Happy new year everyone! We started 2020 off strong with a whole slew of reads over our break and will have a number of interesting reviews and other pieces in the coming weeks. Up first we have the sixth, and final, book in the Spellslinger series, Crownbreaker, by Sebastien de Castell. This YA series has been one that has caught, and kept, my attention the past few years. However, in my review of book five, I mentioned that the series was starting to show signs of dragging on and needed a wrap-up. The question is, did de Castell find a satisfying and momentous way to close out his six-book series? Of course he did, de Castell is one of our favorite authors for a very good reason.
Crownbreaker is the final piece of a large tapestry that de Castell has been building with his Spellslinger series. The plot revolves around a magical god that arises to threaten everything that Kellen has come to cherish and love, and a quest with a lot of hard choices. Kellen begins the book finally somewhat at peace with his life and with a little hard-earned stability. He has made a decent home for himself in Darome and is finally coming to terms with what his life is going to be. But we can’t have that. An offer is brought to him by none other than his father: a new god has arisen that threatens the world and it must be put down. If Kellen infiltrates his gathering armies and puts him down, he will be unquestionably welcome back to his home.
As an independent book, I think Crownbreaker struggles a little bit. The god plotline isn’t really explored enough to my satisfaction, and Berabesq, the final region we visit in the Spellslinger world, isn’t really given the same level of screen time as the other countries in the past five books. However, what Crownbreaker struggles with independently is made up for in spades by how it serves as the perfect conclusion to the series at large. The sixth Spellslinger book takes every single lesson, theme, and plot element of the first five books and weaves them into a climactic finale that de Castell should be proud of. Kellen’s character arc is incredible, and I absolutely love where it ends up. Watching the culmination of his journey of self-discovery was incredibly satisfying and it’s emotionally fulfilling to see where he ends up. In many ways Crownbreaker feels like a “best-of” collection for the series, bringing back all the best characters and elements from previous novels. While there are elements of the greater story that I thought could have used some more detail, Kellen’s personal story takes a number of surprising and interesting turns. I really like where the overall plot nets out and I very much hope this will not be the last we see of Kellen.
As a series, Spellslinger is one I highly recommend. The story and worldbuilding place it a step above the majority of YA fiction I have read in recent years, and Kellen’s journey is something that most readers (particularly younger ones) will strongly resonate with. The Spellslinger world is a joy to explore and the somewhat episodic nature of the six books really works well for de Castell’s writing style. The prose is humorous and fun which balances out some of its heavier themes very nicely. My only real criticism is that I think the books drag a little around book five. In the end, I would have to say my favorite of the six stories is still book three, Charmcaster. Exploring cities of mechanical wonders will always hit me right in the feels.
Sebastien de Castell has proven once again that he is a master of conclusions, one of the hardest things to write as an author. Crownbreaker is the perfect ending to an already fantastic series and I cannot wait to share these books with everyone I know. The final two books felt like they had a tiny bit of trouble balancing their own episodic stories and the overall plot of the series, but this complaint amounts to almost nothing in the face of everything else the books do right. Crownbreaker is amazing and you should check both it, and the full series, out.
Rating: Crownbreaker – 8.5/10
-Andrew
