The Dark Feather concludes The Songs of The Drowned series, one of the most remarkable fantasy trilogies of recent times. As I write this review, mere days away from having finished it, I have those telltale signs of having been in the thrall of a great series – grief from not being in the world anymore, a pain of being separated from characters whose every torment (there was lots of this), joy (a lot of this too) and loss (I refer you back to the torment) I have felt over the best part of 2000 pages, give or take.

But writing a review of a third book in a series is a tricky beast and so in what follows I’m not going to spoil anything of book one or two, because I want to speak to people who haven’t read any of this and tell you why you need this firmly lodged in the back of your eyeballs sooner rather than later.

This trilogy takes place in the continent of Ixachipan, a world, as that spelling will clue you in on, heavily inspired by Mesoamerican culture but which Stephens fills out with her own astonishingly detailed cultures and traditions and dress and religions. It’s a world of forests and swamps and hills and one very aggressively imperialist empire called The Empire of Songs, whose society, surprisingly, revolves around something called The Song. The Song is literally in the heads of everyone “lucky” enough to be in the reach of the pyramids that broadcast it and is directed by a holy human called The Singer. The best way to think about it is if you had constantly had tinnitus but it made you feel awesome.

The people of Pecachan, the capital of this Empire, believe that everyone will be better under this Song – kind of like if Rome was a bit communist and had a telepathic bond with its citizens – and they intend to conquer everyone else and make them realise this. Oh and they also sacrifice people to big river monsters, sort of like Creatures from the Black Lagoon, who they worship as gods, and whose songs lure people to their death.

The heroes at first – and as we’ll see in a dark fantasy like this, the idea of heroes is always a nebulous one – are the residents of the last unconquered land, Tokoban. They kill the creepy river gods rather than worship them, and just want to be left alone. Across the trilogy we experience their travails against the Empire of Songs from their multiple points of views, as well as several from within the Empire itself, some who are as villainous as you’d expect and others who are much more complicated than you could possibly imagine.

Now this trilogy brings all the things Anna Stephens first became known for in her initial Godblind trilogy – violence, blood, plot twists, great villains, lots of blood, meaty politics, did I mention the blood, and realistic fight scenes (Stephens has a black belt in Shotokan Karate among other fighting accomplishments including fencing, and the result is some of the most realistic fight scenes in all of fantasy and lots and lots and lots of people being hit in the face really hard).

But what makes it stand as out as one of the best fantasy epics in recent memory is two things.

First, the incredibly nuanced running theme of the sins of Empire, and how hard it is to keep hold of it. The Empire of Songs is endlessly fascinating and painted in astonishingly detail. It’s founded on slaves – yes, this is bad, but hear me out – the idea being that the people who are conquered have to spend a couple of years as slaves and then have their chance to eventually buy their freedom, thus in theory bringing them closer to the song and more loyal. Obviously it’s still a slave society so we’re never under any illusions they’re the good guys, but Stephens knows that the more nuanced the bad guy the more satisfying the lesson, and so the points of view we get from the Empire characters make you understand how real life societies in the past have justified the enslavement of others, and how easily the idea of collective harmony and stability can mask the degradation of other humans. As the trilogy goes on we see the true cost of this expansionist, slave to servant to freeman society and as it (hardly a spoiler) starts to weaken, the true cost of Empire is analysed by Stephens, who gives no answers but asks a lot of questions.

Then there’s the characters who go through… a lot, and who you will come to care about so much that every mental or physical knock they take (I refer you back to the getting hit in the face thing) will be felt by you too. Among these are Essa, a Tokoban fighter whose role in her society is to kill the river monsters, made easy by the fact she is deaf and immune to their siren song; she’s part vicious killer, part loyal friend (and very loyal dog owner), the dilemma between the two a fascinating thread through the series. There’s Tayan, who goes on a journey that is as heart-breaking as it is endlessly fascinating. There’s Enet, second only to the Singer, one of the greatest villains of any fantasy series, whose ultimate reveal makes her a character for the ages. And Ilandeh, a fascinating character who loyalties you are never sure of and whose desire to simply belong somewhere is keenly felt. And there’s Pilos, the general who is very pro-slave yet you will still like (that sounds bad, you’ll understand). Few of these characters (if any) are purely good; all of them you will understand, if a little.

As to the third book, the one I’m ostensibly meant to be reviewing? In the spirit of this entire series spoiler-free review, I will be suitably vague and say it gives everything you want in the third book of a fantasy trilogy, in that it ramps up the emotions and the pivotal moments of decisions for all the main characters to such points of exquisite agony that there’ll be scientists monitoring your heart palpitations by the end of your read in the spirit of research. There’s a bunch of revelations in this book: the nature of the Song itself, just what the creepy river monsters are all about, whose army you can trust, and the endlessly complex and fascinating back and forth politics and army-backstabbing. And then there’s the strange, shamanistic, almost Lovecraftian ideas of the Song and the gods beneath it which are explored to their potential, like a Mesoamerican psychedelic eldritch drug trip.

But ultimately the triumph of this final book is the exploration of the pain of characters who we love but have had to make impossible choices and how – and if – they can survive the consequences of these choices with their soul and their loved ones intact.

You will cry, you will pray they won’t die and, if you’ve read this review properly, then hopefully this series you will buy.

"Perhaps there was no right and just resolution to this war. Perhaps there was only whatever caused the least amount of wrong..."

That's right. All out war is the result of the events at the end of The Jaguar Path, and as you can expect from Anna Stephens, the frontlines aren't always as obvious as you'd think.

And so we reach the end of The Songs of the Drowned. The Dark Feather's events pick up about a month after those of The Jaguar Path, and in that time, the Singing City has been reduced to pockets hiding the rebellion, who are fighting to end the song and win back their homes; whether they were stolen two years ago or two generations ago. If you're a little hazy on what happened last time, I'd definitely recommend rereading before plunging yourself back into the politics of Ixachipan. Stephens' writing is as immersive as ever, but if you really want to get the full scope of the schemes and events, I think it's best all in one.

There's a real sense, at the start, of a society turned completely upside down, following the utter blindside that was the end of the last book. Many characters are naturally still reeling from that and their confusion is palpable as they learn anew their positions once more. I really felt, in particular, for Lilla and Ilandeh as they had the extra burdens of betrayal to try and wrestle with. Stephens' character work is always stellar, it's impossible not to form strong connections with them as Stephens lays bare their turmoil. This is a deeply character-driven trilogy; despite all the plotting and politicking, the cast of characters are the clear focal point. As we flit from perspective to perspective, it's easy to imagine them continuing to love and hurt whether your attention is on them currently or elsewhere, they continue living away from the page and that's a true skill. It's makes all the emotional key-notes hit that much harder when they come, and, fair warning, boy do they come.

There are revelations aplenty in this final chapter as Stephens expertly weaves together the numerous threads gathered; if you thought this was going to be a straightforward battle for freedom you've got another thing coming. There is so much more at play here and as pieces started to fall into place I burned through the pages to find out more. However, as much as was going on in the wider picture, my favourite aspect of this final book was the personal journeys the characters went on. I was following the chronicle of the journey you take when someone you love changes into a person you no longer know; the denial, the questioning, the rage and the grief. You hope and hope that they'll change their ways, that they'll still be that same person beneath it all; and I know that, when I inevitable return to this book in the future, I'll blindly keep hoping again. You'll find yourself hating characters you started off loving, and admiring characters you started off hating. The character growth, whether good or bad, is unlike anything you'll read elsewhere.

It's difficult to talk about the last book of a trilogy without repeating yourself from the previous books - the world-building is of course complex and immersive, the critical dialogue on colonialism and cultural identity is vital, the battles visceral and the twists and revelations will floor you. But more than anything you will love every minute of it and never forget it. Stephens really puts her characters and readers through the mill. This is a glorious and fitting finale to what's been an epic and truly uniquely unforgettable trilogy.

"The Dark Feather" really needed an extra bit at the end, mentioning those who almost drowned in their own tears while reading this trilogy! The journey has been pretty intense, and my nerves aren't quite sure what to do now that it's over! Writing, characters, plot, setting - all deserve 6 stars (or maybe a distinction on the 5 stars we're allowed to give). I can't wait to see what's next from Anna Stephens.

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

The Dark Feather is the culmination of the story of Songs of the Drowned that was begun in The Stone Knife.

In the Dark Feather, the revolution against the Pechaqueh rages in The Singing City. Whilst Lilla and Xessa fight against the tyrannical rule of the Singer, Tayan is controlling the song in the great pyramid whilst attempting to save The Drowned. The monsters that inhabit the rivers of Ixachipan.

The Dark Feather masterfully brings the series to an end in this much anticipated conclusion to one of the most interesting stories in modern fantasy.

In a Mesoamerican recreation of the fall of the Roman Empire, The Dark Feather charts the final days of the Empire of Songs.
Originally in The Stone Knife, we were introduced to the main players of the story and how The Empire of Songs was encroaching on the various different tribes of the continent of Ixachipan. The story continued in The Jaguar Path after the downfall of the Tokoban Sky City and caught up with Lilla, Xessa and Tayan as they were forced into slavery in the various different roles in the Singing City. The Dark Feather centres around the revolution as the rebels attempt to break the stranglehold of the Pechaqueh and its meglomaniac Singer, Xac.
Anna Stephens keeps up the tension throughout the whole of the book and drives the plot to its unexpected conclusion.

Throughout the book, Anna Stephens never lets her grip of the plot loosen as she maintains the tension throughout the whole of the book. However, be warned folks, keep your favourite characters close as she chucks them into various stages of jeopardy and double jeopardy, and you never know if they are going to escape their fate.

Not only that, Anna Stephens manages to bring some wetness to the eyes with various touching reunions that you don’t expect. And if Ossa doesn’t steal your heart then you have a stone in your chest.

With The Dark Feather, Anna Stephens meets all expectations and more as she drives the plot to its compelling conclusion and brings the series to a close with an absolute belter of an ending that you don’t see coming at all.

The Dark Feather is the epic and rather sad conclusion to the Songs of the Drowned trilogy, a series I have very much enjoyed reading.

At the end of the previous novel, Tayan made a very dubious choice and this book very much deals with the consequences of his actions. It’s very sad because there’s no real way back for him as a character but I found his ending very fitting and the coda was tragic yet hopeful. I really liked it.

As for the rest of the characters, I also really enjoyed reading them coming to the end of their journeys. There are happy endings, sad endings and tragic endings and I loved them all. Much like her previous series, Stephens is very good at making me love her characters and I always feel personally affected by their stories. All of them felt very fitting for the characters.

I have loved the world Stephens has created from the first book and I still love it now. It feels unique and very real.

There is a very melancholic tone to this book, despite the hopefulness of the end and I love that. With all the fighting and the action, there is often a very sombre tone as the characters are pushed to their limits.

All in all, I loved The Dark Feather. It is dark and sad, yet the ending manages to have a spark of hope in it. Not all of your favourite characters survive this story and that’s very sad but they all have good endings. I have had a great time reading this series and I can’t wait to see what Stephens thinks of next.

The Dark Feather concludes The Songs of the Drowned trilogy and what an epic conclusion.

I flew through this book which is set within a unique World rich in Gods, monsters, betrayals and the depravity of War.

‘We are nothing but weapons, and when we are blunted or broken, we are cast aside.’

Xessa and Lilla fight for their lives, loves and for freedom for all, complicated by Tayan, shadow and singer who stands amongst the Pecha. Will old friends and loves be able to sacrifice each other, for their own greater World.

The characters have become some of my favourite. Beautiful, strong, fierce Xessa and how she commands a people with sign. Lilla and his battle for hope. Tayan and his determination for power. Ekon and his unwavering love. Of course the absolute star dog companion, Ossa who I would protect at all costs.

‘he loved her, cruel and unforgiving and murderous as she was. He loved her.’

The battles in this book are dark, stinking, fierce and absolutely brutal. I held my breath, my nerves were in tatters and how I bloody sobbed. A favourite read and series of 2024.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this in advance in exchange for an honest review.

I've never read Anna Stephens and I quite enjoyed this! It was very well written and a good ride. Liked the characters a lot.

Fantastic final installment. This series is worth reading if you enjoy fantasy. This final installment did not disappoint and wrapped everything up. I loved my reading experience of this entire trilogy. The world building, characters and unique magic system made this series not one to be missed.