I'm not sure why I decided to finish the series despite not being a fan of the first two books- probably because I dislike leaving things open-ended, but I also felt there was potential in this series. 
 The story skips forward to the month before Ceony is being tested to end her apprenticeship. You'd think, because this is one of the biggest tests of her life, she'd be studying? She barely studies, because a) she remembers everything she sees by glancing at it once, and b) she's too busy rushing around trying to do everyone else's jobs because she's better than anyone else. In previous installments, I've mentioned Ceony to be annoying and unbelievable, but this book had me actively disliking her. She's incredibly rude to other people, and tries to justify herself. I just couldn't deal with her attitude towards others. She acts as though she's the only one who knows anything, an attitude that has cost her before. She's clearly learned nothing over the last few years. She's condescending and just impressively rude. 
 The villain in this is again, Saraj. I still don't understand his motivations- he just seems like a psychopath (or highly functioning sociopath). He's got no depth and isn't a great villain. Which is sad, considering the fact that he's supposed to be the ultimate bad guy in this series. 
 In the previous book, Ceony discovered something which breaks the fundamental rules of magic in their universe. With knowledge like this, you'd think she'd be careful? No. She uses it on a daily basis. This is more an annoyance from the last book, but I just didn't like how there were cardinal rules of this magic and she just kind of stumbles upon it. 
 I really, really wanted to like this series. I love the premise, and the writing style was good. I wish the characterization was better, and the story better paced.