Plot Overview: The war that Prince Aspen and midwife's apprentice Snail started—purely by accident—is at hand. The Unseelie Army, the evil side of Faerie, will soon invade and destroy the Seelie kingdom. Aspen is terrified, not simply because his homeland is on the verge of ruin, but because he is now, after the death of his father and brothers, the Seelie King. He is a young, untried king; a king without a battle plan. But he has Snail, his first and only friend, and the only one who can raise the army Aspen needs—an army of changelings, like her. First, however, she has to convince the mysterious, dangerous Professor Odds, the changelings’ leader, who has a destructive plan of his own.

Critique: This book was the last of a trilogy called “The Seelie Wars,” and it is my absolute favorite book. This book is definitely meant more for middle schoolers, and I actually read the first book in 6th(?) grade. I didn’t enjoy it at first, but after rereading several times, I finally fell in love with it in 7th grade. I think the problem is that I skim books instead of reading them in depth, so I never truly enjoy books until I read them multiple times. Anyway, I found the 2nd and 3rd books in 8th grade, and this series has been my favorite ever since. Since this book is more directed towards younger kids, the writing is much simpler than most YA books. I actually quite enjoyed the simplicity. The plot was straightforward and the books were easy to read. It is more of a fantasy series, which is completely up my alley. I found the Seelie and Unseelie aspects very interesting, where the main population is “fey” and humans are called “changelings.” I absolutely adore the characters as well: Aspen and Snail. The book consists of friendship, mixed with adventure and suspense. This last book is specifically about the upcoming war and what Aspen and Snail are going to do to defeat the Unseelie army. I read the series more for the characters than the plot, and this book did not disappoint. In this one, the readers really get to see Aspen’s character development. In the first book, he was a vain, stuck up, cowardly prince who cared more about appearances and being royalty than anything else. But in the last book, he becomes a more mature, and at times, even soft hearted, king. Another thing I liked about the book is that Snail is not seen as a sidekick to Aspen, but more as an equal. I think her bravery and loyalty is a good example to set on kids reading the book. They are both very endearing characters that have such an adorable friendship full of trust. The first time reading this book was a little dull, but I think it’s just because I am not very interested in war, but as I reread, I noticed a lot of insightful things in the points of views of both characters. The ending was a bit anticlimactic at first, but as I read on, it was so heart wrenching. I almost cry reading it every time because of how much they genuinely care about each other. I would highly recommend this if you’re looking for an easy, cute book series that’s simple enough so that you don’t get overwhelmed while reading, but still moving enough so that it makes you want more. I’d say the troupe is enemies to best friends to ~possible~ lovers (slightly hinted at the ending). Overall, I really enjoyed the book. It was a good escape from reality; I would definitely consider this series my go-to safe place.

Star Rating: 5/5

Cover Critique: I couldn’t really find a good cover for this book because the series is not very popular, but it’s totally worth your time.