A Claiming of Souls by R.A. Sandpiper * * * * *

I finally finished my ARC copy of A Claiming of Souls by R. A. Sandpiper. This is the final part of her Amefyre trilogy, and it was a satisfying conclusion to a great series. (Also, just FYI—there’s a companion novella!)

The ending was genuinely unpredictable. I usually have a good sense of where stories are going, but this one kept me guessing—so kudos to the author. I really enjoyed the story in this final book. A lot was happening, and there was even a little callback to the novella, which I appreciated.

There were some surprising moments throughout. Suri’s new powers were used really well—I liked that they didn’t make her feel overpowered or invincible. She still had real moral dilemmas to face and discovered a lot about herself. Her arc was deeply satisfying; she truly developed as a character while still staying true to who she was at her core.

Kol, the other main character, wasn’t as prominent in this instalment. He was present, but he didn’t stand out as much this time. Another character, Nadrian—a fan favourite, and one I really like too—felt much more central here. I think the author may have just fallen in love with him.

There was one story element I was kind of dreading—without spoiling anything—it reminded me of a structure I usually don’t enjoy. Growing up, I had a favourite historical novel that ended in a similar way, and I always dreaded that part with every re-read.

I really dislike it when characters are stuck in one place for too long. I don’t even know why it bothers me so much, but it always does. It makes me feel restless. I want them to move, to go somewhere, to do something. I even get like that with TV shows—if there’s a hostage situation or a bottle episode where everyone’s stuck in a room, I’ll sometimes just skip it entirely. That kind of setting just drags for me, no matter how well-written it is.

So when I realised that might be happening here, I got nervous. But thankfully, it wasn’t too bad. Yes, there’s a stretch where they’re stuck, but it didn’t feel static. There was still plenty going on—emotionally, narratively, and even physically—and it didn’t feel like a waiting game. That made a huge difference.

Overall, this was a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy. And if you haven’t read it yet—what are you doing with your life? Are you really a fantasy reader? Just go and read it!