And so it ends. It's been an awfully long strange trip, that probably overstayed it's welcome just a bit. But on the whole it's been quite the story and I'm glad to have read it.

It's kind of neat having a page or two with the 'last story' of many different fables. We get to see some like Boy Blue again, which I appreciate. Even if/especially if he (more or less) stayed dead.

It was a fitting conclusion.

Spoilers/images:



Ambrose was telling the story all along?



Always a Max. A quick sort of name.



Ambrose hooked up with Lake? That's... a bit of an age difference, but it works.



The end of Boy Blue. And he gets to live a simple life. Good for him. Weird world with infinite afterlifes one after another, but kind of nice.



Well, now that you mention it...



The mundies have come!



And so it becomes a magic school. That's a kind of fun idea. I'm not sure if I'd want to read it or not, but it's fun. ( )

What a fitting end to the Fables series! The buildup of tension was as expertly wrought as all the other conflicts throughout this 13-year spanning saga, and like always before things work out the way that they should. Some moments are fitting and others are bittersweet, but clearly the Fables community will go on. It may not longer be centred on the Farm and the New York-Fabletown (or the pages of this specific series), but many endings are left wide open to let our imaginations run free - as all good fables and fairytales should. ( )

There is a war coming between Rose Red and Snow White. And a final wrap up for many of the characters.

Storylines with war are not as interesting to me, and I was happy with how this ended. I enjoyed the wrap ups for many of the characters, particularly for Snow and Bigby’s cubs/kids. There was one text section in the middle, then more wrap-up text at the end by the author, which I quite enjoyed. As always, illustrations are quite nice and I’ve always loved the extra touch of the borders. The cover actually folds out and includes many (all?) characters in the series. One of the extras at the end of the book is the “key” that shows you who is who on the cover. There is also an additional 4 page fold-out close to the end of the book. ( )

I’m sad to see the series over but this huge issue tries to wrap up everything you could think for most of the fables we have seen over the years. As with the last volume some of these were one or two page stories that might be set way in the future. There is wiggle room for some new stories but nothing so tantalizing that it leaves the reader breathless for more. The conclusion is not a knock it out of the park amazing ending but it is a satisfying ending that makes me glad to have spent all this time with this cast of characters.

Digital review copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley
( )

Sigh... It's been a great run and series and I'm sad to see it go. I didn't review each and every book in the series because it would've sounded the same each time. That I love the book, the story, the characters, etc. This book made me sad for all the reasons why I'm sad when I finish a good book, show, movie, etc. I was very happy to see Brandish get what he deserved and that BIgby and Snow lived a long time and very happily (happily ever after!). All good things must come to an end but at least I get to read some of the one-offs that have floated around out there. A must read for any fairy tale fan. ( )