The Warrior Moon (Ascendant, #3) by K. Arsenault Rivera

The Warrior Moon (Ascendant, #3) Reviews

• 
  Samantha

  tw: gore; body horror
  
  I would have liked this just as much as book one if it was a little shorter. This book adds in additional perspectives that we didn't get in the first two books, and that bogs it down a bit. For a story that revolves around a w/w romance at the core, I care about those characters more than other side characters. This did finally add in so much more fantasy that was teased in the first book, with more talk of gods, myths, etc. Due to its length and meandering, I did get bored, and I do wish the series had been edited more so that some of these elements were more present in book two. That would have made a more fulfilling story for me.
• 
  Cesar

  *June 26, 2019*
  656 pages. Guess I'm buying the audiobook as well so I won't get bored out of my mind reading flowery prose describing something that can be summed up in one short sentence. Jesus, take the wheel.
  
  
  
  
  *May 19th, 2019*
  You're probably wondering why I decided to add this to my TBR considering I despised the two other books in this trilogy.
  
  Well, I put in the time and effort to finish The Tiger's Daughter and The Phoenix Empress and I sure as hell want to finish the last book. This will be an audible book for sure because I cannot get through Rivera's overuse of flowery prose and going into long paragraphs describing something that can be summed up in two or three sentences, not three paragraphs.
  
  When I do get the book, wish me luck, my friends.
• 
  Gabrielle

  Two years ago, I read the first book, The Tiger's Daughter, and it stole my heart and ran away with it. The writing rendered my breathless and I was completely thunderstruck by it, by the story, by the characters, by the worldbuilding, by the narrative -- it was an epic fantasy like no other I could think of, a sweeping fantasy of powerful women, rising goddesses and true love made legendary. And what a fresh of breath air, for an epic fantasy set in cultures inspired by Asian culture and histories, particularly Japan and Mongolia, and one done such such respect and reverence for their nuances, their complexities.
  
  I continued with the second book, The Phoenix Empress, and it cemented my absolute love for this series and also made the narrative so much more complex: the author did not shy away from the harsh realities of epic wars, from critiquing the line between romantic retellings of awesome heroes and those same heroes have to suffer from PTSD while poets run away with the romance, did not shy away from striking into the heart of the truth about conquering and empires and true leadership -- the costs, the losses, and the lessons to be learnt.
  
  This series has been a sweeping love story, a remarkably written hero's journey twice over, and a truly mature take on the things most epic/historical fantasies often oversimplify and take for granted. And it still is.
  
  Now I come to the end of this journey, The Warrior Moon, of two lovers who are ascending into their fated godhood but must fight one more war: the big one, the one that started centuries ago and has defined their entire continent since, the one that you wished Game of Thrones did properly with the White Walkers, the one that could finally free their people from the threat of the Traitor, a god who rules the shadowy land beyond the Wall of Flowers and has the power to create demons from people. Humanity rests on the outcome of this war, and as Shefali and Shizuka lead their people into it they discover more stakes than they were prepared to take, but take it they shall if it means defeating this god, to save the world together -- it has always been within them, after all, to casually do the impossible.
  
  If the previous two books were parts of a journey, this book was a whole ride in and of itself. The writing I so adored since the first book has evolved since, to accommodate the rip-roaring tides of the war and newer POV chapters. I did not find this a hardship at all, and there was never a moment when one POV dominated all the others -- the author knew how to balance the few threads of plot and bring them all together with the right timing. While there were obviously shocking moments, I was never blindsided by anything, and it's clear that everything has been built up from the very beginning of the series, and the author is damned if she doesn't see all of them through with all the elegance and grace of a Hokkaran duelist.
  
  And that's what makes this third book of the trilogy fantastic. I don't find myself thinking the story fell flat, that things that were made wonderful in the first or second book ended up paling by the third. Absolutely none of that. The author very successfully ended Shefali and Shizuka's arcs with a bang that only legendary heroes deserve. I say "arcs" instead of "stories" because they've become so real in my head (another thing the author does successfully) that I can just imagine continuing off doing what they do best: achieving the impossible, protecting people, and loving one another for eternity after eternity until the galaxy itself crumbles.
  
  There were moments when it felt slow, but I do not think it is to the detriment of the story as these were moments to savour, moments to re-tread, moments that make you settle in your seat as you wait for the next page to drop with all the force of a hammer upon an anvil. The story carried itself through. The emotional beats in this book's story was strong -- each one stood out from another while never stealing the spotlight from each other, and they carried the wave of the plot along. Quicker as we passed the halfway point and very clearly raising the stakes for both the characters and the reader. There are moments where the reader will go OOOOOOOHHH with dawning shock, realization, and genuine awe in hindsight thanks to details and hints from previous chapters and books, seeds planted in a garden that the author has tended to with painstaking love and care. Moments that will pain you more than actually being stabbed, more than an arrow drawn from a bow no man but a god could draw.
  
  And yes, actual tears were shed.
  
  This review isn't for new readers, necessarily; it is, after all, the final book of a trilogy, and any new readers would have to look at the first book (and their reviews) if they are interested. This review is for myself, and it is a love letter to a series that revealed to me how there were no absolute limits in a fantasy -- that is why they are epic. A love letter to a series that showed me what a writer who believes in their characters, believes in possibilities, and more importantly believes in the strength of a narrative built with a cast dominated by women, queer people, and non-eurocentric settings. Our goddesses in the story, Barsalai Shefali and Minami Shizuka, are described as being able to casually do the impossible; well, I truly believe that K. Arsenault Rivera herself casually did the impossible with the fantasy genre.
  
  Yes, I may be inclined to be a little biased as a fan, a little hyperbolic because of it, but it is a fact that I absolutely adore this series. There are criticisms to be made, and I'm not going to say it is perfect, nor will I say it is for everyone. However, for me, this series with so much heart, and so much love for its characters and its setting. I am sure more than anything that it has added something more in the fantasy shelves. That It has cemented itself as something truly different.
  
  I'm so looking forward to the prequel, Sixteen Swords, about our heroines' just-as-legendary mothers, Burqila Alshara and Minami Shizuru, who slew a demon general before it was cool. The shoulders of the giants that Shefali and Shizuka stood on to become their own kind of legends. Having been so enamored with the author's writing since book one, I have no doubt that the prequel will turn out just as great, just as heartfelt and epic -- Rivera is more than capable at telling a tale that's meant to be sung by bards and angels alike.
  
  If I could give myself more time, I'd come up with a more analytical review, maybe even a spoiler-y one where I look deep into particular moments of the book, the parts that made me cry and parts that made me sing. For now, for this review, I'll just cap my review off with this final note:
  
  No fantasy has changed me more than this one about two lesbian warrior goddesses.
• 
  Abbey

  *cries for eight days, weeks, months, years, centuries*
• 
  Bruce Mackenzie

  Are you familiar with the saying "So bad it's good."? Well, sorry. That just doesn't apply. This trilogy has all the ingredients required to produce a feast of epic proportions. Instead we get sour soup and sandwiches on burnt toast.
  
  Hero fights demon snake, gets swallowed yet kills it from inside. Something of a cliche, but still. It gets three paragraphs. Secondary character gets their hair braided. Three pages. Nope. Just doesn't work for me.
• 
  Selby

  Really this is a review of the trilogy, since I read all 3 books back to back. There's a deep and long running love story throughout. The ending of the first book, The Tiger's Daughter brought a smile to my face. The second book, The Phoenix Empress, switches perspective and starts to build on the relationships, introduce new interesting characters (I really like Sakura), expand the world building, and provide explanations for Shizuka's state of mind. The final book, The Warrior Moon, was were the power of the writing really picked up, with the main antagonists getting onto the stage directly.
  
  I've read a lot of military sci-fi and fantasy, the second and particularly the third book are some of the most brutal depictions of war I've read. It's done very well.
  
  My main issue with the overall trilogy is the pacing and sheer size. At over 1,500 pages this was a major investment of time. The writing is detailed, and poetic, but there were times when I wondered whether I'd DNF the trilogy. I was happy to finish it, the conclusion felt right, but this was not an easy series to read for me.
• 
  DR

  This is a story worth reading; a satisfying ending to the adventures of Barsalai Moon & Shizuka Sun. All the loose ends were tied and I wasn't surprised to see a character return from the first book. I enjoyed the story because the words on the pages allowed me to feel the hardships of living on the Steppes, the pomp of palace life and the confinement of a city. I'm not sure some of the profanity used was available during this time period but it's not my book. The fact that another body of work entitled "Sixteen Swords" is coming has me smiling.
• 
  Lisa (Rover Reads)

  I lack the words to share just how much I love this trilogy.
• 
  Joanna

  Ich habe es tatsächlich durch die ganze Trilogie geschafft! Warum ich mich da durchgequält habe? Keine Ahnung. Wahrscheinlich, weil mich Riveras Welt trotz allem unheimlich fasziniert hat. Sie ist mir neu und fremd. Mal etwas Anderes, Neues. Auch die Sprache ist eigentlich wunderschön.
  
  Nur war es mir für drei Mal über 600 Seiten dann doch zu viel des Guten. Vor allem im dritten Band fühlte sich vieles zu aufgeplustert an. Als mensch ganz dringen noch ein paar Seiten mehr reinbringen möchte. Vor allem eine bestimmte Szene brachte mich bloss dazu, ganz tief zu seufzen.
  
  Auf jeden Fall bin ich froh, die Trilogie abgeschlossen zu haben. Für mich ist es gut so, mehr von der Autorin landet bei mir ich vorerst nicht auf der Leseliste.
• 
  Kate De Oude

  A story that pulls you in with a dense fantastical narrative where the author places faith in the reader to remember everything from honourifics to proper etiquette to moments that occurred two books ago. But if you can dedicate yourself to it, The Warrior Moon is a story like no other. All I ask now is that Rivera please tell us what happened to Shefali in the eight years since the end of The Tiger’s Daughter. Please. just a spin-off novel, I have to know.
• 
  cb

  muttered “…i guess” out loud upon finishing this book. 2.5ish stars. there are some things to like here and in the series in general, but none of it coalesces in a way that ever left me particularly convinced that i cared.
• 
  Nikki Jeske

  Magical. Intense. Emotional. Overwhelmingly spiritual. The best of the series so far. I couldn't put it down & even now I want to keep reading. The next book can't come soon enough.
• 
  Kelsey Hlavaty (readingwithkelsey)

  My feelings for this are very conflicted. On the one side, I have not enjoyed this series since the second book (
  The Phoenix Empress) was a very big letdown for me. I did not feel like it had the magic I feel in love with in this first book, and I can say the same for this book. What I felt in
  The Tiger's Daughter was something special for me. Maybe it was the format of the book, maybe it was the timing I read it, maybe it's because it was the first time I read a fantasy novel with two women falling in love. We will not know. The writing in this book was just as beautiful as the prose in the rest of series and I did find myself really loving some lines. I enjoy Shizuka and Shefali as characters as well and I really enjoyed that this became a "when the moon and sun fell in love" kind of retelling and I love the symbolism of that and how it really reflects the two main characters' personalities and values. However, this book put me in a major slump for a week. I found every excuse not to pick this book up whenever I could. There was a lot of meandering in the plot and I was getting lost with the differing perspectives (because we had more than two POVs in this book) and plot points. I feel like nothing was really explained to us as readers and we really just had to believe and follow a weak and convenient finale. I do not regret finally getting this off of my TBR, but I will just stick to thinking of The Tiger's Daughter as a standalone.
• 
  Aeryn

  mean and cruel to invoke utena in the last chapter and make every reader cry
• 
  petite tortue

  Absolutely loved the trilogy but omg book #3 was SO LONG!! I had go read 3 other books in the meantime :(
  
  The love story is amazinnng! Big fan of the 2 MC!! It's so poetic and soft and so well written ❤️❤️ hard to care for the other characters though
  
  But I feel like I'm missing 8 years of the story for one of the MC?? Like where did they go? What happened? We only get glimpse of her journey but I would have loved to know the rest? And 8 years is a long time and it is important to her character development so I kind of felt left out?
  
  Anyway you should definitely read it so we can fangirl together
• 
  Colin

  Another stunning Asian-inspired fantasy in the Ascendant series!
  
  I love everything about this series - the fully-realized Asian fantasy setting (I'm a sucker for linguisics, and there is an amazing system of honorifics used with personal names), LGBTQ characters (including the protagonists), and thrilling stories with characters I actually care about. This one has even more twists and heart-wrenching reversals of fortune than the prior two books, and I loved it even when it broke my heart! I highly recommend the series!
• 
  SR

  LUMINOUS. I need everyone I know to read this trilogy.
• 
  Laura AP

  to survive is qorin (and i survived)
• 
  Sandra

  so sad where this whole series went :(((((
• 
  Sydney (sydneysshelves) West

  DNF at over 50%. I was just bored and force reading. We don't do that here so I'm letting this one go.
• 
  Jenn

  An excellent conclusion to this trilogy. I loved the story and the writing. I'm so glad I picked this up.
• 
  Amber

  Completely gorgeous and epic
  
  I love this series! I get caught up in it whenever I pick it up, and it stays with me for a long time afterwards. Gorgeous!
• 
  SofiaTorn

  HOW THE EFF AM I SUPPOSED TO MOVE ON WITH MY LIFE
• 
  Nola

  A sweeping and epic conclusion to a trilogy that is poetic as it is brutal, as beautiful as it is heart-breaking.
  
  
  Our heroines set out on their final journey to defeat the creature who has infected their lands and their peoples for generations, stealing hearts and lives for his own twisted ideals.
  Shizuka, our Peacock Princess, our Phoenix Empress and Dog Ear general, who dealt with the darkest of her inner demons during book two of this trilogy, now must face her bone-deep fears as well as real life demons themselves.
  Shefali, our Empress Consort Wolf, our ever-suffering Qorin warrior and Needlenose, is still struggling with her impending unpleasant fate but as always she perseveres with noble strength and courage as she travels north to free her people.
  Sakura, singing girl, painter, historian, is torn between duty of the heart and duty of the mind but when the two align she vows to record the events to come should anyone ever forget the legends of her cousin and her wife’s rise to godhood.
  
  We also get some lovely chapters from the point of view of Otgar, the best wrestler the Qorin have ever seen, Termurin, the Iron Woman and Lai Baoyi, daughter of a Qorin who grew roots and the Thorned-Blossom Queen, all three characters i really enjoyed getting to know.
  
  The absolute and deep love between our Wolf and Phoenix is something that always touches the heart no matter how many times you read about it. A delicacy and exquisiteness with which these moments are written that leaves one breathless.
  
  
  The Warrior Moon brings us from the comforting safety of the Bronze palace to the time-warped land of the Traitor.
  There are many moments fraught with peril and death on this journey for all our characters and as always Arsenault paints us vivid and lyrical imagery worthy of a frame in any famous gallery.
  We learn some terrible truths beyond the Wall beneath an unchanging sky and the plot is full of sharp cliffs and soaring mountains of emotion and danger.
  
  This story also shows us with a gentle firmness that it is okay to make mistakes even when you are trying your hardest to do your best and that giving up, no matter how hard it may seem, is never the right option. To take a breath and continue and to try again and do what you can with what you have is the surest way forwards.
  
  The final climax of the book, and there are many more minor ones that build up to this, is spectacular and heart-wrenching in so very many ways i can't possible name them all.
  As always the pacing is methodical and, despite being the most action packed book of the trilogy, comforting in it’s steadiness.
  
  All in all this may be my favorite book of the trilogy and i adored the first and second books as it was.
  If you're looking for classic high fantasy re-imagined in a refreshing and diverse light, with gorgeous queer rep, epic and gritty battles and stunning world building then Their Bright Ascendancy is for you.
  
• 
  Liz

  I am so confused about my relationship with these books. On the one hand, the premise and world building and language delights me. On the other hand, I am always just...meandering though them and so rarely pulled along. I read a chapter and put it down and then come back and keep going. But also I keep reading them because I find the language in particular so compelling.
  I wish I had a better sense of what it was that worked and didn't for me from them, but I'm so glad I read them.
• 
  Mari

  This book made me more sad than I thought, I wasn't ready for that many losses over the book, I thought that there would be at least more scenes with Baoyi with her aunts, as much as I'm disappointed with Baoyi's anger, I kind of understand her resentment . Otgar, Alshara and Baoyi are easily my favorite characters from the books and I'm glad I've got to know them.
• 
  Anastasia

  Why couldn't I get into this? I really liked the 1st book; 2nd had a slow start/middle, but I liked it too. Like it was too abstract, less tangibly real & relatable.
• 
  Brandon

  Well, at least the 3rd and final book in this series had some semblance of a plot, even if the plot materialized out of thin air.
  
  The first 2 books of this entire series spend so much time twirling around the love-struck girls that by the time we got to this book, there was no sense of threat or danger from this so-called Demon Army. I felt nothing reading this book. I simply didn't care.
  
  I'm usually very optimistic about new authors. It's obvious to me that KAR was trying to find her writing "voice" throughout it. But this series was such a jumbled mess. The first book was written in letter format. The second book was written in Present Day/Past flashback format. And then the third book was written in traditional 3rd person, but this time introduced multiple POVs. There was zero continuity between the 3 novels. It's obvious to me that there was no long-term plan for this story and KAR didn't use an outline, because it's filled with plot holes.
  
  Nothing is fleshed out or explained. Why are the girls considered Gods? *Shrug*. Where did the gods come from? *Shrug*. How does magic work? *Shrug* Why is that sword magical? *shrug*. How come she can shoot fire from her palms? *Shrug*.
  
  All these things I mentioned above seemed conveniently placed into the story to get the girls out of a jam. Magic was nothing more than a crutch to move the plot forward. Nothings explained. Nothings explored. It just happens cause of...reasons.
  
  This series would have been MUCH better with a proper outline for all 3 books before writing the very first word of Book 1, as it was pretty obvious KAR had no idea where she was taking the story in each installment. At the end of The Warrior Moon, she had no choice but to rely on magic clichés and a Deus-Ex Machina type of ending just to wrap up the story.
  
  If there's one positive I could point out....is that KAR did structure this book better and it seemed she may have finally found her "grasp" on what she was trying to achieve. But unfortunately for her, it was a bit too late for this book to have the impact that she wanted it too.