The Immortal Words is the third in the Grave Kingdom trilogy, and what an ending! In this book, Bingmei has accepted that she is the phoenix-bound and that she must act to stop Echion and Xisi from inflicting a reign of terror on the world. She is ready to sacrifice herself as the prophecy says she must, and she is aided in her quest only by her friend Quion.

But sacrifice has many meanings, and Bingmei does not die. She sees the suffering Echion has wrought, not only in the physical world, but beyond the Death Wall. Loved ones cannot find each other in the afterlife. She knows she has to press on, to stop Echion, and she determines that she will do whatever it takes to kill him.

Jeff Wheeler does a masterful job at setting up some twists and turns here. There were were a couple of times I had to pick my jaw up off the floor, thinking, oh, wait, he did NOT just do that with that character! But he did, and it was a glorious read. Action aplenty, good versus evil, and an ending that doesn't neatly tie up everything with a bow. Because really, in this life, can evil ever be completely defeated? No, it survives, with the potential to come roaring back in another form and with another face.

This is a worthwhile read, and I hope Mr. Wheeler revisits this world in another series.

Thanks to Netgalley and the author for an advance review copy. All opinions here are mine, and I don't say nice things about books I don't actually like.

Received from 47North and Netgalley for honest read and review.

Final chapter in Grave Kingdom trilogy.A wonderful ending to a really excellent series.

We find main character Bingmei as she fights against Echion and Xisi.

She must fulfil the prophecy to save mankind .A fantastic book that ties up the story really well,but also leaves it open for more.....

I have loved this series from the beginning. Even though I’m sad to see the series come to a close, this was a wonderful and interesting story. I thoroughly enjoyed going on this journey with Bingmei. Fingers are crossed that Jeff feels compelled to expand the series later!

Thank you so much to 47North via NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review! I was so excited to be able to read The Grave Kingdom Series as ARCs and I am just mind blown by the end of the trilogy

So yeah… I knew this was going to be epic but I was not expecting half of the things that happened in this book. To keep things spoiler free, let me just say that this is another fantastic series conclusion by Wheeler and he didn’t at all take it in the direction I thought he would.

I can’t honestly say that The Grave Kingdom series was my favorite by Wheeler, but it’s truly a work of art. I can always count on Wheeler for wholesome fantasy reads, strong women with incredible character arcs, and all sorts of lore, myths, and found families. Even in an Asian based fantasy he twines in an underlying Christian message. It was nice that he wasn’t preachy in these books, and I felt like the Phoenix and the Dragon could have carried a few different allegories. I would love to ask him if he was thinking about any specific reference regarding the interactions of the Phoenix.

Wheeler is an exquisite world builder as well, from setting to food to weather and the smells of conscience, I truly enjoyed the world of The Grave Kingdom. Each region had it’s own character, each city it’s own personality and feel, customs, traditional food, and animal guardians, and I think truly that this is Wheeler’s best developed world yet.

Plus I got my OTP wish. Oh I was so happy I almost cried a little bit for these characters at the end. The books contain a wonderful cast of characters including a snow leopard and a blind king. Bingmei went from a little girl to a fledgling leader to a strong, thoughtful, powerful woman who was able to decide that humanity was worth saving. There was a wonderful open ending that echoes the book’s message of good balancing evil in the cycles of the world. It makes me think maybe there may be another trilogy in the world at some point and I would be totally on board with that.

My only issue was a bit of confusion involving Rowen and the Phoenix, I think Wheeler got lost in the mythology a bit and didn’t quite explain Rowen’s role in the grand scheme of things adequately. Specifically when, why, and how was he chosen, plus when did he become the Phoenix? Couldn’t he have just busted out of the prison long before he did? It was slightly incongruous. Also the fighting scenes were getting pretty repetitive by the end of book 3.

If you are looking for a truly epic fantasy series set in an Asian based world, with dragons, phoenixes, lore, love, loyalty, and found family, this is the book for you. I was so happy and proud of the entire quonsuun and thought that the ending just was priceless.

The Immortal Words, the epic conclusion of The Grave Kingdom series, releases 9/22.

Bingmei's growth has continued and really enjoyed that. I really liked the ending and can see the direction that the potential of future books might take. There were some things I wish they would have gone into more detail in some things they didn't but the author did tie up a lot of endings. I enjoyed this one and it was a satisfying ending to a trilogy.

Trigger warning for children in danger

Dear Jeff Wheeler, I need another book immediately because I have so many unanswered questions and I am not ready to leave Bingmei.

The Immortal Words is listed as the third of the Grave Kingdom trilogy and it does not disappoint. The book is full of so much action and adventure, mythology, and some answers to what is happening. It was a difficult book to read at times because it does have a bit more triggering situations regarding children in peril, so heads up on that.
The ending was both satisfying in frustrating, in that you get a resolution but also so many ways the story can go. I really hope there is more to this.

I highly recommend the series and anything by Jeff Wheeler. He continues to be one of my favorite authors.

Jeff Wheeler is one of my favorite authors, and this was an excellent conclusion to the Grave Kingdom Series. You can always count on Mr. Wheeler for wonderful, in depth story lines, fantastic world building, excellent characters, and a young woman (or more) who does the right thing and saves the day. While this was not my favorite of his series, I still enjoyed reading it, and will pounce on whatever he writes next. You cannot go wrong with a Jeff Wheeler novel - YA stories, PG rated but full of action and moral courage. Many thanks to NetGalley and 47North for the e-arc. I highly recommend anything written by this author.

Thank you for the ARC. Another good series by Jeff Wheeler. Now to go and get the first two and read them...

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC of this book. Another great book by Wheeler. He is a new author on my radar and I have since read everything I can find my him. This is a great series so far and this book just added to it.

Jeff Wheeler is a phenomenal author. I have loved everything I have read of his, and this book is just as good. The book is an emotional journey that explores deep characters. What is best, is the depth is developed while still keeping the books a solid PG, any age can enjoy. The book is difficult to set down as I was so enamored with it. I would highly recommend the series and the book for anybody who likes a clean and enjoyable fantasy novel.

A very captivating reading, a beautiful continuation of the previous works.
Language: atmospheric and captivating choice of words, really keeping the reader on the edge from start to finish.
Idea/plot: not too unique, unfortunately, however, keeps the reader interested till the end and more. I have some unanswered questions, however, I'd strongly suggest back to back reading with other books in the series for sure.
Evolution: masterfully done, we see a clear character and relationships evolution
Interest keeping: more than needed to be, now in desperate need of continuation, will definitely be interested in the sequel if the author ever decides to do so.
Conclusion/Climax: masterfully done.

Overall a very successful read and from research seems like fans would appreciate a separate sequel or even prequel.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this book!

As usual, the minute I see a new Jeff Wheeler book I absolutely have to read it! And as usual, no disappointment in the writing and world building that he brings. I love everything he comes out with! There were some twists I was not expecting this time around. I am a bit pleased but aggravated at the ending- I so wanted more of a resolution BUT this definitely leaves the story line open for more than just this trilogy (please write more!!!).

I would 100% recommend this and ANY Jeff Wheeler book to everyone!!

In the third book of the Grave Kingdom Series, The Immortal Words, Bingmei finally decides that humanity is worth saving and that she must fulfill the prophecy in order to stop Echion and Xisi. She travels with her good friend Quion across the Death Wall both in the real world and in the spirit realm. They seek a shrine where the Phoenix will protect them. While there, Bingmei uses her spirit to float and travel from bird to bird to spy on Echion and Xisi, as well as check up on their allies and friends. Bingmei soon realizes that General Tzu is about the march into a trap and so, she uses the Immortal Words to delay him. But in doing so, Bingmei has caused an event that brings suffering and death of its own. They winter at the shrine, using the powers of the Phoenix and the Immortal Words to help them survive. But, soon it is time to return and defeat Echion and Xisi once and for all.

The author Jeff Wheeler, did leave the ending a little open, perhaps to show the endless cycles of life and kingship, but also to show that evil is never truly gone. For as long as there are greedy and selfish people in the world, humanity will never be at peace.

But there is the potential that Someone Evil will claim what is theirs! Will this evil force come back? Will the child grow to fight for Fusang and Bingmei? Or will the child become like Echion and Xisi?

In a way, I feel like the series is complete, but the stories are so good that I wouldn't mind reading a fourth book.

An interesting Next chapter in this series. I thought the book was entertaining and had a lot of excitement from start to finish. The action was intense and the storyline was good. There were a few times that I was a little confused, but I was able to follow along. I’m very interested to see how the story ends!

Thanks to Jeff Wheeler, 47North, and Netgalley for providing me with an advanced reading copy.

I enjoyed the book. The writing style was easy to read and plot progressed quickly. The characters were all well developed and the plot had many twists and turns.

I really enjoyed the third book of the Grave Kingdom series. It led me on many unexpected twists and turns and I enjoyed watching Bingmei grow through it all. I thought that the trilogy overall was fantastic, new, and exciting, and different from Jeff Wheeler's other books, though just as great.

Rounded up to 4.5 Stars.

What a super trilogy this has been - and the author does not rule out revisiting this world for future stories!

I've lapped up this entire trilogy and Book 3 has maintained the high standard of writing and story-telling. Bingmei's growth has continued and threw a surprise at me in a good way. I really liked the ending and can see the direction potential future books might take. There were a couple of things that, although tied up, I would have liked to seen in more detail, but nothing that detracted from the story in any way.

I'd also like to mention the stunning cover art, not just on this book but on all three, but I forgot to mention it in my reviews of the previous two books.