Most of this was 3 stars, and I’m happy the series is done. The end was worth it, though ( )

This book was a book of redemption for Sebastien de Castell. Aside from the greatness that was his first book- Spellslinger, his other works in this series were not great. As the series limped along, they were slipping and slipping so much that I honestly didn't have much hope for this last installment. BUT I am ecstatic to report that both my husband and I were thrilled to be wrong and that ending... it was great. It didn't wrap up all of the loose ends in a neat, glittery bow but it did leave things off in true Argosi style and that's even better! My husband and I both enjoyed, beyond measure, the author's final thoughts... its ending was almost certainly worth the slog through some inconsistent middle additions to this yarn. The writing was solid, as it has been straight along and the backdrop vivid. The characters were relateable with equal parts loveable/loathsome... there's nothing quite as satisfying as a well fleshed out, morally gray character. The action had an even tempo and was well paced overall. The political machinations in Crownbreaker were more polished and more enjoyable than that of Castell's previous books which weren't horrible but definitely could stand to benefit from some TLC. All of these factors combined to a fevered pitch... a culmination hard won and all leading up to a gratifying final showdown as well as a rewarding end for Kellen and crew.

Once again my husband and I listened to this audiobook before bedtime and once again the star of the show was the EXTREMELY talented and unbelievably versatile narration by Joe Jameson! I can not praise him highly enough so if you haven't heard of him or his work I sincerely reccomend you check him out! His range and ability to do a whole slew of varying voices was a joy to get lost in. Each successive character added to the plot was given an instant, recognizable, and unique voice... even the women were believable. His vocal mastery complimented the actual written portion of this dynamic literary duo perfectly.

Overall:
This book rapped up the inconsistent series beautifully. If you are past book one and are struggling to keep going then let me reassure you that it's worth the time and devotion to see it through. Also, I'd feel remise if I did not urge you to enjoy this read auditorily... the audiobooks' narrator is absolutely mind-bogglingly talented.

~ Enjoy ( )

I loved this series - it should be far more popular than it is.
The end did not disappoint as Kellan finally faces his father along with a god and a bunch of religious fanatics. I listened to the audiobook of the series and the reader Joe Jameson does an amazing job.
A 5 star series for me and I have Sebastien de Castell's other series ready to go - hopefully some time this year. ( )

I loved this entire series, and if this turns out to be the end, then it was a brilliant finale. This book, as much as or more than the others, touched on a lot of feelings. Anger, sadness, joy, sorrow, but most of all, satisfaction. I am very much looking forward to whatever Sebastien de Castell writes next. If he were to leave his grocery list lying around, I would read it. Better yet, I would listen to Joe Jameson read it. This series was greatly enhanced by the performance of the reader (Jameson). So much so that I started reading my son’s copy of one of the books, but bought the audiobook instead because his performance is much better than mine. ( )