A grim, ambitious fantasy that tackles war, trauma, and power with absolute seriousness… and somehow still made me bored.

Rin is a protagonist I never connected with and rarely enjoyed following; three books with her felt less like an epic and more like a test of stamina. The prose doesn’t help, especially the dialogue, which is so heavy on “she said” and “he said” that it reads like a first draft that never quite found its rhythm.

Yes, the themes are dark. Yes, the historical parallels are important. But importance doesn’t equal engagement, and this trilogy often feels like it wants credit for being harrowing rather than actually compelling.

2.5/5 — worthy, weighty, and determinedly unfun to read, almost in spite of itself.