Finished this in tears. I was so attached to this world and its characters i can’t believe it’s over (i lowkey took my time reading this just to savor it). This was such a beautiful ending to an epic story that was The Drowned Gods trilogy. Any book Pascale Lacelle writes from here on out i will tune in for, she truly is a master of storytelling

These are some of the most complex, three dimensional characters with so many layers, that I’ve ever read about and they hold such a place in my heart. The fact that even side roles are rememberable, and having SO many characters and plot points going on, yet feeling effortless, is impressive and really speaks to the author’s craft. Even if you actively dislike the characters or villains as they made their decisions this book, you can still understand their motives, their thoughts and continue to root for them or feel sympathy. Again these characters aren’t perfect but their flaws are realistic, human, and I think it’s why every character even from Jae to the Nisha or Virgil, or the draconics seem just as important and easy to love.

Time travel (in my opinion) is one of the hardest plots to write and portray possibly and Pascale Lacelle blew it away. I remember Stranger Skies being mind boggling in its plot and writing, such amazing growth from book 1 to book 2, and Infinite Shores (book 3) did not disappoint.

Baz and Kai <3 I don’t even have the words for them and their scenes whether together or apart did not disappoint (especially after that devastating cliffhanger in book 2!)

Something else that impressed me was the fact I could not guess where the plot was going to go. The creativity and the originality with this series has been such a breath of fresh air for me. And 100% i would recommend anyone who wasn’t certain after book 1 to just give book 2 a chance because of how good it gets! I imagine if you’re reading this review and have read Stranger Skies and liked it you’d agree. I never would have guessed this is where the story would have gone based off Curious Tides (book 1) alone, its proportions were lofty and ambitious and hit the mark.

I’m not kidding yall there were chapters in the last 1/4 of this book that had me in tears and i’m just sitting here writing this review so sad that it’s over but SO happy with how action packed this final book was, even if it’s bittersweet.

ARC courtesy of netgalley

part of the reason i’m rating this so low is that this is a romantasy, you can’t have the romance be the weakest part!! once again i fall victim to a romantasy summary that totally draws me in, only for it to fall flat. so this was not for me HOWEVER this had some strong moments I liked—

I really enjoyed the bonds we got between Elysia, Lisbeth and Thalia. I really appreciated those moments and how Lisbeth grew and found that % of the book to be the strongest, I wish we’d gotten more. The author really excels with writing female friendships, which is always nice to see!

Another aspect I enjoyed was the author’s ability to describe scenes with pretty vivid imagery. (okay but drinking game where everytime lavender is mentioned on color description to take a shot lol?)

Elysia, to be honest, was nothing special. There is nothing about the FMC of this book that differentiates herself from the dozens other cut and paste women of romantasy. because why is it always the eldest daughter having to sacrifice herself and work all these jobs to put food on the table😭😭😭 (and the family is always useless and just let them get snatched away??)

And our MMC, Rhune? Who? Another dude with shadow magic? He honestly bored me as a love interest, i felt 0 attraction between the two and didn’t understand her weird obsession with him. we were simply being told about their growing feelings and etc rather than shown.

Then the final reveal at the end took a twist i don’t enjoy in books :///

ALSO there was wayyyy too much modern-esq slang going on for a fantasy world (also all the names were cringey)

ARC courtesy of netgalley

**spoiler-y

I’m not sure if I missed something but I’m genuinely confused about Rhune and Elysia even with the ending reveal. I get that he “knew” her for years going into her dreams and etc, but it’s said her dream at the start of the book is her first time seeing him. so maybe a few days they’ve “known” each other. so she has never met him and acts obsessed/as if they’ve been lovers for forever? i felt frustrated at times when they would speak because they would converse so intimately yet there’s no actions / facts to back it up? she’s so willing to throw away everything and go against tradition for an elf she only was around in a dreamscape a few moments, she does not know him 😅😭

and jeez the whole soulmates and being on other sides? like? they had no connection to even make that angsty? based off those last chapters i won’t continue reading this series lowkey

4.5-5⭐️

A promising prequel novella (~160 pages) for what I imagine is going to be a sweeping fantasy series.

The story flowed really well and immediately hooked me in. In the best way, this story felt much longer than 160 pages, immersing me with plenty of fantasy world building and action. The author has such a way with words, his writing was descriptive and the prose was perfect for the start of an epic fantasy book/series.

The author did a good job of setting up the world and main character(s) in such a short period of time. As I said above it flowed well, the pacing seemed natural for the story being told and I actually liked its faster pace of seeing the climax act itself out in a shorter amount of pages.

I immediately felt a connection/understanding towards Varre (the main character) and I think that is always a challenge in any book, regardless of the page count. But I seriously loved her, she was complex, hardened yet still had an ability to find forgiveness. Varre is a total badass and I totally see the Arya Stark comparison, though at times she gave me slight Gerald vibes too (okay but lowkey she was a fantasy John Wick??). She felt like the fantasy assassin FMC that books are trying to write, but never succeed, she made intelligent decisions and was an actual badass with skills, who knew her shit.

Action scenes can be hit or miss in books but they thrived here! I could feel the suspense and tension in each fight, could follow along with the descriptions and was rooting for Varre the whole time.

This also includes also LGBTQ+ rep (sapphic) but if you’re not looking for anything with romance don’t worry, it’s not the focal point, I actually think it adds to Varre’s character as she truly is more than a murderous assassin.

I will 100% be waiting for when book 1 drops :)

ARC courtesy of netgalley