Turns out being omitted from someone’s will is not the biggest “fuck you” they can give from beyond the grave; it’s dumping a cursed item that kills expeditiously at your feet.

In all fairness, these eight individuals brought it upon themselves: not by being the worst at sucking up to an ailing relative, but by bleeding on a mysterious book locked in a room in a haunted house marooned on an island surrounded by waters swarming with ravenous echo creatures. Yeah… they really should’ve seen this curse coming. 

A Favorite Highlighted Quote:
“You touched the book with your scraped palm and your name appeared written in blood.”
I pressed a hand to my temple. “Tell me you didn’t do that, Vy. […] What about the rest of you?”
Jaycel drew herself up. “I couldn’t let her be cursed alone. She was so upset.”

Brief Thoughts (Cont.): Never change, Jaycel Morningray. If Kembral Thorne thought her friends were going to let the rest of her maternity leave pass undisturbed following the near death experience of the New Year’s timelooping party in The Last Hour Between Worlds, then she doesn’t know her friends at all. Those scamps. It really is quite the task to be the beleaguered, responsible friend in a group of troublemakers. Glad I was only tasked with mitigating obnoxious behavior like throwing popcorn in movie theaters, as opposed to thwarting death when it comes to call.

The bath may be less bloody and the deaths less constrained to the hour in The Last Soul Among Wolves, but the threat is no less mysteriously shrouded in echo drawn fog for the incredibly exhausted Kembral. And when I say she’s exhausted I mean she’s exhausted, because I was connecting dots that she most certainly should’ve been connecting — whether they ended up being right, red herrings, or simply a detail worth considering — as one of the city’s highest touted Hounds. 

Biggest Complaint: For the record, Kembral’s sluggishness is not actually that bad, I just like to high five myself whenever my suspicious glances at details are proven to be warranted in what was still an unpredictable, “the plot thickens” adventure across the various layers of reality. A story that only really stumbles in its climax, with a culmination of plot lines that had me saying “I’m sorry, what?” to the room because of the levels of unexpected ridiculousness in how certain elements are handled.

But instead of further ruminating on whether or not this counts as a deus ex machina or not — no, seriously, what? — I’m going to focus on what really matters: the burgeoning romantic relationship between Kembral and the cat to her hound, Rika Nonesuch.

Another Favorite Highlighted Quote: Rika made a little noise in her throat that could have been a hastily swallowed laugh, but I’d do her the credit of assuming it was a groan of despairing sympathy for me.

Brief Thoughts (Cont.): God I love these two — the playful sass, the tentative awkwardness, the gentle softness, the angsty second guessing, the reliance on each other… give it all to me. Their dynamic might be less antagonistic now that they’re together, but that doesn’t mean they’re starting out as confident and self-assured in their relationship as they are in their respective jobs. Kembral is still just as stubbornly obtuse in how little she understands her import to Rika — I’m throwing this unwarranted self-doubt at her ex’s feet, though Rika’s reliance on playing things so close to the chest doesn’t help — and Rika is still just as exasperated by this. Is her quickly developing overprotectiveness of Kembral healthy? Probably not. Did I live for every minute of it? You better believe it. 

One Last Thing: Rika, I’m going to need you to reassure your girlfriend that she is an excellent kisser since I have yet to hear you complain about her skills. What I have heard is Kembral doubting her kissing abilities (for the reader’s benefit only) on three separate occasions now. It’s getting concerning, honestly. (No really, Beryl, when I catch you.)

Final Thoughts: I’m not gonna lie, I’m back to thinking about the big swings at the end again. It’s awkward, it’s clunky, one part even had me genuinely gobsmacked. It’s just so unexpectedly grandiose in a story that takes the larger mythological elements of the world and hones in on how they’re personal to our two main characters, scaling back in a way that works for me — again, I’m here for Kembral and Rika (I continue to love their arcs and how they’re written) — though I can’t deny some of the continuing through lines feel a bit superfluous and shoehorned in. Not enough to lessen my enjoyment of the story, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s a stronger detractor for others.