If you fail, you burn.

It’s taken me months to finish the last book in this series. This is the finale. The end of the Worldwalker Trilogy. It’s bittersweet and that may be why it took this long.

If you’re looking to start the series this is my review of the first book. 

Premise

After the battle between Lily’s coven and Woven known as the Hive Sisters, they’re taken to Bower City, a walled oasis sitting on the edge of California. Like most places that seem too good to be true, there are secrets in the city Lily wants to find.

Meanwhile Lily wants to learn more about the Woven and why they are the way they are. After claiming a wolf Lily realizes there’s more to them than just mindless killing machines.

To add even more stress Lily is grieving the loss of her Tristan in the last battle, and with Rowan back she’s harboring feelings that are bound to burst out.

Not As it Seems

This can account for most of the book.

In Bower City a lone witch named Grace seems to run the place although she has no claimed. It’s actually illegal, which doesn’t help Lily when she meets a skilled mechanic named Toshi who shows interest in her right away. Everyone in the city is healthy, older than they appear, and seem to live a peaceful life. Lily can tell right away there’s more than meets the eye as she and her coven try to find the secrets while under close watch of the Hive Sisters. 

Then there’s the Woven. It’s been my theory since day one that there’s more to them and the book answers the question within the first half. That doesn’t necessarily mean everyone is ready to give them a chance and causes strife within the coven.

Pesky Love Triangle

Even after Tristan’s death, Lily isn’t ready to fully embrace Rowan as the one for her. She blames herself, she blames him, and any reconciliation is pushed aside because Lily isn’t a forgiving person.

I just-I don’t particularly like love triangles and for most of the book I thought Tristan may be alive, because his death just didn’t get to me. I get people die in battles, but something about it felt off. In the end it didn’t matter because I don’t think Lily needed a love interest. Something I said since day one.

This world opened her up to the possibilities of life her home world couldn’t give. She’s stronger than she realized and a good leader. I don’t mind Rowan most of the time, but he just comes off as too perfect, to me. From his looks to his skills and being the (almost) perfect boyfriend. Tristan’s side felt forced. The, “I couldn’t tell you my feelings because you’re too good for me, but only now. Later in life I’ll be ready for you,” line infuriates me. I’ve ready numerous books with the playboy love interest actually having feelings, but is too much of a playboy to give up that way of life.

Getting away from that tangent…

I get in these circumstances the closeness between Lily and her claimed are bound to cause other feelings. I just never got out of my head that Rowan fell in love with Lillian and he’s just using Lily to still feel for the good Lillian before she changed. I know, they’re different. However Rowan does come face-to-face with Lillian for the first time causing some tension.

Overall

If you made it up to this point in the series then the last book won’t disappoint. Problems are solved and secrets are revealed. Stakes are high as Lily decides whether to keep her humanity or venture into villain territory just to keep her coven alive. It’s one of my favorite parts of any story: what part of you are wiling to give-up just to save others?

I’m glad I discovered this series and spent time invested in the characters. I get the feeling it will be a few days before I start another book, being that I’ll need time to grieve over the end of a series, but it’s all worth it. I imagine a re-read in the future.

I am going to get into spoilers just for a bit to talk about a few things that did bother me.

Just in case you read on.

Spoilers

To get back into the Tristan issue. It bothered me we went through the whole book seeing Rowan as a not-so-nice person for what he did to Lily and in the end it’s all because of selfish-Tristan wanting Lily for himself.

Is that in there so we don’t have to pick sides? To say, “Yeah in the end Tristan was a jerk and Lily deserves Rowan because there’s nothing wrong with him.” She spent that whole time grieving Tristan and in the end we don’t know what her feelings towards him actually are. Is she mad? Did she eventually forgive him? Did she have to?

Grace came off as a weak antagonist for me. In the beginning you knew she kept secrets but nothing to the point where she’s controlling Woven and the whole city. In the end the Hive Sisters posed a threat and despite learning to spirit-walk, they killed her. I get why, years of being controlled, but even that felt easy thanks to Lillian for turning herself into a bomb.

That’s all I have to say on the negative side. I like how Lily gradually became more powerful as the series went on and in a believable progression instead of all at once. Her possessing her coven is such a touchy subject and yet a good discussion and makes you wonder if you can cross that line in order to save your friends.

Finally the Woven. They interested me from the start and I like in the end we find out they’re not only intelligent and some can speak, but are willing to be claimed in order to gain their freedom. I can only imagine a strong future with Lily and the other witches brining equality amongst the people and the Woven.