This book - and the Burningblade & Silvereye trilogy as a whole - is pure, awesome, unapologetic fantasy fun.
To give a brief intro to the trilogy: Maya and Gyre are roughly 5 and 8, respectively, when Maya is taken away to become a centarch. The centarchs are guardians of the Republic, the government that formed after the empire of the Chosen (who ruled humanity) was destroyed in the Plague War some centuries before the book begins. Centarchs are humans who can wield some portion of the power the Chosen had, and protect the world from the Plaguespawn that have been roaming the world ever since the end of the war. Or they’re the enforcers of a despotic government that keeps humanity bound to the will of their long-dead enslavers, depending on your point of view.
Maya grows up to believe in all the Republic stands for - or, at least, what the Republic *says* it stands for, which is not necessarily the same thing. Gyre grows up as a dissident. They do eventually encounter one another again (of course) with the expected drama.
The trilogy as a whole is fun and inventive. The worldbuilding is great, the plot is well-executed, the twists and turns deftly handled. The action sequences are very well done, and the characters are a delight. (Varo Plagueluck is a particular favorite, for any of my fellow fans of Dolorous Edd.) Overall the trilogy is a story one reads purely for entertainment, and it does a damn good job of it.
For those who have read the first two books, I’m happy to report that Wexler sticks the landing. The plot ending was satisfying, and the character endings warmed my cynical little heart. There’s certainly room within the world for a sequel, if the author wanted to write one, but there are no loose ends that will leave me wanting either.
Comes out on February 28.
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