July 11, 2016
Lawrence brings the Red Queen's War trilogy (after Prince of Fools and The Liar's Key) to a triumphant conclusion with plenty of action, horror, and humor. Prince Jalan Kendeth of Red March has been to Hel and back thanks to the war between the Red Queen (his grandmother) and her enemy, the Lady Blue. After Jal is manipulated into stealing a rare artifact and abandoning his friends in Hel, he returns to the mortal world to discover reality is "cracking," slowly torn asunder by the magic released by the ancient Builders. As the Dead King's undead forces run amok, the Red Queen leads her troops into battle, leaving an uneasy Jal as marshal of the defenses of her capital city. Then comes word that the Red Queen has fallen. To save the world, Jal must stop the legendary Wheel of Osheim. Jalan's wry narration enhances Lawrence's heady, enjoyable mix of court intrigue, dirty family politics, and ancient magic. Both new readers and series fans will enjoy this dark and lively epic fantasy.
June 15, 2016
While Snorri is desperate to rescue his family from beyond death itself, Jalan wants back his life of privilege and excess. This series's penultimate entry, The Liar's Key, ended on a cliff-hanger, so fans will be eager for this final book.--MM
Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
June 1, 2016
Escaping from the grips of Hell requires a mixture of grit and cunning, both of which Prince Jal has in abundance. This final adventure in the Red Queen's War has our reluctant and tarnished anti-hero coming into his own power as a self-serving scoundrel, yes, but his unyielding survival instincts and his contempt for traditional tropes makes us root for him all the same. Snorri, meanwhile, is desperately trying to save his family from the macabre underworld with raw emotion and a killer battle axe sharpened for the corpse armies. The plot is vivid and intriguing, and the breakneck action will keep fans engrossed in this compulsive fantasy about the end of all things and humanity's worst imaginings come to bitter life in a broken world. The villains are nauseating and malevolent, and the fallible heroes spike their witty banter with colorful language and a terrific bromance. Loki's magical key can unlock any door, but Lawrence unlocks this captivating story and brings it to a terrifying and stunning conclusion that will surely please fans.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)