The Storyteller

August 15, 2018
"What is written comes to pass"--or does it?In this trilogy closer, Sefia struggles to help Archer escape his destiny, written in the Book that records Kelanna's history, past and future. Archer has been severely traumatized by his time as a candidate, when he was shaped by the secretive Guard into a human killing machine who would lead their unstoppable army to victory in the Red War, so it's Sefia who doggedly works to "rewrit[e] the future." Their doomed--maybe--love story plays out: against the backdrop of the Red War, as the Alliance engineered by the Guard grows ever closer to its goal; in tandem with outlaw Capt. Reed's quest for immortality; alongside Eduoar's escape from his former life as Lonely King of Deliene. Chee (The Speaker, 2017, etc.) keeps all her stories in balance, adding additional characters as they all converge toward a bloody, heartbreaking end. With an assurance that equals her sorcerer protagonist's, Chee constantly interrogates her central question: "who controls the story." At one point hers reaches the high-fantasy equivalent of The Monster at the End of This Book (though with significantly more elegance). Kelanna has racial diversity, but it is not racialized. Race is as unremarkable and nonlimiting as gender and sexuality, with brown, trans, nonbinary, queer, and cis female characters enjoying equal access to power and capacity for violence.Thoroughly immersive, thoroughly satisfying. (map) (Fantasy. 12-adult)

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November 1, 2018

Gr 7 Up-In this final installment of the trilogy, Sefia and Archer have formed a plan to elude the Red War and save Archer's life. Soon after, Sefia realizes she must change course and reluctantly relies on the Book for guidance. She ultimately decides that the Book is not to be trusted. After several failed strategies to stop the Red War from spreading, the heroine uses a complicated form of magic that will allow her to take control of the story by rewriting the past. This series ender finds a determined Sefia working hard to change her destiny, even if she must lie and betray friends. Readers will feel her desperation and her sorrow through Chee's immersive writing. The author even provides teens the opportunity to impact the narrative and the protagonists' fates. This is a fast-paced adventure with fully developed characters that explores memory and the power of the written word. Readers will also be pulled in by the beautiful love story at its core. VERDICT Highly recommended for all collections.-Dawn Abron, Zion-Benton Public Library, IL

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from November 1, 2018
Grades 9-12 *Starred Review* Sefia knows that if Archer leads the bloodletters, he will fulfill the Book's prophecy of dying. She is desperate to find a way to rewrite the future, but she can no longer trust the Book. Meanwhile, King Eduoar has succeeded in faking his death, only to have his lover lead Deliene into war. As the Alliance travels the seas to overthrow the five kingdoms, the secondary characters' stories shine. Eduoar becomes Ed, and for the first time, he feels he can make a difference. Captain Reed is desperate to find the fabled Resurrection Amulet before his own prophesied death. Tanin, once a friend to Sefia's parents and now a mortal enemy, has fallen from grace among the Guardians and is still on a bloodthirsty hunt to possess the Book at whatever cost. Lastly, there is a new character, the Storyteller, who has always been lurking in the background, watching and waiting. In this richly realized novel, Chee has masterfully converged all of her characters into one final confrontation. Advise readers to bring a box of tissues for the final hundred pages, as Chee pulls out all the stops to beautifully obliterate her readers' hearts. Epilogue chapters explain the aftermath and wrap up all loose ends. While Sefia and Archer's story may finally be finished, the ending leaves hope that Chee will return to the world of Kelanna in the future.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)