Too Long yet Too Short

The end of a series always brings with it a small sense of loss. The question, What will I do now? And it doesn't matter how well the series is wrapped up, I will always wonder what became of the characters, how did their lives progress after the conflict was resolved.  Did they live happily ever after?
Oh before I forget, this is a post on the last book in a series so **spoiler alert**

I experienced all of this after reading Inheritance the final installment in Christopher Paolini's Inheritance Cycle but I must admit I struggled getting to this point.  If you read my previous post on this series you know that I enjoyed it, so what made this book so hard to get through?

It's the battles.  There are sooo many battles fought in this book all leading up to the final battle against Galbatorix himself and all of the battles are described in detail.  I can think of many people who would enjoy reading about all of the battles, but I am not really a battle kind of gal.  I found it tiresome to trod through 400 pages worth of battle after battle, but I pressed on.

And I am glad I did for the final 400 pages brought me back to what I loved about this series.  Ancient lore, the splendor and wild wisdom of the dragons, true names, and self-discovery.  The last 400 pages were excellent, worth the time it took getting through the battles.

I was however disappointed with the ending.  Well...that's not entirely correct.  The ending was fine but I desperately wanted an epilogue.  Some little tidbit telling me how things went.  What does life look like now for Eragon and Saphira?  I guess I will just have to wonder.

Seeing it through...that's kids stuff.