With her crew of mage-bloods, including the love of her life Princess Meroe, Isoka returns to the empire that sent her on her deadly mission. She’s ready to hand over the ghost ship as ransom for her sister Tori’s life, but arrives to find her home city under siege. And Tori at the helm of a rebellion.
Neither Isoka’s mastery of combat magic, nor Tori’s proficiency with mind control, could have prepared them for the feelings their reunion surfaces. But they’re soon drawn back into the rebels’ fight to free the city that almost killed them.
Ok, don’t look now, but this is the second trilogy I’ve finished in like, a month.
A MONTH.
I’m on a roll here, a FUCKING HOT STREAK!!!
Looking back through my reviews a bit, it really seems like THE WELLS OF SORCERY (with some exceptions) is the trilogy that got me more actively interested in reading YA fantasy. So that’s pretty cool! And on top of that, all three books in this trilogy are fantastic overall, and Django Wexler is rapidly becoming one of my favorite fantasy authors.
The ending of CITY OF STONE AND SILENCE was such a badass setup for the conclusion of this trilogy. Isoka & Meroe (and Jack and Zarun) are aboard the Soliton and heading back to Kahnzoka. But Isoka is in for a shock, returning home to find chaos and rebellion, with her sister Tori the actual leader of said rebellion.
So this is definitely not the reunion that Isoka had in mind. Now she needs to come to terms with the fact that not only is Tori a burgeoning tactical genius, but she’s also a Kindre user and can control people’s minds.
Meanwhile, Tori’s inner monologue is a whole lot of self-loathing, so while she’s keeping the rebellion moving along, she’s also convinced herself that she’s a monster.
As with the other books, SIEGE OF RAGE AND RUIN is fast paced, loaded with some truly spectacular action sequences, and also very romantic. The love story between Isoka and Meroe stole my whole entire heart…I just adore them both individually, and as a couple. Oof.
Each book in the trilogy really has its own unique vibe, and I think now that it’s all said and done, CITY OF STONE AND SILENCE was for sure my favorite of the three. That said, I enjoyed this whole trilogy on pretty much every level. Cool magic, a grimy city with a lot of character, a queernorm world, creepy monsters. And at the top of that list is a cast of incredibly authentic, likable, and charismatic characters.
Yeah, wow…I just fucking loved these books. A whole lot.
Grimdark Dad 
I need to read this series (and the author’s latest one)! I’ve heard nothing but amazing things about his Django Wexler’s books!
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