I am so glad that I finally read this book!  I was lucky enough to receive an early copy of this book near its release date but it fell through the cracks somehow.  As more time passed, I realized that I would need to refresh my memory of the first two books in the trilogy before I could review the book properly so I put off reading it.  I decided to push this book to the top of my list recently and it was a very good decision.  I thoroughly enjoyed my re-read of the first two books in the trilogy and was eager to experience this book for the first time.  I really had a good time with this one.

This is a trilogy that really needs to be read in order.  Things have been building to the events in this book for the entire trilogy and I was excited to see how things would work out.  Victor Draconi has been working towards a plan to eliminate the other Families and take control of everything himself.  Lila and the other Sinclairs are aware of his plan and they are working to do whatever they can to stop him.

This story was exciting and there were a few scenes that were incredibly action-packed.  There were a few scenes where I was really worried about how things would work out for this group of characters that I have grown to care for and some scenes that broke my heart.  I loved the way that the monsters and magical abilities were such a vital part of the story.  It was great to see Lila really become a trusted member of the Sinclair Family as they came together with the other Families to fight a common threat. 

Brittany Pressley did a fantastic job with the narration once again.  I looked forward to putting my headphones on and escaping into Lila's world for a few hours.  I really felt like she brought this story to life.  She did a fantastic job with all of the character voices and brought a lot of emotion into her reading.  I believe that her narration added to my enjoyment of this story. 

I would recommend this book to others.  I thought that this was a wonderful trilogy set in a very interesting world.  I had a great time going on this adventure with Lila, Devon, Felix, Oscar, and the rest of the characters.  I cannot wait to read more of Jennifer Estep's work.

I received a digital review copy of this book from Kensington Books via NetGalley and purchased a copy of the audiobook.

I hadn't realized this was book 3 in the series. I hadn't yet read book 2. Will come back to this one once I read Dark Heart of Magic. Thank you for the chance to read.

I had to start Bright Blaze of Magic by Jennifer Estep a second time. When I tried to listen to it the first time I couldn’t get passed the handfuls of “I/he/she sniped”. In the Midwest I have never heard that phrase. It was jarring each and every time and it seemed to be a lot.

Bright Blaze of Magic was a satisfactory wrap up to the Black Blade trilogy. I hate to say it but there wasn’t a ton of surprises for motives and such. Lila Merriweather remained the girl her mother raised her to be.

I enjoyed the characters and the storyline but it didn’t blow my mind. I thought the world building was done well. The pacing never seemed to work for me. There seemed to be a lot of frenzied action and then an abrupt stop or no pause whatsoever.

I’m sure I’m one of the few who found Bright Blaze of Magic by Jennifer Estep a middle of the road story. I still want to give Estep’s adult series a try!

Jennifer Estep writes excellent YA fantasy! I love this world and the characters in it, It's vividly real and I want to visit, providing the monsters don't get me!

Outstanding! This book grabbed my attention and didn't let go! I hope the author keeps writing for ages, because it's probably one of my favorites!

I enjoyed Bright Blaze of Magic by Jennifer Estep. I love all Jennifer Estep's books. I look forward to reading her next book. I plan on stocking this book in my store. Thank you for letting me read it.

I liked the world building. Monsters with character are good. The characters in the book tho, are kind of flat. They're all the same - speak the same, act the same, think the same. That could've been done a lot better. And the romance - eyeroll. Another insta-crush. Thankfully they weren't always acting it out, so I was happier when the story moved along without Devon and Lila making out. The book would've been just as good without them being together. Not every book has to pair off its male and female characters.

The evil guy here was straight out evil. No reason, no remorse. This whole thing could've been fleshed out better. Why did his henchmen go along with his evil plan? How did the other Families let this go on so long without checking Mr. Evil? Aren't there rules? And then there's the obvious stupidity of the MC in order to get the story rolling in a certain direction. If you know the guy has some nefarious plan up his sleeve, why don't you have better plans?

Aside from all that, I liked the way it was written. I was in a burned out mood when I read it, and the style was good enough to pick me up and interest me. I'm far from loving the book, but it was ok. I rate it just under 4 stars. I recommend it if you're bored, but put it on hold if you're not.

Disclaimer: I received a copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Love this series. And this was a great end to the series. Jennifer Estep won me over with her Mythos Academy series she wrote, that's one of my all time favorite series, this series was a lot different than those but was still good.

The book kept my attention and the romance was light, but not too light.

Title: Bright Blaze of Magic
Author: Jennifer Estep
Series: Black Blade #3
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Kensington
Pub Date: April 26, 2016
Pages: 368
My Copy: Courtesy of Netgalley and Kensington

Book Summary:

Bad Things Always Come In Threes…

As a thief, I'm good at three things: hiding in the shadows, getting in and out unseen, and uncovering secrets. I put these skills to work for the Sinclair Family, one of the magical mobs that run the tourist town of Cloudburst Falls. 

Everyone knows Victor Draconi wants to take over all the other Families--and kill every last Sinclair. What they don't know is that I'm on to him, and no way will I let the man who murdered my mom get away with hurting all the other people I care about. Especially when I've got places to break into, stuff to steal, and Devon Sinclair fighting right by my side… 

Book Review:

	A terrific third book in this series. I totally found myself enjoying the fact that everything hits the fan literally in this book as Victor Draconi puts his final plans into motion. Lila and company try to stop him of course from doing this and find that nothing is ever easy. 

	What I really love about Lila is that she is super smart and very sneaky. She certainly seems to be a much different person and a little bit more attached to the people she has come to love and respect very much. I like how this book starts with Lila, Felix, and Devon stealing some black blades from Victor, so he can’t use them, and replace them with fakes. Think this idea is wonderful. Also the fact that Deah helps them avoid being caught. Deah knows that her father is no good and decides to help them.

	Also the fact that Claudia tells Lila to hide the black blades someplace other than the mansion tells me that Claudia knows Victor will come looking for them and it’s best to keep them hidden to stop Victor from doing what he wants to do. This comes to be a very wise tactical decision as something happens that we should have seen coming. Lila and Claudia know that Victor will stop at nothing to destroy the other families if he has the chance.

	So of course, chaos ensues at a dinner where all the families are and of course Victor claims that he has black blades and has taken all the magic and to join his family or die. Of course no one wants to do this. Of course, the Black Blades he thought he had, backfires on him as one of Victor guards uses a fake black blade and realizes that someone switched his black blades for fakes. This infuriates him and he decides to attack and try to kill everybody. A lot of people die and get captured, but Felix, Lila, Devon, and Deah get out of this situation and go into hiding. This makes things more difficult for them as they have to figure out how to rescue everybody and fight against Victor. Victor has to be stopped before it’s too late.

	I like the action packed nature of this third book a lot. There is one scene where people are talking and trying to gather intel. One scene in particular was a little easter egg for those of who read The Elemental Assassin series. Love the Pork Pit shirt that Deah is forced to wear by Lila so that they can gain intel on what is happening now that Victor is trying to find them. They need to know where everybody is hiding. What happens is nothing but short of interesting as Blake finds them and Deah unfortunately sprains her ankle and gives herself up. So of course, Lila and Devon go back to the mansion at one point and she finds her pixie is well and good. She needs to get something at the mansion.

	We also learn that Lila hid the rest of the Black Blades in a place where no one would think to look. The Library where she first stayed. Thought it was a nice way to bring the series in a way back to where Lila was at the start of this series. Thought this was a nice twist and also we learn that during the time when she is trying to rescue certain members of the family, Victor lures her into a trap where she is most likely to die from copper crushers. While the Copper Crushers venom is coursing through her veins, she gets a vision and sees her mother, who tells her how to defeat Victor and that she is the only one who can do it.

	Claudia and Victor are supposed to fight, and yet Lila explains to Claudia how she saw her mother and what her mother told her. Claudia agrees to let Lila fight for the family. Claudia explains that even as a teenager, he always seemed to crave power and nothing was ever enough for him. Lila needs to do this for her mother and everyone he has killed. I really have enjoyed how Lila has changed and matured over the course of three books. 

	The fight between Victor and Lila is really excellent and both of them have surprises in a few ways that you never expected. Also was surprised that they had good banter and that Victor was not going to give her an easy fight because of the way that both of their talents work. It’s very similar to one another. Also the fact that he is surprised by the fact that Lila has a talent he has wanted for a long time. So he wants to take her talent and kill her not realizing that Lila always has a plan as well. The fight takes you on quite a ride and I loved that Lila emerged victorious and then peace ensues.

	I really loved how this series ended. It was a happy ending and Lila found something she never thought she would have in her life, family and friends. Her life is really good now that she has avenged her mother. Plus she can move on with her life.

Rating:

4.5 Hearts

A fast paced read. Amazing characters, Plenty of twists and turns to hold your attention and keep you wanting more. Love Ms. Esteps books!!!

- - Received from off of Netgalley - -
L.

Bright Blaze of Magic was such a great read! I don’t know why it took me so long to commit to reading – maybe because it was the last book in the series? That’s not usually a problem for me, as I love the satisfaction of actually being current on a series… but for some reason I dragged my feet picking up Bright Blaze of Magic.
What Worked:

I ADORE these characters. They are very mature for YA (the fantasy tends to do that), but they do still hold on to some of their youth – in terms of hopefulness and naivety. They withstand a lot of loss in this book with strength and dedication to their loved ones, which I enjoyed reading. I was especially impressed with one character who had the moral courage to choose what was right over her kin. A tough call to make, but an important one to know how to make when necessary.
Y’all know I’m an animal lover and in this series, for me, the monsters are a lot like animals. I just love them and the respect that Lila shows to them makes me love her all the more. There are some great moments with a lochness monster (as opposed to THE Lochness Monster) and I think s/he became my favorite monster of the series.
The story is filled with action, suspense and magic – like I’ve come to expect from Jennifer Estep. A couple fairly epic magical fights, a few chases… just lots of nail biting action!
This one definitely stomps on your heart a bit more than the others. Some heart wrenching moments that force our young characters to act very adult.
What Could Have Worked Better

I feel like there were a few points that happened too easily. Yes, there’s some tough moments. But there’s also some points where you’re thinking, “really? and that’s it?”
I struggle with Mo as a family leader – he just seems to fun and not serious enough with his Hawaiian shirts. He’s a great guy, but how anyone takes him seriously I just don’t know.
I’m really glad y’all voted for me to finally finish this trilogy from Estep! I enjoyed it and thought it was a great conclusion.

An excellent conclusion to the trilogy. I truly enjoyed every moment.