Fate of the Drowned by Carrie Summers

I love Cheetos… only the puffy kind, but still.  It’s an epic love affair.  I almost never buy them because I eat them all in one sitting and then hate myself immensely.  What does this have to do with this book?  We’ll get there, I promise.

In this third, and final installment, of The Broken Lands Series, we follow Savra and Kostan as they work together to save Atal from darkness and annihilation that threatens the lives and land of the empire.  Fighting Parveld, former friend and now foe, Riftspawn, awful beasts created through tainted magic, and their own fears, will Savra and Kostan prevail in this war?

If you want to catch up, feel free to check out my reviews of the first two books here: Heart of the Empire, Rise of the Storm.

The story is told through several different viewpoints.  In book one, I mentioned that it’s a little hard follow because of the sheer number of storytellers.  Book three has fewer people to follow, so that makes it easier, but the timeline is fluid as we move between our characters, so stay on your toes and you’ll be fine.  Also, I think it’s super interesting that Carrie Summers uses third person for all characters except Savra and Kostan.  I’ve read stories told in multiple voices in both 3rd person or in 1st person, but never mixed.  It’s unique, and I like it.

Ok, a few things I didn’t love…

• There were more typos/misspellings/forgotten words in this installment than the previous two.  Not a ton, but still; it almost felt as though it was rushed to get it out.  These are easy fixes, but still pull from the story; and since I enjoyed the story, I really wanted to just live in it without disruption.
• The first book talks of a potential betrayal from a uniquely haired lady.  There’s the obvious choice, Savra, and then another option that pops up in this book, but since it’s only a potential betrayal, there’s not a ton more time spent on this.  I don’t know why I locked onto this, but I did.  And the fact that there wasn’t more developed here made me sad.  I was ready for some drama… well more drama (maybe different drama?) than what was already in the story.
• The magic’s source at the end.  It was a little corny… but at the same time, I’m a sucker for some corniness, so I also kind of liked it.

Now, things I did love…

• The magic at the end.  I’m a romance reading, Hallmark watching, cheesiness loving individual.  I got a little teary eyed at the lesson being brought home, so I liked that.
• Carrie Summers is excellent at writing action that draws you in.  I made the mistake of grabbing a bag of Cheetos (they were on sale this week, and I’m a weak individual) as I was finishing the last 15% of the book.  I emerged from my book coma covered in Cheeto dust and shame… but also satisfaction.  Not just at having consumed a ridiculous amount of delicious, puffy Cheetos, but also at how completely submerged in the story I had become.
• Family – So often in fantasy, our hero/heroine has to be a sad/angsty/revenge-filled orphan.  This didn’t follow that trope strictly, and I really enjoyed that it diverged from that path.  It’s ok to have other motivations driving the story forward.  I think Carrie Summers found a good balance of that.

So, what did I think about the conclusion of our epic adventure? It’s definitely solid.  Rise of the Storm (book 2) is my favorite, but overall, I think this is a good series for fantasy lovers out there.