I finished
The Firebird.
This novel is a sequel to
The Winter Sea, in a way. Anna is the daughter of two of the characters in TWS. Since I just read an ARC of the prequel to TWS,
The Vanished Days I thought to stay in the same universe and listen to
The Firebird.
I really did enjoy
The Firebird. Katherine Kellgren was a perfect narrator for this story. She was excellent at the range of accents and even did well with the male voices.
I really liked the developing relationship of Nicola and Rob. He was like her Jedi teacher. They were also really funny. I found myself laughing at times.
I liked the parts in Russia and learning about that part of history. I don't know if it's because it felt like more chapters were spent in the past but I found myself more invested in the characters and relationships of that time period.
Susanna always adds a "twist". I guessed one of them
and the other totally got me by surprise
But even though it got me by surprise, I don't feel like it was a jaw dropping reveal. Not like the reveal in
The Winter Sea and
The Vanished Days.
As much as I enjoyed this novel I didn't love it as much as I love
The Winter Sea. I was a little let down by the reveal about the Firebird. There was such a big lead up and it almost felt like it was an afterthought or footnote thrown in at the end.
Also, I can't put my finger on it, but something was missing. Like there wasn't much suspense.
Of the trilogy, I would rank them:
1) The Winter Sea
2) The Vanished Days
3) The Firebird
4 out of 5 Ancient Artifacts.