Great series despite a disappointing ending
356126
I started watching this series after seeing Lucy Griffith (who plays Marian on Robin Hood) on True Blood and it was a wonderful discovery! This Robin Hood series is a little dark at times but lightens things up with some humerous scenes.  The interplay between the characters and especially the love triangle between Marian, Guy and Robin is what kept me watching and eagerly anticipating the next DVD from Netflix.

SPOILERS***

My main objection is that Marian should NOT have been killed at the end! She and Robin Hood are true love! The fact that they killed her is why I didn't watch Season 3. Here's how it should have ended: Guy doesn't kill Marian,  Marian and Robin get married, they defeat the Sheriff,  they have a baby and everyone lives happily ever after.

Even with the disappointing ending, the show is still worth watching.
303463
I enjoy reading every new book in this great series and this was no exception. However, I am giving it only 4 stars because I felt like it lacked a little something. I know there is another book in the series so I did not expect a spectacular ending tying everything up. What I did expect was some kind of completion within the novel itself. I did not have that feeling after finishing The Sword of the Lady. I felt incomplete and not in the usual cannot wait for the next book way.

Stirling delivers his usual excellent descriptions of battles and geo-political events. Yes his pagan ritual commentary can be a bit over the top, but by now after reading 10+ of his books I am used to it.

I love his characters and plot lines in general but I am starting to have a hard time with his Red Robed CUT supernatural people. I have a sinking feeling the conclusion SM is leading us towards will be a bit far fetched, but I am cautiously optimistic as always and look forward to his final book in this series,&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/The-High-King-of-Montival-A-Novel-of-the-Change-Change-Series/dp/0451463528/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">The High King of Montival: A Novel of the Change (Change Series)</a>.

Sam Hendricks, author Fantasy Football Tips and Fantasy Baseball for Beginners
1610560
like a lot of these series where you get the first book for free, the story just kind of ends at an odd spot with no actual closure to the story.  I liked the characters and thought the author did an excellent job of writing emotion into the story.  Several difficult parts of the book (I don't want to give away any spoilers) were written with a finesse that I have never seen/read before.  Made you really feel for what had happened to those characters.  I would have given this book a five star rating IF the ending hadn't been so abrupt and unexpected.  I'm reading along, expecting to have another page, and boom, the book is finished.  Of course this is so you will buy the next book to see "what comes next" but I'm really over this tactic that authors are employing.
3727380
It is always so hard to say goodbye to a much loved series so I typically go into a a final book with much trepidation, and THE SHARPEST BLADE was no exception. That being said, I was largely happy with the way things turned out, minus the very rushed ending. I'm a big advocate for epilogues, and I definitely feel like this would have been one of the books that would have largely benefited from one. Don't get me wrong, I was very satisfied with the ending, and it was really what I had hoped for. It's just you are still on the edge of your seat until the very last few pages, and it left me feeling more wrung out than content as there wasn't really any time for the ending to sink in. I guess I'm just wishing there had of been more time to savor and enjoy things.

In my previous review I had stated that I was torn between the two men in McKenzie's life, but early on I realized that I was actually pretty decided that I wanted her to end up with Aren. Unfortunately as luck would have it, it also became apparent early on that things would not be so cut and dry with who she would end up with, in fact, it was left open until the very end. That being said, I realize that the choice couldn't have been easy without cheapening things due to the circumstances of the bond between her and Kyol, but it didn't make the frustration any easier for this reader. To make matters worse, I almost feel guilty for choosing Aren as Kyol felt everything clear as day through the bond. I mean it's bad enough to see someone you love wanting to be with someone else, but to actually feel it would be awful. However, the biggest reason that I felt Kyol was the wrong choice for her was, when push comes to shove, he will always choose duty over her. While honorable, that doesn't exactly mean the best thing for her. But putting that aside, it was really enjoyable to see it all play out, and as for who she winds up in the end, you'll just have to read to find out.

Fans of the series will be pleased with THE SHARPEST BLADE as it wraps up the trilogy nicely. And for those who haven't discovered this amazingly unique urban fantasy series yet, I say, well what are you waiting for. You'll want to snatch these right up. Trust me, you won't regret it.
2754998
I liked this series more when it was capers rather than Saving The World.

Since we went into Saving The World territory, though, this was a pretty good ending. The resolutions are both solid and sometimes surprising- a great combination. The characters stayed true to themselves, and major parts of the plot and the resolution were character-based.

The overall cosmology was not especially addressed here, though, and I found that frustrating. Whence came the "demons"? Why are chieftan spirits called "stars", when there are not stars in the cosmos? Broadening out the scope to be World-Saving rather than capers starts asking a lot of questions that I did not feel were adequately addressed.

It was an enjoyable series. However, even though #1-3 were somewhat more awkward, I did find them more satisfying than #4 & 5.

Recommended only if you are reading the series.
4590322
I can't believe this series is ending. I followed it from the beginning when there was only one book out and now I'm finally at the end. This was a really great ending to an awesome series. Did it blow me away? Not necessarily. It was good but it definitely did not make my list of amazing endings. I feel like these books have just become so drawn out and it never really feels like there's an end. There's no closure, which to me was a little disappointing. I did really like this series though and I would definitely recommend it.
812950
I am a great fan of Mr. Card's novels.

However, he usually disappoints with exceedingly weak endings.

This is true for all of his major series: homecoming, alvin maker, ender. All of the final books in the series left me with kind of an feeling in the end.

Card tells a great story, but just doesn't know how to end it.

This time however, he managed to both end the story and to tie up all of the ends. The story telling is up to par for the entire well-written and exciting series of novels.
840057
I am officially a fan of this series--fun, well-written, enjoyable to read. The ending was a bit disappointing, like the other Block books I've read, but by the ending I had had so much fun reading it that I didn't care.

For more reviews, please visit my blog, CozyLittleBookJournal.
4624556
I loved this series so much that I finished reading them within three days of purchasing.
There were a few minor things that I didn't like about it, grammer, punctuation; the normal.
The ending of this book threw me for a complete loop. I feel like I became so emotionally attached to Annie, and although she made it through, I feel like she deserved a better ending than that.
All in all, I will recommend this book to all of my friends.
3754317
Waited a long time for this book, and I enjoyed it immensely, except for the ending. There were very detailed scenarios on tactics and battles fought. It was wonderful to  read about technologies that were thought of at that time, but never applied. My real enjoyment is that  the author Peter G. Tsouras did not dumbed down any of the characters or any of the nations involved; each fought and acted with the best of their abilities.
 My main gripe (spoiler alert) (and I am not definitely alone in this) is that the ending was very anti-climatic (and rushed). Yes resources were low, but the United States was in a position to capitalize on its war gains and could of demanded much more in concessions from Britain instead of just giving way to the fear of antagonizing a sore loser. Also kicking its allies to the curb after the war was disgraceful.
The ending felt rushed like the author just wanted to be done with the series ASAP.
3749549
I throughly enjoyed all the books in this series, both authors make very memorable characters, my favorite being Sergeant Julian and Seargent Major Kosutic. The pace and drama in this book doesn't' disappoint either, but then... it just ends. I turn the page, thinking there will be another chapter, but thats it. I can't complain too much since the majority of the series is about getting Roger to grow a set and become a man, but it would have been more satisfied to see how everyone ends up. I hope they do another in this series!
645043
Ok, I absolutely LOVE this series. Riordan has grown a ton as a writer, and it's pretty clearly shown.
However, I'm so angry about the ending. It sort of just cut off, and there were no real closure. That would be fine, if it weren't the end of the series, or if there was another sequel announced (the book announced at the end is an entirely new series with a different set of mythologies)
I still love it, and will continue to agonize over it, and will probably read the next series too, It's just a little frustrating.
3017967
I was so excited when this came out but was disappointed in how it ended.  In some ways the entire series was sometimes confusing - SPOILER ALERT - as to whether there were or weren't aliens.  I still enjoyed the book.
972247
I generally loved this whole series. It was at times a little pedantic, but then again, that is sort of the fun of these kinds of books.

Each book evoked a fair amount of emotion. The themes touched upon were often raw...to the bone...and generally well laid out.

Somehow, in 'The Crippled God', that didn't quite happen, though I could easily see where Mr. Erikson was trying to do so. The reason I am giving this 4 stars instead of 5 stars, is that I thought the other books in the series just a bit better. It just happened that tCG did not leave me sobbing uncontrollably at several points as did the other books of the series...well, maybe a little bit.

All together, the book was very good, and it was about as decent an ending to a series such as this as one can expect. In fact, I assumed it would be a bit of a let down, but it turned out to wrap things up quote well and tidily.
3443173
Great series, I'm disappointed that there aren't more.
3884158
Great ending to the series- though the writer does leave you with the feeling of wishing it would continue on.. The write has a way of making us want more, not in a bad sense, but more like a great television series where we are disappointed when the series has a finale after being on top.
That emptines of - will anything ever make us this excited again?
4805700
Good series with interesting plots and likable characters...but the ending was disappointing. The editing was terrible and at times the storyline seemed in error. It almost seems like the author was forced to crank out books faster then the editing team could keep up.