Pearl City - Review

*I received a physical and digital copy from the authors and Tor Books via NetGalley. All reviews are my own.

This is it! We are at the absolute end. I am not ready to leave the Phoenix Hoard series, but I have to because it's finally completed. * insert 1000 crying emoji faces * I had so much fun reading this series, and I can't see anything topping this trilogy for a while. Authors, Julia Vee and Ken Bebelle did that! As stated before, if you have not read the first two books in the Phoenix Hoard series (Ebony Gate & Blood Jade), go away! There is going to be a hell of a lot of spoilers in this last Emiko feature in Pearl City.

"Emiko Soong has been called many things but Worldbreaker is the worst.

She unmasked the General and returned to San Francisco where her power is greatest. But the city, once her sanctuary from Jiaren intrigues, turns into her living nightmare. Clan war tears at the seams and her life becomes a treacherous quicksand of friend and foe. Unsure of who to trust, Emiko finds herself more alone than ever.

When an ancient power rips through the Realm to land in her city, the General will stop at nothing to take this power for his own. Emiko must face her past, her present, and her future, as she races to stop the General.

Is Emiko’s fate written to be the destroyer of worlds, or can she chart her own course to save her family?"

I would have gotten this book reviewed sooner, but I was holding off for the audio, because you know my girl Natalie Naudus was going to complete it. 12 hours and 38 minutes were deliciously consumed as we navigated with Emiko's final battle between Clan wars, soul-snatching dragons,  and her cursed gift. I'm glad that Naudus decided to return as Emiko because she's the only one who can bring forth an Audie Award out of it.

I'll do my best not to give too many spoiler alerts, but the story picks up a week or two after the events in Blood Jade. Emiko is trying to forget her newfound hoard gift by delving deeper into her Sentinel duties and hiding from the dragon families, since she was outed at the tournament. We see her struggling trying to deal with it all to the point where it looks like depression is about to rear its ugly head. She doesn't have to stay in that state for long because there's a turf war brewing between the Trans and the Louies, as well as trying to stop The General's diabolical plan to wake up a powerful Old God (IT'S A DRAGON!!!) that will destroy the world, all in hopes of saving his only son. What a mess.

This book was more emotional, if anything. We see Emiko reunite with her mother and finally come to terms with the decisions her family made regarding her power. We also see relationships tested and how everyone is dealing with that. Fiona is ghosting her, Adam has lost trust in her, and Kamon is still lingering… I feel for Emiko, and she's sacrificing a lot with small thanks. But she is still the Sentinel of San Fransico and she has her city to protect, regardless of whether the people in the city want her out.

I love that Vee and Bebelle rounded out Emiko's character arc. They made her more human, more understanding, and created a redemption arc for her. It works well with all that's going on. They tied up loose ends from the previous books, while still giving an ending that makes you want more.

Overall, I rated this book 5-stars. An epic conclusion to an epic series. Seriously, guys, I don't know how to leave this story behind. Everyone did a tremendous job bringing this story to life and keeping us readers entertained for three years! I wouldn't mind another Hoard entry. I'm going to have to beg like I did with Romina Garber's series, and see if we can get another book in production.

Obviously, I rated this entire series 5-stars. My admiration for Julia and Ken knows no bounds. I loved this world they created, and everything about it. So much so, I went and checked out the quick short story that was provided QR style on one of the fancy bookmarks that was sent out. If you haven't already, go ahead, scan it, and check out The Boba Thief. Julia and Ken, thank you so much for this series. I cannot wait to see what you have in store for us next.

#TheLittLibrarian #Review #UrbanFantasy #FantasyFiction #ContemporaryFantasy