The Shadowglass by Rin Chupeco

Summary:
In the Eight Kingdoms, none have greater strength or influence than the asha, who hold elemental magic. But only a bone witch has the power to raise the dead. Tea has used this dark magic to breathe life into those she has loved and lost…and those who would join her army against the deceitful royals. But Tea’s quest to conjure a shadowglass, to achieve immortality for the one person she loves most in the world, threatens to consume her.
In this dramatic conclusion to Tea’s journey, her heartglass only grows darker with each new betrayal. She is haunted by blackouts and strange visions, and when she wakes with blood on her hands, Tea must answer to a power greater than she’s ever known. Tea’s life-and the fate of the kingdoms-hangs in the balance.
Review:
The relationship I have with this series is complex and resembles a roller coaster. I didn’t really care for the first book. The Bone Witch (reviewed here) was a confusing introduction to this world. The Heart Forger (reviewed here) was the book that pulled me in. It helped me understand what was actually going on. Then I had to wait almost a year for this finale to be released. I remembered enough that I didn’t think I needed to reread the first two again before getting to The Shadowglass.
I started off a fair bit confused. I didn’t remember all the important details and I was a little disoriented. There wasn’t really any recap of the previous books and the large cast of characters had me a bit lost.
Despite all of this, I still really enjoyed this conclusion. I was immediately drawn into the world and the story. I was so excited to finally get all the answers to the pile of questions I had from the first two books. I adored the world. The magic and the world itself were so complex and interesting. This world was so different from most of the other fantasy stories I’ve read.
The characters were still interesting, though I think I didn’t care about them as much as I would have had I reread the first two books. I think when I do reread this series it will be SUCH an experience. I really liked the diversity of the characters. There were so many characters and so many different relationships. This was kind of where I struggled with not remembering things from the first two books.
It was really nice to be able to see how this story comes to a close. This conclusion was good. I thought that everything was pretty nicely wrapped up. Though I finished this book about a week ago, so I’m already a little fuzzy on some of the ending details. I don’t do that well with the flashback storytelling method. I get confused between the characters and the past and present. Regardless, Rin Chupeco is an incredible author and I cannot wait to read the other books she’s coming out with this year.

Keep on reading lovelies, Amanda.