City of Miracles

“A better world comes not in a flood, but with a steady drip, drip, drip. Yet it feels at times that every drop is bought with sorrow and grief.”

What a series this has been. A series that looks like a blend of fantasy, mystery, adventure but one that on careful interpretation, shows us a reflection of the world that we live in. We can just enjoy this as a wonderful piece of writing or we can imbibe its lessons, learn from the characters and try to better ourselves.

“A woman so esteemed and so notorious and so influential that everyone seems to be waiting on history to get around to judging her so they can figure out how to feel about her tenure as prime minister.”

After loving the first two books in the series, I just had to read the final one as soon as I could get my hands on it. But what a surprise it was, also especially dreadful, when I read the synopsis which said that Shara Komayd is dead. Now that's usually not how books go. You don't kill main characters at the beginning of the book. This made the book heartbreaking even before I began reading.

“What a crime it is that creatures of hope and justice fade from this world, he thinks, while those like me live on.”

If I felt that bad, imagine the horror that Sigrud feels when he learns the news of her assassination after 13 years of exile spent waiting for a word from her. He decides on his path immediately – revenge – not that we would expect anything less from him. But this path leads him to much more – Shara's last operation, divine children trying to keep themselves alive, world unknowingly bracing for another battle of the divinities and the ultimate truth about Tatyana.

“But freedom and human happiness has a direct relationship to the number of people who have power over their own world, their own lives. Far too many people still have no say in how they live.”

This book describes Sigrud's guilt, misery and heartache in such fashion that it's difficult not to be moved by it. The lives of the divine children are so devastating to read about. There is a lot more miracles to learn about here, more magic, more divine power than we have seen before that time and reality seem warped. I also loved Shara's presence in this book; her hopes, her dreams, her struggle to make a better world. I was so happy when the world gives her the honor she deserves. The ending is not all what I expected but it's so apt that now I feel it couldn't have been anything else. The ending doesn't aim for perfection but then, the real world is never perfect; just full of possibilities and it's the people who decide whether to use them in a positive or negative light. And the book left me with tears in my eyes. As I always say, I love books or movies that make me cry. What a fitting end to an amazing world of fantasy.

“Change is a slow flower to bloom. Most of us will not see its full radiance. We plant it not for ourselves, but for future generations.”

“Civilization progresses – one innovation at the right time, changing the very way the world changes. It just needs one big push to start the momentum.”