Labyrinth’s Heart

• Author: M.A. Carrick
• Genre: Fantasy
• Publication Date: August 15, 2023
• Publisher: Orbit
• Series: Rook & Rose #3

Thank you to Orbit and Angela Man for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

CONTENT WARNING: violence, torture, blood, gore, death, grief

MAY YOU SEE THE FACE AND NOT THE MASK.

Ren came to Nadežra with a plan: Pose as the long-lost daughter of a noble house, secure a fortune for herself and her sister, and vanish. But she should 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, celebrated Traementis heir. She is Arenza, mysterious pattern-reader and political rebel. And she is the Black Rose, a vigilante who fights alongside the legendary Rook.

Even aided by Grey Serrano’s sword and Derossi Vargo’s wiles, it is too many masks for one person to wear. And as the dark magic at the heart of Nadežra builds to a storm, it’s only a matter of time before one of the masks slips—and everything comes crashing down around them all.

Labyrinth’s Heart is the stunning conclusion of the Rook & Rose trilogy, a dazzling dark fantasy adventure by Marie Brennan and Alec Helms, writing together as M.A. Carrick.

Finishing up our binge read of the series, Julie @ One Book More and I buddy read this book. There was just so much going on that we each obviously needed someone to discuss the story and all the new developments with. And trust me, there were a TON! But this was literally the perfect ending to a trilogy, and we couldn’t have asked for a better book. Yes, I’m confident speaking for both of us, because this is something that we discussed directly in our chat. It’s always hard to write a review for a book I loved, and that’s even harder for this one because it’s the last book in a series. But I’m going to do my best.

I think it’s pretty clear that we really loved this book, and it was our favorite of the trilogy. Since our discussions tend to involve a lot of gifs, I figured that the best way to close out my last review of the series was to include more gifs! So this one summarizes our feelings on this book:

While we binge read the series, that’s not always possible. This book (and book 2) start with a summary of what happened in the story so far, which is always appreciated in a book. Why don’t more books do this? 

The actions starts fast and furious right from the start, and stays that way throughout the book. There’s a few new characters who play a role in this story, some adding a positive flair while others … not so much. But they all add tension to the story as the action ramps up, until I found myself wondering how the characters could possibly keep juggling this many masks and personas and secrets.

In this book, I realized how little I understood parts of the magic system. In the first book, we learned a bit about Ažerais’s Dream, and in book 2, we learned a lot more about this dream realm and Ren’s role in it. But in this book, there’s so much more of a focus on the magic system, which is a pretty complicated one. It’s divided into two parts, based on the countries. The Vraszenians use a magic system known as Pattern, which relies on a deck of specific cards, kind of like tarot, which are laid out in a specific pattern and read according to the meaning of the card in the placement of the spread. Nadežrans use a system known as Numinatria, which involved the drawing of some kind of elaborate and complex patterns in a specific order, from what I could gather. I didn’t really understand much more than that, and thought that maybe the difference in the magic systems and how they were explained might be because this was co-written by two authors, since they were so dramatically different in concept and how they were explained.

Even so, I came for the plot but stayed for the characters. They’ve grown on me since the beginning of the book, and at this point, I seriously love them. Each of the major characters: Ren, Tess, Sedge, Grey, Vargo, Alsius, Donaia, Giuna, and Tanaquis, have all come to feel like found family of my own, especially after I’ve been immersed in their story and their unique little quirks for what feels like forever.

“Sometimes, being Ren’s brother gave him headaches and ulcers.” — Sedge

Ren has her hands more than full in this book, and they only get fuller as the story goes on. And the only way it’s possible for her to get through this is by leaning on the amazing support system she has. And I loved seeing everyone really kind of come together as a found family—this is an example of this trope done to perfection. Carrick has taken a diverse group of characters with different nationalities, socioeconomic status, ways of life, and beliefs, and somehow made them into a family that actually works. On a side note, there’s a pretty intense bromance that develops between Grey and Vargo, and it was a wonderful thing to behold. I’m always amazed when an author (or authors, in this case) can take a character I hate (I distinctly recall saying I would revolt if they attempted to redeem Vargo) and redeem them so thoroughly that they’re one of my favorites in the end. 

Since we’ve become so much more invested in the story and emotionally attached to the characters throughout the series, this book just felt more brutal and emotional that any of the others. It was a rollercoaster ride for my emotions, and I laughed, I cried, and I raged. But ultimately, I enjoyed the way that life is viewed as circular, with the afterlife as something that can be accessed, and an ending that made me happy yet felt realistic to the rest of the story. This was such a good read that it has easily earned its way into my list of favorite series. So don’t wait, and go check it out!

People who have sat around with me while I’m reading, especially when there’s a surprising reveal, a shocking plot twist, or an unexpected event often look up in alarm when I gasp audibly. The gasp factor is directly related to the number of times I audibly gasp during a reading, and there isn’t an upper limit.

Gasp Factor: 14

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