The Eternal Ones

The Deathless Trilogy by Namina Forma is one I will always recommend for its wonderful world-building that is both vividly immersive but also brought together to provide depth, and background to the various characters we encounter along the way. It’s more than a backdrop to a story but often the reason things occur and take the story forward even as the characters do. The Eternal Ones is the finale in this trilogy, and it is wonderful and I wasn’t ready to begin the book because once I began that first page, I knew the journey I had taken with Deka, her friends, comrades and foes alike? Was to end and I wasn’t ready to let go just yet. It had been some time since I had read The Merciless Ones, the second book in the series, and I was wary that my memory would fail me and I would forget important events and characters that would be integral to this read. I’d forgotten of course that Namina Forma has a skill in seamlessly blending a quick rehash within the beginning of The Eternal Ones and I welcomed it as I had previously when having to wait for that precious sequel to arrive in the book store.What I love, alongside the already mentioned world-building that takes you into this fictional world that has, I imagine, been drawn on her time living in Sierra Leone, is how much attention to detail has been taken to ensure the reader feels as though they are facing the unknown alongside Deka. Whilst it’s classed as a Young Adult series, I as a fully grown adult, would happily pick this up if it were in the shelves theoretically designated for me. You cannot disregard any small thing, or cursory comment a secondary character may utter because in this book, everything has the potential to matter and become poignant in  a chapter far longer after you first read it.Here we are on the third book, and you as a reader have read hundreds of pages to get to this point and think you’ve got the majority of the world down in memory - can recall which character comes from where and why or how that will impact how they see things etcetera. You’ve previously experienced a beautiful, well thought out, and fully formed world that you’ve fallen into happily knowing you're going to face angst and turmoil because that’s what Namina Forma has written in a wonderful and evocative manner at every step, Forma however, is quick to remind us that she is indeed the puppet-master and in The Eternal Ones, things we have felt secure about are torn apart, you think for a moment all will be well and Deka may get what she needs but no…. Now, I’m not going to ruin anything but I will strongly suggest if you read this series, that you prepare yourself for a plethora of emotions both good and bad. You will relate to characters and thanks to her brilliant writing and storytelling, feel as though you are a part of a war you didn't see coming in book one.I felt often, like I was witnessing Deka’s growth and it made me become emotional at times, but this book? Oh Gods did I go on a rollercoaster of emotion that took me time to recover from when I reached the end. (Oh how I wish it were not the end, because I didn’t want to say goodbye.)The story is brought together in a well thought out, and beautiful way to bring everything together in such a manner that you’re going to be breathless, probably cried or at the very least choked up a few times and also felt joy and pride for all that Deka and her comrades accomplish against the odds, and Gods for that matter. Nothing is lost along the way, every character adds something to the story we’re reading and they’re experiencing and it was done perfectly. I can fully understand  why Namina Forma has been the recipient of several awards for these books and whilst I didn’t want the series to end - The Eternal Ones was a masterpiece of a finale and I can’t wait to re-read the trilogy again one day soon.