Deathcaster by Cinda Williams Chima

Deathcaster by Cinda Williams Chima
Series: Shattered Realms #4
Publisher: HarperTeen, Paperback, 656 pages

Alyssa ana’Raisa is struggling to find her way back home without letting the empress that has taken her know just what she is up to. Her home is at risk, her people need her, and she is determined not to let them down. Meanwhile, political intrigue abounds, both in the northern and the southern kingdoms. The question isn’t if the Gray Wolf line will succeed, but how.

Deathcaster is one hell of a conclusion to this series. There is a lot that happens throughout this book, but overall I think the execution was really well done. In a lot of ways, this series really built up a lot of political intrigue, both within the kingdoms themselves, but also between them. This book brings all of those points together as the details are uncovered in full. There was a lot that needed to happen in Deathcaster, after all there were characters all over the place and we knew they had to find their way back to each other some how. That said, I was impressed at how well the book was paced. I was just a little weary at first, but overall it did not feel rushed and I didn’t feel like there were gaping holes left.

I have to say that I feel like Lyss gets more of the time when it comes to character development than others in this series. And that’s probably fair seeing as in some ways she has the most to overcome of any of the characters in this series. Additionally, I think that in this particular book that extra time is important. She is essentially being made to make a decision that either destroys her freedom, or has the potential to destroy her home if she’s not successful in her planning. We get a lot of the struggle that her character is facing and it just feels so real. However, there are other characters that I would have enjoyed seeing more of as well.

Okay… Dragons. Let’s talk about them because I didn’t actually know when I picked up this series that there would be dragons. The way that the dragons communicate was intriguing in itself, but the way that their personalities were developed was THE BEST. It was so much fun. From watching Cas’s development, because he does develop as his own character from book one, all the way to the babies in book four… You cannot possibly not love them. I am obsessed with those dragons. I would die for those dragons. Is it a little much? Yes. Is it true? Also yes.

Does the ending of the book, or at least the overarching plot, feel a little convenient? Yes, maybe a little, but I enjoyed reading this series so much that honestly I am willing to overlook that. All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed reading the Shattered Realms books and I am absolutely interested in reading Chima’s other works as well. 5/5 Stars.

Shattered Realms Series:
1. Flamecaster
2. Shadowcaster
3. Stormcaster
4. Deathcaster