FOR THE STOLEN FATES

To save Earth, Willa must protect the editbook introduced in the Ink, Iron, and Glass series.

Though this is a duology closer to In the City of Time (2022), fans of Clare’s previous books will find in it a continuation of beloved characters. The third-person narration focuses mostly on time-traveling transgender cyborg Willa, biracial Tunisian Muslim Faraz, and thwarted villain Aris (the older brother of earlier hero Leo), who’s on a redemption arc. Willa and nonbinary android Saudade are back in 1891 Italy in order to prevent whatever caused the cataclysm, and their first step is acquiring Elsa’s powerful editbook. But after everything they’ve been through, Elsa and company aren’t about to give up custody of it. The time-travel related timeline manipulations are expertly plotted, and the flashback placements of Aris skillfully reveal the depths of his motivations and traumas. Aris and Leo’s storyline includes Pasca, their disabled brother, who emerges as a fully fleshed out personality in his own right, deepening the brothers’ tangled relationship. An interesting parallel between Aris and Willa regarding vulnerability, which gives both characters emotional resonance, enhances rather than distracts from the narrative tension as Willa and Saudade get ever closer to finding out who caused the cataclysm and how to prevent it. Willa’s romantic story arc includes a longing to get back to Riley and Jaideep, with positive representation of both queer and polyamorous relationships.

A fantastically woven, intelligent story with real gems of characters.