A satisfying conclusion to an interesting series

I’m sufficiently depressed that several of my favorite new series (Jennifer Donnelly’s Waterfire saga, Mary Robinette Kowal’s Glamourist Histories, now this) are coming to an end. I thought the aforementioned two ended on a great note, and I was really hoping that Marie Brennan would do the same. With the last volume, In the Labyrinth of Drakes, Brennan was great on the intrigue and very light on the dragons, which is what we came for. I was really, really hoping that she would give us more dragons in this volume.

Thankfully, she did not disappoint.

This time, Isabella, Lady Trent, finds herself encountering a man named Thu who asks to help her with a mystery in the Yelangese mountains. Intrigued, Isabella and her loyal cast head out in a caeligar (this world’s version of a Zeppelin dirigible, I think) to the mountains, where unexpected disaster awaits. Forced to eke out her own survival, Isabella stumbles upon a discovery that leads to her lifelong fame and acclaim, all within the Sanctuary of Wings.

I’m being purposefully vague here, because I don’t want to give anything away. Isabella does spend a bit of time alone, which is too bad, because I think the characters interact so well together. However, her scientific capabilities are on full display, and she also gets to work out her struggling linguistic skills. The discovery is pretty spectacular, and I am glad that Brennan seemed to pace everything out to culminate to this moment. I am disappointed that the series is over, but I am glad that Brennan ended it on a good note.

Cross-posted to my blog.