These series has been amazing and this book living up to the established expectations. Read this book. Read this series

This is the concluding novel in The Risen Kingdoms trilogy and it was fantastic. Isabelle has one last chance to be in service to her queen, brave the bitter gale, find the wreck of the Conquest and claim the uncharted sky land for her kingdom. With musketeer Jean-Claude, bodyguard Marie and the shape changing Bitterlich, Isabelle just might succeed, if she doesn't go insane first.

We get three povs in this book, Isabelle, Jean-Claude and Bitterlich. Jean-Claude is hunting the last of the rebels from burning night, but it turns out to connected to Isabelle's mission. Bitterlich wants to pursue a relationship with Isabelle but because of his past feels he cannot, much awkwardness issues. Isabelle is seeing things and hearing her ancestors from her encounter with her sister. This sets up a whole bunch of intersecting story lines. I love Marie, Rebecca was fun, and Jean-Claude is the most resourceful character I think I have ever encountered. It was lots of fun.

The audio book was fantastic. I am sad to see this series end, but satisfied with the ending. However if Craddock writes in this universe again, I will totally read it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor for the ARC of book 3, The Last Uncharted Sky, even though it came out back in August so this advanced review isn’t all that advanced. Mea culpa. This is going to be a review of the trilogy more than just the last book, but I’ll say a bit about the last book for those who have read the first two (An Alchemy of Masques and Mirrors and A Labyrinth of Sorcerers and Scions, respectively). There will be no spoilers.


So with this book Curtis Craddock wraps up the Risen Kingdoms trilogy, and I’m happy to say the whole thing is great fun. For those who have never read any of it, this has almost a steampunk Alexandre Dumas vibe. The principal characters are Isabelle, a princess of l’Empire Celeste, and Jean-Claude, a king’s musketeer sent to be Isabelle’s bodyguard from the moment of her birth. Because Isabelle’s biological father is an asshole, Jean-Claude is Isabelle’s father in every way that matters.


l’Empire Celeste is one of several kingdoms in this world, and is fairly obviously France. (Other kingdoms are stand-ins for other late middle ages/early Renaissance powers like Spain, England, the Italian city-states, the Ottomans, etc.) The world itself seems to be mostly gas; the continents drift about on the ether, and they use airships to get from place to place. Each kingdom is ruled by nobles with their own particular flavor of sorcery. In France l’Empire Celeste is ruled by Bloodshadows, who can use their shadows as deadly weapons. Other kingdoms it’s different. The Spanish Aragothan nobility can travel between mirrors; the Italians Fenice can share ancestral memories, etc. They’re all engaged in the kind of cloak-and-dagger intrigues you would expect in a kingdom where the king is based off of Louis XIV.


Isabelle and Jean-Claude are both great characters. Isabelle was born to a noble family, but without any sorcery of her own she’s kind of an outcast. She’s also got a birth defect, an improperly formed arm, and between those and her father’s lovely personality she’s been kept on the family’s remote estate for her entire life. Because l’Empire has rather strict gender roles, Isabelle is unable to pursue her love of scholarship and mathematics in particular, but she gets around this by adopting a male nom de plume and publishing her work that way.


Jean-Claude is, by the time Isabelle is grown up and the story proper begins, is an old soldier. Still quite capable, but not as young as he used to be, but he makes up for that by being a canny old fox. He is absolutely devoted to Isabelle.


The other character that deserves to be mentioned is Marie. Marie is Isabelle’s friend and companion, until one day, Isabelle’s father decides to punish Isabelle by using his sorcery to drain away Marie’s soul, leaving her as a mindless automaton that Isabelle’s father can use as an avatar of himself. Usually these Bloodhollows (as they are known) don’t last very long, as they don’t possess survival instincts and nobles can always make new ones, but Isabelle devotes herself to taking care of her friend’s empty body in the hope that one day she might be able to restore her. This says a lot about Isabelle as a character.


The next three books are full of delightful intrigue and swashbuckling adventure of the very best kind. They are an utter delight, and (I suspect) would be even better read in one go than spread out like I read them. And the ending of the trilogy (I said I’d say something for those who have read books 1 and 2) left me with a big grin of pure happiness.


There’s lots of room for further adventures in this world, and I would love to read them. Or whatever other product Curtis Craddock has going. This was as fun a read as any I’ve ever had, and a worthy spiritual successor to the adventures of Athos, Porthos, Aramis, and d’Artagnan.

Ahoy there me mateys! Book two was so much fun and I was thrilled to see how the story would end.  It was time for a treasure hunt!  Arrr!  This book ended up being me least favorite of the series but it comes down to personal preferences.  I expected that the author would throw in some plot hitches that I wasn't expecting.  I just wanted something different.  I wanted more treasure hunt and less politics.  I wanted more Marie and didn't get enough.  I didn't love the direction that Isabelle took in this.  I surprisingly didn't love how the romance played out.  I didn't really love the ultimate conclusion thought it really does makes perfect sense for the book.  I did continue to adore Jean-Claude and Capitaine Bitterlich. I really enjoyed the new character, Rebecca.  Objectively there is nothing wrong with the book.  Subjectively every time I was excited about a plot point, it didn't happen even close to what I wanted.  Not the author's fault.  None of the crew seems to have read this one.  I wonder what they will think of it.  Read it ye stragglers and tell me what ye think!

Me thoughts of book three aside, I am very happy to have picked up this series and will be reading whatever Craddock writes next.  Arrr!

This has been a tremendously fun and underrated series. If you want interesting magic, exploration, politics, and a hefty dose of Three Musketeers vibes you should check this out. It has all this in spades and a dozen other things you didn't know you wanted in a book until you read it.
Isabelle, Marie, Jean-Claude, and the delightful Major Bitterlich are setting off to discover a new craton (floating continent) for la reine. Of course nothing is ever easy and they're set upon by pirates, Jean-Claude is captured, and Isabelle is dealing with too much mental strain. After the events of the previous book she's left frayed and it's beginning to show and affect her judgement. Bitterlich is struggling with some decisions of his own and the tension between he and Isabelle runs quite high at times. Throw in a feisty new cabin girl (Rebecca) and Isabelle's ship is basically constrained chaos.
The characters are an utter delight - the main characters are each quite unique and I love their stories. The villains are nefarious, but this is an overall positive book, so they don't drag it into too dark of territory. I love the sense of discovery, the new locals, cultures, just everything! This was a great conclusion to a trilogy that surprised me in it's execution. It was leagues better than books/series that have gotten 10x more hype and marketing.
If you haven't decided whether or not to read this by now, let me encourage you once more! It has strong, intelligent female characters, found families, and epic adventures galore. Also, the covers are so lovely for all three that I don't know how anyone has not picked them up on that alone.

This has been my favorite book of the series so far!

The Last Uncharted Sky continues our swashbuckling tale of adventure, romance, and intrigue, this time with a new setting: the open sky. The newly minted Capitaine Isabelle has been given command of her own ship and a missive by Impreratrice Sireen to investigate a strange new land beyond the whirling Bittergale that is rumored to contain the legendary Vault of Ages. Along with her wily adoptive father Jean-Claude, the dashing, shape-shifting Bitterlich, Fellhand Marie and the scrappy orphan Rebecca, she embarks on her latest quest.

The flying ships have always a fascinating aspect of the world-building to me, so I was thrilled that our crew finally got to take to the sky! The whole novel was well-paced, and felt like "Three Musketeers" met an 'Age of Discovery' tale of the high seas. Maybe it is because I'm partial to pirate stories, but I felt like Craddock was at home in creating a story that flashed and flowed within this particular genre. Not once did the action flag, and I enjoyed getting to explore strange new lands and learn more about the air-balloon dwelling Gyrine. There were some cool new additions to the index of sorcery in this one---I thought the magic of the Windcallers was fascinating, as were the shifty fortune telling powers of the villanous pirate Ivar.

Though I enjoyed the escapades of all the characters, I have to say my favorite by far was Isabelle. I found her struggle to remain an individual while meeting and healing the wounds of her ancestral choir to be extraordinarily compelling. It was an interesting meditation on inherited trauma and the lengths that we do and should go to fulfill the vendettas of our progenitors. Our newest addition to the crew, Rebecca, was also delightful and clever, and her addition felt refreshing rather than forced. Jean-Claude was as sly and funny as always, though I admit to being on the edge of my seat with anxiety for most of his chapters. Bitterlich was the perfect leading man, at once debonair and sympathetic. And Marie--for lack of a better word--remains a total badass. Fingers crossed she and that one other Gyrrine Fellhand girl start to date.

My one complaint with this story was that the ending felt FAR too rushed compared to the events of the rest of the novel. Loose ends were hurriedly swept up without really being meditated on. I thought the last 10% of the book could easily have been three times as long. This also led to the final confrontation feeling very anticlimactic. Even so, that feeling didn't negate the fact that I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. It's rare that the last book in a trilogy manages to claim my favoritism, but I could not be happier labeling this one the best of the group.

This saddest thing about The Risen Kingdom series is the lack of love it gets.

I love Isabelle throughout the series. She's kind, smart and fiercely loyal to her loved ones. Her world isn't nice which makes her a beautiful contrast. People with powers think having abilities means that they have a soul while people without powers are beneath them. Each book looks deeper into the different powers and different floating countries.

As nice as this ending is, I do wish that there will more about this world. I could already see the political problems that could arise at the ending. I'm just sad it's over.

This review is based on an advanced copy provided by Netgalley for an honest review.

This has been my favorite book of the series so far!

The Last Uncharted Sky continues our swashbuckling tale of adventure, romance, and intrigue, this time with a new setting: the open sky. The newly minted Capitaine Isabelle has been given command of her own ship and a missive by Impreratrice Sireen to investigate a strange new land beyond the whirling Bittergale that is rumored to contain the legendary Vault of Ages. Along with her wily adoptive father Jean-Claude, the dashing, shape-shifting Bitterlich, Fellhand Marie and the scrappy orphan Rebecca, she embarks on her latest quest.

The flying ships have always a fascinating aspect of the world-building to me, so I was thrilled that our crew finally got to take to the sky! The whole novel was well-paced, and felt like "Three Musketeers" met an 'Age of Discovery' tale of the high seas. Maybe it is because I'm partial to pirate stories, but I felt like Craddock was at home in creating a story that flashed and flowed within this particular genre. Not once did the action flag, and I enjoyed getting to explore strange new lands and learn more about the air-balloon dwelling Gyrine. There were some cool new additions to the index of sorcery in this one---I thought the magic of the Windcallers was fascinating, as were the shifty fortune telling powers of the villanous pirate Ivar.

Though I enjoyed the escapades of all the characters, I have to say my favorite by far was Isabelle. I found her struggle to remain an individual while meeting and healing the wounds of her ancestral choir to be extraordinarily compelling. It was an interesting meditation on inherited trauma and the lengths that we do and should go to fulfill the vendettas of our progenitors. Our newest addition to the crew, Rebecca, was also delightful and clever, and her addition felt refreshing rather than forced. Jean-Claude was as sly and funny as always, though I admit to being on the edge of my seat with anxiety for most of his chapters. Bitterlich was the perfect leading man, at once debonair and sympathetic. And Marie--for lack of a better word--remains a total badass. Fingers crossed she and that one other Gyrrine Fellhand girl start to date.

My one complaint with this story was that the ending felt FAR too rushed compared to the events of the rest of the novel. Loose ends were hurriedly swept up without really being meditated on. I thought the last 10% of the book could easily have been three times as long. This also led to the final confrontation feeling very anticlimactic. Even so, that feeling didn't negate the fact that I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. It's rare that the last book in a trilogy manages to claim my favoritism, but I could not be happier labeling this one the best of the group.

Magic, steampunk, and Musketeers together with a compelling heroine and a strong set of supporting characters makes The Last Uncharted Sky a fitting conclusion to the trilogy that started with An Alchemy of Masques and Mirrors. Isabelle is in true form in this book when it comes to outsmarting and maneuvering around her foes plans, even if she is slightly hampered by a lasting ailment she acquired from A Labyrinth of Scions and Sorcery. Fans of the series will be thrilled with the personal character journeys of many series favorites that continue in this sequel, and the swashbuckling action the series does so well is probably at its best here.

While the previous two books in the series were more focused on specific areas and interested in what was going on there, in The Last Uncharted Sky there is a heavy focus on exploration and discovery, along with some revelations that have been slowly building throughout the entire series! Fans of political machinations and court intrigue won't be entirely left out in this title, if that was part of what drew them to the previous books, as there is plenty of family drama and politics that come to light as the story goes on.

Readers who enjoyed the previous entries in the series will definitely like the final entry and should pick it up as fast as they can, but series newcomers should start from the beginning to really get a feel for the world and characters.

A solid final entry in a series full of swashbuckling, intrigue, and fascinating worldbuilding. I'm not sure why this trilogy hasn't gotten more attention. The Risen Kingdoms trilogy features a strong lead in our heroine Isabelle, interesting side characters and a unique setting and magic system, and The Last Uncharted Sky ties it all together nicely. It turns out when you combine The Three Musketeers, steampunk, and magic you get a pretty great time. My biggest frustration is why on earth does the title not follow the format of the other two (An Alchemy of Masques and Mirrors and A Labyrinth of Scions and Sorcery)!

I read and enjoyed the first in this series when it came out several years ago (long enough ago that I didn't remember that much), and somehow missed the middle one. But there was enough "previously-on" that I didn't feel too confused.

It's a wonderful high-concept swashbuckler, with a world of floating skylands and skyships plying between them, multiple imaginative types of sorcerers, political intrigue, religious fanaticism, ancient magical artefacts, action, adventure, exploration, quests, espionage, loyalty, friendship, mentorship, twue wuv... really, it has a bit of everything, but doesn't feel patched together as a result. All of the elements are well handled, and the multiple plot threads are brought to a rousing and satisfying conclusion.

Unfortunately, in the pre-publication ARC I got from Netgalley, it's clear that the author is an extremely sloppy typist and has a slightly smaller vocabulary than he thinks he does, two things that will take a lot of work from a good editor to correct. Hopefully it will get that work, because it is a terrific story.

And the protagonist is exactly the kind of protagonist I love: an intelligent, capable woman who is also unshakeably determined to do the right thing, which is the kind thing; who wins over others (even the crazy memories of her awful ancestors) by her goodness and insight and empathy, without ever being weak or foolishly idealistic, and accepts risk herself rather than pushing it onto others.

Now I want to read the second volume.