Review: The Brittle Sky by Tom Kane

My review of the first book in this series is here.

My review of the second book is here.

Review: The Brittle Sky by Tom Kane

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When I first picked up The Brittle Saga by Tom Kane, I didn’t fully realize what I was in for. As the story went on, though, there were things about it that kept me guessing and waiting to see what twist he would throw into the narrative, given the nature of how the stories in this series have gone. The conclusion is no exception to having amazing twists!

I admitted in the last review that the second book in this series didn’t get me as excited given there weren’t as many surprising turns as its predecessor. That said, now that I have read the entire thing, I see exactly what Kane was doing in the second book and – having finished this one and realizing how it all connects – I can admit I enjoyed this entire trilogy very, very much.

Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s talk about this conclusion.

Summary

In this final installment, William Harker’s feud with the Blackmores comes to a head as Matthew Turner again gets involved. With Richard Blackmore still away, Maggie finds that she must contend with the threats of Harker and Turner and see the conflict ended.

Meanwhile, Peter Asparov has found that an old friendship from his time in the Great War could be more costly than he originally thought, and he must decide where his loyalties lie.

Will Maggie prevail over William Harker and Matthew Turner? And, meanwhile, will Peter Asparov finally figure out where he stands in the world conflict?

Thoughts

This story went where I was hoping it would go. Given the prequel deals with the onset of the Great War, I had a feeling there was a chance we would eventually see the onset of World War II. Early in the story, there is a scene that directly hints that this is where the narrative is headed and – while I did confess that the WWI arc in the last story was slightly disappointing in the review – the marching of time on to the next major world conflict did not disappoint! And once we got to it, the story became even more horrifying as we see WWII unfold and the effects of it on the narrative.

On the other side not directly dealing with that, seeing Maggie’s plight in the story is just as gripping as it was in the last book! I really adore what Tom Kane decided to do with her character and those she loves as her feud with Harker and Matthew Turner comes to a head. There are some amazing surprises with that plotline that kept me on the edge of my seat throughout, and it was awesome seeing how the conflict between all of them came to a head!

Speaking of the characters, let’s talk about them a bit more.

Characters

Maggie Blackmore

I love what Tom Kane does with Maggie in this story. Seeing Magda start to merge more and more into Maggie’s life was fascinating! I really like how the merger between the two personalities plays out as well. When the idea was first introduced, I was incredibly nervous about how it would happen. That said, Tom Kane does it in such a way that I found myself warming up to Magda somewhat.

There is a scene where Magda wakes and does not recognize where she is. While there is some panic and anxiety from her, it felt more reserved than how she handled herself at the start of the first book. That said, I do have some questions regarding her, because the end did not make it entirely clear what comes next. What will be done when Magda reemerges again, assuming she does? Will her personality continue to merge with Maggie’s? We see so much of Maggie and – while it is nice – I find myself wondering how Magda will react upon seeing Richard Blackmore again, considering how she reacted when she saw him in this story.

Matthew Turner

I want to talk a bit about Turner for once. I neglected him in the last two reviews, and I see things about him that I want to discuss. What Kane does to this character is horrifying! I knew going in that he most likely had not changed from his characterization in the previous installments, but there is something that specifically shows up in this book that is concerning and disturbing. Seeing his mental health decline the way it does drives up tension, but it also convinces me that he is absolutely out of his mind!

I spent the last two novels thinking Harker was worse than Turner. Now that I have finished the entire story, they are equally terrible in my eyes. Turner could so easily be Harker if he got rid of the formalities he uses to keep his hands clean when he is plotting. I admittedly had not thought about the concept of the double in this case beforehand and – while I am not sure it applies here, given Turner is not the protagonist of this story – the concept behind him is eerily like the double in my eyes.

Peter Asparov

I said in my review of the previous installment that I was eager to see Peter again and get some answers regarding his plight. In this last installment, I love what Tom Kane does with this character! Now, in the beginning, some of Peter’s actions horrified me, but – not only did that work to create a gripping plot line – it turned his character around for me to the point where I like him now! I love what he goes through and how it impacts him!

Seeing how a simple friendship from the last book directly impacted his path here was amazing! I wrote several times in my notes on this story that I was praying Peter would turn his life around for the better and seeing him make the attempt (despite knowing how dangerous doing so is) completely changed how I feel about his character. I see someone with the capacity for cruelty, but also one for genuine change and growth.

Structure

This story is structured much in the same way as the prequels, keeping the formatting of the series in check. We again see many different viewpoints, allowing for the unfolding of different aspects of the plot. Unlike the previous installment, I rather enjoyed the historical plotline in this story, although that is most likely the case because I know more about World War II than I do World War I. That said, it is executed incredibly well! From the first scene in the bar where we see Wolff and how that meeting ties into the plot is fascinating! Once that scene finished, I knew I was going to be enthralled by the historical events in this installment!

On the side with Maggie and William Harker, I love seeing how their conflict continues to unfold here! I especially enjoyed how we see more of Harker and his children, showing just the person Maggie is up against because we see the way he treats his family. There is also another scene involving Harker that ties beautifully into both plotlines of the previous installments, and I was amazed when I connected it all together! While I cannot go into much more detail than that, I can say how the events seamlessly flow is awesome to see!

Writing

As with the previous stories, the writing is fantastic! Kane is able to build shocking outcomes out of seemingly-ordinary situations. The dialogue drops hints, little things designed to put the reader on edge before hitting them with the full context as the rest of the scene unfolds. This is like the trick I discussed in my review of Kane’s previous novel, but the difference is that the reader does not have to wait until several chapters later to see the full context. How these characters speak to each other, from their tone to their word choice to their body language, illustrates that full context for us.

This trick is done beautifully in a bar scene early in the story. Going in, it does not look like anything particularly mind-blowing, but how the characters speak to each other in that scene creates hard-hitting context that is designed to stay with the reader. At the same time, too, Tom Kane is still giving the reader more context from previous situations in the prequel, so seeing it all come together is amazing!

Conclusion

In the end, I enjoyed this trilogy very much! Tom Kane has created a very compelling narrative with characters I ended up enjoying following. The historical events used are used with care and are implemented in such a way that they flow with the narratives easily and naturally.

I would not just recommend this last installment to those already following the story, but those who are intrigued by the historical events played with in the narrative. Tom Kane has created a very interesting story here that I am glad I took the time to finish. I promise, the narrative will grab you and refuse to let you go until the very end!