By anyone else's standard as a conclusion to a first series this would be pretty good but you can definitely see the growth of Kristoff as a writer when compared to his later series The Nevernight Chronicles (one of my favourite series in the last few years). A good conclusion to the trilogy but I did find myself wishing it would get a move on, not a sensation I'm used to with Kristoff. Still a pick and worth reading, glad I finished the series.