Mistress of the Empire

The third book promised to be yet another powerful story of the comet rise of Mara through station and power, as this time, she goes up against the Assembly of Magicians itself, the self-governing body of absolute power. Unfortunately, it does takes things to the point of highly unbelievable. Yes, the pacing is still excellent, and as you read, the tension builds and builds and you just can't seem to put it down. The story is as gripping as the first two, no doubt, but the aftertaste was slightly different. After the first two, there was a sense of elation that Mara survived and triumphed against impossible odds. This time, the “impossible odds” just felt a bit too “impossible”, if you get my meaning. Still, if you can suspend your disbelief a moment and not pay the plot contrivances too much mind, the final book of the trilogy is still very well worth the read. It's not as good as the second book, but it's still very much better than many other fantasy books out there.