Quirky Cat
It's here! The third and final novel in The Witch King's Crown series is here! Blackbird Crowned is the final novel in this series, written by Keri Arthur. While I will be sad to see the series go, I am so very happy to see how it ends.
Gwen De Montfort's whole life has been flipped upside down in recent weeks. Everything she had never even known to fear has come to life. Her brother is a traitor, stealing the sword her family has spent generations protecting. All while working with dark forces to tear apart the royal family and life as we know it.
Yet, that is only the beginning. Gwen's part in this tale is not a bit role, despite what legend might have people assuming. People like her brother, who just made a huge mistake by underestimating her.
“My brother – my twin – was a traitor.”
I can't believe we're already at the end of this series. But, honestly, I'm not sure if I'm ready to let go. I've really enjoyed Keri Arthur's spin on Arthurian legend – it's totally unique and has been such a delight to read.
Frankly, I've really enjoyed Gwen's story and all of the complications that came with it. Each novel leading up to this point has successfully upped the ante. So naturally, that means Blackbird Crowned starts right in the thick of things.
It hardly slows down from that point onward. Gwen is constantly running around, battling darkness and trying desperately to thwart her brother in a way that doesn't result in him being dead. He is her brother, and her twin, after all. So I can't really blame here there.
It did feel like, at times, Luc's character took a backseat. I didn't mind that so much, believe it or not, but it does mean that the romantic subplot got shunted to the side a bit more than expected, especially for the final novel in the series.
I won't go into the details there for obvious reasons. But I will say that I would have appreciated another chapter or two to fully wrap up that plot arc. As well as several other plot arcs, for that matter. It did feel like a few details were left in the air. That is the main reason why I'm giving a four instead of a five-star rating.
Other than those bits, I really enjoyed how the series concluded. It was epic and so grand in scale, and yet it all made a sort of twisted sense when you stop to think about it. So much of it felt like it was coming full circle, which is a subtle theme for the series. That helped increase the dramatics quite a bit, as did the action, of course.
The Witch King's Crown was a fantastic series and one I'm going to miss. The last couple of years have been great, even when I was simply waiting for the next installment to drop. Still, I wonder what Keri Arthur will come up with next?
Read more reviews at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks