Saturday, 5 July 2025

BOOKS | Review: Labyrinth's Heart by M.A. Carrick

Name: Labyrinth's Heart (Rook & Rose #3)

Author: M.A. Carrick

Publisher: Orbit

Date published: August 2023

Genre: Fiction, adult, fantasy

Pages: 632

Rating: 5/5 

May you see the face and not the mask.
Ren came to Nadežra with a plan. She would pose as the long-lost daughter of the noble house Traementis. She would secure a fortune for herself and her sister. And she would vanish without a backward glance. She ought to have known that in the city of dreams, nothing is ever so simple.
Now, she is Ren, con-artist and thief. But she is also Renata, the celebrated Traementis heir. She is Arenza, the mysterious pattern-reader and political rebel. And she is the Black Rose, a vigilante who fights alongside the legendary Rook.
Even with the help of Grey Serrado and Derossi Vargo, it is too many masks for one person to wear. And as the dark magic the three of them helped unleash builds to storm that could tear the very fabric of the city apart, it's only a matter of time before one of the masks slips - and everything comes crashing down around them.

- From Goodreads

This was a really fantastic third and final book in the Rook & Rose trilogy. It really kept up the tension and surprises right to the end and the ending wrapped up everything perfectly. With each book I've thought I knew what we were leading towards for the climax, but usually what I think is going to happen at the end happens halfway through and then the book takes you on a completely unexpected journey! It made things very exciting!

The books also did a great job of having a new villain or challenge for the characters in each one, while still following the overall arc of the series plot. It kept things refreshing while also making sure each book flowed well into the next.

I loved that the themes that had slowly been developing over the first two books really got explored in this final book and came to conclusions that felt very thoughtful. The story really showed that you can choose your own family and find people who really love and understand you, no matter where you come from or what struggles you faced in your past. It showed that you can find strength and courage even when everything around you seems terrifying and hopeless. I think it balanced the different roles of friendship, romance, and family really well and I felt it was really emotional at the end.

I think each character got their moment to shine and that was impressive considering how large the cast was by the end. I loved Ren and Grey even more with each book and I felt the ending they got really was right for them and and made me really happy.

Overall, this was a wonderful book and excellent conclusion to the series. I would definitely recommend it if you enjoy the incredibly detailed world building of Samantha Shannon's books, and the intricate politics of The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison and the complicated but also loveable characters of both. I think this will certainly become a favourite series of all time for me! 

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BOOKS | Review: Labyrinth's Heart by M.A. Carrick

Name: Labyrinth's Heart ( Rook & Rose #3) Author: M.A. Carrick Publisher: Orbit Date published: August 2023 Genre: Fiction, adult...