The Soul Stone War 3

I loved the first book a lot! I enjoyed the second book too, but looking back, there were some issues I initially overlooked in book two that feel much harder to ignore in book three since they're also there and amplified. And I don't say this lightly as someone who loves to like things and is very forgiving of issues like this.

By the time the ending screen popped up, it felt like the story was just getting started. We (Spoiler - click to show)had learned a little about the resistance and (Spoiler - click to show)the dragon cities and now we were ready to put things into motion, then—'the end'. I know this is a multi-part series, but this didn’t feel like one complete installment in a series; more like the first third or half of the book (hence the review title). In contrast book one felt like a complete experience, that while you knew there was more to the main story and some unresolved threads, the major arcs and events of that book were completed. In book three you spend the entire game (Spoiler - click to show)in one of the few areas within the resistance hideout, across three days and two nights, with minimal progression—even the (Spoiler - click to show)heist lacked momentum in my opinion.

I live and breathe romance, and I like it to be dramatic and sappy but somehow, the schmaltz felt almost too turned up here—even for me. I didn't outright dislike it I guess, but something just didn’t quite click this time—I'm notoriously uninterested in romance stories once the relationship is built and committed (I much prefer the build up and wooing stage) so perhaps I've just hit the natural 'not interested anymore' phase for me.

Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy what was there and I'm invested in the characters which is perhaps why my rating may seem more generous than what I have to say about my criticisms.