Endsinger

The Lotus War, Book Three

By: Jay Kristoff

Narrated by: Jennifer Ikeda

Length: 21 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's Summary

With Stormdancer, Jay Kristoff came roaring onto the fantasy scene - he has been praised as "the master of unique and intense plots and huge twists" (USA Today), while critics raved about the novel, calling it "[A] fast-paced, fantastical adventure [that] is sharp as a Shogun's sword." (The LA Times). And with healthy sales in hardcover and electronic - fueled by Jay's inventive, enthusiastic, and relentless promotion on his website, Facebook, Twitter, and the blogosphere - we know readers are hungry for the finale to his wildly inventive Lotus War saga.

As civil war sweeps across the Shima Imperium, the Lotus Guild unleashes their deadliest creation - a mechanical goliath, intended to unite the shattered Empire under a yoke of fear. Yukiko and Buruu are forced to take leadership of the rebellion, gathering new allies and old friends. But the ghosts of Buruu's past stand between them and the army they need, and Kin's betrayal has destroyed all trust among their allies. When a new foe joins the war, it will be all the pair can do to muster the strength to fight, let alone win. And as the earth splits asunder, as armies destroy each other for rule over an empire of lifeless ash and the final secret about blood lotus is revealed, the people of Shima will learn one last, horrifying truth. An exciting, vivid conclusion to a critically acclaimed series, Endsinger is sure to have fans racing through the minutes to savor every last revelation.

©2014 Jay Kristoff (P)2014 Audible Inc.

Good but could be great

Great voice acting, great settings and great writing . However, I feel like this series was overly depressing I found myself not caring anymore if a character died. Yes there needs to have conflict and realism but I just found the book to be similar to walking dead because like this book; so many characters died so randomly and obviously it just made me as a reader go "eh another one bites the dust." Regardless Jay does an amazing job at steampunk anime-esque book it is still worth your time.

Read it for the closure...

Jennifer Ikeda, as always did an amazing job with the voice acting. Though, I found this one hard to get through and it seemed to draw on at points. I’ll admit that my motivation to continue reading wasn’t for the joy of it, but simply for some closure. I’m not a huge fan of panning, since I was only really interested in Yukikos perspective for most of the story (even though I kind of hated her at times). There were some lovely scenes with Hana, Yoshi, Michi and Kin, but so many that I felt were unnecessary. Overall it was a decent conclusion to the series.

As Jay Kristoff as stated, he’s not a believer in happy endings which left us with a heart wrenching ending that had me full on weeping.

good moments

the serirs is okay in moments but is extremely predictable and at points the protagonist is dispicable. i did get some enjoyment out of it though.

Outstanding!

What did you love best about Endsinger?

The story! The characters! The heartache! The humor!

What other book might you compare Endsinger to and why?

Endsinger is rather unique but I'd consider comparing the epic nature of it all to Game of Thrones or Lord of the Rings w/ a steampunk twist.

What about Jennifer Ikeda’s performance did you like?

It's passionate and detailed, echoing the characters and story perfectly.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

About the last 25% - I can't give details or it would ruin it!

Any additional comments?

​No specific spoilers here. It has taken me a few days to try to write a coherent review following my emotional turmoil and profuse sobbing after completing this series.

Endsinger is a truly satisfying conclusion to the Lotus Wars. Kristoff continues to solidify himself as a master storyteller. The sheer creativity of the plot, well developed characters and relationships as well as the profound writing style make this a stunning read. Reading this series is an experience for the senses.

Having read Kristoff's stance on happy endings, I tried to prepare myself for the worst but hoped for the best. I was not disappointed. The losses sustained are meaningful and necessary for the story. That being said, they were still gut-wrenching. Despite the heartache, this remains probably my most memorable read of 2014. I have the strong desire to immediately start the series again just to relive the highs and lows of such a beautiful kinship and poignant portrait of human and beastkind at their best and worst.

rollercoaster of emotion

Know this... you'll fear, you'll love, you'll laugh and will cry. you'll know the taste of sacrifice.

Crying While Driving

First off I'd like to say, Jesus H Christ Mr. Kristoff! I said this with every fresh outrage he put his characters through so it seems fitting here. Hands down one of my favorite trilogies. I have read the Nevernight series and I thought I was familiar with Kristoffs style, I am happy to say I was and was not. I blew through over 60 hours of audio book ,( much to the annoyance of my boss and children) in a little under two weeks. The series beautifully written , tragic, and hopeful . The characters are painfully real, the shifting perspective throughout the series was seamless rather than jarring , wonderfully descriptive, and I have only cried once before reading . This series makes a second. All the characters good and bad are multi faceted well fleshed out and deserve the readers undivided attention. The world Kristoff builds is painted for us in blacks and whites greys and mostly red . When I heard feudal Japan and steampunk I was skeptical many have tried and failed. Delighted to be proven wrong. I can't say enough good things about this beautiful series and everything it has to say about the reality of the world we live in. Big shout out to Jennifer Ikeda whose masterful narrator brought these characters to life with humor pain breathtaking realism and an never ending cast of different voices and personalities.

Great ending.

Great performance from the narrator. I enjoyed this one from beginning to the end. concepts involving bond creatures.

excellent story

The narrator was fantastic! She was able to breathe unique life into each of the characters.

Epic Finale

Endsinger is great. Really liked it. Ending was heartbreaking but it ended good.

Great Series Finale

This is the best book in the series. I know I started reading this because of the samurai steampunk fusion thing and this final book really brings everything together in a big spectacle and connects a lot of the dots. There are parts of the previous books that I thought were perhaps mainly for adding flavor to the setting that end up being important in this last book. Overall it is just a really satisfying ending and it left me thinking of what a fun setting Jay had created.

My only complaints are that there are some characters that behave in a way that seems irrational and just meant to create a hurdle for the protagonists. This is somewhat rectified when at least one of these characters comes around to acknowledge they were being irrational.