Thank you to Netgalley, Vic James and Pan MacMillan for my ARC of Bright Ruin.
This review is spoiler free.

This was one of the most intense finale's to a trilogy that I have ever read. I'm feeling all the feels right now! It was everything!

I fell in love with this series last year when I read The first two books in this series in quick succession I've been dying for this book all year so I can't even describe how happy I was to receive an arc!

It really didn't disappoint, it took me a couple of chapters to catch my brain back up to what had happened in the last books but I soon caught on and was pulled back I got the story. Silyen is definitely still my favourite I've just got this whole thing for the 'I don't care a fig about politics just like to do my own thing' vibe. And I loved the banter between him and Luke, there were some seriously interesting developments in this one!

The story really heated up in this one too, around the middle I started to wonder what was actually going on, I seemed to be running out of pages without a seeming end to the story but wow did it come with a huge emotional rollercoaster at the end!

I can't wait to see what Vic James comes up with next and I really wish this wasn't the end for the guys from this series, I need more!

Well oh my gosh, that was the conclusion to The Dark Gifts trilogy and what a wild ride it was. This trilogy is not without its faults, and I do have my pickings with this book too, but that didn’t stop me from loving it all the same. The whole trilogy for me is a solid 4 stars.

This book continues shortly after the ending of Tarnished City. Abby has headed out of London with Gavar, her sister and his daughter while Luke is in the clutches of the enigmatic youngest heir Silyen with his new, not so trustworthy, companion Dog. I say clutches but Luke isn’t complaining. It is interesting to see how the roles of the siblings have changed. Where first Luke was the revolutionary rebel and Abby the one with sentiments towards one of the Jardines, this has completely turned. Abby is now part of the movement against the government, trying to bring them down. Luke on the other hand is with Silyen, discovering things about the Skill, all thoughts about bringing down a government gone and only cares about protecting his loved ones.

It is a bit of a wild ride, this book. I wasn’t quite sure how things were going to end. Who was going to die? How would they bring down the government? What would be everyone’s role? Would Jenner turn back to the good side? (I’m still bitter about that from Tarnished city, just so you know, forever bitter.) It doesn’t perhaps have the most surprising twist in imagination but I think it was built up to rather well. I don’t feel this book was quite so dark as Tarnished City felt. There was still plenty of death but Tarnished City had a more depressing mood to it.

But I have to say that what made the book for me was FINALLY having Silyen and Luke in multiple scenes together. Their banter, Silyen’s flirting, Luke’s exasperation, Dog’s amusement at the two of them. It made this book for me. I loved every minute, and my gosh, could this book not just have been the two of them? And you know what, the thing happens people. The thing happened that I was hoping for since the first time Silyen showed any interest in Luke way back in Gilded Cage. And you all know what the thing is, right?

But my pickings with this book. One of them is that I feel like not everyone gets what is coming to them. Some people don’t take responsibility for their actions at the end there. There is a lot one can say about Gavar, but at least he did that. As a result some do NOT get the consequences that are coming to them and remain in a position I’d rather not see them.

My second picking is that I feel like what happened at the ending regarding skill was left too much in the middle. Like I know what happened in the main lines, but I want more details. I wanted the point of view of the person that did it. But of course just in this instance we don’t get that. It left me feeling a bit dissatisfied with the ending.

And lastly, this is a picking that I had throughout the whole series, I just don’t care about Bouda. Nothing motivated me to like her. There was nothing for me there to root for. Well except maybe her death. I think as a mom this might have been a big part because of how she views Gavar’s daughter. Like dirt beneath her feet. It was disgusting.

In this final book, the stakes are higher than ever and the nation needs to be remade, but in what way? Is it possible for things to reform and improve for everyone? Powers are growing, unimaginable truths thought to be hidden forever are being discovered and unlikely alliances are formed. With so many schemes, plots, double crossing and ulterior motives, I almost gave up trying to figure out who to trust and decided to just go with the flow.
I enjoyed this final book almost as much as the first two but was upset with how many characters died in this one. I almost started expecting it whenever something big was happening. The ending was both satisfying and frustrating at the same time.

4.5 stars

review to come closer to publication date as requested but I will say this does not disappoint. A very satisfying conclusion to the trilogy.

Bright Ruin, Vic James

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre: Sci-fi and Fantasy

Well, I loved books one and two and was desperate to read this. These characters, this strange UK feels so real. My heart was breaking for those caught up in the Equals power struggle, their determination to keep unSkilled commoners where they feel they belong, serving Equals as slaves for ten years of their lives. There's a section on Abi's thoughts that's so relevant to today's Real Britain, not just Vic's fantasy one. It was very resonating to me and I have to quote it.
“ Abi knew many would approve of such expulsions. This narrative fitted into the bigger lie Wittam Jardine was telling the British people. If folk felt poor, it was because of these sponging refugees, not the greed of the Equals. In the same way, those that protested against the slavedays were being cast as the lawbreakers, when it was the days themselves that were unjust.”
We have that same kind of thinking now, and I guess that's why I was so easy to suck into Vic's alternative Britain, and why it felt real. I could see events playing out this way, the careful manipulation of facts, the scapegoating, the laying of blame in certain quarters, and the behind the scenes atrocities that the Equals claimed were necessary to keep the peace. Or at least the status quo where the one per cent of the population flourished supported by the 99 per cent unSkilled....
We learned things about a certain character that explained why others had acted in a way that felt unusual, not what they would do willingly. I certainly hadn't seen that as being the cause!

Jenner, I so liked him in book one, was astonished and heartbroken at his actions in book two, and here we can see his motives.
Gavar, in book one I found him cold to everyone but his daughter Libby, and finally I understood him a little better. I was so sad about Libby's mum and wondered why he did what he did, finally there's an explanation for his actions.
Silyen, the enigmatic character, you never really know what he's thinking, he does things that seem heroic but for completely different reasons than ones we'd think essential, and he treats life and death very lightly. He's extraordinarily skilled though, incredibly complex and half the time his mind is on other worlds, such as when he was with his aunt in her world while she was comatose.
That other worlds bit comes quite prominent here, and reminded me of another book I read. Annoyingly I can't recall the title but it involved parallel worlds or dimensions, kind of like a fold in fabric reveals different layers. I got to reading about the whole real theory they could exist, that one centred around tesseract principles but there is a whole scientific ream of thinking that these could exist in many different ways.
We see much more of Abi, Luke and Dog here too and I can't help having a soft spot for Dog. He's done some awful things, but had atrocities perpetrated on him.

I felt at times the story got a little battle heavy, not the breathtaking displays, the actual actions but in the endless battle planning, dealing, double dealing and for me that was a bit...dull. ( and I skim read those bits* blush *) Battle planning never is my favoured parts of stories. It didn't detract from the whole though, and I'm sure there are readers who love all that minute detail.

Its a terrific conclusion, a battle royale, full of surprises at every turn, and an heroic ending. Made me think of just what happens next, how does Britain continue, and what life holds for those we've come to know and love ( and hate in the case of some of them!)
That last sentence though, that last tiny action made me so, so happy ;-) for certain characters, I like to think they got a HEA.

Stars:Five, fantastic read, excitement, drama, some breath stealing suspense, that left me floundering to work out just how it could all wrap up. How on earth was Vic going to sort this world out, how could things work out better for the unSkilled, when would all the atrocities end.
I loved the scenes with Luke, Silyen and the King. Oh, and That Kiss, it was a long time coming....

ARC supplied by Netgalley and Publishers

Oh my! What a series and what a finale - Vic James has created a masterpiece of a world that resonates so strongly with our current times but is equally thrilling in its magical potential. My only hope is that she will allow us to remain in this universe and write another trilogy either from Luke Silyen and Coira's perspective, or give us a fresh take from Daisy as she gets older and people with skill.

This isn't a review per se - our platform, Novellc, is actually an app for book clubs and readers where we curate a personalized bookstore for every reader based on their particular taste. This trilogy is a firm recommendation from us for all our Fantasy readers.

Content warning: Gore, Torture (mention of), Violence (there are more so please do ask if you have any questions).

This book is complicated. Scratch that, this series is complicated. Vic James takes the idea of a multiple POV and then adds in all the politics and backstabbing and double-crossing you can possibly imagine. I rarely knew from one page to the next who I trusted and who was fighting for who (or what) – and I totally loved every second of it. This won’t suit every reader and I know some people like things to be a little clearer but I just adore being surprised and this series surprised me.

It’s hard to pin down exactly what I loved about this book. I think in part it’s the pacing? The use of multiple POV is ideal for this as you must keep reading to find out what happens to one character, which then gets you hooked on the story of another, it makes for a compelling read. I also found that the balance between action and the quieter moments was well done.

Another thing that this story does well is that, even if you can’t quite keep a handle on who anyone is allied with, the motivations of individual characters is clear. I’ve (almost) always found it to be true that if you understand what motivates a character you will, therefore, be able to understand them and relate to them, even if you don’t agree with them. For example, I dislike Bouda’s actions in this story, can’t stand the woman, but I understand her, I get why she does the things she does and it is for that reason that I still like her as a character and I like the part she plays within this story.

I was rooting for a happy ending to this series even though I knew I was unlikely to get one. What I did get was a powerful, action-packed, surprisingly hopeful story that had a few elements that I don’t think I would have predicted at the start of this story. Back when I read Gilded Cage I compared it to The Hunger Games but two books on the two series are so disparate that comparison doesn’t work at all. This is a different kind of revolution, more focussed on events that happen around the main characters, events that they may help to create but they aren’t chosen ones or leaders, just people.

For fans of this series, I have no doubt that this book will break your heart. For those with a passing interest, this is a strong YA book that will entertain you. Concluding trilogies is always a tricky task, to pull together the hundreds of threads of character, politics, mythology, magic and more into this final ‘knot’ was something I wouldn’t have thought possible. But here we are at the end of the series.

My rating: 5/5 stars

I received a digital advanced review copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

What an absolutely stunning ending to the Dark Gifts Trilogy. From beginning to end I was filled with a sense of anticipation and dread, fearing the fate that awaited my favourite characters. Vic certainly didn't disappoint! - Full review to follow