.This was the end of a series so definitely needs the rest to make sense. Many plot points are drawn from previous books in the series. It is interesting to follow through with how all the characters have evolved, it's intriguing watching Lizbeth struggle with her sisters status. The politics are frustrating and dow right dramatic.. Overall it was nice to get some sort of closure, but this series didn't have the pull her previous books, like the rookie stack house series

I'm not going to lie, The Last Wizard's Ball was such a letdown for me.

I really loved the first two or three books, but the last ones have felt very erratic, especially this one. I am so confused at all the changes in the characters in this book. No one felt like themselves. It was a huge disappointment, because there was so much potential for character growth.
The plot would have been pretty good, but again, the characters got in the way, and instead it ended up feeling very wooden.
I absolutely loathe how this book ends. Even if that was the ending planned from the start, it was handled so poorly, that it kind of ruined the series for me. The whole thing is rushed and not well explained, and again, the character responses and actions are so baffling. I think Lizbeth deserved a better ending to her story.

Another excellent installment in Harris's series starring Lizbeth Rose, gun for hire. This novel is set in the Holy Russian Empire--California--and takes place before and during a ball attended by magic-users from all over, many of whom use the ball as a marriage market. Lizbeth's sister is a debutante, but the ball hasn't even begun before someone starts trying to kill her. The story moves well and Lizbeth's breakup with her husband (we all saw it coming, yes? it's not a spoiler) is a big part of Lizbeth's development. I hope this isn't the end, as I like this setting and characters.

Charlaine Harris’s The Last Wizards' Ball delivers an intriguing premise with its mix of magic, political tension, and family loyalty, but the execution falls short. The story of Lizbeth Rose protecting her sister Felicia in a deadly game of wizardry and power has plenty of potential, especially with its high-stakes setting and Felicia’s captivating role as a death wizard. However, the writing feels uninspired and overly generic, lacking the vivid prose or emotional depth needed to fully bring the world and characters to life. While fans of the Gunnie Rose series may appreciate the closure this final installment provides, the lack of narrative flair makes it a middling conclusion to an otherwise inventive series.

This was a great sixth entry in the Gunnie Rose series, it had that element that I was expecting and enjoyed from the series and from Charlaine Harris. The overall feel worked with what was happening and enjoyed this as a final chapter in this series. It was everything that I was hoping for and was glad I read this. Charlaine Harris always does a strong storyline and characters and I am excited for more.

The sixth book in the Gunnie Rose series is a dazzling finale (possibly). Felicia is attending her first Wizard's Ball, a week long celebration of magical people of marriage age searching for mates, by getting to know one another at balls, teas, socials, games and lectures. Her big sister Elizabeth and her husband Eli , along with her mentor Felix, been roped into providing protection for her at the events. Felicia is the number 1 sought after witch at the event because of her talents. It turns out she needs protection as at every event someone is trying to kill her. Ever vigilant they are attacked by people seeking to win Felicia to their side or see that no one else does.
Even though this is an alternate history novel, the impending war in Europe with Germany/Hitler and the Japanese is looming in the wizards plans.
The actions, the splendor, the clothing, the danger, the betrayals, the loves, the deaths and the choices all come to a satisfying conclusion. I felt like the author could continue any of these delightful character's stories if she desired.
I highly recommend the entire series!!!

“I had to tiptoe around my sister. It was so easy to set her off these days.” Lizbeth

I’m captivated by the concept of this series and the intriguing blend of worlds that forms its setting. In my opinion, the initial three books presented much stronger plots compared to the subsequent three. I had anticipated a return to the original quality, but unfortunately, my thoughts on The Last Wizards Ball were mixed.

Many characters undergo sudden personality shifts without any apparent reason. Felicia becomes vain, snotty, ungrateful, and bratty. As evident from the quote above, there’s also random tension between the sisters in this book, but for no apparent reason. Eli continues to be the selfish man he was in book 5. I felt like the plot lacked substance and was filled with a lot of unnecessary and tedious drama.

The ending was unsatisfying. I’m not someone who demands everything be neatly tied up or have a happy ending, but this conclusion was frustrating for all the characters. Perhaps she intends to continue the series and wanted significant changes, but it was disappointing for me. I’m glad I finished the entire series, but I must admit that I preferred the way things ended in The Russian Cage.

I read an early draft of the DRC, so I hope it will undergo another round of editing before publication. It was quite repetitive, with the same information repeated multiple times, as if it were new. I expect these issues, along with the typos, to be corrected before the final print.

Thanks Saga Press Books and NetGalley for the DRC

Charlaine Harris enchants once again with The Last Wizards' Ball, a gripping blend of magic, intrigue, and danger. Lizbeth Rose’s fierce loyalty to her sister Felicia takes center stage as she navigates a perilous wizarding society on the brink of chaos. With Felicia caught between admirers and adversaries at the opulent yet treacherous Grand Wizards’ Ball, Harris masterfully balances the allure of arcane elegance with the mounting threat of war. The stakes are high, the action is relentless, and the emotional depth adds weight to every twist.

This was an exciting story, but the ending was so profoundly unsatisfying that I spent ten minutes explaining the plot of the series to my husband just so I could further explain to him why the ending was terrible.

Without going to far into spoiler territory -- six books later we see no character development or growth from our protagonist. At the end of the series we find her sitting right where we found her. No one has a happy ending. Our only consolation is that the story takes place circa 1939 and they're all mercifully dead by now.

This is my all-time favorite series and I've been glued to it since the beginning. To say I was devastated & shocked to see that this was the final book is the understatement of the year. It's one of those worlds where you wish you could live in it, be one. of the characters and stay there forever.

If I could give it more than 5 stars, I would. And although I'm super sad this series is over, I couldn't have wished for a better ending to it.

I received this ARC from Netgalley. I requested this ARC without knowing that it was the 6th book in a series! I was a little scared to start reading from the 6th book since I havnt read the first 5. But, let me tell you, the POV catches you up and refers back that I didn’t feel like I was missing anything! This was such a great and magical story that I NEED to grab the 1st one! 4 stars!

I loved it! This is one of my favorite authors. I did not expect the story line to make an almost circular loop like it did and it worked well. I've grown attached to everyone and I hope I hear more about how they are all doing. Excellent series!

I have absolutely loved this series since the beginning & was shocked to see that this was the final book. I was even more shocked at how horribly this book was done. It was rushed & several well established characters were out of character for much of the book. And the ending was, simply put, crappy. I know Mrs. Harris has a tendency to get bored with her series, but jeeze....killing everyone would have been better than this.

I'm being generous by giving this 2 stars, as the story did stay suspenseful. But by midway through, I could already see where it was going. I was just hoping that maybe it would have been a better ending.

I absolutely ADORE Charlaine Harris. Her work is amazing and her trueblood series is the definition of addiction. This book is no different, so good!

I really liked this book, but I’m sad that it’s the end of the series. It takes place just before WWII in an alternate time line. Felicia is trying to find a husband at a Wizards’ ball. The plot line revolves around keeping Felicia safe during a week of parties in the Russian empire, which used to be California. While most of the storylines got tied up well, I’m hoping for a short story (or many) to come in this world.
Do not jump into this series here, start at the beginning.

I absolutely loved this series… until the last couple of chapters. I adored Lizbeth Rose as a character and that’s why I’m so shocked at the ending. The last half of this book was random and all the characters acted completly different. I’m not sure what made the author change so much but I felt legitimately sad at the ending.

This was an interesting book but honestly didn't feel like a satisfying ending. I liked the real world tie-in of WWII (which is I guess actually WWI in this world) but the character relationships were disappointing to me. I will continue to read and see what - if anything - happens next!

As the reported last book in this series, this is another hit from the author. This book was filled with the authors usual fast paced mystery and suspense. And as always a few twists and turns. Reading the previous books in this series would be helpful to the reader. This is a book which I would recommend to all readers.

I’ve been a fan of the Gunnie Rose magical alternate history and read the first 5 episodes. I’m glad Rose has returned as the narrator because I didn’t enjoy Felicia’s POV as much. It opens with recapping the series during Felicia’s (and Alice’s) society coming-out dance and then plunges into multiple murder attempts by Axis agents preparing for WWII. A lot is going on that Rose doesn’t know about, but she trusts her family implicitly...until the last 10 pages upend everything.

At 192 pages, it felt short when their normal length is above 300. The prose in this novel is choppier than before, with swaths of one-sentence paragraphs. In some areas, key description is missing. The sudden appearance of commercial transatlantic airplanes on p137 came out of nowhere. This didn’t happen until June 28, 1939 with our much higher-tech world. The final chapter felt abrupt, out of character for Rose, and vague; however, it seemed to be a conclusion to her part of the sad tale.

I'm such a huge fan of this series, and I believe this book was a satisfying conclusion to Gunnie Rose's story.

It had a very Bridgerton feel with the balls, teas, and dances. But with an extra dash of danger, assassins', war, magic, and family drama.

I devoured the book in less than two days, it was a mile a minute adventure. With extra heart.