This story was told a bit differently this time around. While the first book was more so where the fairy tale retelling lied, the rest of the series has been pure fantasy magic, with hints and nods to the other fairy tales we all know and love! But I’m ready to let these characters move beyond the page and exist just as they are.Īt long last, I finally read the finale to Crystal Smith's Bloodleaf trilogy, Ebonwilde! This has been a remarkable fairy tale retelling of The Goose Girl by the Brothers Grimm. It explores humanity and what it means means to live, and I believe Crystal did her best with such a difficult topic. Do I think readers should read it? Yes, very much. I feel slightly like the series was ruined but also wrapped up in the best way possible.

It’s been two years since Greythrone and I did not do a reread, so maybe it’s on me for being so confused but I had no idea who anyone was or what was happening for a good 200 pages. Crystal tied up so many little details into an extraordinary story but it felt so lost and confusing and late. I am both glad and sad to see this series end. But I do believe it shows how exceptional an author Crystal Smith is that she was able to massively change my mind in less than 100 pages. I sobbed multiple times as I finally saw again what made me love the first two books, but it felt hundreds of pages too late. So much beauty and life was packed into those last 80 odd pages. But I wanted to see the story play out, and I’m glad I did. The story was weaved so beautifully in the first two books and I just did not feel that in this one. To the point I consider DNFing it because I was so upset and sad over what this series had become. And I was beyond ecstatic to read the third and final book, but I found it so severely lacking in the first 400 pages.

Both of the first two books were five star books, such a rarity in series. Goose girl is a story very near and dear to my heart, and I could tell the same of the author. I adored this series and have been reading almost since the beginning. I am both honored and sad to be the first to write a review for Ebonwilde.

Ebonwilde by crystal smith