by Maria V. Snyder
ages: 14+
First sentence: “That’s pathetic, Yelena,” Dax complained.
Book three for the 48 HRC.

First off, can I tell you how much more I like the paperback cover (over there on the right), than the hardback covers on the other two books. Much, much better. (Even though a woman’s feet doesn’t really have much to do with the story. And Yelena would never wear a dress…)

I have also decided that it’s easier to review a series as one whole rather than three separate posts, since the same things apply for this one as did the last two. Valik and Yelena are still awesome. The action is kicking, though it really doesn’t go much of anywhere until Valik shows up, unexpectedly on page 200 (exactly). And then, it goes in places I wasn’t expecting, which isn’t a bad thing. I liked the religion of sorts that Snyder developed for the world, and while she let political strings dangle, it did resolve in a way that wasn’t entirely unsatisfying. She also juggled too many characters for my taste, and ended up leaving many things unresolved. Maybe there will be more books?

At any rate, it was an extremely enjoyable series to read — fun, with a dark edge, action-packed, interesting world, and compelling characters and plot. It’s difficult to do all that in a fantasy series. And Snyder succeeded quite admirably.

Buy it at: Amazon, Powell’s, or your local independent bookstore.