Gracious A

I absolutely loved books 1 and 2 of The Ever flame series; they had great pacing, strong characters, and a story that pulled me in right away. But I’m honestly not sure what happened with book 3. Diem, who was once such a bold and capable character, felt completely watered down in this one. She came across as a weak queen, constantly letting everyone walk all over her just to keep the peace between worlds. I lost count of how many times I wanted to pull my hair out over all her moral back-and-forth. it felt like every decision came with a lecture instead of action. I was really hoping for more growth and fire from her this time around, but instead it just felt… exhausting. Here’s hoping the next installment (if there is one) brings back the energy and strength that made the first two books so good.