The Crimson Skew by E. S. Grove (review)

In this conclusion to a sharply creative, engrossing trilogy (The Glass Sentence BCCB 9/14, The Golden Specific, BCCB 10/15), Sophia is still seeking her parents, war is brewing because of the new prime minister, and mysterious borders continue to elude all since the Great Disruption, when the world splintered into different eras. For a significant portion of the novel, the three main protagonists, Sophia, her loyal friend Theo, and Sophia’s brilliant uncle, Shadrack, are separated, each dealing with their own enemies and internal demons. The most urgent matter is stopping the upcoming war between New Occident and the territories banding against it, but that’s a nearly impossible task, even for this remarkably resourceful trio. Grove’s imaginative world building continues to dazzle in this third entry; readers who have been carefully compiling a sense of this complex world will receive several key pieces of information in this volume. There is also impressive complexity in even minor characters—it’s clear that the bad guys have been pushed to become who they are and the good guys have plenty of weaknesses. There’s no getting around the fact that new readers shouldn’t start with this volume—they’d miss both backstory and important emotional moments that make these events so powerful—but it’s an easy sell to suggest they start at the beginning. Returning fans, however, will likely find this an enormously satisfying wrap-up that handily resolves all major issues from the trilogy.