Review: Wraithwood Rising (Wraithwood Academy #5) by Teresa Hann

                                                               

Print Length: 154 pages

Publisher: Teresa Hann (September 23, 2022)

From Goodreads.com: The war didn’t start with us.

But it’ll end with us.
It’s time to return to Wraithwood Academy. 

The trial by fire of the Hells forged us all in new ways, but two things remain

I’ll have to face down my father.

And when I do, my men will be standing by my side.

The knight. The genius. The unlikely lord. The unlikely consigliere.

And the only one who can take down a man who’s become a a demon who struggles to become a man.

The battle for our future has arrived.

  

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My Rating: 2.5 stars out of 5

There were moments when I thought this book was really going to blow me away, such as when Priam attacked the school and stole back the research that Cass had taken from his secret lab inside the hells with Ageis at his side once again. Or when Aegis sent Cass not one but two cryptic texts, one leading her to walk in on an attempted kidnapping of her half-sister Cly, and another luring her to an abandoned warehouse (and okay that meeting earned brownie points as I did not expect what happened next). 

And then we get to the final show down, and as interesting as it was to watch unfold it was also very ... underwhelming. There were so many people gathered, and so much leading up to this moment, that I admit to being surprised when it came down to Cass and Wraith facing off against her all-powerful father. Without giving anything away for anyone who hasn't yet read the series, I will say that the outcome of that battle was interesting (and far less bloody than I had anticipated considering the weapon Cass wielded), because at long last, Priam seemed to find what scraps were left of his humanity. 

But then there was the epilogue which seemed to be hastily slapped together almost as an afterthought. Sure, we get to see our core of characters (Darshan, Acubens and Cassandra) finally graduate, we get to hear of the plans they plan to implement, and it seems like even Wraith may be getting a new beginning as well, but I would have liked for it to have been a longer time jump. I would really have liked to have seen these characters years down the road, and what mage society looks like now that they are leading it. How did society react to their changes? How many seats do the no-names hold now? What are the vassals doing with their freedom? How is Wraith settling in now that it appears he isn't confined to campus? Or does he still have to spend the majority of his time there? It was disappointing to have so many questions left unanswered in what was an otherwise satisfying series.