About the Book:
The riveting fantasy adventure from New York Times bestselling author Marc J Gregson comes to an explosive conclusion in Book Three of the Above the Black fantasy trilogy.
Mayhem has erupted in the Skylands. Uncle’s iron-fisted grip has eroded peaceful governance, and the Meritocracy hovers on the brink of civil war. Disowned once again, teenage hero Conrad is sent to invade the Below’s colonies—a perilous mission with almost no chance of survival, where Conrad is left for dead.
Rescued by an old enemy and escaping capture by sky pirates, Conrad finds shelter on a faraway island in the Eastern Airs. Under the guise of a new identity, Conrad undergoes training from the King’s enemies and takes to the dueling pits where he competes for the status to challenge Uncle once and for all. Can a dead prince rise again, or will Conrad succumb to the brutal horrors of his world? To rally support and overthrow a despot, Conrad will have to prove the Meritocracy won’t be trading one feckless tyrant for another.
Take a seat for the bloodiest of showdowns in the final installment of the Above the Black fantasy trilogy. Marc J Gregson’s action-adventure revels in gory monster battles, fierce duels, empathetic characters, and a morally gray dystopia that is strikingly imaginative.
*Review Contributed by Jan Farnworth, Digital Manager/Blog Assistant and Staff Reviewer*
Downfall book three in Above the Black series by Marc. J. Gregson is the literary equivalent of being shoved off an airship while someone screams, “GOOD LUCK” as explosions happen behind you.
This book does NOT believe in peace. Or emotional stability. Or letting Conrad sit down for five minutes.
Marc J. Gregson really looked at this trilogy and said, “What if the horrors continued… aggressively?” and honestly? Respect.
Conrad spends this entire book exhausted, hunted, traumatized, morally conflicted, and one bad day away from becoming an actual menace to society. Every chapter feels like watching a teenager carry the weight of an entire collapsing world while running on approximately three hours of sleep and pure survival instinct.
And somehow it works SO WELL.
The pacing is absolutely feral. The second you think everyone might finally catch a break, BOOM: political betrayal. Giant monsters. Arena violence. Emotional devastation. Airship warfare. More trauma. Nobody in this series gets to heal before the next disaster crashes through a wall.
The worldbuilding remains wildly cinematic. Floating cities, dangerous creatures, brutal class systems, rebellion plots — it all feels massive and vivid without losing the emotional core. Everything feels like it’s on the edge of collapse at all times, which makes every choice feel huge.
And the MONSTERS.
Marc J. Gregson writes creatures like he’s personally terrified of them. Every monster encounter feels stressful in the most “oh no, this is going horribly wrong immediately” kind of way. These are not casual fantasy beasts. These are “someone is about to need emotional recovery” monsters.
But underneath all the chaos, this book is really about fear. Fear of becoming cruel. Fear of losing yourself. Fear of failing the people you love. Conrad’s internal struggle carries this finale hard because he never feels invincible — he feels human, angry, terrified, and desperate to remain true to the kind person his mama raised him to be.
Also, the found family dynamics in this series continue to hurt my feelings professionally.
Everyone is loyal to each other in that deeply unhealthy “we would absolutely die for one another without hesitation” fantasy way, and I ate it up.
The action scenes are huge. The emotional damage is larger. The ending? Absolutely catastrophic for my mental stability.
This trilogy honestly feels perfect for readers who love:
brutal YA fantasy
morally gray characters
giant flying creatures
political rebellion
found family chaos
nonstop action
emotional suffering with vibes
Downfall is loud, relentless, emotional, and somehow still hopeful underneath all the destruction. A finale that feels like surviving a war and immediately needing therapy afterward.
*Find More Info & Buy It Here!*
