Review: Finale by Stephanie Garber

I am very fine with this book. I think I read it more to finish the series than to find out how the series ended. Partly because I didn't feel like there was much mystery in how the series would end and I was not that invested in how the characters would reach the ending. Maybe that sounds harsh.

I am pretty sure that my biggest issue with this series as a whole is that as characters were introduced so many of them were continually lying (as is the nature of the game Caraval) or didn't have emotional arcs I found satisfying that I just didn't develop a strong sense of who anyone but Scarlett and Tella are. And I didn't care for Tella outside of Scarlett's love for her until part way through book two. If the reason you liked a character is wrapped up in a lie or a performance than it becomes hard to know if you really like a character or not. This made me not really care about many peoples fates. I like likable characters; I am interested in unlikable characters; I am not into constantly having to remember if I liked someone or not.

I was also kind of disappointed in the end. I knew what Garber was going to do with it, but I wanted her to do something different. I know this is a romance heavy series, but it is also pitched as a love story between these two sisters. I wanted the magic that freed Tella to be more of a Frozen ending than a Snow White one. More than that I wanted Legend and Julian to have a brotherly love moment. Julian's inexplicable love for his brother who never loved him was an interesting storyline; I craved a resolution. I wished that his love for his brother could have been at least a part of why he wanted to stop being immortal. I wanted something on the page about them.

I still liked the setting and Garber's prose and Scarlett. I super think Garber did the Count dirty. That storyline deserved more build up for what actually happened.

I will read Garber's next series! I would like it if it was a more mellowed out story or if she continued in her heady over-the-top narration. I would hope her next go at a series is something I will enjoy more.

I gave this 3 stars on Goodreads.