I got an ARC from Goodreads! I got an ARC from Goodreads! I GOT AN ARC FROM GOODREADS!! God bless Goodreads for giving me this book. So earlier in my review of Legendary I had mentioned my fear of this book falling short from the previous one because it was so good. I was wrong and I couldn’t be happier. This book is the light in my life. It was so good, I think I’ve died and gone to book heaven. I just want everyone to know I bought six different editions of this book because I couldn’t decide which gorgeous cover I loved most. This review will contain spoilers for the other two books in the series so if you don’t want to know about them then it’s probably a good idea not to read this review.

Finale picks up a while after Legendary, Dante, or should I call him Legend, is now the heir to the throne having ousted Jacks and Tella is dreaming about the game master she has fallen desperately in love with, and Jacks seem to be lurking around the corners waiting for Tella. Finale focuses on both sister making this a two protagonist book unlike its predecessors where each sister was given a book to shine in. I enjoyed having both sisters on the playing field at the same time, it made the book more action packed and riveting. And for the record I am Team Julian and Team Legend all the way. Scarlett is struggling with Julian’s tendency to lie and we are introduced to a new love triangle between her original fiancé from Caraval who she had been engaged to prior to becoming involved with Julian. We hadn’t met the Count before this instalment in the series so I was intrigued but quickly lost interest when I realised he was a bit of a Mary Sue – dull and boring. Aside from the romantic angle we have a plethora of new characters ranging from the witch who gave Legend his powers to the Fates who have been released from the Deck of Destiny. I know, there’s barely time to take a breath and I haven’t even delved into the surface of the book.

The plot thickens with every page as Legend and Tella struggle with what it means to be mortal and love or immortal and lose it. Scarlett is struggling with her ability to see colors and is torn between Julian and the Count and the Fates are everywhere as the previously repressed part of the Caraval universe unleashes itself upon us and we are invaded by the descriptive writing and dense world-building of the history of the Fates and the key to their mortality.

Because this is an ARC I have to try and do this without any spoilers which is so hard because there’s so much to say.

I think one of the marks of good writing is being able to change the readers viewpoint from what they previously believed. Take Sarah J Mass for example with switching Feyre’s love interest from Tamlin to Rhysand. Stephanie Garber is one of those few skilled authors who manages to do so too. I loved Scarlett in this book, she was still soft-spoken and gentler than Tella’s fierce demeanour but she kicked ass. She was such a strong character and I totally loved her character arc and where she ended up at the end of this book. And even for characters like Paradise, I thought she was such a cool character to have introduced in Legendary but I hated her in this book, she was just selfish as a mother. I know that mothers are women as well, but I found her total lack of interest in how she left her daughters not once but twice selfish and heartless. If you can’t be a parent then don’t have kids. She made it very black and white for me.

I was a bit disappointed because with Jacks I thought we had reached our big villain. In book one it was Scarlett and Tella’s father Governor Dragna who was the villain, then in book two with Tella trying to wade through the after effects of Jacks perceived deadly kiss I thought Jacks would be the ultimate villain committing crimes of passion and fighting Legend. But we were introduced to a new villain who while not as attractive as Jacks was quite interesting, with a motive and evil henchmen (villainous Fates) and Fates who are working against him. I mean who knew this world could gain more depth, it’s unbelievable. I especially liked the mythical aspects of every Fate a lot.

This book is a ride from beginning to end. I wanted every gown that Tella wore in this book. Descriptive as usual, artfully written, riveting and gripping plot, romance, romance, romance and more magical romance. I want more of this world now!! There was one point of disappointment for me was that things with Jacks were given no closure. So while all the other ends tied up beautifully with happily ever afters well distributed, that loose strand of Jacks storyline won’t stop niggling at the back of my mind. But otherwise I have absolutely loved growing with these girls and reading this story and being a part of this universe. I know I say my favourite character is Nigel (he is like my FAVOURITE) but I love everyone in this universe and I am so grateful to have gotten this ARC and read this amazing story.

I can’t wait to see what Stephanie has in store for us next! Five stars for Finale and I wish I could give more!!!