The safe haven she had led them to could so easily become their grave.
Dreams of Gods and Monsters
by Laini Taylor
Genre: YA Fantasy
About: Jael has amassed his army into Earth and been welcomed by the Pope himself. Humanity doesn't stand a chance. Karou and Akiva's dream of uniting Angel and Chimaera is not just a hope, but a necessity that could save Eretz, Earth and so much more. But after thousands of years of fighting and the odds on Jael's side, their dream has never seemed so far away.
The Good
The characters. As the last in the trilogy, we've come to know most of these characters very well and it really does feel like they've gone through a lot of changes. The timeframe of events is not very long, but the emotional journeys are. I loved Liraz's transformation probably the most and it's really amazing just how real each character feels. There are so many that stand out. Brimstone's only alive for the first book, but every mention of him has me so emotional. Issa, Ziri, Hazeal... no matter how small or large a part a character plays, Laini Taylor makes you care about each one. It's really breath-taking how alive her characters and the worlds they inhibit feel.
The Bad
I am still very impressed by the epicness of this series and think the ending is really well done, but this third and final book is really two books. The Stelian storyline deserved a book all to itself. I really enjoyed Eliza's character as well as Scarab's, but both of these characters weren't necessary to the Jael's storyline. The only exception is Scarab's help in the surprise battle but if this was won another way, then these two very important characters could easily be taken out. Their stories could be a whole book on itself. In fact that book is the one that should be named Dreams of Gods and Monsters. This one, the main antagonist is Jael; the book doesn't have much to do with Gods or Monsters until the last hundred pages. I'd call this one Dance of Swords and Beasts or something.
The Somewhat Iffy
I enjoyed Zuzana and Mik's involvement in some of the story and they are great characters, but sometimes it just read too strange that they would be part of the story. Riding on a Stormhunter/getting engaged on one read like total fanfic (and you do get the sense that Taylor is a fangirl for this ship), or how effortlessly they communicate with Eliza (I believe they can speak English, but making very niche jokes in a foreign language was a bit of a stretch to me). I also really wonder about the language barrier between the Angels and Chimaera. It's very rarely pointed out but would be a big problem for an alliance. Akiva learned to speak Chimaera for Madrigal, but not sure when or why Liraz learned.
Overall
Epic, emotional, full of heart and imagination - this series stands up on every re-read I make of it and I never stop being amazed at the twists and turns. The author's love for her characters and the world she created is infectious.
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