I haven't finished this one yet and it's been long enough. What I read from it is 5 stars and the only reason I haven't finished it yet is because I have a lot going on and I want to be able to reread the first 2 in order to be able to focus on this one properly. Hopefully, I will do it this year.

I love all the characters, the writing and everything about this trilogy. I would leave reviewing this book for later until i finish it but I feel like a long time has passed since I got approved and I just wanted to get it out of the way. I will come back to this and edit my review when I finish it.

Josiri is bae.
Viktor need therapy.
Anastacia is amazing as always.
And all the rest need a good sleep. I love them all.

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley, with thanks to the publishers. Sorry for the delay in the review!

I requested a copy of this book based on the excellent review of the series on the stellar Quill to Live fantasy book review blog. If that team gives a book a good review, it goes straight onto my to read pile. They rarely steer me wrong.

And yet, I thought I'd hit a rare misfire. I read the first two of this series, and oof, it was an effort. The story was good, the characters memorable (and goodness knows there are plenty of them!) but by golly they are long. Sooooo long and it felt like a slog to get through. So when I finally got to Legacy of Light, it was extremely fearful that it would be subject to the late series bloat that seems to be prevalent.

But mercifully, my fears were unnecessary. Matthew Ward smashes out an excellent final book. The things I disliked in the first and second books, particularly the very long chapters that seemed to feature way too many points of view and unconnected parts of the story, had disappeared. Chapters are shorter, much tighter and the interconnections of the stories were more logical. I was hanging out to finish the story and it was wrapped up in a very satisfying manner.

It was worth struggling through the early books to read this smashing example of an epic fantasy!

An absolute stunning ending to one of my favourite trilogies of recent years.

While book two I thought the pacing was off a little, and the book meandered and did much of the same thing as the first, book three certainly took this up a notch and treated us to a well-earnt ending.

If you've read the last two books, please do read the third. It's worth your time.

An excellent final book in an excellent series. I had fun and was happy with what I read.
As in the previous books the world building and the plot are excellent. I was glad to meet again the characters and sad to say goodbye.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Thank you to Matthew for reaching out to me to join his wonderful blog tour. I personally consider this an honour and I thank Orbit Books/Nazia for allowing me to review this via Netgalley. All thoughts are mine but you need to the Legacy Triology. You are missing out on a fantastic fantasy series!

This is a magnificent ending to a triumphant series. Over the span of a decade, I have witnessed the growth of good people trying to correct the wrongs of this world only to become the very monsters they aspired not to be in the first place. Power corrupts all, and the Gods play their petty games while manipulating mortals to do their bidding. In the east, Empress Melanna struggles to maintain the grip on her throne because the patriarchal lords and vassals that were loyal to her father now openly disregard her with their hostile and bitter remarks. In many ways, they act more like gossiping women and they’re the ones that don’t believe in women ruling. How ironic that is. Meanwhile, Viktor struggles with his own Shadow and is becoming a shadow of his once good nature. It’s not evil that corrupts him, it is the fact that greed is. Greed and Power are making him even darker than his father. It would be too complex for me to summarise the whole story, so let me tell you my thoughts.

The world is a growing shade of conflict. People are snatched up in the jaws of war, and people suffer. Magic is combined with chaos. Many characters are forced to confront the darkest truths that they cannot abide by. I often felt for Melanna in her quest to try to live a normal family life, but war and politics won’t let it happen. I also felt for Josiri, whom I think had a good arc. He was just a normal politician that became bored of the bickerings of the world and just wanted peace. Viktor refused to listen to his advice, instead of manipulating JJosiri with his magic to do what e he wanted. This is a world where morality doesn’t exist. When the Gods cannot be perfect examples, what hope do the humans of this world have? There was one character that resonated with me. Rasha. A loyal Hadari warrior that many Emperors/Empresses would want people to like in their nation. I wished there would be an off-spin series about him.

I think each character got the endings that they deserved. I honestly felt some characters got the short end of the stick, while others did well. It felt sad to close this world, and I do wish to see spin-off stories in this new and fascinating world. It’s been three years since I’ve been with Matthew Ward in this series, and it is well done. It’s not easy to write such a great sequel to the end of the series, but he’s done it. A solid end to a great series with great writing, great characters, and satisfying story arcs. I loved every aspect. I’d wholeheartedly recommend this. Amazing!

I have submitted my Amazon and Waterstones Review!

4.5 Stars

Peace has come for Tressia and the Hadari, but fragile is the peace built on sins and kept by crumbling Empires.

Synopsis: The Tressian Republic and Hadari Empire have finally reached peace. But greed, ambition and power has always promised war, and beneath the peace lie men who think their ambitions pure. Empress Melanna struggles to keep her crown in Tregard, Viktor struggles to find what was lost, with internal conflict brewing and dubious decisions made -this long awaited peace may come crumbling down around them both. War is coming, rising from past sins and losses, and only the light can keep it at bay.

CW/TW: War, emotional manipulation, torture, manipulation, violence, death, gore.

Legacy Of Light, by Matthew Ward is the epic and stunning conclusion to The Legacy Trilogy!

SPOILER WARNING: This review will contain spoilers for book 1 and 2 in the trilogy!!

Legacy Of Light, by Matthew Ward is an epic and powerful conclusion to this trilogy. Viktor Akadra has become Viktor Droshna, an ode to his Dark, and is The Lord Protector of Tressia. Melanna Saranal is Empress, and fights hard to change the traditions of the Hadari, while honouring the agreement made in the God’s last bargain. In this book, some years have passed and we see the changes in the characters both physically but more importantly in their development, as well as newly formed families and alliances. The consequences of the prior war are prevalent but so is the fragility of the peace that it ended with.

Since this is the third and final book in the trilogy my review will be shorter as not to spoil anything but this book follows two main elements, Melanna’s struggle to keep her throne, and Viktor’s motivations to restore what he has lost. But as we all know by now Ward manages to draw together lots of smaller threads to create and incredible tale. Through his intricate storytelling we get more characters drawn into the spotlight in this book, from Altiris, to Sidara, to Constans and more – all characters we know and love have been brought to the front of the story and it was fantastic to see them centred while still managing to capture our beloved characters of Josiri, Anastacia, Rosa, Melanna and more. Despite the large cast, Ward never fails to give us some top class development for them all and shows how they have progressed from book1+2 to now.

I absolutely adored the story told in this book, it works incredibly well as a conclusion while also shedding light on how the Empire and Republic have and are changing. The most impressive part has to be each of the characters own changes, with surprising and strong developments from them all. The other thing I really loved about this book was that it felt, in some ways, that the story had come full circle from book one. This book truly takes everything we have seen and learnt from books 1 and 2 and weaves them all into this novel, from past sins and promises to secrets and bargains. However, we get all of this without losing any charm or originality – loose ends are tied up, but some endings are left open – there is promise and hope intwined with despair.

Not only that but the plot itself is more than a simple conclusion, it is a story of power, ambition, and family. Actually, the family element of this trilogy has always been a strong point, and I loved how it became even stronger in this book with bonds of blood and bonds of choice playing out wonderfully (I love found family after all). The plot really tugs at you in this book taking characters we have grown to love and putting them on paths we feel deeply about. Ward doesn’t shy away from risks and consequences in this book at all, sins and promises come back around and debts are paid in full . Everything we thought was good or bad is challenged, character’s actions are questionable, and we see the true cost of power.

A big part of this story is Sidara and her power of light, we see her learning more about it and trying to protect the Republic. It was fantastic to finally see her power in full use, a brilliant contrast to Viktor’s Dark. This particular duality played out incredibly well over the course of the story. I also loved that we see much more of Altiris, his new position with Josiri, and his own abilties and stubborn heart come into play. It’s so hard to discuss this without spoiling but it was so brilliant to see all of these younger characters grow into who they are and play pivital roles in this new era. However, this doesn’t mean older charcaters are forgotten and we get Josiri and Viktor’s brotherhood play out – in tension, angst and loyalty, the emotions between these two is truly remarkable and makes this story all the more emotional.

Equally Melanna’s own story in Tregard is just as promising, with her Empire suffering from internal conflict and with a certain someone watching from the woods, Melanna has more than her fair share of trouble to deal with. Add to that the conflict between her Empire and Tressia, it is truly a powerhouse conclusion. Within Melanna’s story we get to see more of other beloved characters such as Apara – which was really nicely incorporated. I really appreciated Melanna’s story in this book, her hard won throne, desires for peace, and abandonment from Ashana due to the God’s promises of letting mortals alone – she is a standout character.

Though the Gods/Goddesses are no longer allowed to interfere in mortal wars that didn’t stop their presence in the book from being just as amusing and intriguing as always with many making a return, as well as other magical characters debuting or returning. After all, deals can stll be struck and Gods/Goddesses do not forgive and forget easily. I absolutely adore this element in the books and love how it played out in this one.

The endings for all the characters in this book were truly fitting, emotional and clever. Overall, this was an explosive final installment that captured the uniquesness and magic of the first two books and weaved a powerful ending in this one. Truly clever, intricate and remarkable storytelling.

*I received an eARC via #Netgalley in exchange for an honest review! Thankyou #Orbitbooks!*

3.5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is the third and last book of a series, I’ve not read either of the other books so it took me awhile to get into the book. It’s an enjoyable read and highly recommend for fans of epic fantasy.

Many thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Pick this one up if you love epic fantasy. What a great finale to an awesome series. You will not be disappointed. High stakes, meddling gods and great characters are just some of the things you can expect.

As with the final book in any series I've loved, I want to rate "Legacy of Light" lower, simply because it's the end and I don't want it to be! The "Legacy Trilogy" consists of 3 fairly hefty books, and the story is very worthy of taking up so many pages. Add to the great plot the brilliant writing, characters that have become more real with each book, and a world that is impossible to forget, and you have a perfect fantasy trilogy.

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.