5 Star Book Review: Beyond the Shadows (The Night Angel Trilogy, #3)

Author: Brent Weeks

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Edition: Mass Market Paperback

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Related Reviews: Way of Shadows, Shadow's Edge

Rating: 5 Stars

So, there won't be any spoilers for this book in this review, even though it is the final book in a series.  I'd love to do a spoiler review if people are interested, though, so let me know in the comments if that appeals to you.

First of all, this book has given me massive book hangover.  Thank goodness I'm reading a contemporary to follow up on this or I wouldn't get any reading done.  The same feeling I had after watching the LOTR movies for the first time (I binge watched them and didn't know what I was getting into when I started) has attached itself to me now.  To describe that feeling... well, I feel a little lost.  I dedicated so much time to this series, to this world, to these characters, that now, knowing that I've said goodbye (though perhaps not forever... Brent Weeks has said he will probably write another series in this world, thank God!) has left a huge hole in my heart.

Because of this hole in my heart I'm having a hard time actually reviewing this book.  Yes, it was fantastic! but in a completely different way than book two was.  It's got action, but not so much, and I wasn't nearly as worried about where characters would end up or who would die because it wasn't such a roller coaster in that regard.  I don't want to say that people were "safe" or "in danger" life-wise, but for the most part there was never, at any point of this novel (until the very end, really), the threat of random deaths.  

Halfway through the novel though I did have moment (or two, or three) of just utter CRAZY where I threw little tantrums and actually threw the book away from me.  Like, you can sorta see me document it on twitter, but I had to get up and walk away from the novel or risk hurting my feelz too much.  Besides this feeling of UTTER BETRAYAL (I'm kidding, kinda, they were great twists) it wasn't a crazy novel and everything was very linear.

I realize now, as I'm writing the review, that I could go on forever about this book, so let me finish with one last thought: this book felt very religious to me.  I mean, I'm a practicing Catholic, and I've studied my religion pretty intensely for four years, so at this point I'm sorta trained to pick out religious themes in books, and this one was practically screaming with them.  And, honestly, I really enjoyed it.  I'd noticed it plenty times in the first two, but especially with this ending, it was just very religious feeling.  This is a personal theme, but I really enjoyed it and it added something extra to my own reading of the novel.

In a nutshell: read these damn books already!

January Wrap Up

I got a ton of reading done this month I can barely believe it!  Part of the reason I got so much done is kinda sad (my depression reared it's ugly head again, ugh) but there is the upside of the amount of pages I poured through this month- and loved!  I mean, I did have a pretty high goal for myself this month and I (pretty much) managed to reach it.  If you remember my January TBR I planned to read eight books, and I finished six of those and then one I didn't plan to get to.  The only ones I didn't manage to finish were Bentwhistle the Dragon in a Chilling Revelation, though I'm currently a few chapters in, and Sword and Verse, which I just didn't feel like reading when the preorder finally came in.

1. Red Queen

I loved this book so much!  I couldn't have imagined that I would adore it so, and I'm desperately waiting for Glass Sword at this point.  I actually find myself thinking about this book pretty regularly, which really surprises me.  It was a great way to start off the month, even though it took me two weeks to read it.

2. Illuminae

I buddy read this book with Maryam Dinzly and it was so fun to do that!  On top of that, this book was amazingly fantastic and if you haven't read it you really, really should.  It took me about a day and a half to get through completely and I both savored every second and couldn't stop racing through it.

3. The Night Parade

This was such a surprisingly good read!  It's a cute little middle grade steeped in Japanese mythology, and I really, really recommend it.  Particularly, if you know a young reader; it's the perfect story to share among many generations.

4. A Thousand Pieces of You

I have some really conflicted feelings about this book.  On one hand it was super addicting, and on the other, it wasn't that deep and the romance was weak.  I do plan to continue this series, though, and I'm excited to do so.

5. Fairest

This one took me no time at all to read and I rather enjoyed it!  It's not super important to reading the rest of the series, but I think if you're a fan you'll enjoy it.  I do recommend reading it between Cress and Winter, if you're curious.

6. Beyond the Shadows

Oh goodness this book swept me away and gave me massive book hangover!  It's the final book in the Night Angel trilogy and things only got better.  I heard that Brent Weeks said he'd be writing another trilogy set in this world, and I really, really can't wait.

7. You Were Here

I'm actually writing this post before I've finished this book, but I'm not worried about finishing it.  So far it's been a really quick read and, while it's not as angsty as I think it's trying to be, I'm really enjoying it. The art really adds a level to the story that I'm enjoying.

I also managed to read several volumes of manga, and a couple graphic novels, too.  TV-wise I haven't watched very much, and hopefully next month I'll fix that problem.  I just haven't been motivated to do much more than read, and, honestly, I'm okay with that.

What books did you read last month?  Any you absolutely loved?  Let me know!