I feel awful, but I didn't realize this was a sequel until after I had requested it. Obviously I can't jump in at the end, so I will be picking up the first book so that I can read and review A Summoning of Demons properly.

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for granting me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was a good ending to the trilogy. I would very much be up for more in this world.

The most disappointing thing was that there was no audiobook.

This is the final episode, I mean book in this series. It continues the trend of feeling like episodes instead of a full-fledged series. The characters are still great, the plot is engaging and the world is enticing. It just feels like there should have been more.

This is a good series and this book is a good ending.
Characters and world building as good as always, well written and gripping plot.
Can't wait to read another book by this author.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Cate Glass's A Summoning of Demons marks the thrilling conclusion for the Chimera team, a ragtag crew who use their forbidden magic for the good of the kingdom.

I just love this series so much!
Amazing last book

This book left me with a world of conflicting feelings that I both loved and hated all at once. How dare it build up all my hopes and dreams and just leave me shattered when it was a real story that didn’t give me flowers and a fairytale ending.

While some of the intrigue towards the middle I felt was purposely vague and making me angry everything else, from the resolution of some hostilities , and the processing of grief, the total wonder of exploration, everything was handled with a lot of care. The one thing I'm still wavering on is whether or not it felt complete. There's definitely room for another story in this world, and probably several more to be honest, but I doubt they'll be forthcoming... and they're not really needed, as this book tied up most of the necessary loose ends

I loved the two previous books, so I was looking forward to this latest book.

A Summoning of Demons is what you mostly want the final trilogy book to be. I say "mostly' because I would really like this to turn into a series, or have a spin off. I felt many of my questions answered and so will other readers, though there were some that were no so complete.

The writing and storyline are what you hope and expect from Cate Glass. Great read and looking forward to her next.

I

I have to admit, after adoring this series and the world Glass created for it, this finale was kind of a let-down. The writing is as beautiful as ever, but I wish a bit more groundwork for the big reveal had been laid in the previous books. Still an excellent read, and I'm eager to see what Glass does next!

I'm really rather fond of this series and hope that although it's described as the concluding volume the author will revisit the world and characters. The main underlying magical plot is mostly tied up but I feel that there's so much more to explore. There's the usual heist, subterfuge and some tense moments, and the same great bunch of characters with a few new ones introduced. I sometimes felt there was room for a little more meaningful character interaction and that there's still a lot left unknown about their histories. I hesitate to use the term 'cosy fantasy' as I don't want to make this series sound boring and there are darker moments, but these are great quality comfort read fantasy novels and I look forward to reading what ever Cate Glass/Carol Berg writes next.

(ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley)

I had high hopes for this series when I started reading, but by the time I got to A Summoning of Demons, I was tired. This series is incredibly wordy, often excessively so. The writing style is weirdly formal for a fantasy novel, from the narrations to the dialogue between characters. Romy is a great main character, and I really love the cast of side characters, as well. But, the problem I had was that it just took so long for anything to happen because of the excessive descriptions and wordy narration. The world is incredibly intricate: you can tell how much work the author put into building the world of Cantagna, but the effect was somewhat lost because of the writing style. And that isn’t to say the writing style isn’t good; it is very good, just a bit heavy for such an action-packed story.

Another fast-paced and fun plot as the Chimera is asked once more by Il Padrone to work their wiles and accomplish the seemingly impossible, at speed.
This time, they must extricate a young, bright woman, Livia, from a contracted marriage with the eldest son, Donato, of the head of the Confraternity. Livia has been travelling and researching scientific phenomena for years, and Il Padrone sees her studies negatively affected by her marriage, as her ideas and findings are inimical to the Confraternity’s aims. Livia is something like a goddaughter to Il Padrone, so his concern for the young woman immediately underlines the urgency of his request to Romy.
The Confraternity is the organization that hunts down and kills sorcerers, and makes Sniffers, while also claiming to protect the Costa Drago from Dragomeris, an evil being who commands demons and wants to destroy everything. As the book opens with an earthquake, it appears to Romy that someone is messing with the effort to contain Dragomeris.
What starts as one problem for the Chinera rapidly transforms into something much more complicated, with great import for people with magical abilities. The Chimera’s detailed plans are quickly compromised and things look pretty bad for the group, and the affianced pair…..

I really enjoy these stories. There is much going on, but I never feel lost or confused as the Chimera keep uncovering more political and magical secrets the longer they work on this problem.
And though the author resolves a few of the mysteries she created in books one and two, I feel like there are still several story threads ripe for elaboration, and greatly hope we get to spend more time with ever resourceful and intelligent Romy, Neri, Placidio, Dumond and the sublime Vashti.

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor Books for this ARCin exchange for a review.

In this the third book in Cate Glass’s Chimera series, we are granted a brief introduction to the world, and then tossed right into the action. It’s a good-enough introduction, but if you’ve not read the first two books I really do recommend reading them - they’re great, plus this book does not work as a standalone.

Romy has almost grown bored in the absence of magical upset these past months, but her boredom vanishes when an earthquake shakes Catagna and seems to be magical in origin. She is given little time to recover, though: a task from the Shadow Lord, her former lover, arrives and brings Romy and her crew much closer to danger than the others have, in that they are forced to infiltrate the Confraternity itself in order to prevent the impending nuptials of the Shadow Lord’s (basically) goddaughter to the son of a Confraternity Directory. The Confraternity is where sniffers (mages who gave up most of their humanity to keep their lives and spend their days sniffing out other mages to be destroyed) are housed and trained. It is no safe place for Romy and her magically-gifted associates.

Naturally, even though the first part of the caper goes off more or less as planned, there are complications. These complications lead to further discoveries regarding the origins and use of magical abilities. There was less meaningful interaction among the members of Chimera this time, and that was disappointing. The heists are clever and interesting, but I still want to see some interpersonal relationships, too. Related to that, A Summoning of Demons feels like it has a slower build than its predecessors, and is honestly much more difficult to remain engrossed in, even during events that should be high-interest. It is still a well-written book, it just doesn’t quite live up to the rest of the series.

I was hooked pretty much immediately with this book -- in previous books in this series it took some time to get into them (especially with the archaic language) but I was either familiar enough with the world or it just started at a faster pace, I'm not sure which. But I was swept into Romy and her friends' lives within the first few pages and read the entire book in 2 days.

As usual with these adventures, a seemingly small job turns into a much bigger problem over the course of the book, and there are definitely some big reveals here about the magic of the Costa Drago. One of my favorite things about these novels is the way Romy, Neri, Placidio, and Dummond's magic work together - and the way Vashta's non-magical help is necessary too.

I was a little surprised to see the blurb mention "the conclusion to the trilogy" when it doesn't really feel like one? I mean, the immediate events get wrapped up, and a lot of the bigger mystery hinted at in the first two books is revealed, but it leaves off with almost an expectation of another adventure, and there's certainly more to learn about the supernatural events. I think I would be disappointed if there aren't more books about Romy and her friends in the future. At the same time, if we don't ever get any more adventures, this one left me satisfied enough not to feel cheated.

A Summoning of Demons, the third book in Cate Glass's Chimera series sees our band of sorcerers embroiled in another twisted mystery and deadly heist. Each book has pushed each supporting character further into the open, but all remain wrapped in enough mystery to keep this series going forever!

Luckily, each book in the series has also expanded the mythology that rules the land, and given readers a better understanding of magic, and the political system in Catagana that tries to keep a stranglehold on any form of sorcery.

A Summoning of Demons is quick to jump readers straight into peril and action, Romy, Neri, Placidio, and Drummond have almost no time to prepare for a heist that- unbeknownst to them- could change everything for sorcerers in Catagana.

Like An Illusion of Thieves, and A Conjuring of Assassins, A Summoning of Demons will leave you bursting for more. As soon as that last chapter is done, and knowing I have another long year ahead until the next book hits shelves. 2022 is much too far away!

P.S. I desperately want Romy and Placidio to hook up. Is that bad? No. It isn't.

Magic, heists, and mischief all come together in the conclusion to the tril.ogy by Cate Glass. In this book it leads with another heists job for our Chimera team, in which theres more at stake and they’ll have to be extra careful in their use of magic as there is a nefarious element invading their dreams. Romy and crew are given the job of stopping an arranged marriage, all the while a more dangerous plot is at play. The ending is left open ended and could mean more for this series if the author choses, but it does wrap up another heists well. Overall, an okay ending to the series, I just found myself less enthralled and hooked as I was with the first book. That is not to say that this is a bad series, this is definitely a fun read with magic and heists.

A strong and enjoyable, if sometimes meandering, conclusion to the trilogy. Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I read the first book, it was fine but I’m not interested in continuing with the series — at least, not in the near future.
I’m sorry that I request this arc so early.




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A great ending to an enjoyable trilogy. Although is it the end? It feels like it’s been left slightly open? The MC is just as engaging as she was in the previous two instalments and I love the ensemble feel of the complimenting characteristics of her team.

I was so excited to receive this book from NetGalley, many thanks to the publishers.

I really the first two books in Cate Glass' cracking fantasy series so was eager to tear into the third. The story of Romy and her band of magical Ocean's 11 style compatriots, known at the Chimera, continues with another challenging task set by Romy's former lover, aka the Shadow Lord. I appreciate this is a pretty terrible description of a complex and intriguing tale.

My only "complaint" (it's not really a proper complaint) is that this did not feel like the final book in a series. I feel there are so many places to go, particularly with respect to the magic, that I need more books.

Go read this series!

A good sequel and a good ending for the series.
The reader will find the same qualities as in the first two books, and if I found the end a tiny bit frustrating, it was, all things considered, the best and healthiest way for the heroine. The world problems and injustices are not solved, but hope is on its way!