Actual rating 3.5 stars. 
 This is the third book in the Graceling trilogy and focuses on Queen Bitterblue, who was just a child when the reader last encountered her, in the first book. Now she is ruling in her father's place and attempting to right the wrongs of her country's past. This proves a more difficult task than previously thought when even her most trusted advisers appear to be keeping secrets from her. Bitterblue realises just how out-of-touch she is with her people and how deeply their mistrust runs and how far the mistreatment has spread. 
 Upon opening this I was pleased at being reunited with the characters of the first book. This soon changed, however, when I realised the discontent now plaguing the once-happy characters. It made for hard reading much of the time knowing their have already faced so much. And the last portion of the book was even more difficult and poignant. It touched on distressing subject matters in harrowing detail but I thought Cashore dealt with them gracefully and appropriately. 
 My main dislike of this book lay with some of the newer characters. I found Bitterblue's possible love interest, Saf, unlikable and petulant and his part in the plot's trajectory irritated me. I found the ending to his portion of the tale not what I had anticipated and I was constantly angered by his attitude and actions. This one character was possible for this becoming my least favourite book in the trilogy. 
 That being said, this was an overall enjoyable an fitting end to the series and I am sad to be saying goodbye to this world.