Lucero

4.5 Stars. I really enjoyed this book and thought it was a great conclusion to a very interesting trilogy. I do have some complaints, like how there was a lot of repetition throughout the book; of the same metaphors, the same quotes the characters said only a few chapters ago, and the same internal revelations. I also wish the book would have explained exactly what it means for Dezmin and Alfie becoming the gods of light and dark and their powers. Can they see one another? Why is Alfie the only god that seems to travel the surface world instead of hanging out in the heart of the world? Also, what does it mean for Dez and Alfie that they are not made of larimar like the other gods? In the epilogue, it said that Finn and Alfie had children, but she would disappear for long periods of time on relic-recovering adventures. Was she just leaving her children without their mother that entire time?

I do also have to share my praises; this was the fastest I have read a book in a long time, and it kept me engaged the entire time. The scene with Alfie asking permission to love Finn is so sweet. I almost cried multiple times because of how many loved ones the characters lost and how many different ways they were forced to confront their grief. Finn finally getting the carefree life she deserves after Alfie has made peace with his past is so beautifully sweet that I almost cried here too. The last lines about the future maybe having a new story for Alfie are so well crafted that I felt that surge of hope and possibility that I imagine Alfie felt. After a story filled with so much loss and devastation, I am really glad it ended on a positive, heartening, and peaceful note.

The only reason I cannot give the book 5 stars is because of the numerous questions I have concerning Dez and Alfie's godly status. It is a huge change to these characters that is not elaborated on at all.

I would like to write a book one day that makes readers feel things deeply like Maya Motayne did with me.