The world building and research into Persian, Mongolian, and Indian politics — the push and pull of religion, food, money and power — are well done. But, for me, they didn’t quite shine the way I wanted them to. Adding magic and an undying collection of twelve mages did add some interesting moments, but it also took away from other characters as these mages working in the shadows were responsible for victories and failures rather than Temujin, for example, being a skilled strategist and ruler. It lessened every other character by turning them into inconsequential pieces with no real skills, no real value on their own. And, in all honesty, the characters were often my biggest issue with this book.

While I appreciate the complexity the author attempted, with so many cultures and people with their own machinations and plans, it felt very much like the plot took the focus away from the people that were, in theory, enduring these heartaches, overcoming these obstacles, living these lives. And, as someone who enjoys a character forward book, it made this one slower and more of an effort to read.

It’s not a bad book. It’s well researched and the writing is decent; the book is very easy to read … but it also left me uninvested. However, that’s just me. Other people may enjoy this a lot more, especially if you’re into a lot of action, some straight forward morality and politicking, some kind Christianity and a sapphic side couple. Unfortunately, this just wasn’t the book for me.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC.

Firstly, I LOVE and appreciate when authors provide a recap at the start of a book. It really gets you back in the world and story and characters. Being book 3 in a trilogy, it is always interesting to see how things finish up. The Sorrow of the Sea was an interesting and entertaining twist on the Mongolian Empire's invasion of Persia. I learn't things, while being entertained with fantastical elements! A highlight was the characters - varied, flawed and raw. The journey was emotional and rewarding. I enjoyed the politics and the way Stephen Aryan integrated the fantastical elements into true historical events. The pacing was a little slow at times, but I think this needed to be to capture everything. The writing was deceptively simple yet effective, although a little repetitive at times.

Thank you NetGalley and Angry Robot for a copy of The Sorrow of the Sea by Stephen Aryan, in exchange for an honest review.

I just finished The Sorrow of the Sea, and I'm so glad I gave it a read. It’s the third book in The Nightingale and the Falcon series, and while it builds heavily on the previous entries, it manages to hold its own emotionally. You can tell from page one that this story has weight — real, earned weight — and it carries that through every scene, every decision, every breath.

This is a story about rebellion, yes, but also about the why of rebellion — about survival, compromise, loss, and identity. You don’t get cookie-cutter heroes here. Everyone is torn in some way. Characters love deeply, betray painfully, and carry regrets like scars. The prose mirrors that mood beautifully — cinematic at times, intimate at others. Some scenes are quiet and personal; others explode with action or raw dialogue. It’s a balance that mostly works really well.

That said, the pacing can get sluggish, especially when the narrative dips into politics or strategy. Don’t get me wrong — the political depth adds richness, but it occasionally reads like a history lecture delivered mid-conversation. There were moments I found myself wishing the plot would just move. You’ll definitely feel the heft of this book, especially if you’re coming in cold or without a refresher from the earlier books. It doesn’t hold your hand — which I respect, but it might be a barrier for some readers.

Another small gripe: while the dialogue is strong and layered with emotion, it sometimes falls into repetition. Certain sentence starters or emotional beats reappear just a bit too often, particularly in tense scenes. It doesn’t ruin anything, but a bit more editorial trimming could make those moments land even harder.

Despite that, the emotional payoff is worth it. Relationships feel earned. Loss feels real. And the moral ambiguity? It’s brutal and beautiful. You get the sense that the author trusts the reader to sit with discomfort — to understand that sometimes, there’s no “right” move, only the one you can live with.

What impressed me most, though, is the diversity and cultural specificity. This isn’t your standard fantasy land — the worldbuilding pulls from Central and West Asian history and culture in a way that feels respectful, intentional, and fresh. It’s such a breath of air in a genre that often defaults to faux-Europe. The women in this story — especially — are powerful, flawed, emotionally complex, and absolutely central to everything. And that’s not an accident. You can tell they were written with care.

So no, this book isn’t perfect. But it’s doing something ambitious, and for the most part, it’s doing it well. It’s not a story that rushes to entertain — it simmers. And when it hits, it hits hard. You might need to slow down to fully appreciate it, but if you’re the kind of reader who enjoys sinking deep into a character’s head and sitting with the uncomfortable questions… this one will reward your patience.

Final thought? The Sorrow of the Sea doesn’t always make things easy — but it makes things matter. And that’s what sticks with me most.

I have loved this series and was really worried about how it was going to end, was it going to be a satisfying end to the story - I did not need to worry - what an ending to the series! WOW! I was hooked from start to finish
My only wish - that I could read it all again for the first time.

A gripping and satisfying end to the series. Most books of this kind are set in Western Europe, so it has been refreshing to read a series set in amidst the backdrop of Mongolia and Persia. I look forward to seeing what little-known areas of the world the author writes about next.

This final installment was a great end to an epic tale! I really enjoyed the characters and where they ended up. As with the previous books this one is also very well written, with complex characters and a full and detailed world where the magic that Is a part of the world felt natural. The story was intense and intriguing.

My only real criticism is that certain aspects of the story felt a bit rushed towards the end of the book. Hence why it gets a 4,75. But its a worthy end to a inventive series.

Thank you to the author and publisher for giving me access to this ARC.
(This review also appear on my storygraph account. )

The Sorrow of the Sea brings The Nightingale and the Falcon trilogy to a gripping and bloody end. Stephen Aryan throws us right back into the aftermath of The Blood Dimmed Tide, with no time to breathe as the story barrels forward. Temujin’s rise to power, Kokochin’s dangerous mission, and Kaivon’s mounting rebellion all collide in a fast-paced, high-stakes conclusion.

Aryan blends historical accuracy with a vivid magic system, and the result is epic. The political maneuvering, emotional fallout, and brutal battles all land hard. While the magic plays a bigger role this time around, it only adds to the tension and spectacle.

The best part? Aryan’s writing is lean but powerful—he delivers layered characters and huge plot moments without needing 800 pages to do it. This was everything I hoped for in a finale, and I’m already eyeing his backlist.

In The Sorrow of the Sea, Stephen Aryan wraps ups his trilogy that retells the Mongolian invasion of Persia with the author's stamp of magic, violence, and explorations of what comprises/drives people. I found this third volume the hardest to finish. As the series progressed, various storylines split off and took on lives of their own. The branches added to the world building but it meant that there were a bunch of threads to weave together. So, at turns, the pacing seemed slow because it was spending too much time on stuff that was not super meaningful within the arc of the story and other times the pacing seemed really rushed as major plot lines were almost summarily disposed of. Still an entertaining read and worth it for those (like me) who enjoyed the first two books!

One of my most anticipated reads for the year having thoroughly enjoyed the first two, and being accepted to read this early through netgalley was just cherry on the cake.

This book was exactly what the final book in the series needed to be. As we know about the characters and the world, the plot takes centre stage. Fast paced and gripping I couldn't put this down, from the actual plot, (which I won't spoiler) to the smooth transition from one POV to another, to even the cadence of the chapters, I just couldn't put it down. As well as providing the satisfying ending you yearn for.

Really quite liked that it didn't feel like there was a main and side characters it just felt like you were getting snippets of the past. It also felt quite cinematic, so much so that I wouldn't be surprised if netflix came knocking.

This is definitely the series that's got me into historical fantasy and I can now go and do a deep dive on Persian history.

The Sorrow of the Sea is the epic historical fantasy conclusion to the Nightingale and the Falcon trilogy.
Sorrow of the Sea starts right in the chaos that the Blood dimmed tide ended on, we pick straight back up into the thick of it with all the characters you know and love to hate.
As final books go this one is a masterpiece, taking the political and murderous parts of the previous books and wrapping them up in a blood soaked bow. Historical accuracy mixed with a fantastical twist make you crave more from this Mongol horde and the tag alongs you learn to love.
Gut punches and gasp aloud revelations aside Stephen’s writing is so accessible to read. With smaller page counts than most epic fantasy’s he manages to pack the same punch in half the word count and two thirds of the head scratches.
Whilst the series was wrapped up with precision there is still always a glimmer of hope that we can bully Stephen into revisiting this world of more people buy, read, and fall in love with his writing as I have this year. Here’s to carrying on with his back catalogue and catching up on everything he’s ever written.

I read The Judas Blossom and The Blood Dimmed Tide back-to-back in October 2024 and absolutely lost my mind over this series. There was a lot of pressure on The Sorrow of the Sea to wrap this trilogy up and live up to the first two books.

It’s a good thing that it not only lived up to but exceeded my expectations of this series. The Sorrow of the Seas is probably one of the most well-rounded finales that I have ever read. Every single thread was tied up perfectly.

What I loved about this book apart from being with one of my favourite characters ever, I’m not naming them because… spoilers. Is that TSOTS takes the best parts of The Judas Blossom and The Blood Dimmed Tide, entangles them and then raises the stakes to make one hell of a story.

This is the first series of Stephen Aryan’s work that I have read, and I will absolutely be going through his back catalogue soon. What I love about Stephen’s writing is his ability to pack a lot of plot and character building into moderate page count yet making it so accessible and easy to read without feeling like the book is written for a younger audience.

If you are looking for a rich and gritty historical fantasy that is based very much in the reality of the time look no further than The Nightengale and the Falcon Trilogy and spend some time in the Mongol Empire.

Wow. What a blockbuster ending.

The conclusion to this historical fantasy series held no punches in both its pacing and its brutality. The story drags you into the action right away and pulls you along the story until your breathless.

I love a historical fantasy. I love the blend of history and magic weaving together to create incredible possibilities. The magic really held the spotlight in this book, and I'm not complaining one bit. It was fascinating and exciting.

For this series, I feel like I was much more invested in the plot and the world/magic than I was in the characters, which made the story lose a bit of heart for me. I wanted greater connections and bonds between characters. But overall, it was filled with incredible storytelling and details.

The brutal conclusion to what’s been an entertaining historical fantasy. Stephen Aryan sticks the landing and ends things in a way that honor both the historic and fantastical elements of the story.

The Ilkhanate is now under the command of Temujin, and his time is already running out. Princess Kokochin finds herself on a mission that will take her far beyond Persia. General Kaivon has built a significant force, but as war threatens on the horizon, allies must be made from the unlikely places. For Timur is coming.

So this was an interesting finale. I haven’t read very many historical fantasy series, but this series is one of a few I’ve read recently and they collectively have made me realize how challenging a balancing act it must be when you’re putting together this kind of story. What side of the scale to you skew to? Do you try to keep it as true to historical fact as possible? Or do you dive headlong into the fantastical aspect and completely rewrite what the history texts currently say? Either way I think you go, you’re probably never going to please every body, but I think Stephen Aryan manages to find a solid path through that question, especially considering what he depicts is part of what’s ultimately a large story.

So of course I have to talk about the way the characters have been impacted by the previous book, and the two that standout for me are complementing scenarios that go to different ends of the sliding scale. On one side with have Kokochin. Where in the previous books she's had to harden herself to take on the tasks she sets her mind to, we see what that cost her in the previous book with the impact to her relationship, and in this book we see the way that bond helps her change once again to not only meet the demand but also retain a part of what made her who she is. On the opposite side of that we have Temujin. With the drastic challenges he faces and the lack of personal ties to ground him, we see him become warped by necessity into something that made for interesting reading.

And speaking of Temujin, I can't help but think on the way the fantastical conflict of this story gets wrapped up, and to be honest it feels a bit anticlimactic. One of the drawbacks of writing overpowered characters is that they have the ability to deal with most conflicts in a very easy, arbitrary fashion, and that's kind of what we see here as the conflict among the Kozan factions come to a head. For a group of people with a lot of history, you'd expect there to be ….. more, but instead things get wrapped up in a way I suspect a lot of people will find unsatisfactory.

As to how the book sets out to achieve the wrapping up of the story that Stephen Aryan has crafted so far, I think it does so in a satisfactory way. The book itself is fast paced, things happen rapidly and the word count is kept low which helps to accelerate the pace and tension between major moments. We get some very entertaining battle scenes I enjoyed quite a bit to close things out between the various human armies, and on the fantastical side the Kozan conflict gets strange and epic when the gloves come off. Its tightly written, and even with multiple arcs running concurrently it all wraps up and closes off in a way that makes it clear that this is an ending but not The Ending. After all, the Mongol Empire lasts for well beyond the time depicted in these novels, and the region will see much more conflict before that all comes to an end.

All in all, a fun installment to what's been a fun series. It does a great job of drawing on the history of the time to create an engaging story with some truly intense moments that make you realize just how far some of these characters have come, willingly or otherwise. A good ending.

NOTE: YT video review goes public on April 18th 2025

I have thoroughly enjoyed each book in this series and this latest installment was a great addition. The pacing is great and always catches my attention right from page one. Loved it!

I really love this series and have become a huge fan of the way Aryan writes.

The style is punchy, direct, and takes you straight into the action. I feel totally submerged into the story from page one, every time

This book is the finale, and Aryan sticks the landing. Everything that's come before has led to these grandstand moments.

The magic slightly takes over in this book, compared to the others. So, for those who love fantasy more than the historical, this will be the perfect blend.

I am now intending to work my way through all other Aryan books. A superstar in the making !

The first two books have a place of historical fantasy favourites for me.

Sadly, as you may be able to tell from my rating, this was my least favourite of the trilogy.
I think due to the nature of this historical, military fantasty, the ending would be explosive but risked becoming repetitive and predictable.

Temujin Khan, ruler of the Ilkhanate, killer of kin. What a turnaround his character has had - becoming the very thing he despised his father for.
Kokochin is working to disrupt the Mongol Empire from within, separated from Layla as she tries to find her way back after becoming someone she barely recognised. Capable of atrocious acts.
Kaivon and Esme support Temujin in a long-term plan to seek freedom for the nation states.

<b>“Think of them as growing pains,” said Kimya. “Even the bloodshed that is bound to follow.”
</b>
The narration felt more stilted in this instalment. Every sentence was short and snappy, but overly and repetitively so. It was matter-of-fact, tell instead of show, and gave it this emotionless tone.

The war between the two opposing factions of Kozan who support Order and Chaos felt like it should been the most explosive part of this yet I felt like this was sidelined and resolved too easily and quickly.

Perhaps this would have worked better as a more tightly compact duology, however I am always drawn in to Aryan’s writing and pacing. As I have said before, I don’t like action scenes but I enjoy Aryan’s!

This sounds like I hated it. I didn’t. I was just let down as I LOVED the first two.
P.S. if you haven’t, try his other books too!

Physical arc gifted by Angry Robot.

loved this book so much, one of my most anticipated reads of the year. really hoping stephen aryan publishes more stories set in this world/historical persia as it was honestly a straight 5 star read from the first page

- super fast paced straight from the start!! but easy to follow & the action scenes were well thought out in the way they were written. keeps you on the edge of your seat, no part of this book dragged
- loved all of the characters and POVs, they all felt like main characters with main stories into an overarching plot which was awesome. there wasn’t a single weak POV! they were also woven so well into each other.
- the magic system is just SO damn interesting in this book! it was easy to grasp yet still so mysterious, i’d love to find out more
- wrapped up the storyline’s really well, yet there was enough set up for future stories in this world

thanks to the publisher & netgalley for ARC in exchange for an honest review 🩷

Stephen Aryan has done it again. An excellent finale in what is a really solid historical fantasy series.

A satisfying end to Khans story and the conclusion had a bittersweet feeling that one enjoyed. I devoured this in two sittings as it was so exciting and filled with all the build up of previous fights and battles.

The Sorrow of the Sea by Stephen Aryan is such a good story. This book should be read by more people. It should be viral on socials. It was so so goog!!!