Shadowheart

All in all I'm pretty disappointed in this series. It's just too damn long. Tad always writes long winded, but I can usually justify it but this series should be half as long. I thought the first 2 books were really good and I was very interested but I think Tad decided to change the path of the plot to differentiate this series from Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn but I hated it. I give this series as a whole 3 stars

The concluding volume in the Shadowmarch series is right up there with the previous books, however, I didn't find the finish quite as satisfying as I'd hoped. I still enjoyed the journey, don't get me wrong, but I was hoping for more resolutions and less left up in the air with so many characters. The world Tad Williams created is still the best part of this series. From the dwarf-like Funderlings to the Rooftoppers to the pantheon of gods and goddesses, the series is filled with amazing creatures and creations and chock full of the fantastic - something I really enjoy in Tad Williams writing. All of these creatures and people coming together in the end is probably the most satisfying thing in this final volume, but the completion of it all left a bit to be desired. I was really hoping for certainty in the futures of the characters we've followed through four books, and I felt like didn't happen. Briony and Barrick's futures seem just as uncertain as they were when the whole thing started. In this case the journey is actually better than the destination. I still enjoyed the series over all and think that Tad Williams is very underrated fantasy author, there are a lot of gems to enjoy in this series and it is worth checking out.