There are worse things than death. With the rise of Varia d’Malvane comes the fall of the Mist Continent. Cavanos is overrun by the brutal rampage of the valkerax, led by its former crown princess. Vetris is gone. Helkyris is gone. As each mighty nation falls, the grip of the crown princess closes around the throat of the world. But Zera Y’shennria isn’t out yet. Alongside Malachite, Fione, Yorl, …
Alongside Malachite, Fione, Yorl, and her love Lucien, Zera seeks aid from the High Witches and the Black Archives, with the valkerax horde hot on their heels. Seemingly unstoppable, Varia can track Zera through her dreams, ensuring there is nowhere to run. Thankfully, an ancient book holds the key to stopping the incursion forever.
But at what cost comes freedom?
At what cost comes love?
At what cost comes the end of the world, and the beginning of a new one?
The Bring Me Their Hearts series is best enjoyed in order.
Reading Order:
Book #1 Bring Me Their Hearts
Book #2 Find Me Their Bones
Book #3 Send Me Their Soulsmore
WARNING: Spoilers for books 1 and 2! Sara Wolf wraps the series up with a bang. SEND ME THEIR SOULS is a rollercoaster ride of emotion, from tears and laughter to angst, heartbreak, and redemption. The third installment in the Bring Me Their Hearts series has everything I was hoping for and more. Picking up where book two ends, the author brings us right back into that world, reminding us of anything we might have forgotten over the past year since it was released. Zera, Fione, Malachite, and Lucien manage to escape with their lives after Varia brings the Bone Tree to life, unleashing a swarm of flying valkyrax. The easy thing to do would be to kill Varia to save the world, but Fione’s love of her as well as Lucien’s means the only solution is to destroy the Bone Tree. And as with any good story, that is always easier said than done.
The group launches on a quest for answers, putting them in danger, testing loyalties, and breaking Zera’s unheart over and over as first she is reunited with loved ones, then Varia’s rage of terror wipes out one civilization after another. But this time Zera has the trust of Fione, Malachite and Lucien, making the treacherous trail they must all follow both easier and much more difficult, because when you love other people, you have so much more to lose.
Plot
As with the other two books, the pacing is perfect, moving from one exciting moment to another, with enough room to catch our breath and witness romantic moments between Zera and Lucien. Finally, finally they are together, in love, the way they should be. But with a twist I won’t reveal. Fighting together as a team this time, the group works to defeat a nebulous enemy and save Lucien’s sister and Fione’s love. We get inside Varia’s head through a weird connection between Zera and Varia that only happens in Zera’s dreams. But it’s enough to show us that love is a two-way street and her passion to Fione is maybe the only thing keeping her sane as the Bone Tree gets a further hold on her mind.
Characters
The characters continue to grow and develop throughout this finale, including Zera. Even though she’s frozen in time, she manages to mature along with her friends. The depth of character the author manages to capture on the page, brings these people and creatures to life in three-dimensional ways that have endeared them to me for long beyond finishing the series.
What I Loved About SEND ME THEIR SOULS
1. Zera. She’s as snarky as ever, but even without a heart, she’s grown warmer and more loving to those she cares for.
2. Young Love. The romance is on steady ground in this final installment and the sweet moments between Zera and Lucien zing.
3. Fione. She has much to be concerned about with the love of her life being the enemy now, but she uses that quiet determination of hers we’ve come to know in the first two books to keep on keeping on.
4. World Building. From a steampunk inspired zeppelin to a floating island in the sky, the author’s imagination knows no bounds as she creates stunning settings to drop her characters into.
5. Magic. With the prince now a witch, magic is on display in nearly every chapter and it’s as double-sided as everything else. Everything has a price, including using magic.
Bottom Line
The perfect way to wrap up a trilogy — satisfying on every level, but leaving me sad to say goodbye to characters I’ve grown to love.
4.5 Stars
I’ve read hundreds of fantasy books in my life and this series had all of the standard elements of those: companions from various walks of life working together in an epic adventure for good, conspiracies, villains, romance, magic, etc. etc. What really made this series stand out as special to me was Sara Wolf. Her voice, her writing, has always resonated with me across all genres she has written in, and that was certainly the case again here. She infuses the characters with wit and the story with emotion and energy, using words in a unique way that I am continually impressed by. I always have to be 100% focused and read every word when I read her books, and I’m better for it. I may have had as many questions as Yorl about certain things toward the end, but overall I was supremely satisfied with this final book of the trilogy. Getting lost in this world was a nice way to escape the real-world trials and tribulations of our own at the current time to boot.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance review copy of this book. Thank you to the author for …. being an author. See, no talent with words here, which is why I appreciate hers so much.
This is what the readers have been waiting for in this. Zera has decisions to make. Will they be able to stand against what is to come? The turmoil that is in this is also in the reader as you get through this one. This is a place to escape to that will give you romance and magic but along with it is trials. You are give the unexpected because it does not follow the ordinary course. With everything she is supposed to do we wonder when will we see something special for her? That is something that is best given when you read this.
I loved this book! I thought that it was an excellent conclusion to a trilogy that I really enjoyed. I get excited about a lot of books but every once in a while, I get my hands on a book that I just cannot wait to read and it gets moved to the top of the pile. This was one of those books. Once I had it loaded on my reader, I couldn’t help but to start reading it and once I started there was no stopping.
This is the third book in the Bring Me Their Hearts Trilogy which really needs to be read in order since the book picks up right where the previous one ended. Zera is still Heartless and now her heart is held by a new witch. This witch happens to be the man she loves, Prince Lucien. Zera, along with Lucien, Malachite, and Fione are all determined not only to stop Varia from destroying the world with her control of the Bone Tree but to save her while doing so. They face a lot of really big obstacles in this story but I loved seeing their resolve and I think that they worked really well as a team.
The relationship between Zera and Lucien has been developing throughout the trilogy. I really do like them as a couple and felt like not only do they have fantastic chemistry but that their personalities fit together really well. Things definitely progress in this book beyond simple flirtation into a full relationship. I think that the friendships between all of the members of the group grew a lot over the course of the story and I found it touching how much they would each be willing to risk for each other.
I thought that the overall mission in this story was very well done. There is plenty of excitement in this story that kept me glued to the pages. I loved the way that the story was able to keep me guessing and there were plenty of completely unexpected developments to keep things very interesting. I thought that the series came to a very satisfying conclusion and the epilogue was phenomenal. Can I just say how much I love a well-done epilogue? Well, this epilogue blew me away.
I would highly recommend this trilogy to others. I thought that this was a very well done story that captivated my attention from beginning to end. I definitely plan to read more of Sara Wolf’s work in the future.
I received a digital review copy of this book from Entangled: Teen via NetGalley.
A wonderful way to end this story although albeit perhaps aimed at the hopeless romantics amongst us. If I’m blunt the first half didn’t exactly grip me but the pace definitely gathered and had me eagerly turning the pages. Having fallen in love with the first book with its beautiful cover I found myself wondering just how this would all end but the amazing magic that fuels this world made perfect sense even if at times I didn’t always agree with how the characters behaved. I loved that it was different and will definitely look out for more by this talented author.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair
Send Me Their Souls is the final novel in the Bring Me Their Hearts series, and it was, without a doubt, amazing.
Great World-Building
Wolf has always done a fantastic job with her world-building in this series but in Sed Me Their Souls, Wolf is sending these characters on a quest that delves into it.
Wolf is taking readers on an adventure with this novel, sending them to every corner of the continent, basically as they try to figure out a way to stop Varia and her army of Valkeryx. Zera and her companions go to Windonhigh, the Black Archives, and Pala Alma, taking readers on an adventure. These places only hinted at before are explored in great detail. The reader sees themselves in the underground city of the beneathers, built out of rock and gemstone; they see the glass trees roots all through Windonhigh and the great library of the Black Archives.
Wolf builds off the foundation she has already established, giving the finale a bigger world to explore and allowing the adventure to capture the character’s attention, raising the tension and strengthening those dynamics between them. Wolf’s attention to detail is brilliant and leaves no room for disappointment.
Zera Rocks
As with the previous books, Send Me Their Souls follows Zera, who continues to be excellent. Zera is a Heartless, a girl without a created by the magic of a Witch. Moreover, as with the previous novels, Zera’s wit leaves no room For disappointment.
The one thing that has made this series and this novel so exceptional is Zera’s portrayal. She is tenacious, fierce, and narcissistic while also being witty, intelligent, and compassionate. Zera is a wholly unique character who has gone on an incredible journey. It is fun to follow her around, to read her snarky comments and see her interact with the other characters. Her personality jumps off the pages, making her incredible.
Wolf also ensured that the dynamics were on point. Zera, Lucian, Fione, and Malachite have gone through so much. They were friends turned enemies and have now become family. There has been such a huge development between the characters that makes them strong and engaging. Some of the best moments occur between Zera and Malachite, whose humorous banter livens up the pacing, creating a happy read.
Final Thoughts
Send Me Their Souls in such a rich and thoughtful novel. Once again, I would like to extend my thanks to Entangled: Teen for giving me a copy of this book to read and review. This is a novel that perfectly concludes the series, bringing everything to a cohesive, action-packed, and climatic ending.