Can't remember what exactly inspired me to start a re-read of this series but I'm not sorry I did. It's a fantastic medieval European fantasy series (truly a great depiction of a medieval Europe -inspired setting) that feels so real; from the most desperate of war refugees to the daimones of the Upper Spheres to the working economy... Do yourself a favor and read this series if you haven't already.

Book Six is the fallout from the Great Cataclysm and things are seriously screwed. The Aoi returning to Earth has brought earthquakes, tsunamis, etc and it's hard to farm in a mess like that. Famine and extreme weather affects everyone. King Henry declared Sanglant his heir before he died but will the kingdom except such an extraordinary departure from their inheritance traditions?

This volume reads a little slow for me as it's a lot of our characters being rearranged for the finale so I'm going to focus instead on another favorite character: Theophanu. If my heart was constantly breaking for Alain then it was always raging for Theophanu. What a steadfast sister she is. I loved her so much and was always so frustrated with how little she was given by everyone in her life. I know Sanglant loved and appreciated her but she was too awesome for only one person to recognize that. Tiny spoiler here but her's is one of the most satisfying endings, for me, in the finale. ( )

The 6th book in the Crown of Stars series starts where the last book leaves off. Since the last book ended on such a momentous event, I was expecting the momentum to continue, but it doesn't. This whole book is slow and with such a disastrous event, it just bogs down to politics. I have liked the politics in this series, but this book seems out of place. There is no urgency. There doesn't seem to be any repercussions to past character actions. Certain characters are also treated in a way that doesn't make sense. I enjoyed the religious angle in the world, but in this book it seems more tedious. ( )

The Aoi return, and the human world is spent in just trying to survive the conflagration that accompanied the Aoi’s return. I am looking forward to the final book coming out next Februrary or so. I’ll read it, then in a year or two, reread the whole series at once. To long between books and I forget who is who. There are ALOT of characters, reminds me of Jordan, but not so straggly. More focused.

/edit 2013
After reading the final book, I sold my hardcovers and never re-read the series. ( )

This is the sixth volume in Elliott’s ‘Crown of Stars series – meant to be the last, but there is a seventh to follow.

Elliott warns us in her note that much of this novel recounts the destruction following the Cataclysm and the subsequent violence among the various human factions and between the Ashioi and the humans. The Ashioi who walked the shadows still remember the war with the humans and horse people; they outnumber the Lost Ones who traveled with their land through the aether and are eager to resume the conflict. The self-deluded humans, however, mostly consider the Ashioi as a sideshow to their own righteous killings. And the country folk and townspeople die mostly unregarded by the nobility.

The real action can be condensed into a hundred key pages as we follow Hugh in as he makes his move once Elliott has moved her pieces into position for the final book.

This one was a much slower read than the earlier volumes in the series. Lots of people wandering around wondering why the sky is dark all the time. Not high drama.

As well, I found the continued references to all the "beautiful" men in the book irritating. I mean, okay, men can be "beautiful" but we really only need to hear it once. Blessing and her continual tantrums also got up my nose. In fact, I even started to dislike Liath and Sanglant and all their moaning and groaning about things.

Having said that, I still read it through and picked up the seventh and final volume as soon as I put it down. ( )

A great series. My only complaint is the ending of the final book. It just seemed that 7 books worth of plot and intrigue came to a very abrupt halt. I still highly recommend the series. ( )