PHOENIX FLIGHT

In a kingdom torn apart by disease and unrest, will good finally prevail?

This third and final series installment jumps right in after the nail-biting conclusion of Call of the Crow (2022). Thelantis, a fantastic world of winged people, is in dire trouble. Denizens are losing their wings due to wingrot, a debilitating, incurable plague; their liberty, thanks to evil King Garion; and their lives, when stone monsters known as gargols bombard them. Plucky hero Ellie Meadows, a Sparrow low clanner, has become a Katniss Everdeen–like folk hero who suffers from unrelenting insecurity after being told she’s worthless. Her friends have their own demons: Twig is adjusting to life after being afflicted with wingrot, and Nox and Gussie have complicated family histories with which they struggle. With a trifecta of terrors descending upon Thelantis, Ellie, Nox, Twig, and Gussie must find a way to work together to save their beloved home. Those who have followed the series should find this installment riveting; Khoury does not shy away from the horrors of war with her lightning-paced battles, daring escapes, and plentiful secrets and surprises revealed, but she balances this with reaffirming notions of friendship and self-acceptance. Ellie, Knox, and Twig present White; previous volumes establish that Gussie has brown skin.

An altogether thrilling and satisfying conclusion.