“How do you forget someone who’s carved themselves into your bones?” 

 

I cried at that end. I didn’t think Joan He’s words could blow me away any further than it had before but they have, and this was a poignant and bittersweet conclusion to the Three Kingdoms duology. Somewhere in the middle, I wasn’t sure what path the plot was taking but it all came together in the end. This story was by no means mainly a love story, but the love story aspect of this was just an extra bonus that didn’t take away anything from the core message of the book. Zephyr herself isn’t meant to be the heroic player, she’s meant to mess up and do some unhinged shit. There are no ultimately good guys or bad guys but everyone is thoroughly complex and flawed. It was all so beautifully done, and has solidified Joan He as one of my favorite insta-read authors. 

I think this was an interesting retelling of Romance of The Three Kingdoms! It definitely is something that takes a lot of liberties with the character and additions to the story, but still keeps a lot of the political intrigue and tension of the three military factions scrambling  for power.

While Zephyr’s motivations are not the most clear once it was revealed she was a god in the first book, for still following Ren and defying fate, it’s clear that she still feels loyalty to her and her alone. 

I know that this book will make some folks unhappy with the potential romance of Zephyr and Crow and how it’s resolved. 

tl;dr
Even more of a roller coaster than the first one. War, plots, and an absolutely relentless MC race towards a powerful ending.

Thoughts
In my review for the previous book, I politely asked for an illustration of Crow, and we have generously been given two. (One on the cover, and one inside yet to come.) That's the only bit of generosity you'll see here - in the best way possible. War isn't pretty, and Zephyr won't pretend otherwise. No quarter given, no mercy granted. She's relentless in her quest to win this war, and she's willing to sacrifice anyone's life, hers included. If you want a ruthless MC who will REALLY do anything to win, this book will delight you. I put a question mark on the romance in the last book, and the question mark remains here. There's certainly attraction, but both Zephyr and Crow have bigger goals in mind, and seeing them square off again was great. But don't come in here expecting the twist to be they fall in love and change things. Love doesn't conquer all - Zephyr does. And it's messy and violent and a page-turning powerhouse with a satisfying ending.

As with the previous book, the author's notes in the back are also a great read, for anyone interested in the original Three Kingdoms account.

Thanks to NetGalley and Roaring Book Press for an advance copy. All thoughts in this review are my own!