This review may contain mild spoilers for all three books. 

Well here we are at the end of The Winnowing Flame trilogy and once again Jen Williams has left me heartbroken. Reader beware, this is a trilogy that will take you on the wildest emotional rollercoaster you’ve ever ridden, but it’s worth every teardrop.

The Poison Song is the final instalment, where our characters, no, not just characters, our friends, make their final stand. It’s all or nothing. The Jure’lia Queen may be licking her wounds after the ending of The Bitter Twins but she will not stay down for long. Nor will her pet, Hestillion who searches for new ways, new creatures to create and unleash on Sarn until either all is destroyed or under their control. Meanwhile Tor, Noon, Vintage, Aldasair and Bern, along with their war-beasts, plot their next move, and in doing so make unexpected alliances. Noon has brought The Winnowry down, she has freed the Fell-Witches who were so cruelly imprisoned, and now it is time for them to show their true power. Could they be a formidable force who might just change the course of this war?

“’Come and face your doom, you ugly worm bastards!’ His shout echoed around the cavern, fluttering against the walls and bouncing back like a frightened bird, but something about it made him grin all the wider. Here we are, in your secret den, he thought. Crawling right up your arsehole.”

In every review I hark on about how emotionally driven this series is and at the risk of repeating myself this book made me cry long before anything tragic had even happened. Over the course of the trilogy these characters have become part of me, Sarn for all its dangers felt like a home, and the war-beasts felt like real protective companions. My fondness for each of them grew with every book, with every trial they faced I could feel their pain, especially in this book as they all go on quite the journey. Noon confronts her past and finally remembers the devastating event that she had blocked for so many years, her despair at facing the truth was hard to read when we the reader know she has done so much good, as was reading about Tor facing his diminishing health with the Crimson Flux. Yet there were happier moments too, with Noon and Tor finally facing their feelings for one another, with Vintage’s growing friendship with Chenlo, a former Winnowry agent, and the love between Aldasair and Bern, two characters who would risk all to save each other. There is much self reflection, much growth and much sacrifice and these moments made me just as emotional as the devastating parts. These characters share an unbreakable family bond, made even stronger by their war-beasts, yet Williams makes clear that none of them were indestructible and at any given moment she could rip one right out of the story. Damn her!

“Stay strong, my bravest, dearest friends. We fly as one.”

Throughout the first half of this book our characters all have separate side quests and not all of them seem successful at first glance as many result in further disasters. This did feel like the plot was stalling somewhat but in truth, once the threads all begin to come together, we discover that they all help to widen our knowledge of Sarn, of the magic that lies within the lands, of the cultural diversity and ways of life, and of the Jure’lia’s corrupted history. This is a novel that balances many light and dark themes which Williams explores in various ways. For example, Agent Chenlo’s extracts from her journal tell the story of fell-witch children being captured and imprisoned by Winnowry agents, yet once Noon sets them free from their trauma and they are able to realise that their power can be used for good, for a heroic purpose. As we travel through a diverse cultural city such as Jarlsbad, buzzing with life and commerce, we see such a direct contrast to the ruins of Ebora. Then as we discover how the Jure’lia’s nest has fouled much of the surrounding land, we also see there are those who have made a home, a life, underground right beside the ants and live relatively well. What pulls all of the people of Sarn together is that of hope, and this is the force which drives this novel to its superb conclusion. 

Williams delivers one of the most epic battles I’ve read. With our band of heroes fighting in the sky on their majestic, armoured, war beasts desperately holding back the behemoths, with those on the ground defending Ygersil, the tree god, against the invading burrowers with every ounce of strength they have, and with those infiltrating the Jure’lia Queen’s lair to find her core memory crystal, this battle held many scenes of sheer thrilling delight. Eborans, witches, men and beasts all banding together, putting aside past prejudices and wrong doings to save Sarn, honestly made my heart soar. The visual aspects of each character facing their own opponents to conquer, their own methods of fighting, made the scope of this battle incredible. Think End Game but much better!

Once I had reached the final chapter, saying goodbye to my beloved darlings was not easy by any means, yet I was left satisfied. The Poison Song concludes this tale on a note of sadness and a time of healing, but also on the prospect of a brighter, peaceful future. There is also scope for more stories to be told, more adventures to go on, and so I hope one day to see Williams return to Sarn. Until then, here’s a few wise words from Vintage:

“All people need, in my experience, is a little push in the right direction.

Or a giant kick up the arse. I am always happy to provide either.”

The Poison Song is out now. You can pick up your copy from Bookshop.org