Title: Wings of Shadow (Crown of Feathers #3)
Author: Nicki Pau Preto
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Publication date: July 13th, 2021
704 pages
5/5 stars
Goodreads Synopsis
In the heart-stopping finale to the Crown of Feathers trilogy, which #1 New York Times bestselling author Kendare Blake calls “absolutely unforgettable,” Veronyka must face her most devastating enemy yet: her own sister.
I had a sister, once…
Veronyka is no longer an orphaned stable boy or a nameless Phoenix Rider apprentice: she is the daughter of Pheronia Ashfire, the last queen of the Golden Empire…and the niece of Avalkyra Ashfire, the resurrected rebel queen who tore the empire apart.
We shone brightly, burned fiercely.
Now that the secret is out, everyone at the Eyrie treats Veronyka differently, and with Tristan still a hostage of the scheming Lord Rolan—and Sev with him as a spy—Veronyka feels very much alone. Except for her beloved phoenix, Xephyra, of course, and her new friend, Kade, who has his own reasons for wanting to save Tristan.
Was it always going to come down to this? Sister against sister? Darkness against light?
Veronyka is determined to do whatever it takes to get Tristan back, even if that means revealing her identity to the world and inheriting a throne she’s not sure she wants. But when she discovers that Avalkyra has bonded with a strix—a legendary creature of darkness that feeds off the life force of others—Veronyka realizes she has more to deal with than an encroaching war with the empire. Val is willing to destroy everything to get her revenge on a world that rejected her, and if Veronyka wants to bring peace to the empire and Pyra alike, she must face down her sister once and for all.
The world began with Ashfire queens…perhaps they will also be its destruction.
Review
I have been anxiously awaiting this trilogy finale and it did not disappoint. NOT AT ALL.
Without giving away any spoilers, I will flail about this book. Each and every characters got a fitting ending that made sense within the story line and the previous two books. The final battle was thrilling, engaging, and captivating. Were there parts of this book that felt like it took awhile? Yes. That’s what’s going to happen in 600+ page fantasy novels, THERE’S A LOT TO GET DONE FOLKS. So it happened, I persevered, and we lived through it.
THE SHIPS. THE PHOENIXES. THE MAGIC. I am obsessed with this world that Nicki Pau Preto created and could see myself living in it and just leaving earth behind (as long as I can be a Phoenix Rider, ya know?).
Huge plus to this one – the epilogue! Everything gets fully wrapped up, I wasn’t left wanting more, each person got their chance to talk. It was exactly how I like my epilogues. I don’t like to end books having to assume or guess what happens afterwards. I want to know.
So really, YA Fantasy fans needs to read this series. Start with Crown of Feathers and meet the Ashfires.
Happy reading, folks!
Baltimore Bibliophile 