A solid end to a really good series. No one will be surprised that I loved this book and the entire series. Juliet Marillier is one of my solidly favorite authors. Her skill with story, atmosphere, and character is fantastic.

I would have to say that my favorite books by this author are the Blackthorn and Grim trilogy (which I had to re-read after finishing Song of Flight just because feels). So getting a trilogy like this one that is a sequel to those books is just a real treat. Like the Blackthorn & Grim books, these books are populated by intriguing characters you can absolutely fall in love with. I also really enjoy the way she writes about the fae and little magical people. They remind me of the wonderful strange little fae in the video game Ni No Kuni. Utterly charming. In this book, we also get to see Blackthorn herself and that made me very happy.

This probably isn’t such a great review because I’m mostly fangirling at this point, but I hope that will convince you that this is something you might want to look into. These books really are great and will be read and read again by me in future of that I’m sure.

I have been a big fan of Juliet Marillier's writing. I adored her Blackthorn and Grim series and so I jumped at the opportunity to read more in this world, although I have not yet read the other 2 books in this Warrior Bard series.

A Song of Flight is set in the same world of Winterfall, and Blackthorn and Grim appear in this book as well, although they are much more minor characters in this one. The main characters in this are their 3 children, now all grown and making their own way in the world. As always, Marillier creates a lush, descriptive world for her characters to inhabit. So similar in many ways to our own with hints of magic and the world of the fae touching the world of humans that you can easily believe all of these tales happened. Her writing is evocative of all the best things in fairy tales: good versus evil, the importance of being kind to folk who might not be like you, and curses that must be broken by hard work and good deeds.

The story begins with characters from the elite warrior group on Swan Island tasked with finding the missing Prince Aolu. It's unclear if this is the work of the mysterious (and sometimes violent) Crow Folk, or perhaps an abduction by a neighboring clan. Liobhan, one of the Swan Island warriors, has a personal stake in this as her brother, Galen, is the prince's bodyguard and he is found, badly injured, with no memory of who has taken the prince. Also involved is their other brother, Brocc, who has been living in the Otherworld, but now has to undertake a journey of his own to try to find his calling and path in life.

Plenty of great action sequences skillfully blended with back story and tales of the Crow Folk, and the journey each of the siblings must take swept me away to this world and I absolutely LOVED this book. It took me a few chapters to get caught up with the characters since I had not read books 1 and 2 (although these went immediately on my TBR list when I finished this one) and it's not necessary to have read other books in the Winterfall world to follow the plot and understand the characters in this one. I thoroughly enjoyed immersing myself in the mysteries, waiting for each bit of the puzzle to get teased out, and then all of it coming together in the final chapters. An entertaining and lovely read - exactly what I would expect from this favorite author of mine!

The Warrior Bards trilogy comes to a stunning conclusion with A Song of Flight. I was swept away from the very first page by Juliet Marillier’s writing and hated every interruption that pulled me away from Liobhan, Brocc, and Dau’s final adventure.

The threat of the Crow Folk continues to grow both in the human realm and in the Otherworld. When Alou, the prince of Dalriada, disappears after an attack by masked humans and the Crow Folk, the Swan Island warriors are called in to find out what happened. Though the incident occurred in Winterfalls, Liobhan's home, she is prevented from going on the mission as it’s too close to home. Her brother, Galen, is Alou’s bodyguard and was injured in the fight. Forced to remain on Swan Island, Liobhan continues her work training a new warrior. Liobhan being forced to stay behind (before she is inevitably drawn into the search as the plot threads tie together) is interesting as it shows new sides to her. Training someone else, having to work to create a bond with someone, brings out the mature and understanding side of Liobhan and it was interesting to see her settle in and find her place on Swan Island when she’s not in action. Liobhan’s partner, Dau, is sent on the mission to find out what happened to Alou and it takes him to interesting new places. I adore Liobhan and Dau together but seeing them apart actually showed the strength of their bond.

Brocc, whom we last left in the Otherworld, faces the most challenging journey in this book. He’s at a crossroads with one foot in each world, not knowing what to do when it comes to his life, his family, the Crow Folk, and more. Brocc is a good man who always tries to do what’s right, even if it costs him. And it does cost him in this book. He has to make some hard choices and they may not always be the right ones. His tumultuous journey over the course of the story had me questioning what would happen next and though I won’t spoil anything I will say that Marillier gave him a satisfying ending.

A Song of Flight is the third book in the Warrior Bards trilogy and you should definitely read The Harp of Kings and A Dance with Fate before jumping into this book. Marillier brings everything together in this story and I loved the entire journey. I can’t give away anything other than the basics of the plot because it would spoil the journey for readers. This book is a puzzle and I enjoyed watching the various characters collect the pieces and ultimately see the whole picture. In addition to Liobhan, Brocc, and Dau, we get to see events from other points of view such as Galen and Alou, two characters I wish I had cause to see more of in this series. Characters big and small all have something to contribute to the overarching plot and the mystery of the Crow Folk, which was a delight. And speaking of delights, fans of the Blackthorn & Grim trilogy are sure to be thrilled to revisit their favorite characters. Blackthorn and Grim are Liobhan, Brocc, and Galen’s parents, so getting to see not only them but a few other characters from their trilogy pop up was such a treat (though you don’t have to have read that series to enjoy this one).

A Song of Flight is a spellbinding fantasy from start to finish. There’s action, mystery, character growth, and love, both romantic and familial. Add that to Marillier’s gorgeous prose and it’s easy to see why I found this book so compelling.

This is the (continuing) story of Liobhan, Brocc, and Dau, who are warriors of Swan Island (for the most part). In this volume, the Crow Folk are still stirring up trouble for some of the local villages and while out and about, Prince Aolu goes missing and Swan Island is on the case. Meanwhile, all is not sunshine and rainbows in the fae kingdom, and when Brocc is caught trying to communicate with the Crow Folk, shenanigans go down.

I thought this was a lovely addition to the Warrior Bards series, though I’ll admit that I didn’t love it quite as much as the last installment (to be fair, the romance subplot in the last installment was amazing). I really like Liobhan and Dau, and so it’s very easy to cheer for them and wish for them to win the day! Brocc’s part in this story kicked me in the feels a few times, too.

The writing was lovely, and it described a lovely world full of uncanny and magical creatures just out of sight. I have honestly enjoyed every book by Juliet Marillier that I’ve ever read. They always read as so… beautiful, even when things happening aren’t always the sorts of things that conjure images of beauty. This one was no exception. I loved these stories even more than Blackthorn and Grim’s stories.

This was a fantastic conclusion to a fantastic series. I loved how this one wrapped everything up while leaving plenty of room for more stories in this world.

True Rating 4.5 stars

What a lovely conclusion to a beautiful trilogy from Marillier! I don't want to spoil things, but I hope you have read the Sevenwaters series first, as there are some tie ins. Her beautiful writing does a lovely job of weaving everything together.

It's always a challenge to review the final book in a trilogy without giving away spoilers. This was my favorite book of the three, all of which are really excellent high fantasy about a group of elite warriors, some of whom are also highly skilled musicians. I didn't realize until this book that there was an earlier trilogy set in this world, so I will definitely need to read those books as well. I love Marillier's detailed world-building of both the human and fey realms, and she expertly weaves together multiple storylines in this installment. The characters all show a lot of growth throughout the trilogy, and this is a very satisfying conclusion to their respective stories. Thank you to NetGalley, Berkley Publishing Group/Ace Books, and Juliet Marillier for the opportunity to read and review this book.

A nice wrap up to the trilogy. I really enjoy Marillier's historical fantasies. This particular book become very complicated with all the different voices but she handled it well.

For the first time in this series, I felt lost not having read the first trilogy. I recommend reading the first trilogy (Blackthorn & Grim) because it makes the world's politics and magic folk clear and is a fantastic series, so you should read it anyway.

Brocc has been trying to figure out the Crow Folk since the first book. He slowly figures out how to communicate with them. This knowledge comes at a high cost. Meanwhile, the prince of Dalriada is missing, and Dau, later Liobhan, is sent to look for him.

When I first started reading this book, it didn't click for me. Then when I read the other series, I realized that this is about finding happiness in your life with the cards that life has dealt you. For the first time, Brocc is a compelling character trying to be true to himself no matter the cost. People might be disappointed with how quickly some bad people are dealt with, but the point wasn't to defeat evil. It was to help as many creatures as possible.

Still wish that I had another series of Blackthorn and Grim going around solving fairy tale mysteries while they work through being a married couple.

Review based on an advanced reader copy provided through Netgalley for an honest review.

I was looking forward to seeing where these characters went after reading book one and two. It’s been a fun journey and one that I have liked reading. Although this wasn’t my favorite from the series, as book one just had everything that makes a book, I still liked it nonetheless and the endings that each character deserved.

Just like the other two books, the third book has multiple point-of-views. My favorites were still Dau and Liobhan. They have always been my top two characters of the series. One character, Eirne, is a dillweed. I don’t understand her actions as they are cruel towards Brocc and their daughter. So much has changed since book one when it comes to relationships and the jobs that each character must do. There is a bit of development for each character but I feel like the overall impact of it was majorly in book one and has died down over the series. This honestly may have been a reason as to why I didn’t fully connect with them. I still liked reading about them though

I haven’t read any of this author’s other series but apparently a couple characters from a previous one make appearances. It is a series on my tbr that I haven’t got to yet. I still think that you can read this one without reading that one as it is still easy to follow along with.

There is action here and there but I just wasn’t entirely invested which is no offense to the book in any way. I’ve just been in a weird spot lately when it comes to books and that’s okay. There were some plot twists that I wasn’t expecting and definitely plays into the, you can’t always trust those around you. I also liked the family bonds as always.

Overall, this was another good book for the series. I enjoy this author’s writing and am looking forward to checking out more of her works.

Rating: 3.5 stars

A Song of Flight weaves a brilliant tapestry of adventure and intrigue. This tale draws on folklore and music to bring to life a world where the fae are one step away and magic can be anywhere. I love this continuation of the Warrior Bard series. I love how each character brings different strengths to the story, some have strength, some wit, some music, some magic. This is a definite must for fantasy-lovers.

This is an incredible conclusion to the Warrior Bards series. Everything that was set up in the prior novels is answered and resolved here in a way that makes me really sad to say goodbye to these characters. Speaking of, I loved the guest appearances of Blackthorn and Grim, and seeing their family dynamic.

There are several more POV characters in this book. Some of these worked for me, but others didn't. Dau remains my absolute favorite POV character and I commend Marillier for remaining consistent throughout the series with the voices of the three original MCs (Brocc, Liobhan, and Dau). I love Liobhan and Dau's relationship; it's nice to see them as a couple. Brocc has grown on me and if there will be another book in this series, I would expect him to play a role in it.

Unfortunately, there were times where the pace seemed to slow, namely whenever plans were being made. Since all three MCs spend half the book separated from one another, the planning stage of missions had to be dealt with repeatedly. But that steady sort of storytelling is, I think, something of an author trademark and, as a fan, I didn't mind it.

All in all, this is a really exciting, bittersweet but fulfilling conclusion.

I love this author and her series have kept me a fan. This book was a let down. The characters weren't the fierce and brave group of previous books but almost drab and whining. I love a happy ending but it too much to get there.