The Sorrow of the Sea is the third and final book in the historical fantasy series The Nightingale and the Falcon, written by Stephen Aryan, published by Angry Robot Books. An explosive conclusion which successfully closes many of the plotlines, still with space for some surprises, and that features more blood and more politics, as the fight for power across the Mongol Empires reaches a decisive point, picking from the point where The Blood Dimmed Tide left the story.

With so many open storylines at this point, bringing them to their conclusion is a complicated task, but Aryan managed to take most of all to a satisfactory ending; Temujin finally gets the full spotlight, using the advantage given by his Kozan abilities to reclaim his place across the various Mongol factions, a position of power that won't come without costs.
Kaivon is in a really interesting spot, having to collaborate with the Mongol Empire in order to gain Persia's freedom, but we can also see him struggling, almost accepting Temujin's rule for Persia as something inevitable, changing his heart. Esme perfectly complements him in this instalment, keeping his sanity and also maneuvering for Persia.
Kokochin's arc is the weakest in my opinion, losing a bit of the importance she had in the previous books, but she recovers it with an outstanding ending at Rome.

Aryan continues blending together fantasy and history, letting the reader to submerge themselves into a living world; magic becomes more prominent in this instalment, but still trying to keep the historical accuracy when possible. The prose is tight as in previous instalments, and the pacing is absolutely in the spot, keeping the reader hooked; and I can say that I really loved how the Kozan plot is closed, as I was a bit skeptic with it.

If you love historical inspired fantasy, The Nightingale and the Falcon is a series that you should definitely read; the three books are an excellent depiction of the Persian invasion by the Mongol Empire while being really enjoyable to read, having a memorable cast of characters. Can't wait to read the next Stephen Aryan's project!