Such a perfect end to the most engaging high fantasy trilogy I had read in a long time, I couldn’t have imagined a better end for these characters & the world than this.

For fans of epic fantasy, multiple bloody battles, court intrigue and chunky books.

Legacy of Light is third book in the series, and I wouldn't recommend trying to read this without having read the first two.

For me, the strength of this story lies in the characters; I really enjoyed seeing Melanna as a mother, as well as the arcs of Rosa and Ana. The mythology was well crafted and really captured my imagination. But unfortunately, that's where my enjoyment started to wane. I struggled with the slow pace and hyperbolic descriptions. As with the previous two books, things really pick up in the last few hundred pages and I really did enjoy the ending, it's just a shame it wasn't as strong all the way through.

3.5 stars

some thoughts:

-I really love Altiris and Sidara <333 (and Rosa and Sevaka - my sapphic mums uwu)
-I struggled with the first half of this book (it me forever to read :'( ) which I've had a similar experience with every book in this series but I was super into the second half
-I think because these books are slow builders so they always have good pay off but take a while to work out exactly where the plot is going
-there were some good battle scenes (especially towards the end) but a few too many for my taste
-I loved how everything wrapped up, I definitely got emotional at some of the final scenes and the full circle moments and was very satisfied with how every character arc ended
-I liked how we had a five year time skip from book 2; both because this allowed political tensions to brew and also some of the younger characters who are my favourites (Altiris, Sidara etc) to age up and become mains
-Kurkas and Anastacia will forever be an iconic duo
-I've always loved the magic of this world and how it borders on horror - the creepy imagery of the otherworld, the raven and vranakin, jack and his eerie forest magic, the shadow/dark magic that Viktor has and all the metaphorical connotations it has
-while this is not an all time favourite series I still really enjoy it and the characters definitely have a soft spot in my heart

The book begins with 4 pages of names and details that feels like such an info dump that I couldn't take any of it in. Unfortunately the writing style didn't suit me, I found the plot quite slow and I tried to persevere but I DNF at around 35%

That was brilliant. A very satisfying conclusion of the Legacy trilogy. I highly recommend these, especially if your a fan of the sword and sorcery style fantasy.
I look forward to seeing what Matthew Ward does next.
Thanks to Netgalley and Publisher for the ARC

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

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 summarize 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 bickering’s 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!