This is a fantastic final instalment in the Shattered Sand series. The characters are once again so well written, the plot is compelling throughout and the writing is fantastic. I love this world and hope that we get more books set in it in the future. Highly recommend this series.

Well, we’ve come a long way baby and I wouldn’t have missed it for anything. The final book in the Song of Shattered Sands saga and I put off reading it for ages, I didn’t want to be disappointed, I didn’t want to say goodbye, I didn’t want it to be over. Breaking up is so hard to do. I have loved this series, it’s been one of my all time favourites since I bought the first book on a whim because the girl on the cover with her two swords and her swishy hair looked like a badass and I was not wrong. Çeda remains one of my favourite heroines and in this last book she doesn’t let me down. Çeda in her white wolf get up telling the tribe leaders to swivel will be the energy I channel for anytime I’m in a situation feeling less than confident. Such a mood. She of course would be nothing without her backup dancers Team Çeda are totes squad goals.
This last book brought everything to a close, this has been a huge sprawling epic that has grown so many arms and legs I had to remind myself how it all started with Çeda and her quest for revenge. We have come so far from that which is both good and bad. Good because all our characters grow and change and bad because with so much ground to cover we get less and less of the characters we love. I would say this struck quite a good balance we got enough of everyone to be satisfied I think, as well as moving the plot on. Although never enough Emre - it was ever thus. The ending itself was suitably grand but still personal enough to heft some emotional weight. And he didn’t leave us hanging which I am forever grateful for, reading an epic and getting an ambiguous ending is the worst, this was all tied up nice an neat.
So SIGHS it’s all over folks. It’s been a blast.

Please note that this book is not for me - I have read the book, However I had to DNF and because i do not like to give negative reviews I will not review this book fully - there is no specific reason for not liking this book. I found it a struggle to read and did not enjoy trying to force myself to read this book.

Apologies for any inconvenience caused and thank you for the opportunity to read this book

I have to admit that after book four I wasn’t holding out much hope for the end of the series because it was rather disappointing, but my hopes were raised after reading book five. Thankfully, A Desert Torn Asunder managed to live up to my expectations and Beaulieu has managed to deliver a suitably epic finale to the series that was both satisfying and enjoyable.

At the end of book five, a defeated Meryam decided she was going to raise a god so the finale of the book sees all of our protagonists having to band together to stop her from killing everyone.

A Desert Torn Asunder wraps the story plot points up nicely. The characters you want to see succeed do and the ones you want to meet a horrible end do so everything manages to balance out nicely. I liked that Çeda plays more of a role in this book than in the previous two, sometimes it felt like she was just window dressing at points but she plays an active role in the conclusion of the series which is a very good thing because I really like Çeda.

The other characters are also just as good in this book and I have really enjoyed reading their journeys throughout the series. I am happy that the characters I liked ended up in a good place at the end.

Much like the other books, I really enjoyed Beaulieu’s writing. It’s interesting and the pacing, although slow in places, works for the type of series he was writing. I remember thinking, early on when I first started reading the series, that it was very slow but, looking back now, it works for the most part (except with book four, that definitely needed more plot).

All in all I really enjoyed A Desert Torn Asunder. The stakes were raised and the characters overcame their problems in an exciting and satisfying way. I like that the story is complete but there is scope for more to happen in that world if Beaulieu chooses to revisit it. I enjoy the characters and I have loved following them on their journeys and, while the series has had a couple of flaws, on the whole I have found it to be a very enjoyable read.

It is still very underrated, though, in my opinion.

Read it in a go this week-end!! Wow a masterwork of an ending and I could say the same about this series. The journey this characters did go through, the stakes of the story, the epicness of it. One of my top fantasy series of all time. I thought it would be, but now, over, it definitely is!! Still I'm a bit sad this is over... I'm curious to see what Bradley Beaulieu will come out with next time!