Wings of Shadow Review

I had a sister, once…

– GoodReads

Veronyka is no longer an orphaned stable boy or a nameless Phoenix Rider apprentice: she is the daughter of Pheronia Ashfire, the last queen of the Golden Empire…and the niece of Avalkyra Ashfire, the resurrected rebel queen who tore the empire apart.

We shone brightly, burned fiercely.

Now that the secret is out, everyone at the Eyrie treats Veronyka differently, and with Tristan still a hostage of the scheming Lord Rolan—and Sev with him as a spy—Veronyka feels very much alone. Except for her beloved phoenix, Xephyra, of course, and her new friend, Kade, who has his own reasons for wanting to save Tristan.

Was it always going to come down to this? Sister against sister? Darkness against light?

Veronyka is determined to do whatever it takes to get Tristan back, even if that means revealing her identity to the world and inheriting a throne she’s not sure she wants. But when she discovers that Avalkyra has bonded with a strix—a legendary creature of darkness that feeds off the life force of others—Veronyka realizes she has more to deal with than an encroaching war with the empire. Val is willing to destroy everything to get her revenge on a world that rejected her, and if Veronyka wants to bring peace to the empire and Pyra alike, she must face down her sister once and for all.

The world began with Ashfire queens…perhaps they will also be its destruction.

My Review

Crown of Feathers Review

Heart of Flames Review

Here we are guys. At the end. I am a little emotional over this so please just ignore my sobbing in the background. Crown of Feathers was one of my first approved egalleys after I started blogging and so it’s surreal to be here at the end of this amazing trilogy.

Once more Pau Preto just ropes you into this amazing world. Epitaphs, historical notes, a gorgeous and slightly updated map, these little details just make the rest of this trilogy shine even more.

This is a culmination of two intense buildups in the previous books and so this one is INTENSE. I mean, no joke, every single chapter had me on the edge of my seat. Considering this beauty is 606 pages, that is beyond impressive.

Veronyka had so much in terms of reveal thrown her way last book and she’s having to sift through so much ON TOP of the situation for poor Tristan.

But you know whose chapters actually tore my heart out and smashed it to pieces every time? Sev. He by far shines the most in terms of character development for me in this book (BUT Veronyka also has amazing development). The heartache from reading his chapters has probably left lasting scars on me but also just solidifies that he and Kade are the absolute ship for me. I shall die on that hill, happily.

Once more we had Elliott chapters and we had Sparrow and I guess if I had to complain about anything, it’s that there weren’t enough Sparrow chapters to satisfy me. But Sparrow is my favorite character, with Sev as a super close second.

There’s also more about the phoenixes themselves, SO MORE LORE MAKES THIS CAFFEINE WORLD BUILDING ADDICT SUPER HAPPY.

I cried, there were twists and turns I didn’t see coming and they packed such heavy punches. Honestly, I think Nicki wrote this to collect our tears for some sort of ritual that needs them en masse.

I adore the writing style for this trilogy so this was already probably gong to be high on my favorites list and indeed after reading it, it definitely was. It’s so quotable, like every single chapter. I have tabbed this book like an absolute fiend.

Val is just such amazing antagonist in this book, her complexity never ceases to amaze me and she goes down as being one of the best antagonists I’ve ever encountered.

Pacing was phenomenal, I never once thought the book was too long or anything dragged out. In fact I almost worried the book wouldn’t be long enough but Pau Preto gives a really satisfying conclusion. Perfect ending for a perfect trilogy for me!

5/5 cups of coffee from me! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS WHOLE TRILOGY.

Pros:
– Well developed characters
– Amazing and expansive world building
– A perfect person that you love to hate
– Characters that are not always what they seem
– Great character growth as well, seriously, it’s impressive
– Phoenixes
– More World-building
– SO MUCH SEV DEVELOPMENT
– The past really influencing the future
– Phoenix Riders
– Magic

Cons:
– It’s so hard to not want to scream ‘NO’ while reading
– This will cause you to stay up super late
– You will ship ships so hard you didn’t even know it was possible and it will change your life.
– This is not a relaxing read, please look to points 1 & 3 again.
– There’s no more :((((( THIS IS THE END

To sum it up: IT WAS EGG-CELLENT. READ IT.

Content Warning: There are character (including animal) deaths and war violence.