“THE PENDULUM IS SLOWING. THE GEARS ARE BREAKING DOWN.”
Jacquelyn Hagen’s awe-inspiring Riverfall Chronicles continues to thrill, chill, excite and delight in book 4, The Sundering Hours. So far this genre-blendy series has offered fantasy mystery, cozy fantasy, horror fantasy, and sprinkled in some steampunk aesthetics, but this time… we’re doing nautical fantasy and pirate vibes, baby!
Look, I have made it no secret that I am just an unapologetic fangirl of this series, so it should come as no surprise that I truly had the time of my life devouring this longest instalment in the series yet. There’s no denying that the pacing and plot progression is relatively slow, but for me the balance between the action and the intro-/retrospection is just absolutely perfect, and I love how every single scene matters and hits so hard.
By now, Hagen has proven to have a wildly exciting imagination, which gives this series an air of unpredictability that makes it so dangerously addictive. The shift to a nautical setting in The Sundering Hours was a big pleasant surprise, and I loved how the contained scope on the ship somewhat echoed the intimate cozy vibes that made me fall in love with the setting of Riverfall in book 1. Plus, who doesn’t adore some good pirate shenanigans?
The forced proximity naturally results in more time for character and relationship building, which I personally think has always been Hagen’s strongest skill as a storyteller. We really got to dig even deeper into the dark backstories and complicated interpersonal relationships of these characters, and there were countless scenes in The Sundering Hours that tugged on my heartstrings, for better or worse.
It was a joy for me to see the majority of the crew reunited again, though I also really appreciated that we still got some glimpses from all over Eriaris of other characters we have come to love (or hate). Especially Spindler’s perspective has always been extremely intriguing to me, and even more so now that he is in the company of my favourite side character, the spunky librarian Mavie. Plus, we get some disturbing insights into the sinister inner workings of the opposing side of the Blue Flames, which only increased the nuance of the conflict for me.
I truly love that this series doesn’t feature any conventional heroes and villains, but instead offers a much more vulnerable and human approach to this complicated fight for justice. The core themes of mental health, forgiveness (of others and oneself), redemption, justice, and the brutal futility of war continue to shine in The Sundering Hours, even if the delivery of the powerful and heartwarming messages can be a tiny bit cheesy or on the nose sometimes. Though honestly, in a way, some of those more grand statements, sentimental declarations, and ‘over-the-top’ epiphanies actually work surprisingly well with the understated theatrical vibe of this series and its vibrant characters.
See, these characters truly just burst off the page with personality, and I honestly feel like I know them all so intimately by now that I am part of this found family of broken souls myself. Ink continues to be an absolute gem to follow, and it’s beautiful to see how much he has grown, while still continuing to be his plucky and stubborn self. Though, if you had told me at the start of book 1 that Lady Seherene would end up becoming my favourite character, I would have burst out laughing in sheer disbelief… yet here we are.
Her character development is simply phenomenal, and I especially enjoyed seeing how the Colonists were forced to confront their own biases as they learned to adjust to this most unexpected new addition to their motley crew. Though, Seherene’s passionate dynamic with Caradoc absolutely stole the show for me in The Sundering Hours, and their emotions honestly just bleed off the page in every scene that they are in together.
And speaking of Caradoc, I loved how his role as the last Keyholder and his world hopping abilities were explored so much further in this instalment, increasing the scope and stakes of the story to unimaginable heights. Moreover, the dire situation around the approach of the mystifying Sundering created a truly riveting level of anticipatory dread, leading up to an overwhelmingly epic crescendo of a final act that had me gasping in shock and awe; if you thought the cliffhanger of book 2 was brutal, you better buckle up, because Hagen has done it again!
The Sundering Hours was truly smooth sailing from start to finish, delivering everything I was hoping it would, and then so much more. If you have not yet started The Riverfall Chronicles, then I’d dare say you are missing out on one of the strongest and most imaginative fantasy series currently being written. It’s cozy yet high stakes, epic yet intimate, heartwarming yet gut wrenching, and it delivers an extremely nuanced take on the familiar good vs. evil fight; I simply can’t recommend this hidden gem of a series highly enough!
