Celine’s father, the king, is growing impatient of her unmarried state. The problem is that there is only one man she wants to marry and he’s been stuck in the form of a cat for the last ten years. With her own magic dwindled to almost nothing, Celine feels powerless. Fortunately Hugo has a plan: find the magical object keeping him a cat, break the spell, reclaim his inheritance as Duke, and make Celine a Duchess. If only it was as easy as he makes it seem.
When the mysterious invitations fall from the sky, Forster jumps at the chance of a diversion from the everyday frustrations of his life. He is therefore pleasantly surprised when the magnificence of the party inspires his most successful series of paintings yet. The following winter he scours London high and low for clue to the next annual party. Once again, the event of the year offers more than Forster had bargained for. He spends the next year painting like a man obsessed, waiting agonisingly for the next party where he might find his muse once again. Perhaps this time he’ll learn her name.
Reina’s uncut tail makes it impossible to hide who she is and keeps her firmly at the bottom of society’s pecking order. When she has a chance to find family she crosses the tinieblas infested mountains without hesitation. Unfortunately the tinieblas also have no hesitation in their attack. Left with a lifelong injury, Reina finds herself indebted to a grandmother whose intentions for their reunion may not be as pure as Reina hoped.
Spoiler Alert: This book is a prequel to Six Crimson Cranes. It can be read as a standalone, but it does give some spoilers about one of the main characters of the original series.
Channi lost both her mother and her face the day her sister, Vanna, was born. Despite this she loves her sister more than her own life and will do anything to protect her. Unfortunately, with a beauty to rival a goddess and an internal light that glows outwards, Vanna needs a lot of protecting.
Other than childish squabbles with her two sisters, Morgan’s life is idyllic. Her parents are in love, she has near free-reign of the island castle they call home, and her father is even teaching her his way with birds. Then disaster strikes in the form of King Uther Pendragon. In the course of a single terrible night Morgan’s life is turned upside down and her future is changed forever. Only with the help of close friends and her well-sharpened wits can Morgan hope to survive her new life with any semblance of happiness or freedom.
SPOILER ALERT: THIS REVIEW REFERS TO THE OUTCOMES OF BOOKS ONE AND TWO. IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THESE, I SUGGEST YOU START WITH: ‘The City of Brass’ by S.A. Chakraborty
Manizeh and Dara have taken Daevabad. Nahri and Ali are lost on the edge of the river Nile. Jamshid and Zaynab are missing in action. Muntadhir is presumed dead. Magic is gone. Yet Nahri is not ready to give up yet. She doesn’t have a plan, but she does have Ali and together they can be unstoppable.
Character development reached its absolute peak in this book. Nahri finally managed to combine the Nahid healer with the Egyptian con-woman. Dara’s morals and worldview faced a complete overhaul, possibly more than one. Ali finally became the leader he was meant to be and embraced his magic in ways he never knew possible.
The magic and world-building also stretched to new limits, with dazzling glimpses of the world beyond Daevabad and the species beyond Djinn and Daeva. Use of the Marid and Peri were particularly interesting as each refused to involve themselves in a Djinn war whilst at the same time manipulating the puzzle pieces with ease. Dara, Nahri, Ali, and Manizeh all explored new magic and strength in vastly different ways and Suleiman’s seal finally got the spotlight it deserved.
Even better, Suleiman’s seal was not the only mystery to be unravelled. We finally got to see the real history of Daevabad and the truth of Nahri’s childhood. The lack of magic also gave a deeper insight into how it really contributed to society.
Overall this book was a worthy conclusion to a spell-binding trilogy.
SPOILER ALERT: THIS REVIEW REFERS TO THE OUTCOMES OF BOOK ONE. IF YOU HAVE NOT READ IT, I SUGGEST YOU TRY THIS REVIEW INSTEAD: ‘The City of Brass’ by S.A. Chakraborty
With Dara dead and Ali exiled, Nahri is left with only her own wits to help her survive the complex and deadly politics of Daevabad. She will need to forge new alliances, make compromises, and push her powers to the limit. Meanwhile Ali is dodging assassins and struggling to understand his new power whilst trying to build a new life in exile. However their paths may cross again sooner than they think and they will have to re-learn to trust each other if they are to fight the enemies that come from both within and beyond the walls of Daevabad.
Nahri survives on the streets of Cairo with thieving, trickery and, occasionally, a little bit of magic. Somehow she can see what ails people and, sometimes, she can heal them too. If she can find out where she came from then maybe she can learn more about her magic too. Unfortunately, her only clue is a strange language that only she seems to know. At least until she accidentally summons a Djinn who can speak it too…
When their mother leaves unexpectedly and abruptly, Kaikeyi steps up to the plate and takes over many of her duties. Behind the scenes of the bustling palace she helps to raise her younger brothers whilst making sure her father’s guests feel welcome and his servants feel heard. Once, when a particularly important guest praises their meal, Kaikeyi receives a nod of recognition from her father. She even advises her twin brother on what to say at the King’s Council, and in return he trains her in fighting and chariot driving. Yet despite her successes, Kaikeyi grows frustrated by her lack of real power. Her fighting skills must be kept secret and there is no place for a woman on the King’s Council.
When her father announces that she must marry, Kaikeyi blanches from the prospect of losing what little power she has to her husband and the two wives he already has. Yet she soon finds that her new position offers its own opportunities and her determination is all that’s needed to take full advantage of them. Well, that and a little of bit of magic to help nudge things in the right direction.
Iris has no soul. It makes her the perfect thief: invisible in a crowd and with a face that’s impossible to remember. The downside is that she has no emotions and no long-term memory. She can’t remember anything beyond one year ago and she doesn’t even know her real name. That is until a stolen ring reunites her with her soul’s spark and fragments of her memory start to seep back in. The only way to get the rest of her memories back is to find the other four fragments of her soul.
Escape to the Bookshelf 