Emma travels into the land of the dead to retrieve the Book of the Dead while Michael helps the alliance prepare for war. Meanwhile, Kate wonders if any remnant of Rafe is still within the Dire Magnus. But is the only way to save her family to destroy the Dire Magnus? ( )

Third and final book of the series. I'm glad I read it. An enjoyable easy to read trilogy of magic and adventure. ( )

The conclusion to the Books of Beginning trilogy series ties up the story nicely, with this book following the third Wibberly child, Emma, as she seeks the Book of Death. The siblings must reunite the three books and kill the Dire Magnus before the Books destroy the world. Meanwhile, the fragile union of humans, elves and dwarves is dissolving in the face of the army assembled by the Dire Magnus. Author Stephens changes POVs in this book more than the prior ones, and we learn of Emma's great strength, as she alone must journey to the Land of the Dead to find the missing tome. Willie and his friends were a hoot, Kate's changing feelings for Rafe, and Michael's relationship with the elf princess (in both incarnations) were enjoyable. One of the things I liked best about this book was the notion of the dead as spirits, if they had loved, and as vacuous shells, if not: an interesting perspective on heaven and hell. 4.5 stars. ( )

Loved this series. I listed to the audiobook which was narrated by the great Jim Dale. Loved it--brought back some of the things I loved about listening to the Harry Porter series. ( )

The final book in the trilogy of the Books of Beginning finds Emma traveling to the Land of the Dead alone because as the keeper of the Black Reckoning she is the only living being allowed. She must reach and retrieve the Reckoning before the Dire Magnus so that together with her siblings they can defeat him and save the world from destruction.

This book was a great finish to the series and all the issues/characters were tied up nicely. A fun series and well-written. ( )