The concluding entry to The Licanius Trilogy was as fast paced and page-turning as the previous two books, The Shadow of What was Lost and An Echo of Things to Come. If you’ve not read the previous two books, then please do read them before reading this blog, as this is not spoiler free!
What I thought
I really enjoyed this book, more so than the second book if I was being honest. I really enjoyed watching all the threads come together, in particular Davian’s chapters were really engaging and enjoyable. Islington makes Davian and Caeden’s plotlines dance around one another in a complex way, but still makes it clear for the reader to follow.
One thing I really liked was how at the start of every book you had a summary of the events that went before. Even though I read the books back-to-back, it allowed me to pick up on some key plot points that I would have otherwise missed, so my enjoyment of the story wasn’t impacted. It also meant that the prose itself didn’t have to refresh my memory as I read, I could dive straight into the story and continue with its breakneck pace.
Davian’s storyline includes time travel (and I am a sucker for anything to do with time travel), and how he interacts with Caeden across different points in time. Whilst the changing names did initially confuse me, in the end it helped me pick up who was who in what time. The time Davian spends in the suspended outside-of-time city was some of my favourite moments in the series.
One difficulty I did have (mostly due to my own speed-reading to find out how the story concluded) was keeping up with who was who. I struggle to remember names, and the e-book format did not help as I didn’t have easy access to the glossary as I would with a physical book. There were a few places and characters who had very similar looking names to my dyslexic mind, and they kept getting muddled up.
However, this series is definitely going on my recommend list, and I’m going to keep an eye out for a physical copy of the trilogy to add to my bookshelf. If you’re looking for a fast paced, engaging story with a satisfying twist at the end (I really liked how Islington tied up all the loose ends with Caeden), then definitely add this book to your TBR list!
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