Splendor

Read the review of The Luxe, the first installment in this serie, here.

A spring turns into summer, Elizabeth relishes her new role as a young wife, while her sister, Diana, searches for adventure abroad. But when a surprising clue about their father's death comes to light, the Holland girls wonder at what cost a life of splendor comes.

Carolina Broad, society's newest darling, fans a flame from her past, oblivious to how it might burn her future. Penelope Schoonmaker is finally Manhattan royalty—but when a real prince visits the city, she covets a title that comes with a crown. Her husband, Henry, bravely went to war, only to discover that his father's rule extends well beyond New York's shores and that fighting for love may prove a losing battle.

In the dramatic conclusion to the bestselling Luxe series, New York's most dazzling socialites chase dreams, cling to promises, and tempt fate. As society watches what will become of the city's oldest families and newest fortunes, one question remains: Will its stars fade away or will they shine ever brighter?

It was a great serie. This book started out to be the best of the entire serie, but the horrendous ending is just horrendous.

If you've read the previous books, and read my review of Luxe, you'll understand I don't need to go on blabbering about the characters and all the bases of the books. Splendor was the ending of all the drama between the characters, and it was honestly very good. It pulled me in instantly. It was an easy ready, elegantly written, fluid, with entertaining characters. If you've liked the Luxe, and read further on, we understand each other.

Yet, I was so disappointed by the endings that each character meet! Elizabeth and Teddy are perhaps the only ones who actually finish well!

If you do not want spoilers, avert your eyes from the following.

I simply don't understand why Diana and Henry had to finish apart. I feel like ALL they've been through, the love they fought for during all this time was for nothing! I understand the morals behind the actions; the passage from boy to man and the take-on of responsibilities, the notion that love shouldn't be all and that living your life independently and taking care of yourself is important too, but it just seemed ridiculous in Diana's and Henry's situation. It isn't the kind of reasoning that I can accept. It's just a shift of luck, that suddenly Henry has to take care of his family's business and can't go to Paris with Diana. As if the author had said, "Well, that's just too bad, isn't it?" And then, for him, to have to end up with Penelope for the rest of his life. Come on... Talk about torture.

Well, we agree, I'm sure, that Penelope deserved what she got. Over-confidence blinded her, and that IS just too bad for her. I was really sad for Carolina, though. I mean, of course she did bad things and lied a lot, but who else in her situation could have done differently? What other girl holding a not so prestigious past that suddenly has the chance to live among the wealthy people and also be treated like one of them would have gone out and spilled all her ungraceful secrets to the first person? It's perfectly understandable, and to take away her love for natural fear and shame? I didn't like it, especially when she had the chance to atone for all her mistakes.

Elizabeth and Teddy ended well, and the Snowden drama took me really by surprise. I really hadn't expected it, and so it was a good twist. I never really liked Elizabeth that much, but I'm glad she ended well after all the tragedies she went through. I would have liked Diana to end well too, though.

You can go on reading now~

Well, it was a good serie. Didn't end too well, but I learned a lot about New York in the end of the 19th century, and I liked all the little pieces of anecdotes from journals and gazettes at the beginning of each chapter.

-Beryl

Splendor by Anna Godbersen

Rating: 9,5/10