Mandy's Reviews > The Dire King

Omg, my babies. I need a fifth book. And a sixth. And so many more. Perfect ending to the series. Review to come.

This series has easily become one of my favorite series ever. It started out very subtle. A good first book that left me intrigued, a second book that had me so super sold, and a third book that left me so very, very eager for the fourth. And the fourth - this very book? It left me super book depressed because WHY CAN'T I HAVE MORE??? This book was the perfect finale for this series, and I can't wait until I get to see what Ritter does next. 

This book was perhaps the most fun I've had in this series and perhaps in a book in a long time. We get all the wonderful Jackaby elements: a fascinating, complex mystery that didn't have me guessing the culprit right away; cute little ships that took away nothing from the true story; lovable and complex characters; our sassmaster paranormal Sherlock at his absolute finest. However, this story brings something that I had always been intrigued about: the inclusion of all new supernatural creatures. That's right - this book is brimming with supernatural creatures and I LOVED EVERYTHING SECOND OF IT. IT MADE IT SO FUN AND SO FANTASTIC AND I'M STILL CRYING AND IN A BOOK HANGOVER BECAUSE IT  WAS SO MUCH FUN. 

The plot was intriguing; Jackaby was at his finest (seriously, his sass was unparalleled in this one); Miss Rook is still one of my favorite heroines ever; Charlie is adorable; and the supernatural elements were handled with so much care and craft. Ritter's writing style is absolutely brilliant. AND MY BABY DOUGLAS WAS THERE AND MENTIONED AND HE'S JUST AN ABSOLUTE DUCK GEM. 

There were a few items that I thought could have used a bit more details to them and there were some questions left unanswered (which I really, really wanted answered). And the ending did wrap up a bit more abruptly than I wanted to since I mean, a LOT happened at the ending and I wanted a bit more of how everything was dealt with. However, I think the ending was a very fitting end and really how it needed to have ended. 

If you haven't gotten in on this series yet, you definitely need to dive in pronto. This series will have you laughing, cheering, and maybe even shedding a tear every once in a while. It has wonderful heroines who kick some major butt, hilarious supernatural creatures, two fantastic heroes, and plots that are intricate and intriguing. This book was a wonderful way to end the series and you best believe after I finished this book, I immediately preordered it and then went and went in completed my set by buying the other three books. That's how good this was. Five crowns for this finale and an Anna rating, because I get some major Jackaby vibes from her.

Favorite Quotes:

"It may not have been woven with wool from a rare yeti, or dyes mixed by Baba Yaga," I told him, "But I'm sure it was made with love. And also with an ice pick."
*******************************

"It is quite an honor, sir," I said. "Er - your majesty. It's quite an honor, your majesty, sir." I  immediately wished I remained silent.

"And what is she?" Arawn regarded me with detached amusement.

"She is my associate," Jackaby answered. "And she is generally quite sharp. Usually. Sometimes. She'll surprise you from time to time."
********************************
"Of course we're going to go looking for the rend," said Jackaby. "And the crown, the spear, and the shield. There's too much at stake now to start worrying about little things like being brutally murdered."
*******************************
"That will suffice," Jackaby grumbled loudly from behind me. "Yes, yes. You are young and your love is a hot biscuit and other abysmally romantic metaphors, I'm sure. You do recall that you saw each other yesterday?"
********************************

"All right then, my sage young apprentice - what do we do next?"

"Something foolish, I imagine," I said. "Foolish and decidedly dangerous. That sounds about our style, doesn't it?"