Old with Old

New with New

Back to your tower

Before I call You-Know-Who

I’ll admit this is a short review but it’s just that there’s so much that happens that it all feels like a spoiler.

With the back and forth and endless go-arounds, the world of the Woods Beyond, and the Ever/Never realms is in total chaos and they all want Sophie, Agatha and Tedros to fix it once and for all.

But it seems fixed, with Sophie’s kiss, she has brought her one true love, the Evil School Master back to life and had banished Tedros and Agatha back to Galvedon to live happily ever after. But one of them is doubting their ever after.

Is it Sophie who cares for the School Master but can’t quite trust what he says. How can she? She barely knows him but he swears that she’s Evil’s Queen and he will stand by her side forever. She’s not ready to embrace the evil but she can’t help but be drawn to Rafael’s pleas that he’ll love her unconditionally for all of her evil.

Is it Tedros and Agatha who are squabbling within a few weeks of close quarters in Galavedon? Agatha bristles at Tedros who is still in his princely mindset, rash and overbearing, thinking he knows best which makes Agatha feel he would be better off with a quiet, submissive, pretty pink girl than herself. Someone who fits the look of being queen and not someone who never wanted it. She doesn’t want to be his Guinevere.

Chainani continues to delve into the murky area between good and evil as the trio continues to doubts their endings and their true worths. Tedros gets a great boost of character development here with chapters dedicated to his POV, his parental issues and a nice explanation for all his recklessness, and distance from others. The fear that there’s nothing worthwhile under his golden looks. It’s predictable but Chainani makes it moving and show the vulnerable boy that Agatha fell for.

As for Agatha, she questions the possibility of becoming Camelot’s queen. Something she never imagined nor does she want. If she was really good, she would allow Sophie the chance since she actively wants it which would be better than her going under the intense scrutiny. But that leaves heartbreak for Agatha and allows Chainani to impart the importance of self-worth and learning to love yourself alone before connecting with someone else.

As for Sophie, she continues her back-and-forth journey between wanting to be good and her own vindicative darkness sabotoging herself. It’s amazing how confused she is even after all this time yet it’s heartbreaking because she believes it so much that each time is another betrayal, another cut to her heart.

The last book is tricky as Chainani seems to be paving the same ground as the previous two books, sometimes making the chapters feel like the plot is being elongated and some of the internal monologues could be removed because it felt like filler after awhile. However, he weaves a tight plot that contributes to the epic nature of this final war, making one continue to strive through the dark forests, mystical lakes and dungeons to see how it will all end with so much uncertain.
It helps that Chainani retains his signature grim humor that actually garnered a full blwon laugh from me, as well as old and new faces like the witch coven and the League of Thirteen with the triumphant debut of Merlin who is a perfect mix of doddering and wise.

While the book feels like it could have been cut a bit, readers who enjoyed this tale of dark and evil will be flipping to the last page to gather all the fairytale references, the tightly-woven history that reveals hidden secrets and a fitting payoff to the clues left throughout the saga.

4 stars.