After taking my time with book three… I pretty much devoured the final book in the Princess Vigilante series.

When it comes to the plot, it’s hard to mention anything without spoilers for a final book in the series. What I can say is that all the plot points throughout the story come together, and they all do with no small amount of excitation. The plot of the final books leaves no time for rest as all the main characters need to do their best – or be bested. Several close calls happen throughout the book and, with how high the stakes are, many of them are those that nail you to the book for a couple more chapters.

So, my final judgment on this series as a whole: Great characters with their own inner conflict. Many are some form of double-agent characters and, in many cases, their motivation and who they truly lean towards is a decision that fits with them. Even the antagonists have good motivation for their actions, and many times I’ve wondered if they’re completely evil, or merely misguided so far they’ve lost the touch with anything but their own wishes.

It’s also hard for me to classify this book – while Goodreads has it tagged as both fantasy and romance… well, let’s say the fantasy elements are very subtle. Most of it is tied to two fictional minerals (that are major plot points in the story, given their properties) and a bunch of fictional herbs with various effects used by many characters.

Likewise, the romance elements don’t have as much space as I’d expect in a full-scale romance book, as the main plot – the succession in Forcadel – often forces characters apart more than not. In fact, in books two and three, Brynna (despite being the MC) has fewer romance-type scenes than the romance arc of her handmaiden and her sister-in-law. So, for me, it was more an adventure with fantasy and romance elements.

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Read date: 16.-21.4.2022
Published: 31.3.2020
Goodreads/Amazon rating: 4,37/4,7
My rating: 95% (up 5% compared to books 1-3)
Length: 443 pages (Kindle edition)
My highlights (just two this time, I was so gripped I didn’t even consider to stop and highlight)

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In conclusion, a great end to a great series. Many plot twists yet the endings for the major characters all make sense – which isn’t always the case with complex stories.