Emperor of Ruin

• Author: Django Wexler
• Genre: Fantasy
• Publication Date: February 28, 2023
• Publisher: Orbit
• Series: Burningblade and Silvereye #3

Thank you to Orbit and Angela Man for sending me a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

CONTENT WARNING: blood, gore, violence, torture

Two siblings divided by magic and revolution must finally join forces and rally the people to take down the Twilight Order once and for all in the final book of this brilliantly imagined epic fantasy trilogy.

The last surviving Chosen, Ashok has finally risen up and taken control of The Twilight Order. He promises equality and prosperity, but Gyre and Maya know the truth. Only death follows in Ashok’s wake. To take him down, Gyre will have to unite old allies—from all across The Splinter Kingdoms and the depths of Deepfire. And Maya will have to seek out a legendary weapon hidden in the mountains that could turn the tide in their battle for freedom. 

I was thrilled to start this conclusion to the series, since I loved the first two books so much. And I do have to say that the way the author includes a series recap at the start of each book is fantastic, because it has been a while since I read the first two and I didn’t have the time to reread them before starting this one. 

The story starts right after the end of book 2, and there’s a bit of downtime after the cliffhanger ending. Our characters get to regroup and start to strategize against what seems like an unbeatable opponent, Ashok, who is the last surviving Chosen. And throughout the book, the situation continued to worsen for them, as enemies continued to pile up and things only seemed more impossible to overcome. 

But, I knew our characters would never just lie down and give up. Instead of being at odds, Gyre and Maya are working together, and their respective crews are meshing together, with Kit, Sarah, Elariel, Beq, Varo, and Tanax all combining their significant strengths together. It was amazing to see what this patchwork group could work out when they put their heads together. 

Kit was still my favorite character, and I loved her use of humor. But one of the best aspects of incorporating Kit was the way that she still played such an important role in the story and in the group, rather than just being comic relief. And there’s even some emotional moments with Kit that meant a lot.

Gyre and Maya discover a new depth to their sibling relationship, which was a major step for both of them, since they were only raised together for a few years. For much of their adult lives, they were working for opposite causes, and it took a significant shift in their thought patterns for both of them to work together and create change in their worlds. 

The relationship between Maya and Beq grew and deepened during the course of this book, and I loved seeing how they interacted with each other. Despite it being a first relationship for both of them, they’ve managed to make it work effectively, and have learned how to navigate around each other’s quirks and be there for the other when they need it.

Elariel also shows an incredible amount of growth in this story. She goes from being anxious and afraid on the surface and away from Refuge, and reluctantly helping the group she’s stuck with, to becoming an active and willing participant in the revolution. I also loved seeing her relationship with Sarah play such an important role in her growth.

The action in this story ebbs and flows, with periods of build-up and then bam! Action! The battles are rendered exceptionally well, and the majority of the story is fast-paced, although there are periods that are a bit slower paced. I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the book, although the ending is a bit more open-ended than I was expecting. This was done really well, and I’ll definitely be checking out other books by Django Wexler in the near future.

People who have sat around with me while I’m reading, especially when there’s a surprising reveal, a shocking plot twist, or an unexpected event often look up in alarm when I gasp audibly. The gasp factor is directly related to the number of times I audibly gasp during a reading, and there isn’t an upper limit.

Gasp Factor: 18