In the final installment of her exciting portal fantasy series, Samantha-Ellen Bound keeps the stakes high (and mythological creatures flowing) while exploring themes of courage, friendship, and growing up.
Celeste and her little sister Esme have now spent several years helping their older cousin, Ferd, protect the Realms from Red Cap, who has grown in power and savagery in his quest for domination.
After Ferd’s beloved home and safe haven, Wherewithal, finally succumbs to Red Cap’s onslaught, Celeste and her companions flee to the Faerie Realm. Before facing Red Cap in a final showdown, Celeste, her best friend Logan, and the enigmatic faun Pan must each confront past traumas and decide what sort of person, and friend, they wish to be – decisions will have ramifications not only affecting those closest to them, but the entire Realms.
In this final story, dozens of past characters return for a final look-in – which, depending on how well the reader has remembered previous titles, may be joyfully nostalgic or interruptive and dizzying. Regardless, Bound does a masterful job orchestrating the finale, which is a gripping, moving and highly satisfying conclusion to a colourful, immersive series.
For me, a highlight of the story was seeing the relationship between Celeste and her younger sister develop as the two matured, finally appreciating one another’s differences and finding, if not friendship, a respectful alliance.
Readers ten years and older who enjoy mythological-inspired fantasy with a large cast of characters, like Rick Riordan’s Camp Half-Blood Chronicles (which includes the best-selling ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ series), will relish Seven Wherewithal Way, with its rich worldbuilding and interesting protagonists.
In the final installment of her exciting portal fantasy series, Samantha-Ellen Bound keeps the stakes high (and mythological creatures flowing) while exploring themes of courage, friendship, and growing up.
