Lightbringer (The Empirium Trilogy, 3) Hardcover – October 13, 2020

TW: violence, tortureFirst off, why can't I give this more than 5 stars? Just wondering.I absolutely love Rielle. She's hands-down my favorite character in this series because I love stories about heroes-turned-villains who walk that line between good and evil. Watching her descent into darkness and her journey beyond her humanity was kind of incredible? I honestly wish that more YA books were willing to delve into this morally-grey territory with their heroines, because it makes the narrative just so much richer and more fascinating.God, I was so anxious during this story. The whole Empirium trilogy is such a rare treat in YA Fantasy because it absolutely does not follow conventional YA tropes and works with so much scope and nuance. Certainly, you know that some plot beats are inevitable: Rielle will turn dark and resurrect angels (because it was already foreseen in Eliana's timeline) and Eliana will bring light back to the darkness (because that's what chosen one's do). Beyond that, though, I can hardly guess what comes next, and I can't trust Legrand to NOT kill any of my faves.Eliana's story has always been less interesting to me because she's more of a classic antihero-turned-hero YA chosen one, but I just have to praise Legrand's structuring because her journey parallels Rielle's so well. Her suffering and growth were developed wonderfully and I was quite proud of how far she'd come since Furyborn. I was actively rooting for her every step of the way.Some side relationships feel forced or out of the blue, and sometimes it feels like there are too many POVs to the point where I want to hurry up and skip back to Rielle/Eliana. That being said, the depth of emotion and pain and grief feels incredibly raw. People make the wrong choices and people suffer the consequences. There are genuine stakes in this story and that gets me really engrossed. Furthermore, Legrand's writing is just so good. Such gorgeous and vivid prose all around.Fun fact, there's so much casual rep in this world and I just think that's neat. Queer and/or POC kings and queens and rebels and pirates. Plus two bisexual queens as our protagonists. I'm not sure if there was disabled rep, but there was certainly a lot of thoughtful portrayal of mental health issues that I found refreshing to read.I really hope that Legrand continues to write in this world, honestly. I still have so many questions about the time of the saints, and about whatever potential story could come from the ending now that the possibilities seem endless. Nevertheless, I feel that this really is the sort of tale that could be Legrand's magnum opus, and knowing that this is the story she'd been nurturing for 16 years makes so much sense because there has been so much love and care put into crafting this series.

Yet another emotional rollercoaster in this finale to the trilogy. How can Claire Legrand make me feel so much anger, sadness, love, and every other emotion that exists? The way I absolutely hated a character and then loved them just tore me apart (but in a good way, you know?). I rarely cry reading books and definitely cried at least 4 times reading this book. Especially in that epilogue (iykyk). The characters are so well written that I feel like they’re my own friends and family. And reading their emotions?? Ugh, absolutely wrecked. Catch me crying in my book depression for the next 4 days.(Also the only reason I didn’t give this 5 stars was because I felt like Rielle getting lost in her own mind over and over again was getting a bit repetitive, but everything else was *chefs kiss*)

A round of applause for the conclusion to the Empirium Trilogy. Claire Legrand executed a very satisfying and bittersweet finale. Lightbringer was always going to be a tough finale book because there were so many elements that needed to wrapped up. I do believe Legrand did an excellent job in doing so. I will forever miss these characters and this world. As this is a finale to a series, spoilers are highly unavoidable but I will do my best.Lightbringer picks up almost immediately after the conclusion of Kingsbane and certainly takes off slowly. However, the slow pace at the beginning to me is justified. The reason being is that where the characters left off wasn't something you could just rectify quickly. There was a lot of threads that were still being wrapped up. Plus there were even some plot threads being woven still. The most brilliant part of this entire series is how effortlessly Legrand deals with the time travel aspect. Normally time travel plot lines follow a script and Lightbringer does follow. But Legrand puts her own touch into it as well to keep it fresh and new.Rielle and Eliana were always two different leading ladies. I always found myself loving one over the other. In Lightbringer, I found myself loving them both. Rielle and Eliana's character development is top notch. You can physically see a difference in both these ladies from start to finish. It is something I love to see in the stories I read. Lightbringer is also the first book in the series to fully incorporate a multi POV storytelling mechanic. Yes Kingsbane filtered in a couple chapters here and there, but Lightbringer gives everyone ample time to shine.I always love and fear when a series finally wraps up because I want to be happy and satisfied. I can without a doubt say Lightbringer gives me just that feeling. I am so proud of Claire Legrand and this story. Although I am sad to be leaving the world of the Empirium, I look forward to whatever comes next from Claire Legrand.

This was an okay series, but o think I lost the part where Simon clutches at Eliana and only has the small piece of her blanket…when did that happen, how, why???Seems like the story changed but wasn’t clear that it did, so was a little disappointing to me. If it was because her mother left and everything changed, it was made as clear as it could have been.

A great finale for the Empirium series. Spoiler alertI totally cried at the end if this book. The entirety between the povs going back and forth was clear and easy to keep track of such a detailed vast world. I love every damn character in this boom its not fair, though selfishly I would've lived more Simon. Thank you for bringing this intricate creative realm!!!

Having adored the first two books in The Empirium Trilogy by Claire Legrand, I was so excited for the final book, Lightbringer! Though it wasn't the book I expected, it was absolutely incredible!To be honest, I don't entirely know what I expected. We've known from the very beginning in Furyborn that there was a prophecy of the two queens. We've known that Rielle became the Blood Queen, and that her daughter Eliana was hoped to be the Sun Queen. What I didn't know was how Rielle would end up becoming the Sun Queen and causing so much devastation, nor how Eliana would end up defeating Corien - especially after the cliffhanger ending of Kingsbane, where we discover that Simon has been working for Emperor Corien all this time, and has abducted to Eliana to bring right to him. How on earth is Eliana going to be able to defeat him when she's in his clutches, and doesn't yet have full control of her power?! That cliffhanger came out of left field for me, and I honestly didn't have a clue what would happen next.Kingsbane is a very different story than the previous two, for the reason that both queens are in Corien's hands. After Audric hears the truth about the death of his father, in his anger and grief, he calls Rielle the monster people are starting to believe she is, and she runs to Corien. As Corien has what he wants in both timelines, there's a lot less action overall. There's definitely moreso in Rielle's timeline, but not as much as we've seen in previous books. Eliana is continuously tortured mentally and physically by Corien, who is desperate for Eliana to use her power. Rielle's power grows ever stronger, and Corien convonces her to use it for ill time and again. The more she uses it, the more it grows, and the more she realises her power has a conciousness, one that is slowly carving away at her sanity.But as we've seen in previous books, both queens have loved ones and allies, those who will bend over backwards to try and save their people, or fight for their queen - in all meanings of the word. So we have quite a few more narrators in Lightbringer, to see what is happening elsewhere, and how people are preparing for what is to come. Besides Rielle and Eliana, Audric has the most narration compared to everyone else, and he's not doing well. The love of his life killed his father, is now in the hands of their worst enemy, and is very likely the Blood Queen. His kingdom has been taken from him by Merovec, Ludivine's brother, and he's had to run for his safety - but those left behind are under the rule of an ignorant and suspicious new ruler, and are in danger. Audric struggles to deal with all that has happened, and falls into a deep depression. But there isn't time. His people need him. Now Rielle is with Corien and how he has her ear, it's only a matter of time before the Gate is opened, and the angels are released, and there will be war. It's so difficult to see those around him not understanding what he's going through, but needing him at the same time - needing him to take lead, to strategise, to come up with a plan of action, when he can't even get out of bed.But I loved his chapters, because we see the other half of Rielle's timeline's story, and the lead up to the war. On top of that, I feel we get something from Lightbringer we don't get - or get only briefly - from other high fantasies when it comes to war; the very real fear for your own life, the fear for those fighting with you, the fear you may lose. I love high fantasies where the good vs evil trope climaxes in wars and battles, and seeing strategy play out, but even though the main characters are involved in those battles, there's still a distance to it; it's about strategy and manoeuvering. But with Lightbringer, you're deep in it, alongside Audric, as those around him fall, as he fights, as he sees individuals he cares about fighting. It's emotional and it's difficult, and it was brilliant.Something else I loved about Lightbringer was the idea of the consequences of time travel. I can't talk about this in too much detail without spoiling the story, but time travel is definitely something that fascinates me. The idea of the butterfly effect, how a small change, something that could seem as insignificant, could have very real and very drastic consequences. Honestly, it just blows my mind with how clever authors can be when it comes to time travel, and I just love it.The ending was fantastic. It absolutely wasn't what I was expecting at all, and I adored it. It's just so clever! You think you know what's coming, but do you? Do you really? With the Lightbringer, it's best to leave all expectations behind. I had one theory right, but everything else was a surprise for me. The climax was really something, and just genius. It was absolutely the right ending, but it did leave me feeling a little sad, especially when it comes to a number of other characters. But honestly, it was beautiful, and I love it!And one that leaves so much scope for more stories! I've no idea if Legrand has any plans to write a companion series, but there is so much she could do! She's created a world where there are so many layers, of time and place and more, and there's so, so much she could explore here! That's not to say that there's no proper conclusion to this series, there definitely is. But I think of at least four different avenues Legrand could explore relating to this series if she chose to. So much scope. So many possibilities. And I find that so exciting! I hope Legrand does consider some of them, because we could have a completely different story, absolutely completely different, but with links to this one. And I love it when you can see the stories that are possible, after the end of the story. While the book has ended for us, the story hasn't ended - life goes on and continues for those around after. What happens next? And where? And when? Even if we don't get those stories, I like knowing those possibilities are there.Lightbringer, while completely surprising in so many ways, is an incredible conclusion to this trilogy, and I just loved it! And I'm so looking forward to what Legrand gives us next!Trigger/Content Warnings: This book features vomit, depression, self-harm, torture, murder, and war.

The final book of The Empirium trilogy. Now its been a while since I finished book two so I won't lie it took me a while to remember the ending of book two, familiarise myself with the characters etc. But after that I was back in and hooked. This was a buddy read with Jacqueline from Pufflekitteh.The story is told through each of the characters and there is plenty going on to keep the reader hooked. Brilliantly written, I was lost in this fantasy world for a while and I loved it. I really felt for Audric though he just wanted Rielle back from the start and I felt that.A brilliant ending to the trilogy with a huge, explosive war towards the end. Queen vs Queen. Which side will Rielle choose? It's all down to her. A well deserved four stars. Highly recommend.

First: It should be marketed as NA not YA as the characters are 18+ and the series has a lot of mature content.The two stories are very separate and rarely interlink. It feels like you’re reading a series and its spin-off series simultaneously, chapter by chapter.It would have been a lot nicer to have the story focus on Eliana with more character and plot development, with relative chapters/historical flashbacks about Rielle that just show necessarily points in her story and info that link Eliana and Rielle together to create questions and suspense.You quickly know why Eliana and Rielle link together, you know who characters are before they explain themselves in the story, and there are spoilers in the historical writing at the start of each chapter, so there’s not much to look forward to figuring out. You just watch as the characters slowly realised what you’ve already learnt.It’s very drawn-out and both characters seem to go on quests that feel repetitive. There’s a lot of drawn-out dialogue and long unnecessary description. I could skim-read/skip pages in Lightbringer without missing anything. Each book could have been a few hundred pages shorter without ruining the story.3.5/5 stars as it is a fun concept and a lot of effort went into the world. But I found that it wasn’t very gripping even with the two plots. I’ve read standalone’s with more intricate plots. The ending of the series was a lovely twist and made me very emotional.Potential Lightbringer SPOILER:Eliana travels back in time with the help of Simon. She is first to cross through the time portal, but before Simon can cross over she witnesses him get shot/die through the portal before it snaps shut and separates them. Eliana’s character shows no emotion towards this and doesn’t react?? Even though they’re supposed to have a deep connection?? Generally, the characters are quite two-dimensional.

Such a beautiful ending to an unforgettable series. I am struggling for words to describe how this series made me feel but I am currently sitting with tears in my eyes and a grin on my face.And now I will be in a massive book slump that I am ok with.

Oh my goodness , I am left quite speechless after reading this absolutely incredible trilogy. Brilliant novel , brilliantly written . Thank you Clare Legrand.