Review copy provided by the author, who is a dear friend.
I think I get to say “triumphant conclusion” again! I love to say “triumphant conclusion.” If you’re less fond of that phrase, okay, okay, this is the third book in the Lord and Lady Riven series, and I would not recommend starting here, because much of what makes the characters’ actions work, much of the interest and impact, is contextual from previous stories. It’s that it’s not a sitcom plot where the characters reset every time, they’re actually learning how to be with each other and with the rest of the world.
Which is a thing I really love about this series: it doesn’t stop at “these people are in love,” which is great because things don’t stop there. Not only fantasy plot things, but relationship things. We will keep running into different magical creatures and artefacts, sure, because that’s how this world is (and it’s a lovely fantastical reflection of how this world is, rich and diverse), but also we will keep developing as people, and figuring out how to have our marriage reflect that. I particularly loved that being concerned with and attentive to the needs of vampires did not magically make Margaret fully aware of the needs of the new person she meets. It’s an aspect of disability justice that I don’t see often enough in fantasy metaphor, and it was wonderful here.
Also I have a few friends I’d have wanted to huddle under an invisibility cloak with for shenanigans shortly after meeting them. Yes, absolutely. Some people immediately strike you that way.