The Shadowglass

December 15, 2018
Tea prepares to make the greatest sacrifice in this impassioned finale to the Bone Witch series.In the present, Fox angrily searches for his bone witch sister, Tea, who will stop at nothing to save him from the half-life he has been living since she raised him from the dead. In the past, Tea is on a quest for First Harvest, the magical plant she needs to revive her brother, which she can only use after acquiring shadowglass. Conjuring shadowglass requires a black heart, and Tea's darkens as she continues to wield dark magic to achieve her goals. More and more lose faith in her when she becomes plagued with haunting visions and, in her sleep, kills an innocent with her own hands. But someone is using a blight rune to transform people into terrifying daevalike monsters, and it may very well be the same traitor in Tea's inner circle who has been poisoning her. Though the storylines never truly converge, readers gain insight into Tea's destructive choices and their aftereffects. Exhaustive explanations of asha history are important to the plot but weighty. Transgender Likh's exploration of her identity honestly complements Tea's own journey toward self-discovery, and readers will root for both their romances. Characters have a variety of skin tones, but race is not significant in this world.A worthy conclusion to a story that is, at its core, about love and letting go. (maps, kingdom guide) (Fantasy. 13-adult)

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March 1, 2019

Gr 7 Up-In this series conclusion, Tea must make decisions and sacrifices that will impact the fate of everyone in the Eight Kingdoms. Questions of good, evil, right, and wrong loom large as she begins to question everyone around her-and even her own sanity. Head-over-heels romance, terrifying curses, political intrigue, and epic magical battles will appeal to fantasy enthusiasts. Like the first two books, this one is a strong example of non-European-centric fantasy. Influences from all over Asia combine with strong world-building and lush descriptions to transport readers from icebound mountains to barren deserts and back again. There are elements of legends and epics throughout, but ultimately the story focuses on love in all its beautiful and messy forms. Complex characters with human flaws rise to the occasion or fall victim to their baser instincts in unexpected but ultimately relatable ways, and teens will find the tension between characters' intentions and actions particularly compelling. VERDICT A must-purchase for any library that serves teens.-Heather Waddell, Abbot Public Library, Marblehead, MA

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2019
Grades 9-12 Chupeco brings her Bone Witch trilogy to a bittersweet close in this final volume of dark asha Tea's saga. It begins in medias res with characters previously loyal to Tea now turned against her and Tea's whereabouts unknown. These scenes, filled with confusion and anger, are juxtaposed with letters Tea sends to her bard, detailing her activities and revelations since leaving him behind. Thus, readers bounce back and forth in time, growing ever nearer to the present moment while cobbling together her story. Tea's desire to expose corruption within asha society drives her as much as her determination to create a shadow glass for the sake of saving her brother, Fox. Her dual quests take her to various kingdoms, but her increasingly dangerous, unpredictable behavior fractures her supporters. Chupeco really digs into asha mythology here, challenging characters' beliefs?none more than Tea's. While this builds tension and further enriches the world, it decidedly slows the story's action. Nevertheless, it remains required reading for fans of the first two novels, whose many questions will finally be answered.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)