This series has been on my TBR since before this book was even released and I kept procrastinating and the general rule in this situation is that I am always sleeping on a good book! I really enjoyed it that it deserved a 5 stars from me. This makes it the 4th book to get this rating out of 95 books I read this year and I will try to explain why. why on earth am i so emotional right now!?!?! its been awhile since a conclusion to a series has hit me so hard. goodness, my heart is full.

The reason I am giving this book a 2 stars is because I expected so much more from both this book & this series overall and I am not very satisfied with the development or the ending. Schwab had so much potential going into this series, but ultimately I find myself very let down. Outside of the main cast, we get chapters devoted to random one-time characters that don't really add up to anything, and we get chapters about King Maxim & Queen Emira & Tieren that... don't really add up to anything. Donnelly got the rural aspect right. She certainly did plenty of research, and the characters have distinct voices. This is why I run. Because caring was a thing with claws. It sank them in, and didn’t let go. Caring hurt more than a knife to the leg, motor then anything that bled or broke and healed again. Caring didn’t break you clean. It was a bone that didn’t set, a cut that wouldn’t close. Alucard, for example, is one character that I truly loved and I enjoyed reading about and his and Rhy’s interactions made me so giggly happy you haven’t a clue.Mattie is a very likeable heroine, especially because, like me, she will do almost anything for books. Although she is loyal to her family, she is no angel and struggles to contain her frustration about not being able to go to college because she has to help run the family farm. I could always hear her voice in her narration, and feel her dilemmas and sorrows. The romance in this book is really well written because although I dislike Royal Loomis, Mattie's love interest, when she was with him I would actually start to warm to him but

Halfway through A Gathering Light, I logged on to GoodReads wondering why I’d seemingly never heard of this absolutely riveting book, only to discover that I had. This is the UK title for A Northern Light - a book I’ve had on my TBR for years. I mean, it was ok. Nothing was horribly wrong, and I certainly didn't feel pissed off when I closed the book. It just left me with this vaguely meh feeling. I’ll be honest, this book is less infuriating to read compared to AGOS because there’s less emphasis on Lila compared to before but my god this series is the first series that ever made me pray to a fictional character. I kept on praying to Kira Yagami, “Kira, please write Lila’s name. Cause of death: impaled by her own knifes through her mouth.” to end her life every moment she spoke. Emily Baxter/Wilcox: is an unconventional poet who has written poems controversial enough that they have been burned and condemned by the highest authorities. Her husband, who does not approve of Emily's poetry, tries to get her committed and eventually, she flees to Paris. Under the name of Miss Wilcox, she acts as a teacher and friend to the main character, Mattie. She also helps Mattie achieve her dream of going to college.

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What an epic trilogy this has been! That quote pretty much sums up my love for all of these characters. Dark magic has come to red London, leaving a trail of death and devastation in its wake. Kell, Lila, Alucard, Holland and a small crew take to the high seas to find something, ANYTHING that can defeat Osaron. Overall, take this review with a large grain of salt. I am for sure in the minority with not loving these books as much as everyone else. And even though this isn’t my favorite series, I think Victoria is incredibly talented and I can’t wait to see what she does next. And I truly think that these books get better and better, with A Conjuring of Light being my favorite in the series, and the last couple chapters of this book had me smiling from ear to ear in pure happiness. And I ultimately do feel really fulfilled and happy with the ending. Plus, I’m very interested (especially after gushing with my friend Julie) with reading the graphic novel series set around a character from this world. Also, I have the highest of hopes for the spinoff that Victoria is working on. I just hope I fall completely head over heels in love, instead of only just enjoying. I'm sorry, Miss Wilcox," I said, looking at the floor. "I don't mean to be coarse. I just... I don't know why I should care what happens to people in a drawing room in London or Paris or anywhere else when no one in those places cares what happens to people in Eagle Bay." I don't mind Alucard, but I find his character to be a bit static. Even by the end of this book, he doesn't grow into anything new and he doesn't really participate in the action scenes in a meaningful way. His sole existence in this story is to create drama for Kell, Rhy, and Lila.