A Sorrow Fierce and Falling (Kingdom on Fire, #3)

by Jessica Cluess

[nightingalereads]

It breaks my heart to give this rating. The two stars are for Blackwood, Howel, Maria, and the writing. But I cannot forgive what happened in this book. My heart is wildly hurting, and not from a good pain, but the pain of shattering disappointment and betrayal. I know it’s “just a book” but I’ll be rewriting this ending in my head. To be vague, a lot of character actions/emotions felt jarringly inconsistent, overblown, or just out-of-the-blue. I might write out a fuller review once my emotions have time to settle. Hopefully some of you know what I’m referring to.



Longer Rant-ier Review :

I loved the first two books in this trilogy so much, and A Sorrow Fierce and Falling left me somewhere between aching and hollow. This book broke my heart but not in a good way. 

The Good: The writing was as stark and beautiful as ever. Maria continues to be an awesome addition to the crew. I especially enjoyed the duality part of her storyline.

The Rest: The characterizations. Though I still love Howel, she seemed more wishy-washy in this book, and I didn’t always follow her line of reasoning. Overall, though, I was okay with Howel.

The real problem was Blackwood. I hated how he was handled in this book. There were times when I barely even recognized parts of his character. The author made him seem cartoonishly villainous at points, ignoring all the development he made in the previous two books. The issue with Blackwood hit home for me the most because he was my favorite character – I recognize a lot of myself in him, in his guardedness. But the author narratively punishes Blackwood, someone I yearned to watch grow, and instead strips Magnus of any flaws to make him “the better choice”. Don’t get me wrong, I like Magnus. But without the flaws he showed in the first two books, he lacks a believable and interesting personality. He has nothing to work on in himself, which leaves him as bland as a piece of unbuttered toast. Part of what makes Blackwood so intriguing a character is how he grapples with his blatant wrongdoings – sometimes healthily, sometimes not so healthily. Jealousy, ambition, and possessiveness - these can all be dangerous traits if unchecked, but struggling to overcome them is relatable. 

Overall, I think Blackwood deserved more time in the book because he had a compelling storyline. Magnus didn’t even really have his own storyline. I definitely can’t swallow his relationship with Howel. They had no romantic spark whatsoever, so their romance landed flatter than a British pancake. Not to mention it came out of nowhere halfway through the story.

I just...it’s been a while since a book let me down so entirely. I rarely ever rate books below three stars, but I cannot accept what happens in this finale.