Lightbringer by Claire LeGrand
Blurb:
The incredible conclusion to the Empirium Trilogy that started with the instant New York Times bestsellers Furyborn and Kingsbane! This series is perfect for those looking for books for teen girls and is also one of the best fantasy series for adults and teens!
Two queens, separated by a thousand years must face their ultimate destinies.
Queen Rielle, pushed away from everything she loves, turns to Corien and his promises of glory. Meanwhile, whispers from the empirium slowly drive her mad, urging her to open the Gate. Separated from Audric and Ludivine, she embraces the role of Blood Queen and her place by Corien's side, determined to become the monster the world believes her to be.
In the future, Eliana arrives in the Empire's capital as a broken shell of herself. Betrayed and abandoned, she fights to keep her power at bay—and away from Corien, who will stop at nothing to travel back in time to Rielle, even if that means destroying her daughter.
But when the mysterious Prophet reveals themselves at last, everything changes, giving Rielle and Eliana a second chance for salvation—or the destruction their world has been dreading.
An epic fantasy with female protagonist, the Empirium Trilogy has captured the hearts of many and Lightbringer concludes this beloved teen fantasy series.
Review:
In the thrilling finale to the Empirium trilogy, two queens prophesied to forever be at odds, one of light and one of blood, must face their destinies—as well as each other. Queen Rielle has been shunned and loathed by everyone she’s ever cared for, save for the cruel angel Corien. Finding a haven in his comfort and manipulation, she seeks glory at his side. As the influence of the Empirium from which she draws her power threatens to unravel the wavering threads of her sanity, she’s tempted to open the gate between the world of the angels and the humans, letting them take over. Divided from her old friend Ludivine and her ex-lover Audric, she must find herself…or lose everything and become the monster she’s always dreamed of becoming.
A thousand years in the future, Eliana is captured by Corien and tortured as he attempts to use her to revive and recover Rielle, who died saving her as a child. Fighting to keep him from breaking her mind and breaking her body, she battles him until a force she doesn’t recognize offers its help; help that might just be disguised cruelty as salvation.
With the meddling of a distant Prophet determined to see Corien’s downfall, Rielle and Eliana chase different ends to the same story. Even if it means traversing time and dooming each other.
It took me years to finish this trilogy, and I’ve never regretted postponing something more. I honestly had no motive for not reading the final book in the Empirium trilogy after finishing the first two installments in my freshman year of High School, save that life got crazy very fast. I’m glad I came back after so long to finish this excellent, gripping, groundbreaking narrative that truly changed the climate of fantasy novels after its release.
One of my favorite things about LeGrand’s work is that she’s not afraid to touch on dark, tough subjects. In a world built on bloodlust, lies, and manipulation, LeGrand creates a masterful story of tension, redemption, and the cost of surviving in a ruined world. Equal parts tragic and magical, this series is one that will stick with any readers who read it.
The protagonist Eliana paints a particularly vivid and demented narrative in that she’s determined to survive, even if it’s to her (and others’) own detriment. It’s incredibly difficult to write a fully altruistic character in a volatile, grimbright world, but Eliana is that character. She brings light (pun not intended) and hope to a story that would fall apart at its seams without her drive and her perseverance.
Both Rielle and Eliana are strong female characters, and too often in fiction “strong female characters” are associated with being badass, invulnerable, or simply cool. Those stereotypes are broken with this story. Rielle and Eliana are fundamentally different as to their motives, goals, experiences, and morality, but they’re both exceptionally powerful ladies faced with deadly and brutal choices that have the potential to change their lives insurmountably.
While Eliana is stubborn and good, Rielle is selfish and volatile, and in both instances the protagonists pave a realistic and impactful tale of how circumstances supplement character. It’s interesting to consider how Eliana and Rielle might’ve been different (or the same) if their positions were reversed. Truly, their stories, individually and together, were unforgettable.
I truly devoured this novel after starting it, despite so much time having passed between me starting the story with Furyborn and finishing it. It was addicting; whatever LeGrand infused in the pages to make the story of these women so compelling—it worked.
