You’d think it would be easier to face death as you get older, but it doesn’t work that way. You get more attached to life, to people you love and things that are worth living for.
The intricate political landscape that Lee wove in the first two books comes to fruition here- all of the little intricacies and small decisions add up to get the players where they are in the final installment. The slow build up makes these positions logically sound, and consistent with the inner workings of the world Lee created.
The same can be said of the characters. The Greenbone Saga has some of the best character work I’ve ever seen; each individual has a plethora of motivations for why they do what they do, all which make sense for them. They are also morally grey, and have a complicated code of morality. I don’t know how Lee was able to make me feel so deeply for characters that she previously made me despise, but she managed it.
The ending is also a masterstroke in story telling. Things are tied up, but not too neatly. We get the answers we need, not necessarily the answers we want, and it makes for a better story in the end.
I laughed, I raged, I cried, and I stared at my wall in disbelief at times. I’m also dealing with a massive book hangover knowing that I can’t go back into the vivid world of Janloon and the Kaul family (at least for now).
This trilogy is now cemented as one of my favorites of all time and I’m sure I will come back to it for years to come.
