The main reaction I have when I finally finished the book was, 
 "This was the end?" 
 ????? 
 After having to slog through increasingly repetitive and tiresome descriptions of battle and torture, having to see very character go down the path of ambiguity and shadiness. 
 Eventually you ask yourself, WHY did I bother to finish this series? 
 The old formula of a battle between characters clearly differentiated between good and evil works because the eventual resolution gives readers a sense of catharsis; that no matter how bleak things were, everything (or mostly everything) will become better. 
 Instead I get this. 
 The series lacks a truly central hero, a character (and by association, the nation) the reader could support and cheer on without being smacked in the face right next chapter. 
 Without building this kind of rapport with the audience, the last book becomes increasingly tedious as it deals with the various threats facing the Union. I constantly ask myself, so what if the Union falls? So what if its taken over by the Gurkish? What's so wrong with the Gurkish or the Northmen? How is the incumbent worthy of any support over the invading party? 
 Whatever. 
 The only relief I got at the end of the book was that I finally finished this stupid series after investing huge amounts of time on the first 2 books.