Witch's Pyre (Worldwalker #3)

                Hello happy readers!  So today I have my thoughts on a series ender I have been meaning to read for a while and finally did.  I read the first book of the trilogy and loved it.  Same for book two until the end just broke me and left me nervous about continuing on.  Then my bestie wanted to borrow a book and saw the cover for book one and asked if I had read this series (because yes I have plenty of books on my shelves I haven’t read and thus not a huge fan of loaning out those until I have read them first) and I had the first couple so I let her borrow book one.  I had planned to read the final book this year anyways so this would give me incentive.  Mind you the last time she was reading a book it took forever and a day for me to be able to talk about it but this one she flew through in a couple days.  So I had to get on it and that weekend at work I finally read the amazing finale for the Worldwalker trilogy by Josephine Angelini, Witch’s Pyre.  I have previously reviewed the first books:  Trial by Fire & Firewalker.

 Rating:  5 Willstones

                Lily has come a long way from the sick girl she used to be in the world we know.  She has traveled worlds, gained power as a witch, become a leader, and faced dangerous travels and battles.  She has also lost a lot.  Her first crush and best friend and in a different way the man she loves after he betrayed her in the worst possible way.  Now Lily and her coven are introduced to a new society unlike anything they have ever seen.  A society that lives with the Woven but something isn’t right in the perfect utopia and Lily is determined to find the answer.  Along the way she begins to uncover a deeper truth.  There is still nuclear war to be prevented and many sides to fight on.  Can Lily find a way to victory that doesn’t turn her into the tyrannical other her, Lillian or cost the lives of all those she cares for?

                So when I went into this book I was nervous.  At the end of the last book Rowan did something horrible.  He betrayed her in the worst possible way to me.  He took her will stones from her and locked her in a cage.  Knowing that she was still haunted by her last similar encounter and promising to protect her from such a fate being the one to do it made him dead in my eyes.  So I was worried he’d show up and magically be forgiven and all is well.  I wasn’t near ready to forgive him.  Even waiting almost two years between books as soon as I saw his name my anger was right back at peak level for him.  But I was so thrilled that the story didn’t go that way.  There was so much happening and I loved the way things played out.

               

                This new city that has been thriving all these years.  The discovery of a whole world who knew they were there but didn’t try to help.  There is a lot going on and a lot of mystery and intrigue happening.  I liked getting to know more about the others and the coven bond as it grew stronger for some and weaker for others.  When Rowan did show up, because we knew he was, it was natural for me.  The way the story plays out is so much better than I could have imagined.  There is the conflict outside our little coven from all the challenges they face but also within as everyone in the coven has their own baggage and thus react differently to things. 

                I really enjoyed getting to see a wider aspect of the world in this book.  We see the west coast but we also learn about how the rest of the world is doing.  It is such a vast contract to how they were doing in the colonies.  We also got to learn more about the Woven and the different types and what makes them unique.  We traveled a ton and used up some serious magic as the plots were uncovered.  It was a thrill ride for me.  I got the character work I have come to love in this series but I also got the action we expect as the series comes to an end and so many irons are in the fire.  Battle is on the horizon and lines have been drawn. 

               

                I saw several things coming from the start but others caught me off guard in the best way.  There was death and tears but also life and joy.  I covered the emotional spectrum in this for sure.  The end was very fitting and really encompassed what we had been building towards.  There is a real payoff in the end and while I would love to go back into the world and continue to see the “after” and more from those who made it I am also completely at ease with the end.  There was nothing that was really left hanging everything was pretty much covered and I am so happy with how things happened.  So many characters got some great arcs overall with real depth.  It was amazing.  I highly recommend this series!!!

                Until next time…

~Waiting on Wednesday~ Witch's Pyre

                “Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.  Basically books that are not yet out that we are dying to get our hands on.  This week’s pick is:

Witch’s Pyre (Worldwalker #3) by Josephine Angelini

Out: 9/1

From Goodreads: (Spoilers for the first 2 books)

                Lily Proctor has come a long way from the weak, sickly girl she used to be.  She has gained power as a witch and a leader, found her way home, chosen to face battle again, and (after losing her first love and being betrayed by her new love) she has learned more about loss and grief than she ever wanted to know.

                Thrust once again into a society different from anything they have ever seen, Lily and her coven are determined to find answers—to find a new path to victory, a way to defeat the monstrous Woven without resorting to nuclear weapons or becoming a tyrannical mass murderer like her alternate self, Lillian.  But sometimes winning requires sacrifices…and when the only clear path to victory lies at Lillian’s side, what price will Lily be willing to pay?

                Internationally bestselling author Josephine Angelini takes us on another emotionally wrenching thrill ride in the stunning conclusion of her Worldwalker Trilogy.

Why I’m Waiting:

                I’ve been reading this series since the start.  I had an ARC of the first book Trial by Fire (review) and fell in love with it then had my heart ripped out in Firewalker (review.)  So much has happened, has been uncovered, and now I NEED to know how it’s going to end!  This is such an amazing series and I love the covers (though I’m still a bit mad that my first hardcover will never match the new covers) so pretty and shiny and I want her necklace. 

                What are you waiting on?  Tell me below what you think of this title and leave a link to your WoW as well so I can check it out!  Also I have a giveaway currently open here for a SIGNED copy of The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi so don't miss out on entering the book is fantastic!

Worlds Collide. Magic Reigns. Love Burns. Trial by Fire by Josephine Angelini

Amazon 

                So I realized I’ve only done I think 1 review from a NetGalley provided book in while.  I have been behind in checking and requesting books as I had so many others to read and I didn’t want to bite off more than I could chew.  However, they did approve me for Trial by Fire Book 1 in The Worldwalker Trilogy by Josephine Angelini about a month ago, but I held off on reviewing until closer to the release date which has moved up from the end of October to September 2^nd.  Score—always great to get a book sooner than expected in my opinion. 

                Cover lover for this one.  It's all dark and mysterious with a castle looming in the distance and a lone girl standing before it with her hair whipping in the wind and fire and fog blocking her path.  It makes you want to pick it up.  I have been reading some pretty great books lately.  I really enjoy them and am ecstatic to share them with you all so that you may learn about books you might not have heard of yet.  Trial by Fire by Josephine Angelini, the book I’m reviewing today is another supernatural story that deals with magic and alternate worlds; like a fun house mirror image that can leave some things the same and others distorting them.  Our main character Lily is having a hard time at life, what with everything trying to kill her on a daily basis.  She has these horrible allergies that are a huge detriment to her life.  I have a friend who has some serious issues with new things popping up and being allergic to them so I was instantly interested in this character.  Lily has been unable to enjoy most of the normal things kids her age do because of said reactions but she is bound and determined to go to one high school party with her best friend and longtime crush, Tristan.

                Something horribly embarrassing happens in front of not only her crush but half of her class and all she wants is to disappear.  Frankly who hasn’t had one of these moments?  I know I’ve had plenty where I wished I could become invisible in that second or magically be somewhere else.  Well Lily does go somewhere else, she is transported to a different Salem than she grew up in; one with horrifying creatures, the Woven,  and ruled by Crucibles.  She finds many things and people she is familiar with in this world, even herself; but in this world of magic her other self is a powerful and cruel ruler.  She soon finds that what makes her weak in her home world makes her special in this new Salem. 

A handy little chart from the authors blog

                Everything is a bit of a mess for Lily.  She wants to get home.  Talk about confusing to magically be in a new world with magic, and then to find out a majority of the people want you dead, well technically the other you(Lillian) but still.  She meets with the Outlanders, those who live outside the walls and are in constant danger of being hunted down by not only Lillian but the Woven.  No one knows for sure what to make of Lily.  If trained will she turn out to be just as vicious as her other, or will she save them all?  Most conflicted is Rowan, a Mechanic, Lillian's ex Mechanic specifically, who isn't her biggest fan.  Can Lily prove she isn't like the other her and she only wants to find a way to get herself home?

                The story line was pretty interesting and I was pulled in pretty quickly.  I liked being inside her head and seeing the way she processed all the information she was thrown.  She is a very understanding person and is able to look past a lot.  She tries to be strong and confident but she is also fragile, not only in body but in her heart.  I loved seeing how she interacted with the different people and handled different situations thrown her way.  She stayed strong and kept who she was as a character is.  She learned more each day and used it to make up her own decisions despite everyone trying to pull her one way or another, including Lillian.   There was a lot of good banter to be had as well.  I love jokes and references made to things in her world that only confuse people in this world; it always reminds me when I make a book reference and no one in that group reads so I'm left with, "you don’t get it but trust me its hilarious."

                The different characters all have their own little things, similarities and differences with her old world and new world, but then there are plenty of people she has no reference for.  Rowan for one is very closed off and he seems hot and cold but as we slowly see the different layers inside we along with Lily grow to understand him better.  I can't give much more without ruining the story so I'll leave it at that.  I really enjoyed this story and give it 5 Witchstones.  Have you read this book already?  What do you think?  Tell me below in the comments.