The Ivory Tomb is the final book in Melissa Caruso's Rooks and Ruin trilogy, which began with the Obsidian Tower and continued with The Quicksilver Court. The trilogy has followed Ryx, the Aethling (heir) to Morgrain, as she and the agents of the Rookery attempt to deal with the most dangerous of all magical disasters: the unleashing of the Nine Demons of legend upon the land with the help of foolish power hungry humans. It's been a really well written series, as usual for Caruso (whose prose I can devour really quickly), as it follows a protagonist who is rightfully afraid to unleash her deadly powers and instead tries to handle things through words and diplomacy even as things get more and more dangerous (I'm vastly oversimplifying to stay non-spoiling before the jump).
The Ivory Tomb is a very satisfying conclusion to the trilogy, as it follows Ryx and the Rookery trying to deal with both demons new (Carnage, Despair, and Corruption) and old (Hunger, Discord, and Death). Moreover, it deals with Ryx trying to figure out a new status quo through it all that will allow there to be peace...and such that it won't put Ryx against those she loves, especially given Ryx's new understanding of her own powers. It's a very easy book to read, with some solid/interesting themes, and even if it doesn't go super deep, the mix of likable characters and fun ideas and scenes makes this one a very enjoyable read that I consumed in a single day.
Spoilers for Books 1 and 2 are inevitable below - I've been vague up to this point, but will stop after the jump:
Plot Summary:
The Dark Days have seemingly returned...as the last three (Corruption, Carnage, and Despair) of the Nine Demons have been unleashed again upon the world. And the trail of chaos and blood they leave in this world is all too obvious for the Rookery and the world's two major powers - the Serene Empire and Vaskandar - to see. Thankfully each of these three newly released demons seems to be going their own separate ways, but Ryx and the Rookery will clearly need help if they're going to find some way to stop the destruction they leave in their wake.
Unfortunately, Ryx's identity as the demon Disaster has become known to both powers and leaders within the Empire are less than enthused about helping another demon...with some thinking her just as much a danger as the other eight. And beyond the humans, the demon Hunger remains loose to cause more damage somewhere out there, now that his plans to use Madness and Nightmare have been stopped. And then there's Ryx's grandmother, the demon of Discord, who has her own thoughts on what powers the humans should have over demons...thoughts that may put her on the opposite side of Ryx and her friends.
To survive, Ryx and the Rookery will need to deal with forces more powerful and erratic than ever before, with Ryx now knowing that to use her own powers is unthinkable...and Ryx's other skills at diplomacy nearing their limit.....
This is not just the final book in the trilogy, but also the sixth book in this world, and you can really see it with how comfortable Caruso is in filling in and using the setting...in all the best ways. The story here takes us back to Gloamingard eventually, but it also features multiple other Witch Lords' domains, parts of the Serene Empire, memories of the distant past (as Ryx begins to remember what happened the last time her demon half was in the world), etc. And we meet a number of new characters, a bunch of whom are rather delightful, such as a love interest for one of the Rookery and the three new demons, who each present interesting puzzles for Ryx and the Rookery to solve. I'm particularly partial to the first one introduced, Carnage, whose gimmick is that she just loves brutally lethal combat, single combat with a sword preferably, and keeps possessing bodies to kill as many people as possible and then, when slain, to take over the person who killed her such that she can continue the process anew. Simple but perfectly on theme and written really well.
In the middle of this we have Ryx, who is still struggling with the revelations of the last book and what it means. She knows she can't lose control or else she'll cause great disaster (pun intended) and is remembering the loves and disasters that she had in her past life millennia ago (these memories are written really well and are a nice touch). But she also can't simply, as Whisper urges her, stay neutral and let the other demons do what they please and so she has to try to interfere in her normal ways: through talking and trickery to try to stop them. It leads to some really interesting moments, such as her attempts to talk down the Demon of Despair, who forces human around them to be paralyzed with unfeeling sadness in an attempt to stop the chaotic thoughts of them that Despair feels in their head.
And Ryx is helped along as the main central character by side characters who finally have enough depth and reason to be along for the ride (something that I complained wasn't the case in the first novel). Each of the members of the Rookery feature their own sort of revelation or plot arc, whether that be Bastian dealing with an old love he left behind when he was kidnapped and transformed into a chimera, Kessa and Ashe's relationship finally coming to a proper happy conclusion, or Foxglove learning to put aside his prejudices (he probably has the smallest bit here). New character Hylah is delightful as a religious scientist who is delightfully flexible in recontexualizing what she knows about the Graces who once stopped the Demons and the knowledge Ryx reveals. And most importantly Severin, the love interest who was merely eh in the first book and then has since blossomed better since, really has his own excellent plot that lets the romantic struggles between Severin and Ryx really blossom, as he's forced to confront the brother who once was part of Severin's abuse growing up.
The result is a really good book, even if the final act features a plot twist that kind of disappoints (a new feature to the setting of the first book shows up for the first time here and is a lot less interesting than I'd hoped) and resolves matters in a way that kinda makes sense but also seems too easy (especially for the Demon of Discord). But these are again really minor complaints - I liked the story, I really liked Ryx and the other characters, and I am very happy with the way it all concludes. Caruso's next book (which I have but haven't read yet) is I believe in another world, but if she ever decides to return to this one, I will totally be there.
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