10/10
WARNING: SPOILERS
I didn’t expect to get my hands on the final installment in the Foiled Stars trilogy until it came out – so imagine how thrilled I was when Stag Beetle Books sent me an eARC of The Lost Empress by Jennifer Ascienzo.
I read and reviewed ARCs of both the first and second in the series, so I was itching to see if the third one answered all my questions and wrapped the trilogy up in a satisfying way.
The Lost Empress kicks off with Autumn abducted by a cruel alien and Dante in deep trouble with the Grand Supreme. And those in trouble with the Grand Supreme don’t usually live for very long…
What I loved…
The action. Jennifer did a great job keeping the tension amped up, especially during the early part of the story where Autumn and Armienti are trapped on a frozen planet. When the main character is wandering around an ice world, there’s a danger that the storyline can become quite monotonous (ice, ice, ice, danger, near-death, eventual rescue). However, Jennifer keeps the story tense.
Character development. In this final book, we really see Autumn’s shift from innocent young girl to grown woman. It’s bittersweet but satisfying to watch her make decisions as an empress. We see her learn that tough choices have to be made for the greater good and it’s a sad but necessary fact.
Mr Hiss. Autumn’s pet once again has a starring role and, if you’re like me and hate books where the animals get hurt, I am delighted to report nothing bad happens to Mr Hiss.
The twists. An unexpected reveal regarding Maeve really kept me on my toes and shocked me.
What I didn’t love so much…
I am being ultra-picky with this one! The phrase “the hairs on the back of his/her neck stood at perfect attention” is repeated multiple times throughout the book. I feel variations on that theme would have added variety.
The traitor. The main villain, an alien called Izzo, said that there was a traitor in Dante and Autumn’s palace – but their identity was never revealed. I’m going to re-read again and see if I just completely missed it (not being terribly good at getting subtle hints.) However… I am wondering if this does leave room for another installment in the series – perhaps a sequel?
All in all, even though I do have a few unanswered questions, this was a very satisfying conclusion to the trilogy. The action and drama was realistic and enjoyable. I particularly love Jennifer’s writing style, which consists of very short chapters. This makes it perfect for reading quickly on the train to work or during a lunch break – and you make progress through the book without realising how far you’ve come.
Thank you very much, Stag Beetle Books, for the eARC. The Lost Empress is out on September 22 and you can keep up with the latest news on Jennifer’s Instagram.