Summary:

Thanks to her geomantic magic, Ingrid has successfully eluded Ambassador Blum, the power-hungry kitsune who seeks to achieve world domination for the United Pacific. But using her abilities has taken its toll: Ingrid’s body has been left severely weakened, and she must remain on the run with her friends Cy and Fenris.

Hoping to learn more about her magical roots and the strength her bloodline carries, Ingrid makes her way across the Pacific to Hawaii, home to the ancient volcano goddess Madam Pele. What she discovers in this paradise is not at all what she expects—and perhaps exactly what she needs.

But Ambassador Blum comes from the same world of old magic and mythic power. And if Ingrid cannot defeat her once and for all, she knows Blum will use that power to take the lives of everyone she holds dear before escalating a war that will rip the world to pieces.

Goodreads

Thoughts:

I’m really sad that this series is over! And I after reading the second book and seeing all the loose threads hanging I was a little curious as to how everything was going to be concluded in this final volume while not overwhelming the narrative. Because there was just SO MUCH in play. If I’m honest I was a little bit worried, but turns out all that was unfounded.

This last book did not disappoint. Like its predecessors, it’s a fairly straightforward story, but with a lot of moving parts. Our protagonists are off to Hawaii to explore Ingrid’s ancestry and meet an all powerful volcano deity to see if she has the answers to help Ingrid overcome her injuries she suffered. After that they’re on the run again, trying to find Lee and dodge Ambassador Blum until they are strong enough to fight against her.

Once again the pacing in this book was fantastic. The tension from the characters being pursued by a dangerous entity, having to keep on the move, helped with moving the story along as well. The tension was great. I also liked when the story slowed down a few times and had some really great moments between various characters, it helped things from feeling rushed in any way. I especially these moments between Ingrid and Cy because I love them together, but I also loved Ingrid’s talk with Madame Pele, and some moments between her and Fenris as well. I also really appreciated some of the reveals that came along late into the story.

If there is one thing I would have liked to see a little more in this series it would have been a bit more character growth. We do get some from Ingrid especially, and since she’s the focus that’s great. Also considering the time frame the entire three books takes place in is rather small, I can see how that would be a tall order, but a great character arc is one of my favorite things and I feel like this is something that, had the story stretched out over more time, it maybe could have been done a little better. Really that’s a minor niggle considering how well everything else was executed.

Overall this was a very satisfying conclusion to a fun series. If you like steampunk, alternate history with magic, and fun characters with a fast-paced story, I’d definitely recommend checking this series out. 4/5 stars.