The Dryad Storm (The Black Witch Chronicles, #5)
Laurie Forest
The New York Times bestselling series! Magical forces clash and Erthia hovers on the brink of ruin in the can't-miss finale of Laurie Forest’s epic fantasy series, The Black Witch Chronicles! Who can survive the Shadow storm? Black Witch of prophecy Elloren Gardner Grey has unleashed her powers and embraced her legacy as a Dryad and guardian of the Forest. But the losses—of life, of love—have been almost too great to withstand as the Shadow continues to devour the world. With only a tattered shred of hope remaining, the Bearers of the Wand of Myth must battle their way back to each other to mount a final stand. But Elloren and her allies are not only facing Mage Vogel's advancing forces—the armies of the Eastern Realm will stop at nothing to see the Black Witch struck down. With Elloren's bonded mate prophesied to kill her, Shadow demons rising, and the ties between allies unraveling, can this fracturing world unite to face down the coming storm? Read all the books in the Black Witch Chronicles! *Also available in print in The Rebel Mages anthology
No posts yet
Kick off the convo with a theory, question, musing, or update
Your rating:
I’ve been a devoted fan of The Black Witch Chronicles since the very beginning, eagerly devouring each installment. This series has delivered so much magic, intricate storytelling, and compelling characters that I couldn’t wait to dive into The Dryad Storm, the final book. However, while I wanted to love this finale as much as the others, it sadly didn’t live up to the high expectations set by the earlier books.
One of the biggest challenges for me was the sheer number of POVs in this installment. Instead of adding depth, the abundance of perspectives made it difficult to connect deeply with any one character. Every single character seemed to have a romantic arc, and while I’m not opposed to romance in fantasy, it felt overwhelming here, especially when the love between characters became the key to strengthening their powers. At a certain point, the focus on relationships began to overshadow the story I had been so invested in.
Elloren’s sections were the highlight for me, as her voice and journey were the most compelling. On the other hand, Tierney’s chapters were hard to get through—I dreaded picking up the book when I knew I was returning to her POV. The pacing also suffered, with some sections dragging on, while the resolution to the overarching conflict felt rushed and incomplete. After so much buildup across the series, Marcus Vogel’s defeat felt anticlimactic, especially since it turned out he was just a pawn. This revelation opened up more questions than answers, and the book never fully explored the implications of this twist or what it means for the world’s future.
In the end, I was left feeling disappointed by a finale that seemed to lose focus on the natural world and the broader stakes the earlier books had so brilliantly developed. While I will always cherish the series as a whole, this last installment didn’t give me the closure I hoped for.
If you’ve followed The Black Witch Chronicles, you may still enjoy reconnecting with the characters and seeing how their stories conclude, but be prepared for a finale that leans more on romance than resolution.
0
© 2024 Pagebound