The Immortal Heights by Sherry Thomas

Summary from Goodreads:

In a pursuit that has spanned continents, Iolanthe, Titus, and their friends have always managed to remain one step ahead of the forces of Atlantis. But now the Bane, the monstrous tyrant who bestrides the entire mage world, has issued his ultimatum: Titus must hand over Iolanthe, or watch as his entire realm is destroyed in a deadly rampage. Running out of time and options, Iolanthe and Titus must act decisively to deliver a final blow to the Bane, ending his reign of terror for good.

However, getting to the Bane means accomplishing the impossible—finding a way to infiltrate his crypt in the deepest recesses of the most ferociously guarded fortress in Atlantis. And everything is only made more difficult when new prophecies come to light, foretelling a doomed effort…

Iolanthe and Titus will put their love and their lives on the line. But will it be enough?

With The Immortal Heights, Sherry Thomas brings the acclaimed Elemental Trilogy to its breathtaking conclusion.

Review:

I kind of think of these books as YA ice cream. I love them. I devour them. They don’t quite fill me like a YA steak would. Yet sometimes, all you really need want more than anything is a little ice cream.

I guess what I’m trying to say (while hungry and thinking about dinner and or ice cream) is that these books don’t have a ton of substance to them. They don’t make me think, or have me remembering them days after I complete them. There’s nothing so remarkable about them that they stand out from all other YA. Yet, there’s this classic, old school fantasy vibe to them. If I read them as a teenager, even though they didn’t exist then, I probably would have considered them up there with my favorites. But now, I know there is better out there.

I really enjoyed this last installment. And I plan on giving it a really positive review. I love how loose threads were tied up. I loved how certain side characters played a much stronger role. I loved the interpretations of the prophecies. And I loved how freaking scared I was during the final chapters. I had some serious nail-biting moments.

I also loved where the book started: right in the middle of an all-out war. Seriously, this book was all action. There was never a good point to put the story down. I loved this about it. It read kind of like a more YA version of Percy Jackson, in that respect. I loved the beginning, I loved the middle, and I loved the end. I was a little confused at the end, due to some more memory spells, but I wouldn’t have had it any other way. It was magical and everything about it fit with the rest of the story.

I guess the book was a little formulaic for a fantasy, but again I read it expecting that. Sometimes you want a new flavor of ice cream to try, and sometimes you really want nothing more than cookie dough, you’re go-to.

The one thing that did bother me a little was that a lot of things came rather easily. Like you learn one character has the ability to shape shift right at the exact moment you need a shape-shifting character more than anything else.  I kind of wish I knew about this character earlier in the series or even in this book and then it wouldn’t seem so convenient. Sometimes, it just felt like the author was making stuff up about the world she created as she went, and when it conveniently made sense with what she needed. I guess I wanted more world-building in the traditional sense.

All in all though, this was a magical, fun, addicting fantasy series. It’s the ice cream I needed in a month full of not so tasty healthy food. It was a little formulaic, but the author excelled at it’s formula. I loved how it all tied together so nicely at the end. I loved the characters and I loved the non-stop action. I wished there weren’t so many convenient plot elements, and just a little more world-building. But all in all, I loved this series. I give this one an 8/10.