Ruin of Stars

Sallot Leon, a gender-fluid thief recently appointed to the Queen's team of assassins, is using their position to enact revenge on those that murdered their family and destroyed their homeland. Deryn Edwards, narrator of 2017's MASK OF SHADOWS, is back for this gory conclusion to the duology, and once again she skillfully sneaks vulnerability into Sal's otherwise tough-as-nails voice. In spite of Edwards's best efforts, however, listeners may feel lost without the context of the world building from the previous installment. The dialogue is at times hard to follow, even with Edwards's differentiated voices, since there are so many characters that are hardly developed. Fans may enjoy this sequel, but newcomers will find that it doesn't work as a stand-alone novel. S.P. � AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine