The vengeful Facet is racing across the wrecked island of Pakree to reach the site of the crystal disaster all those years ago and harness the power of the final Veptilo. If they succeed, they may very well unleash destruction the likes of which the world has never seen before.
Unfortunately, Balt and his friends are the only people who can stop them.
Everything Balt and the others have trained for has come to this, but the magical crystals covering the island enhance the Facet's Artificial Jekuas, rendering their own almost useless. Going head-to-head with the Facet's unbelievably powerful monsters is certainly a death wish.
But what choice do they have?"
I can’t believe the Jekua series has come to an end, but instead of dwelling on that, let’s dive into what makes Spireheart so remarkable. My reviews for these books are usually long and this one is no exception, so buckle up and grab a snack.
We return for the final time to Balt and his crew as they embark on their long-awaited journey to the lost island of Pakree, which has been impossible to reach—until now. This installment is just as action-packed as the previous books–if not more so–with intense action scenes ramping up as the stakes rise and the biggest players face off.
Spireheart is the 'final battle' book in any big fantasy series and it absolutely delivers. There’s plenty of action and more Jekua battles than you could possibly hope for, which makes for an exciting and engrossing read. I've loved the creativity involved with the Jekuas and experiencing–along with Balt and everyone else–just what they are capable of and what new techniques can be applied along the way. In addition to the action, however, we also get a lot of slower and more thoughtful moments between our characters, as well as a great deal of background on so many of the characters we've been introduced over the course of this series. This added a lot of depth and insight into everyone's motivations, which also made the emotional stakes of this story feel even higher and more vivid.
One highlight for me throughout the series has been watching Balt and Alani’s friendship evolve and strengthen. We don't get nearly enough platonic male/female friendships in fiction and it's been one of my favorite elements. The way they work together and constantly play off of each other’s personalities shows how deeply they care for one another, even when they disagree or struggle in the moment. It’s been such a refreshing and emotionally fulfilling component of this story.
Balt's growth has also been incredible. He starts out as a bit of a naive guy with a singular focus: to imprint Jekuas, train, and become an amazing Summoner just like his grandmother. By the end of the series, however, he's matured into a much more self-aware person who still holds onto those same dreams, but because he's learned so much along the way he now has a much deeper understanding of the world and the people around him.
I’ve mentioned in previous reviews how much I’ve enjoyed Alani’s journey as well, and I have to say I’m immensely satisfied with how her arc concludes in this final book. She began on a somewhat singular path as an initiate with the Church, but through her travels with Balt, her growing understanding of the world, and seeing firsthand where the Church and other powerful institutions fall short, she’s come to realize her own values and what truly matters to her—and it’s not following the Church’s path. I’ve loved watching this gradual self-discovery unfold throughout the series. Alani's ability to reflect on who she is and what she really wants is inspiring, especially since the Church has been such a prominent part of Alani's life. It once felt like her only safe haven from her childhood home, but it slowly began to feel like a trap instead.
I've also had such a great time with the slowly expanding cast of characters. Watching how Balt and Alani’s friendship adapts to new dynamics and how they each build relationships with these new characters has been fascinating. I especially loved seeing Balt’s relationship with Wassaru transform from cousins who barely tolerated each other to true friends. Aeiko and Niona are both awesome characters that have been a joy to get to know as well. Niona has an incredible adventurous spark and is someone who's always game for pretty much anything, and Aeiko's someone who's a bit more cautious, but is still passionate about helping out their friends and doing what's right.
The world-building has been another one of my favorite parts of this series (which, I guess everything has probably been one of my favorite parts, come to think of it...). In just about every book we get to explore at least one new area with our characters, and this has genuinely been a blast. Riddle’s ability to craft such vivid, immersive settings is simply amazing, and it made me feel like this is a real world that could (and should?) exist.
There are some really heartwarming moments that made me feel sincerely happy for various characters, as well as plenty of more gut-wrenching and heartbreaking moments that really hammered home how high the stakes are and what was really at risk. The reunion in Pakree was one of the most intense moments for me—I was genuinely nervous for the entire lead-up to the moment because I truly felt like I had no idea which way things would go because Riddle is not one to hold back when necessary. And that’s one thing I really loved about this book: it’s ability to strike that perfect balance of bittersweet, where even in the face of overwhelmingly positive moments, there can still be loss, grief, and plenty of hardships still occurring.
Spireheart is a book that's very real and authentic, but not one that takes pleasure in being grim or miserable; rather, it balances a sense of normalcy in that horrific things happen everyday, but we can’t revel in them. Instead, it asks how we choose to respond to these situations: Will we break apart and give up? Get angry and take it out on others? Or will we realize that we can stick together, show kindness, keep going, and strive to make what we currently have better?
And, of course, I couldn't possibly write this review without mentioning the Jekuas! They are such a massive part of this world and truly bring everything together. Learning about their diverse abilities, hybrids, and even the artificially created ones was a blast. I especially liked the journey of seeing how Jekuas can work at their 'normal' level and how Summoners can slowly build their knowledge and ability to control them in ways that were essentially 'leveling up'–the possibilities felt endless. I’d love to see a full compendium of them someday—like a real-life version of Balt’s grandmother’s Jekua dictionary. (Though I should note that each book has some excerpts from her Jekua dictionary in the book and they are fantastic!)
Lastly, I really appreciated how the book explored some timely themes of kindness and how we treat others in our society. The message of looking out for one another resonates strongly, especially in today’s world. The contrast between those who act with compassion and to improve the world around them is contrasted strongly in this book with those who take the turn towards vengeance when things aren't going how they want them to. It's understandable to be angry sometimes, especially when government bodies and the like aren't looking out for those who most need them to, but it's important to keep kindness and the goal of looking out for one another as a top priority no matter what we are feeling (in fact, I'd say it's most important to do that especially when we are angry).
It’s always hard to say goodbye to a series, especially when you’ve grown so attached to the characters and the world, but it’s a special kind of satisfaction when a series ends on such a high note. The pacing throughout this series has been spot-on and I feel like everything fits well when looking at this series as a whole–there's no real slow or bad parts, it's all great. I also think it's hard to get endings right, but after reading so many of Riddle's books and wrapping up yet another series, it's clear that Riddle has mastered the art of endings, and I'm immensely grateful for the journey I've been able to go on with this series. These books have brought me so much joy during some difficult times over the past couple years.
Overall, of course I've given Spireheart five stars! If you haven't started this series–what are you waiting for!? All six books are out now, so there's no excuse (also, if you haven't started this series, you probably shouldn't have started on this review...). The Jekua series is an incredible journey that takes you to different places, showcases some awesome fantasy creatures with all sorts of different cool powers, has an array of clever and lively characters, and is filled to the brim with heart and adventure.
(If you made it this far in the review, be sure to give yourself a pat on the back for me–I appreciate it!)
Buy the book: Amazon
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