Broken Veil is the fifth book in The Harbinger series by Wall Street Journal bestselling author Jeff Wheeler.

An interesting ending to this C.S. Lewis-inspired series. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

"Broken Veil" picks up a year after "Prism Cloud" ends. Cettie is a prisoner at the poisoner school with her biological parents keeping a close eye on her; and, Sera rules the Empire while trying to collect (any) news about her husband, who may or may not be alive in his world. Meanwhile, Cettie's adoptive family continue to struggle with the aftermath of the war, and the continuation of the illness of the underclass.

Suddenly, both Cettie and Sera find themselves in opposite scenarios. Cettie uses her regained freedom to stop her parents and the poisoners from unleashing an evil that will destroy both worlds, while Sera must gather her courage in order to remain vigilant during her ordeal. By the time the two reunite and realize who the true enemy is, they have to determine whether or not their friendship can save them from the evil the Mysteries have warned them all about.

Jeff Wheeler does a great job wrapping up the stories of all of the characters, not just the protagonists, in a way that will leave his readers with a sense of satisfaction knowing that things (and life) will continue for all of them the way they should.

I'm looking forward to reading the author's next series.

I loved this latest book in the Harbinger series! The appearance of old and beloved characters from the Kingfountain series was a really unexpected surprise, but it serves to link this series with the previous ones written by Mr. Wheeler, which gives a character of unity to his series.
As usual, the story has a real historical background turned into fantasy. In this case, it is the period of the British Regency, although the reader can also identify situations analogous to those found in the works of Dickens and Austen. For me it is an extra bonus to try to identify the historical fact or period on which the author bases each of his series.
An excellent series with a very suitable and satisfactory finish.

4 stars

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This is a satisfying ending to a good YA Fantasy series. Most of the storylines are wrapped up, and there is a juicy cliffhanger that is surely a hint for a new series.

This book focuses mainly on Cettie's journey back to the person she used to be before she was tricked into going with her father and mother to the poisoner's school. She has trained hard and become quite adept, however she still can't wipe the Fitzroy family or her best friend Empress Sera out of her mind. Escape is impossible and any attempt would cost her life. When she is assigned a kishion (a person that bonds with her hetaera and can share her powers and feelings) and given a task to complete, she is filled with hope that she may escape. Unfortunately the assignment doesn't go as planned and she finds herself even more trapped and in danger.

Meanwhile the war with Kingfountain is not going well and Sera struggles to keep her advisors in check. Her husband, Trevan, who was kidnapped a year ago is still missing and she doesn't know if he's still alive. When factions make a move on Sera, she finds herself in serious danger. Both woman don't know who they can trust and various forces work against them in their search for power.

The story picks up where the previous book ends. This is a very quick, easy read. The book is fast paced and doesn't let up until the end. It is filled with the characters you love and hate from previous books, with a couple of cameos for a nice surprise. There are a few elements of a new storyline injected which is sure to be the focus of books to come.

Overall, I really enjoyed this series. The author is such a good writer, and the story flows so seamlessly, that hours pass without you even realizing it. I really like the main characters Sera and Cettie. They have doubts, as all young women do, but I like that they don't let those doubts define them. They trust their instincts, and themselves, and use that strength to achieve their goals. This is a good book and series and I highly recommend you read it.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

If you have read the first 4 books in Wheeler's Harbinger series, I really don't think you will be disappointed with the finale. This was such a solid ending to a series which got steadily more complex as it went on, and managed to tie everything up so well. We got reunion, we got romance, we got heartbreak (no spoilers but there was one death I could not believe until the book was over) and I really believe in the development we have seen in Cettie and Sera over this five book arc.
This was the first series I have read from Jeff Wheeler and I will definitely be back for more.

This was a great ending to the Harbinger series!

The first book had me hooked immediately, and Jeff Wheeler kept his hooks in me for all 4 books after that!

I was wondering how the author was going to try to wrap things up, considering how much happened in the third book. I was so happy with how he did it, although I kind of wish a couple of parts included a little more substance. I won't give away any spoilers, though.

However, overall, I am happy with how the series ended. The third book threw lots of twists and turns into the story, and this book ironed many of them out. This book wrapped everything up nicely.

I don't think there will be another book unless it follow a completely different plotline. However, I really hope the author decides to keep going with the characters from these books. I got attached to these characters and am not ready to let them go just yet.

Now that I have finished this series, I need to go back and read the Kingfountain and Legends of Muirwood books! Even if I can't read more about the same characters, at least I can read more stories set in the same world!

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for giving me a copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review!

Thankyou to NetGalley, 47North and the author, Jeff Wheeler, for the opportunity to read a digital copy of Broken Veil in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.
This book was a joy to read as was the entire series. I thought the storyline was well written with plenty of attention to detail as the author endeavors to weave his story together.
Worth a read.

This is an amazing series! He really takes his time to give the reader a great picture to follow! These books really makes you feel like your in the world with his creative characters! It’s a must read series! You will lose yourself completely in the best way!

Complex times beautifully wrapped

Broken Veil was a satisfying conclusion to the Harbinger series. Jeff Wheeler knocks it out of the ballpark as all the storylines tighten their weave and warp to the conclusion. If you’ve read the series so far, you’re going to be blown away with this final book. Everything you’ve liked and loved, those you’ve admired, and those you’ve hated will find their place upon the stage. (If you haven’t read the rest of the series, go back quickly and start with Storm Glass; you’ll be glad that you did!)

As usual, Wheeler’s characterization is mesmerizing, his world-building meticulous, and his storylines are convoluted, twisty, and satisfyingly resolved. There’s nothing lacking here except another book. Here’s hoping for another series in the world of Kingfountain.

I would give this book 2 stars. This was long and extremely confusing. The religion in this series is really hard to follow and there are tons of it in this one!

Cettie and Sera have a final showdown against multiple bad guys and give an inconclusive ending to the series. I’m glad I read it so I k ew how it ended, but this was my least favorite of all the books I read in the series.

I enjoyed this book! I read the first and last of this series, and I felt that this book neatly resolved all the plot lines introduced in the beginning. I think the author stayed true to his world as well so his claim to be a writer of clean YA fantasy is right on target!

Jeff Wheeler has produced another masterpiece in the Harbinger Series. I enjoyed the climax to the series as much as any book in the series. Wheeler tied up all loose ends in the finale. Great book.

A powerful conclusion to a story to heartbreaking at times in it's real world emotions and spellbinding epic in it's creativity. It gives you the ability to draw from the characters'experiences, both seemingly right or wrong, and bare the consequences with them; feel their emotions as they live with choices that are as much a part of their world as ours. As painful and hard to move forward it seemed to be at times, as a reader, these characters' strength was so engrain as part of the complexity of them that it seemed almost laughable for them not to pull themselves up and move forward despite the dire outlook. I must say, it was harder for me to read about poor Cettie than it was about Owen in the KingFountain series. I almost lost hope and just left the book half finished. I'm glad I didn't.

This is one book I was waiting on pins and needles to read. "Broken Veil" is the fifth in the Harbinger series, written by fantasy author Jeff Wheeler, who I think is a master at building suspense. And truth be told, "Prism Cloud," book four in the series took readers (including me) on a roller coaster ride that left me wrung out. Characters I thought I knew went in different directions and left me wondering how Wheeler could possibly tie all the strings together in the last book of the series and help me make sense of their choices. And by the end of "Broken Veil" he had done just that. He also employed a technique I really like of dropping in characters from past books that added a nice touch. Wheeler does this in a way that doesn't take anything away for readers who are first-timers to this world he has created, but provides a little reward to those who have read his other series. He also has left wiggle room for a return visit to this world, and I will look forward to coming back to Comoros and King Fountain if, indeed, that's what he has planned.

Epic! This is how a series gets wrapped up in spectacular fashion. Loose ends tied up … favorite characters from past book get a quick cameo … a few unexpected twists and here we are, at the end.

The people we love are happy, the people we hate are … well they will get their comeuppance at some point, I suppose. In other words, it looks as though there will be more books in a new series set in this world and I am here for it.

Ugh, I have to write in such vague terms about this title, but I don’t want to give away a single thing. I need to say it is one of my favorite series written by Mr. Wheeler. He has promised more books are to come, I’ll just have to be patient until they get her.

Bonus link: If you’re interested in reading some of Mr. Wheeler’s books there is a great listing of the reading order for all of his books on his webpage ... https://jeff-wheeler.com/reading-order/
They are interconnected so I would suggest starting at the beginning!

Song for this book: Ode to Joy – Beethoven – Flash Mob

Feedback
As in Jeff Wheeler fashion this book is the last one of the series so of course tense scenes were all over the place. This book was impossible to put down because I needed to figure out how it was all going to end. It takes place a year after Prism Cloud but not much is missed. Cettie is fully trained and Sera is doing everything she can to try to win this war. It is hard to talk much about the plot without spoiling it but rest assured, there are twists and surprises behind every chapter. It is fantastically put together and ends this series well.

Oh Cettie and Sera. How they have grown from book one. I was worried about Cettie after Prism Cloud, I will not lie. However, Wheeler always does what is right by the character and Cettie deserves everything that has happened to her. Even though I hate what the poisoner school has become (it’s so hard to completely hate it because Ankarette), I’m glad Cettie went there. She learned so much about herself and it was the perfect growth for her character. To see Cettie from a waif in the Fells to a strong confident woman was a fantastic transition. Then Sera. I have loved Sera from the beginning and seeing her fulfill her role as empress is so rewarding. She is so smart and cunning which really shows in this book. I love how she never lost her personality and faith in people, even through everything. Wheeler develops these two characters even further than I could have ever imagined. And THE SURPRISE CHARACTERS OMG I FREAKED OUT. I love how he just perfectly plans everything and each character interaction is so crucial.

Final Thoughts
Overall, Broken Veil by Jeff Wheeler is the perfect ending to this series. While I can always use more, Jeff Wheeler has done it again. Everything that he emotionally puts his readers through is paid off. The adventures of Cettie and Sera may be coming to a close but this book does them justice. Each twist to the story kept me turning the pages eagerly awaiting what would happen next. I highly recommend this series to every fantasy reader.

This is the final book in a five book series that follows Cettie and Sera. Cettie is racked with guilt over the decisions she has made and the life she has taken up while Sera is trying to keep her empire together until she is kidnapped. Both have to decide who to truly trust and how they want to live their lives. I thoroughly enjoyed this entire series. Cettie and Sera are relatable and you can’t help but cheer them on. The worlds they live in are interesting and the magic is facilitating. I would recommend this series if you enjoy strong female characters and their friendships.

Oh My Word! What an ending. What an ending to a book, and to a series. Absolutely phenomenal. The character development throughout the series truly peaks with this installment. So much building up to this book and what a resolution. It is insane and saddening it is over because the series and book were so enthralling. I cannot put into words how much I loved this book and I would recommend this book and the entire series. It truly is a must read if you enjoy fantasy/sci-fi fiction. While it does have a very religious tone, that tone can be interpreted as proselytizing or it can be viewed as an entire fictional religion. It is all how you want to interpret. The book does espouse a strong moral compass which makes it perfect for the younger generation. Absolutely wonderful.

I really liked the beginning of this series, and I have read many, if not most, of Jeff Wheeler's books, especially the ones set in this same "world." But, I didn't love this final book in the Harbinger series (and I didn't really love book 4 either). I think that my biggest complaint was that it just got too complicated. There was too much cross over from past books (I felt that I should be remembering more), and the religious elements got too confusing and overwhelmed the story.

I do appreciate how quickly Jeff Wheeler publishes books, and I may give his next series a try, but I just don't know.

Thank you Net Galley for the free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I have to say, you only need to compare this cover to the idyllic covers of the previous books to know you're in for something a little bit different. By the end of book four, I was quite ready for the threads to start to tie off, especially since in the Kingfountain series everything tied off so nicely at the end of each book. This series has leaned more heavily on cliffhanger endings and I think most of the various plots had run their course. To try to stretch this into a six-book series would have made it far too thin, five is just right. 

I liked most of this book. I still think the setting is wonderful, I still think the characters, particularly those of Cettie and Sera, are so good. While I may raise an eyebrow at it, I think the way Jeff Wheeler ties all these disparate books into one universe is clever - though it can sometimes feel like he has a Moffat-like unwillingness to ever let a character just die. But maybe that's not why you read books like this. These are little escapes, jaunts into a world other than our own, and maybe in that fantasy world, we don't have to think too hard about why no-one ever stays dead (that's not a spoiler really, just a comment on the general safeness of a Jeff Wheeler novel). 

The one thing I could have maybe done without was the romance plot between Cettie and Adam. This is one that has bothered me since it first reared its head. I appreciate that desire to have Cettie fall in love and 'live happily ever after' or at least have the potential for that but Cettie was such a cool character before that took up space in her mind. Even at the start of the book, before Adam gets mentioned, she's doing assassin training and it's great. I loved Cettie's combined desire for a family but total independence and self-reliance, whereas in these later books, in particular, this book, it felt like she was constantly having a dilemma over a boy - and I just didn't care enough to be willing to give up the airship piloting inventor we met in book one. 

This is very much a 'tie together' book, so I wouldn't recommend picking it up unless you have some clue as to what is happening. It took me a minute or so to get into the book, but I think that was a result of there not being a lot of exposition as to what had happened before. Again, these are books designed to be binged - I'm not sure you need it if you're chain-reading them. I thought it managed to have that safe predictability the other books have had, while still managing to surprise me at times, the plot didn't always go where I thought it would, and I thought that Wheeler was a little more brutal than he has been in the past. Altogether I think it makes for a better book, though I did miss some of the politics and worldbuilding details from the earlier books in this series. 

Overall, I thought this was a strong ending to a good series. It doesn't quite have the wow factor that the first book did, but I think that's true of all of the books since Storm Glass.

I think it's interesting that, though these books feature the POV of these two women, they spend very little time together on the page, it makes me wonder if this book would pass the Bechdel test? Still, if you have an interest in a fantasy that isn't medieval, or a kindle unlimited account  - I'd say go for it - it ends well!

My rating: 4/5 stars

I received a free digital advanced review copy of this book. All opinions are my own. 

Broken Veil is available (pun not intended) June 11th!