And so ends the best fantasy series I think I will ever read, certainly the best one I have to date.

This book didn’t finish just the series, it finished me with it 😭

Utterly stunning, heartbreaking, wholesome, epic, challenging, immersive, grand, brilliant… there aren’t enough words for me to describe what Hobb did with the realm of the elderlings, it’s incredible.

I’m so sad that I’ll never get to read this series again for the first time, that it’s finished, but im so glad that I have experienced and enjoyed it.

This book is so good it’s diabolical - I have never been so mad at myself for leaving a book unread on my shelf for so long.

There is NO other rating than 5 stars. I have not one note. This book is a masterclass in plot weaving, story telling and character work. I was engrossed from the second chapter, i couldn’t turn the pages fast enough and i couldn’t put it down. Dumas gets so many plaudits for this tale, every single one is deserved. The PIPING HOT tea, the drama, the scandals and the REVENGE PLOT…..

I finished the last page and my instant reaction was to re read it immediately. This book is going straight into my top five of all time, no hesitation. I think I’ve found my book of the year.