A good ending to the series. I think it was the best one of the lot ( )

A great ending to a great series. I really enjoyed the world, the characters, the feel of the Wild West in a fantasy world. The story is great and beautifully written. I love the ending, but won't talk about it because I don't want to spoiler anything. It makes me want to read more from Lila Bowen. ( )

Tried to get into it, just didn't get there. Feels like the other books -- adventure, posse, monsters, murder, repeat, repeat, repeat.

This was a very satisfying conclusion to the series, though not quite as thrilling and punchy as I’ve become used to, though that makes sense. Rhett’s largely had his character growth, after all, and a lot of what I liked in the past books is how they came at issues of diversity and gender with a vengeance. There was also less of a momentum towards the monster/villain, by dint of nobody knowing who the big bad was, which meant a lot of reading about people waiting and planning—which Bowen still manages to do well. This is very much a book about friends and found family and what regular life would look like if the monsters didn’t need fighting.

I liked that this book came full circle, in a way, stirring up Rhett’s past right back to his origins as Nettie, and how that prompted him to reaffirm who he was and showed how far he’s come over the course of the series. It was also worrying, in that I had as little clue as Rhett who could be behind the game of psychological cat and mouse—and why they were even hoping to achieve.

Things I also liked: that Rhett’s posse changed and shifted again, with new character dynamics; that Rhett finally accepted that there were some people he couldn’t change and that traits he found annoying in people actually had value to him ; that the horrible thing I was worried about at the end of the last book didn’t happen; that Rhett’s given the chance to directly confront his past and takes the high road; and that there is very much a happy ending.

Things I didn’t like: a few of the deaths in this hurt, for reasons of liking the character or Rhett liking them; that several of the characters just disappear in fight scenes in a way that suggests Bowen forgot they were there; that the happy ending is quite as neat as it is for everyone involved; and that a few of the unanswered questions about people never got answered.

Small beans, though. Like I said, I was very satisfied with this book and the places it took me (and Rhett). It was comforting in a way to revisit the world and the characters and get taken through a last goodbye—which Bowen does well, by the way, I’d expect nothing less. I had to stretch for those complaints, honestly.

The series is definitely still high on my rec list—the world! the diversity! the messages! the magic and monsters! More people should read it, seriously. But, uh, start from the beginning, eh? Otherwise, there be spoilers.

7/10

To bear in mind: Protagonist is a trans man. Not everyone in this world believes trans men are men. Also, as this is the final showdown, there’s a reasonably high body count (but not a graphic one). ( )

Another Wilder West fantasy, the conclusion of Rhett Walker's tale - a too knowledgeable foe is intent on fermenting trouble for Rhett, but not at first in any recognizable way - but as allies are drawn to Rhett from his past and others are found dead the personal nature of the threats become more clear. Not as good as some of the earlier books as it take a bit to get moving, but still better than most of what's out there. ( )