**Many thanks to Labyrinth Road/Random House Children's Books, and Netgalley for an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) of this book**

Hoo boy, here we go back into the depths of Helston's descent into madness...

Esme. Esme. My dear Esme. Why must you take me on such a roller coaster up and down, round and around, and make me feel such things?!

There is war on the horizon for Helston, Dumoor and Eyrewood, where every adult in a position of power has visions of fame, grandeur and righteous indignation so thick and slimy, it's disgusting. Of course, the kids are not alright. Not for the first time, our bunch of lovely adventurers (Callie, Willow, Elwyn and Edwyn) are caught in the crossfire of adult ambition at the expense of compassion, acceptance and love. Except this time, Callie and their friends find themselves apart from each other. And they must learn how to grow apart with a better understanding of themselves and their places in the world before they can grow back together as a whole.

That's right: our foursome is (for the most part) scattered to the wind, and each one experiences their own trials and struggles. Sometimes, the only shoes you have to walk in are your own, and there's no one walking beside you on the same path.

Callie, our brave champion, wars with themselves with guilt and mistrust. Willow continues to struggle with seeing what he might be, could be, is, and what society expects from a future king. Elowyn learns the hard way about gilded cages of her own making.

And Edwyn? Fighting back against the abuse you face from anyone, let alone the parents who have taken your innocence, is the hardest battle of them all. I say that because Callie, Willow and Elwyn's struggles can be solved much easier with experience, time and maturity. Edwyn's cannot without a harder mountain to climb.

I will be honest, this book was a hard one to get through for me. I physically felt ill at times, for the right reasons- I hate what Peran, what Helston, what the world is doing to these kids. It's targeted abuse, whether it is physically beating these kids down or using them as weapons for some twisted crusade. I know this is a multi book series. I know not everything will be solved by the end of the book. But my heart is craving catharsis. My heart hurts, HURTS, for these kids. And... that is the point. Even though these books are examples in a fantasy world, and the situations are not 1 for 1 to the real world, the sentiments and struggles ARE. It reminds us (society) that at the end of the day, our politics should not matter. Our agendas should not matter. Our selfishness should not matter. THE KIDS SHOULD MATTER.

This book upsets me because these kids should not have to go through this. They should not be living in a world where this type of hatred should exist, where adult ambition should triumph at the cost of the children's welfare.

It's also a testiment to Esme's ability at writing characters to make me feel such pain for Edwyn, such remorse for Elwyn, such sadness for Willow... and such frustration with Callie ( and all their bullheadedness). I love all these kids. The antagonists are such vile, irredeemable wastes of human life that I need to go read something fluffy to get my mind off them now. And that's one of the biggest compliments I can give to Esme's masterful storytelling- they have such a wonderful grasp on each character.

There is one thing I should point out, before I conclude this review; I would be doing this book an injustice if I didn't. Since the first book, the series has gotten progressively darker as we've rolled along. I would place Sir Callie #1 in the 10-12 year old range, Sir Callie #2 would be closer to 12-13. Sir Callie #3 is at least 13, if not borderline YA. I would not hesitate to recommend this book to anyone adult, even a young adult, but if it's a kid, I would want to make sure that kid is emotionally ready for it, and understands what they are heading into.

There's some trigger warnings for abuse, language, misgendering, LGBTQ+ hate (a few others that are spoilery, but if you can handle the previous, you can handle what develops). I have no doubt that someone too young would be frightened of what happens in certain scenes, or would not fully grasp how meaningful some moments in the book are. THIS IS NOT A NEGATIVE on the book. It is still a good book, and worth reading. However, for parents, I would check on your kids, assess their reading level and maturity, and proceed with this third installment when they are ready for it.

Overall, where's the next book, Esme?!?! More please.