3.5

I enjoyed this final book in the Sisters of Sarras trilogy.
As always, many of the side characters shone very brightly, especially Serrah Nunez, who is my absolute favorite.
As for the main characters: Giselle had a great ARC and really good character development. While I found her slightly annoying in the beginning, luckily her character development began early. I’m still not happy with the way she treated especially Zara though.
Vale barely had any character development for almost the entire book and sadly the point at which she was going to get it, didn’t make it believable as it was so sudden. I get that it made sense for the plot, but it didn’t make sense for the character to be this sudden. She also was a bit of a flat character.
Still, I enjoyed reading this book and the plot sure was exciting.
I would have liked to see the mages, who all have chronic pain, to actually take the time to rest instead of constantly powering through. Also, the consequences for powering through were barely shown. So, while I loved getting disability rep in here, I wanted more from it, I wanted it to actually show how disabling it can be, because people without it don’t seem to understand that and think “powering through” is always possible and has minimal to no consequences.
All in all, while this was the weakest book in the trilogy, I still liked it and loved seeing all the characters from previous books come together.

Very quick read. I really liked how the author clearly and vividly articulated the story. There was enough detail to paint the picture of the world and characters, but not too much as to get confused or lost in parts of the story.

This was a nice ending to an engaging series and it was great to see all the characters from the previous books featured. The romance was a bit too instant for my liking but I very much enjoyed the storyline around the Firellian invaders and the kidnapped mages. The supporting characters were all very well developed and I felt like I was there with them trying to find the Firellians. I'd definitely recommend this series for fantasy lovers.

This was a very middle-of-the-road book for me. But I do know people I can recommend this book to that will love and enjoy it.

This review took me a while because I read the previous 2 books to get up to date. And I think this was a great conclusion.

I have a high taste in fantasy and this book and series hit all the right spots. The story grips you and I was interested throughout the book, and happy with the ending which normally I’m not when it comes to some fantasy books.

A tale that took me through a rollercoaster of emotions but had me cheering on Vale and Gisele the entire time. I loved the found family theme that showed how connected everyone in the group was. Each character is so unique and plays an important role in the story line. There's someone for everyone.

The mage and the monster is a fantasy and part 3 of a series, it would help to read the others first to be able to get a ‘feel’ for the other characters and world around them. I really enjoyed this series. Like I've I've said in other reviews, I promised myself at the beginning of the year, I would read out of my comfort zone. I'm glad I did, because I wouldn't have picked this series up. The characters are engaging, the story grips you and magic interests you.

I've given The mage and the monster a 4 out 5.

If like me, your not really into your fantasy, but are wanting to try something new, give this series a look.

This is a light fantasy story that is book 3 in the Sisters of Sarras trilogy. Gisele is the youngest of the three del Amanecer sisters. She is the most powerful mage in the Sarras empire. She is chosen by her government to go in a mission to rescue other mages that have been enslaved by the rival Firellian empire. The Firellians have captured these mages and are forcing them to destroy the Sarras empire by combining their magical powers into a stronger force. Vale is one of the mages that has been captured and she has so much empathy for her fellow prisoners that she is willing to sacrifice herself to free them.

Once again we have the automon Vox and all their cool magic and abilities to enjoy. And we have an evil automon that our heroes battle against.

Gisele and Vale have a very dramatic meeting at the start of the mission and an Insta love for each other. I like how Wright can bring out the feels that the characters have for each other and not need to write intimate details. It’s refreshing to just enjoy the light romance. Giselle starts out a bit self centered and spoiled but in getting to know Vale who is just the opposite personality, she becomes a better and more caring person.

I would definitely recommend reading these books in order to get a better feel for the light world building and to meet and enjoy the three sisters, their significant others and all the fun side characters.

I have truly enjoyed reading the novels in ‘The Sisters of Sarras’ series by Barbara Ann Wright. The Mage and the Monster is the current, and I believe the last tale in this epic set. I’m kind of sad about that because I’ve been delighted with all three books.

This novel tells the story of Gisele del Amanecer, the youngest of the three sisters. Gisele is a mage, one of the most powerful in the kingdom of Sarras. While she loves who she is, in a way it is also a disability, because each time she produces magic, it causes extreme pain to course through her body. The more magic she makes, the more agony she feels. It is the price she is willing to pay for doing what she loves. Gisele is asked to help save Sarras, her homeland by hunting down another mage who might be working for the Firellians, the enemy of Sarras. This mage, who Gisele believes is the one her sister met named Vale, could be as powerful as she is. Gisele’s life could be in danger, and so could her heart.

The story of Gisele and Vale is a fitting conclusion to this series. It takes the characters and the narrative of the first two books and pulls us into a story that includes danger, adventure, and war. It’s also a chance for some, including Gisele and Vale, to find love and acceptance. There are quite a few twists and turns in the plot. Sometimes it is even hard to figure out if some characters are good or bad. This tale will definitely keep you wondering as you read.

Though I am somewhat melancholy that this is probably the last book in the series, I’m very glad I was able to read and enjoy all three books. The Mage and the Monster is not a standalone novel, but since all of them are wonderful, I recommend you read them in order. You definitely want to read all three.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.

A very quick enjoyable read. Gisele is the youngest of the Del Aemanecer sisters and a mage who is quite powerful. I thought Gesele and Vale had amazing chemistry and I enjoyed their connection. I thought they were quite adorable together. The connection they had together helped Gisele to grow and be more powerful than she expected. It was a joy to watch her grow. I recommend 4.5 stars

Thank you, Bold strokes Books and NetGalley.

I unfortunately made the mistake of not checking whether this book was part of a series before requesting it. I did read about a quarter of it, felt very drawn into the story and thought it was a quick and engaging read, but ultimately decided to not finish reading it at this time as I was missing a lot of background knowledge.

I did not know anything about the magical system or the conflict at hand, which obviously wasn’t explained as this is part 3 of the series. It wasn’t difficult to follow the plot as it was and especially the character dynamics were very well developed and easily understandable, but the reading experience is just not the same. Therefore I have decided to return to this book at a later time after reading the first two books in the series.

DNF at 26%.

I think the worst age in the history of all ages is between 17 and 23. You are hanging on to the remnants of teenage angst, but still trying to find yourself. Gisele is the epitome of that age, without the annoying awfulness. Surprisingly, I loved everything about her. She is an angsty contrarian, and can’t manage to not push her sisters buttons. It’s hilarious. This book is more of a love story to the sisters and all their weird relationship quirks. Gisele and Vale are cute, but I ate up everything about the family dynamic in this last chapter of the series.

I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.


An excellent conclusion to the trilogy. Gisele is the youngest of the sisters and this is her story. Gisele thinks she knows best because she quite powerful and thinks her way is best because of this she comes off as a brat. As she looks for Vale who in my opinion is equal to her she starts to see it’s nothing wrong then asking for help and working together and throughout the story Gisele starts to grow and it’s Vale love and belief in her that makes her powerful.

I love this series I like how every characters has part to play no one is better than the others. I love that each sisters found a love that builds them up and vice verses. A great end to this trilogy I’ll miss theses characters.

An excellent conclusion to the trilogy, I will miss the three sisters and the world Wright created for them.

Each of the three books centers around one of three sisters, but there is a continuing storyline as well so I recommend reading them in order. Especially in this third book, to fully understand everything that’s happening you need to have read at least part 2 ‘The Scout and the Scoundrel’ which was actually my favorite of the three books, so go ahead and read it.

The three sisters live together, they have completely different personalities and ambitions making each of these three books unique. Adella (book 1) is the oldest and the politician of the family, she’s also a mother figure to Zara and Gisele. Zara (book 2) is the middle sister and the soldier and protector of the family, she’s neurodivergent and often misunderstood in her structured way of living and difficulties with reading emotions. She was my favorite of the three sisters. Finally, there is Gisele the mage and I always like magic, so I thought I would find her character most interesting. Imagine my surprise that I was actually getting quite annoyed with her at the start of the book. As the baby sister she wants to prove herself, to convince her sisters of her great magical abilities and prove she doesn’t need their help. However, in her cries for respect she achieved the opposite and I found her a petulant whining child. But keep on reading, because she redeemed herself later and I liked how the character development played out. I have to say that’s also because of the major influence of Vale, the woman that is able to catch Gisele’s interest for longer than a day. Vale is one of the purest characters I’ve ever read and it’s hard not to like her. Although her savior complex did reach suicidal tendencies at some point (to clarify, she is almost certain she is meant to give her life to protect others). Anyway, I enjoyed the chemistry between Gisele and Vale, they are so different and similar at the same time.

There are a lot of side characters, of course all sisters and their significant others, and the Vox of which I will not say too much because that could spoil the fun, but this is once again a most interesting character and I applaud how Wright has written them. And last but not least, gender fluid Serrah Nunez, who brings color and flavor to the most desperate places.

With all the Sapphic books recently being published, there are still not too many adult fantasy books with plenty of action and entertainment, so I’m happy to see series like this being published. The books in this series touch upon some serious topics but are generally light and a lot of fun to read. I easily recommend reading them.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is about the youngest del Amanecer sister, Gisele, a mage. A cocky, arrogant and yes quite whiney mage. A mage who is apparently quite powerful and thinks she knows best. Who wants Zara’s automaton, the Vox Feram, to experiment with despite the Vox not wanting this. So far (which is not that far into the story) I do not like Gisele.
Having read further Gisele has improved, especially after meeting Vale. As has her attitude to the Vox. So Gisele shows her true character and spirit as she is inspired by her love for Vale. I did enjoy this, as I did the other 2 books in the series.

With the release of The Mage and the Monster, Barbara Ann Wright brings The Sisters of Sarras trilogy to a bittersweet close. Don't get me wrong, it's a wonderful fantasy, a lovely romance, and a fitting end to the saga, but I'm deeply saddened to be saying goodbye to Adella, Zara, and Gisele. I loved these women, I loved the women they loved, and I absolutely adored the gender fluidity of loud-and-proud Serrah Nunez.

Although Gisele was my least favorite of the sisters, Vale was my favorite of the women who love them, so it's no surprise that I found this final installment so engaging. Both the most fantastic and the most romantic of the three books, this is a direct continuation of The Scout and the Scoundrel, and that means danger is on the doorstep, with mages to be rescued and a magical mystery to be solved.

Part of what I've loved about this series is that the sisters are not your typical fantasy protagonists. They're not legendary heroes or chosen ones, they're not perfect, and despite what you might expect of the genre, they're not outsiders either. Gisele deals with chronic pain in much the same way Zara dealt with being neurodivergent, and that's naturally, without pity or sympathy. They're recognized for who they are, but nobody even thinks to call attention to what they are.

As for the fantasy aspect, we get daring escapes, magical battles, secret weapons, and even some political maneuvering. Every character has a part to play, with diverse personalities that bring the story to life. Some of those scenes are large in scale, but the whole story has an intimacy to it, a focus on one-on-one conflicts that keeps the reader centered. The romance, as I mentioned, is absolutely wonderful, with Vale and Gisele opposites in so many ways, and yet alike in so many others. One has never felt worthy of love, and one has never allowed herself to love, but the way they come together is lovely.

For a while I was wondering how Wright could possibly wrap up everything before the end, but somehow she manages to touch on all the important threads, taking the happy-for-now endings of the first two books and giving us a happily-ever-after with The Mage and the Monster. A satisfying conclusion to a series that has delighted and surprised with every turn of the page.