Ah... I'm... not satisfied. I'm not dissapointed, mind you; just not... fulfilled may be a closer word. 
 Many interesting bits in this final Chapter of the Malkeenian brood. Many underwhelming twists as well. 
 The story so far: 
 The Urukai... err, Urghuls, my bad (savage tribes have to start with a "U", it's . golden rule). 
 So, the Uxxxxs, led by the God incarnate LongFist, are on the verge of overrunning Annur; and only the monstrous military intellect of the Csestriim general Il Tornja is keeping them bottled up in the North. But by now, most of the main players left in this ancient tug-of-war contest what the real stakes are, and a barbarian invasion is the least of them; for the reward is nothing less than the very existence of humanity itself. 
 I didn't buy into the gods. They felt more like angry spirits than proper awe-inspiring overlords. 
 I didn't buy into the writing style. Brian writes beautifully, but he has this irritating tendency to wander off into 2 pages of reminiscence right in the middle of a dialog that is, to say the least, disorientating. 
 I love Gwenna (Miss BadAss)! She fiesty, fiery, quick with a sharp retort and deeply grounded. The best character in this book, by far. 
 I think Brian went a bit overboard on the hyperbole train where Valyn is concerned. I mean, ok, we get it, he got knifed and blinded so he's kind of pissed off. 
 On the other hand, I don't agree with most of the other reviews I read on Adare. I think that after Gwenna (Miss BadAss), she's the most interesting character in this book. She feels... real, with down-to-earth concerns and utterly believable flaws. 
 As for Kaden, well... He exists... somehow. Not that we care much. 
 It's a decent conclusion to this series, if somewhat packing less punch than the previous iterations. 
 But it does provide a proper sense of closure, so make sure to read it.