I absolutely loved Blood's Pride when it came out in 2012 for its compelling characters and interesting world. Years later, I will admit that perhaps my reading taste has changed.

The long awaited third book, Strife's Bane wraps up the story that began in the first book, following several distinctive characters as they confronted various conflicts and new responsibilities. However, as in the previous books, Strife's Bane shifts perspectives multiple times and this is where I find my reading taste has changed - I have much less patience for this style of writing, especially when I am not equally interested in the each of the characters's who's point of view we as readers are treated to. For me, the most intriguing and mysterious character was Lahlil (a.k.a. the Mongrel) and I just didn't get enough of this character and her story and relationships. For me, the shifting in character perspectives ended up bogging down the story rather than enhancing it.

Personal reading taste aside, I was happy to get a resolution to the main conflicts that were raised in book one. All of the characters involved from book one, more or less, find some sort of resolution or a way to move forward, despite personal tragedy. To date, this series has offered readers an ambitious story with a huge scope, and I think the author succeeded in telling that story. Fans of the first two books will want to find out how it all ends.

It starts off slow and kind of dense, but once the action begins, it's hard to resist the story as it drives forward. It reads as a true epic, one that makes you feel the world really has been reshaped as you read it. Would recommend.