2008-05-15 a cracking end to a vivid trilogy.

I can't believe no one has reveiwed this book! It is a travesty not to let the world at large know how good this series is.
Alright, anything with elves and mages is bound to scare off a few people and rightly so, with a very few exceptions they are generally terribly cliched. Don't be put off, this is one of the exceptions.
What makes this series and this book so fantastic, is the vivid description and utterly beautiful characterisation, so much expected of an author like Lackey. Her heroes are flawed, honest and delightful, the world well fleshed, well peopled and full of contradictory magics and horrors.
This last book ties up a epic journey into knowledge and honour and all of the characters stories are satisfyingly resolved. If you like an angsty, deep and darkly sorrowful ending, this will disapoint as it only just touches on those emotions, leaving the reader instead feeling equally uplifted and gutted that the story should be over.

There is a follow on series, but beware, it lacks the depth and animated characters of the Obsidian Trilogy.