Spirit's End

Eli Monpress, Book 5

By: Rachel Aaron

Narrated by: Luke Daniels

First rule of thievery: Don't be a hero. When Eli broke the rules and saved the Council Kingdoms, he thought he knew the price, but resuming his place as the Shepherdess' favorite isn't as simple as bowing his head. Now that she has her darling back, Benehime is setting in motion a plan that could destroy everything she was created to protect, and even Eli's charm might not be enough to stop her.

But Eli Monpress always has a plan, and with disaster rapidly approaching, he's pulling in every favor he can think of to make it work, including the grudging help of the Spirit Court's new Rector, Miranda Lyonette. But with the world in panic, the demon stirring, and the Lord of Storms back on the hunt, it's going to take more than luck and charm to pull Eli through this time. He's going to have to break a few more rules and work with some old enemies if he's going to survive.

©2012 Rachel Aaron (P)2015 Tantor

Critic reviews

"As the book comes to a close, you'll be dying to know the ending, and will be awed by the well-planned but unexpected conclusion." (RT Book Reviews)

more like this please

loved it! great story, well written, well narrated, this whole series will be enjoyed by me again and again.

Power changes the world. But character decides how.

Spirit’s End delivers one of the most emotionally satisfying finales in modern fantasy. Rather than relying on spectacle alone, Rachel Aaron closes the series by leaning fully into what made the story powerful from the beginning: character, choice, and consequence.

The novel explores the cost of power and the weight of responsibility in a world where spirits, demons, and humans collide. Every major player is pushed to the edge of who they are, forced to choose between duty and love, destiny and freedom. What makes the ending so compelling is that these choices feel earned — not sudden plot turns, but natural extensions of long-built character arcs.

Aaron also resists the temptation of a perfectly tidy resolution. The stakes feel real, the sacrifices meaningful, and the emotional payoffs land hard because the world doesn’t simply snap back into place. Growth comes through loss, maturity through painful decisions, and victory through deeply personal acts rather than clean heroic triumph.

The relationships — especially the loyalty and love at the core of the story — drive the finale in a way that feels raw and human even amid epic fantasy elements. It’s a rare ending that honors the spirit of the series while still surprising you in the best way.

Heartfelt, powerful, and beautifully bittersweet, Spirit’s End is a masterclass in how to end a character-driven fantasy series.

I wish more books and I don't

Briliant. The story is properly build with each book and with this great finish, where everything is wrapped. With space to dream (cannot say more due spoilers). That's reason for my title.

However, if there will be other book with only Eli's trickery, I will lisen it immediately, as he is very entertaining character :-)

Surprise ending

An excellent end to the trilogy, with some wonderful twists. Not the ending I expected. A lovely world concept, taken all the way to its logical ends.

The reader was quite good, with identifiable voices for characters/spirits and a different tone entirely for the narrator.

amazing! best yet!

hope ours not the end but heard it was.... Hope to here of his renewed exploits in this reshapened world