but that book moved like molasses ). I really enjoyed getting Evangeline's perspective, and I'm glad the author retired Cameron as a primary narrator. Iris was also intriguing.
**Spoilers**
My biggest gripe, as seems to be the case with most readers, was the ending. I would have gladly read 3-5 more chapters once the Lakelanders had retreated. What happens to Norta now that Cal has abdicated the throne? What were the terms of the surrender/cease fire? And, I'm seriously tired of the "main female character needs time" act. Why are women always painted as these fragile creatures that need to be alone after a damaging life event? Yes, Mare killed Maven. But, the author makes sure that the reader is 100% certain that he can't be healed or fixed. He admits as much in his chapters, so we all know it was the only option. If the author wanted to make this ending more realistic, she should have had Cal as the one "needing time". He's the one who lost a brother, a country, a crown. But, here he is, and all he wants is Mare, but she needs time. *insert heavy eyeroll*. I hope the author releases a short novella that properly wraps up this saga because War Storm is a fantastic novel, but it doesn't finish what it started.

I feel like it’s the Sopranos all over again. If you were mad about how that series ended then prepare yourself to be frustrated and mad. We were taken on a journey in this book and the final destination was left out. I feel like the “ending” was a rush job. I’d rather wait for a book to come out rather than an ending that wasn’t thought out.

Awful. Please don’t waste your time and just know the book will end exactly how you think it will. Every page was boring, zero character development. Mare remains a winey little girl and Cal a wet blanket. Evangeline is the only interesting character and she didn’t get a good ending. Such a disappointment. Put it back on the shelf.

I spent so long reading it, but I can say in all honesty that it was worth the time spent reading. There were no slow points, and Aveyard spent a good time building characters in places they needed to be built up and showing us more sides of them that felt good to see as a dedicated fan of the series from the start. The ending has you wanting more, like always, but also deeply satisfied with where you leave Made Barrow. The short story collection is deeply anticipated for me, since I want to see where things go after the events of all this.

I wanted to give it 3 stars....but it was great until the last 10 or so rushed pages, so i gave it a 4. This was a great series, but the ending was weak and rushed compared to the rest of the story. I wasn’t necessarily looking for a HEA, the epilogue should have been chapter 38 and an epilogue following. I wasn’t expecting to be spoon fed a conclusion either, it just doesn’t feel right. Read the series....it’s great, just be prepared for the conclusion to feel a little undone.

Book was great and I liked the sudden shock turn it took with maven lol but it felt really rushed after that. Expected more of an ending but I’m not complaining about it I just feel that the book built up and then just slipped with the last 150 ish pages. Also, iris is boring. I found times I wanted to just skip her entire chapter. But definitely don’t regret reading it. Too bad this is the last book. Had so much potential.

A thrilling conclusion to a story that has held me on edge since I picked up the first book. I really enjoyed the changing perspectives throughout the story, it made for a much more interesting and exciting read. I hate spoilers in book reviews, so I won't give any...but I'd love to see a post-quel in the future. The primary storyline may be concluded, but this story has so much left to be told.

I liked it, but there were few surprises or even particularly interesting moments. It felt like an moderately interesting story that didn’t capitalize on a very interesting world. I love it when authors find inventive things to do with fascinating worlds, but that didn’t happen here. It’s still a good book and a decent finish, but I wish it was just a little more.

I really liked the first books and have purchased the entire series. Unfortunately, this last book is disappointing. The war and plotting goes on forever and is more filler than relevant material. It could have been over much more quickly. It seems to drag on forever and the end only hints at yet another book. The romance ends between the protagonists with a cold shoulder. Outside of that the end just isn't very satisfying as it still leaves many questions that I suppose are going to be addressed in the next book that I don't be valuable.

An epic conclusion to this addictive series! Aveyard quickens the pace and raises the stakes higher than ever, leading into the final fight for Red freedom.

Mare’s development, both in character and power, nears that of Wanda Maximoff—from Age of Ultron to Infinity War. I have thoroughly enjoyed witnessing her journey and will miss this world!

I have read the entire series. This book was exceptional till the very end. To have that much heartbreak, that nuch indifference, choices finally made annnd then it ends? I hope to see a novella come out after but I doubt it.

It reminds me of Allegiant of Divergent series. So much turmoil, choices being made only to throw if all away at the end.

#somuchpainfornothing

I love the lightning in the diamond glass crown on the cover.

Everything that I felt should have happened and needed to happen came through in this speculative fiction/ urban fantasy/ future fantasy book. Though I would still like to know how some blood becomes silver, even though I realize that's just the "mirror" held up to society. This book, the whole series really, is a fantasy version of what happens when one group oppresses another group because they think they're better for whatever reason, and then the oppressed rise up and prove that equality is always more desirable than oppression.

And along the way, the reader gets to decide if they feel bad for Maven or not. Especially when he thinks about killing the oppressed, creating a war, mostly so they don't focus on outnumbering the oppressors, a form of manipulation.

I didn't care for the different point of views of every chapter in book 3 (King's Cage), but it became even more important in this book. Mare just can't be everywhere at once, after all! And the inside of Evangeline's head was far better than I expected.

There's a hidden staircase revealed by tugging a book on a bookcase. #GeekingOut

I'm happy to say that the book ends with hope. I don't know if I'd call it a "happily-ever-after" or not, but certainly hope. There's a scene at the end with Bison, talking about destroying and rebuilding, that I really love and that filled me with hope.

Some of my favorite lines:

"So we can tell our children we did not stand by and watch as children just like them were murdered or condemned."
With the current movement in America to Keep Families Together, a line like that could not possibly have hit harder. Great writing.

"You know, maybe this rebellion would be further along if they didn't rely on teenagers so much."
Ha ha ha, poking fun at all the YA fiction, including this, that has a teenager changing the world. Too funny!

"I can't do anything my body is screaming at me to do. ... Get through it."
It's an anthem for the disabled, chronically ill, and for those who struggle with health or mental issues.

"Are you so threatened by the people you spit on that you can't allow them simple freedom?"
I'm tempted to get that Farley quote tattooed on my arm.

"Because they'd rather bleed themselves than be equal to any blood that isn't the right color."
Replace the word blood with the word skin and you have the world I know, with too much hate and a need for equality.

I always knew it would be no small feat for Victoria Aveyard to end the series with a book more amazing than the earlier ones. It was a job really well done too... until the epilogue. I would expect an ending like this if we were to eagerly await another installment. But I was left feeling robbed of closure. What a difference just one epilogue could have made...

I liked the red queen series when I thought it end e d at book 3, even if it felt a little unfulfilling. This book was too long. It's like Aveyard wants to be Tolkein or Martin but even those great series get lost in the long war scenes. The story line was weak. And characters predictable. I got bored.

I’m happy with the ending. I started this years ago because it didn’t have a hold at the library so I borrowed it and glad I did. I enjoyed seeing the writer’s and characters progression. I’m really glad I continued the series. Good story and ending. Loved the female camaraderie.

It's rare that a book series especially one that goes far beyond a trilogy, has the final book be on par with the 1st. The final moment between Maven and Mare. The final moment between Mare and Cal. How the war goes, surprise deaths, and much more. Well done!

I don't like stupid women and that's all this author knows how to write. The main character makes terrible decisions. This is probably because she's not actually focused on her literary talents . Aveyard is focused on her political agenda in these books.

Totally a disappointment. Found myself skimming most of the battle scenes, which kind of blended one after another and another and another and....it's exhausting and THEN to have the author TOTALLY cop out at the end!! WHAT BS!! She like, forgot how to end a romance? Talk about a disappointment!! Pathetic! Will not be buying any more of her books. Buy the Cave Series instead. Much more fulfilling. Ugh.

I like this book much better than kings cage. There were a few redundant morning, but for the most part strong story. I like the different point of view. I’m a little sad about Maven, But I really like the end.

This last book of the series was SO disappointing. Which was hard, cause the first three books are SO good, I have been hooked the whole series. But I felt like the author just gave up and settled on the easiest and most abrupt story line and ending. It it lacked depth. And heart like the others and the book was unsatisfying and upsetting.

I absolutely loved the first two books. Was so excited to get my hands on this one. I devoured it in 48 hours and was even willing to forgive some of the places where it dragged... but then the horrible god awful ending ruined everything! I was an Aveyard fan, but after this am not likely to read any of her future books. Too bad. You just don’t do this to your readers! I didn’t expect everything to end happily ever after, but this ending was wretched.

I have loved the uniqueness of each character and POV from the beginning. However, this book felt like the author was being terribly lazy. It’s almost as if she knew she had to finish the series or was perhaps being pushed to make a deadline, and then just left a lot of things really poorly done. Very disappointing. The only reason I gave 2 stars instead of 1 is out of respect for the wonderful characters that the author seemingly abandoned.

I have been a fan of this series since I found it accidentally on Audible. I listen to books while working (truck driver). I have loved the series, but this final installment left me wanting more. I have to agree with the others that feel like it's unfinished and that it's a way to get readers to buy future books. Sadly I was disappointed by this installment.

Unexpected twists and more action! An enjoyable read and a satisfying ending to a great series. I only hated to see it end. There were so many well developed characters, and I loved the new focus on Evangeline

The book cover came in bad condition. There was some crust on it and the back had a tear on it. It just seems like someone very careless handled the book and my girlfriend who loves this series was a little disappointed and so was I.

I have been a fan of this series from the beginning. I enjoy the final book in the series was written. It was realistic and didn't try so hard to have a fairytale ending. I am grateful for such a great conclusion to the series.

I can't believe it's over. I love this series but I'm saddened by the ending. This series has love, betrayal, power, greed and hope. I do love it. But I feel one the ending could have been with cale and mar getting married or being together. Kinda sad it's over now

I think it is a perfect ending for the sorts of betrayal endings the auther had been writing, I feel bad about Maven but I am happy the auther wrote some of the chapters in his point of view. Still, well, I love the other three books. ;)

Okay! First of all, I truly do love the writing & points of view. This is a well written book but it made me so upset on EVERY LEVEL. mostly bc of what did NOT happen! *sorta spoilers* okay first of all i am so angry over the multiple battle scenes where the enemy was on a METAL BOATS in WATER ! BC SIS MARE DID NOT GO OFF !!! I SPENT SO MANY CHAPTERS CHAPTERS WAITING FOR HER TO GO OFF AND FRY SOME HOES!!!! ALSO everyone is like tf the ending but i have to say it ! WORST ! ENDING ! EVER ! Like sis life is depressing enough, books are supposed to be an escape & where the happily ever afters happen ! "i WiLl gO bAcK" tf. also damn love didn't conquer anything. & what is the point of an epilogue that's like a week later ? give us a year leap to see this world that you've been trying to build for 4 books ! also i am so confused ab the gay ? i liked it w evangeline (despite that there was no clue to it at all in the first 2 books) & the premier! but sis got a little extra. why is maven gay ??? why is gisa ??????? & boi don't get me started on maven. that's my bby & he's effed up but like you made it seem like his desire for mare was a lot higher in the first 3 books. also his death was so anticlimactic & why was cal so pressed ab it ?? like "i can tell he wont forgive me " tf ?? ALSO maybe kilorn could have ended up w mare & she realizes who's good for her. but no he's dating cam lmao. i am truly disappointed, but i still think the writing is excellent.

I was so sad when I finished this series because it's so amazing, this book was good but for me it was slow because of what I read in the books before this but overall it was good and I loved it but I wish I knew more about how Mare and Cal ended up.

A book that crams LGTB down the youth of America's throats. When pedophilia takes America by storm like in ancient Rome, will you be sorry? This book was sluggish at best. It was a chore to finish. I'm glad the series is over.

I choose five stars because along with the other Red Queen novels I have been teleported to this world that is built on the constructs of royal families and patterns. The book closed a chapter leaving the ending open to interpretation which I love!

Overall the book was just okay. I really feel that if maybe the ending had more closure and direction I could of given it 5 Stars. However this said to be the final installment it kind of just left me unsatisfied