Review Detail

Lira and Reyker have been separated once again. Lira is now under Draki's control, becoming his death-bringer and conquering nations in his name. After Lira altered Reyker's mind, his soul is fractured, and his memories are distant. He battle madness urges him to defeat Draki at all costs, even if that means making unforgivable choices. If the two of them want to break free of Draki and end the war for good, they will have to make brutal choices and may lose their humanity in the process.

SOULS OF FIRE AND STEEL is a heart-racing, brutal, and emotional conclusion to the Frozen Sun saga. While prior books have never shied away from the harshness and cruelty of the war Reyker and Lira are fighting, SOULS OF FIRE AND STEEL went way darker than expected. Morality turns completely gray, and Reyker and Lira both make hard, potentially unforgivable choices. As the war between the gods erupts, even winning the war might feel like a defeat with everything that is lost along the way.

The relationship between Reyker and Lira turned darker and messier as their individual choices threatened to ruin whatever love might be left between them. I loved how Criswell never sugar-coated how dire their situation was and how hard it would be for them to find their way back to each other. At one point, I wasn't even sure if they should be together or if the consequences of their decisions would make a life together impossible. Their relationship modeled some of my favorite themes in this series: the pain of accepting consequences; the long, winding road of healing; the power of hope and love for greater circumstances; and finding atonement in purpose.

SOULS OF FIRE AND STEEL concludes the Frozen Sun saga with tears, pain, loss, and love. Readers can expect to reach the other side of this series feeling emotionally wrung out but satisficed with a hard won ending.