We become Grimnoir in order to become heroes, to sacrifice our lives in the pursuit of a higher cause, to defend the defenseless . . . I’ve found that means attending a lot of funerals.

Hard Magic was a magical detective / spy story. It was a lot of fun, but there were only a few hints of the bigger story behind the story.

In Spellbound, things took a turn for the powerful as we learned more about what the Power was and just how crazy a Spellbound could be.

Warbound ramps it up another level, with the rise of a false Chairman, and the Enemy’s Pathfinder bringing war to Actives all over the Earth. It’s a well deserved and well written conclusion to the story.

The worldbuilding is just as interesting as it ever was, especially now that we see a lot more about how the Power and its magic actually work– particularly as we see how the rules we thought we knew can be bent and broken.

The characters are great as well. The relationship/counterpoint between ex(ish) Iron Guard Toru Tokugawa and Jake Sullivan is pretty great, especially their final confrontation in the epilogue. Faye is a wonderful, crazy girl with just the right combination of innocence, spunk, and flat out power. All of the other Grimnoir and pirates and Iron Guard? Great.

About the worst I can say for the conclusion is it seems to end too quickly. I wish I could have spent just a little while longer in the world. Perhaps the short stories?

Overall, one of the better series I’ve read in a long time. Give it a read.