Hello, everyone! Today I’m reviewing Rebel Blade by Davinia Evans, the finale to The Burnished City trilogy. I enjoyed books one and two in this series and have been looking forward to finally picking up this last book. Was it a fitting end to the story? Read on to find out my thoughts!
From one of the most exciting new voices in fantasy comes the satisfying conclusion to Davinia Evans’s wickedly entertaining debut trilogy full of monsters, mayhem, dangerous society ladies, and a dragon who holds the fate of the most famous alchemist of all in her claws.
Siyon Velo has given magic back to the Mundane. But with it, monsters of myth have awoken and begun to cause chaos in Bezim and, of course, Siyon is left to take the blame. Hunted high and low, Siyon struggles against the rising tide of mystery, magic and mayhem threatening the city that’s turned its back on him.
In the Flower District, Lady Sable has unleashed chaos. But in the Avenues, Anahid is desperate to keep her sordid secrets hidden just a little longer. Or at least until Zagiri can make her introduction to high society. With scandal stalking the sisters and the threat of a rising revolution on their hands, the best–or worst– they can do may not be enough to save their city…
In the end, the Alchemist must rise, or Bezim will burn.
***Thank you to Orbit Books for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley. My review contains my honest thoughts about my reading experience with the finished paperback, which I purchased.***
***THIS REVIEW DOES CONTAIN SOME SPOILERS FOR REBEL BLADE. READ ON AT YOUR OWN PERIL.***
I really wanted to love this finale to The Burnished City trilogy. Unfortunately, Rebel Blade just did not live up to my expectations. Notorious Sorcerer was fun and fresh, while Shadow Baron had masterful world-building and characterization. The first half of this end to the trilogy was an absolute slog to get through. It felt like nothing happened while the characters wallowed. Things picked up in the latter half, though, and it mostly stuck the landing.
For most of the first half of Rebel Blade, very little happened. The characters were in hiding or licking their wounds from the events of the previous book. Some planning took place and a bit of scheming. However, nothing very exciting happened. It was all quite boring. That being said, it did make sense for the characters to take a step back and regroup. It just didn’t make for very compelling reading. Once things kicked off, I had more fun with the story. The planning and execution of the revolution was interesting, and I appreciated the role of each character in making it possible.
Siyon spent most of his time in Rebel Blade coming to terms with his new power, running from the authorities, and missing Izmirlian. The new world-building regarding the Power of the Mundane was interesting, and I enjoyed trying to figure it out alongside Siyon. However, much of it didn’t really make sense. The specifics of how or why the powers worked just seemed really nebulous. I appreciated Siyon’s arc of learning to accept change as part of necessary growth. It tied back nicely into his origin story. The reunion with a certain someone felt a bit too forced, almost like it was only there because the reader would expect it. I was happy to see Siyon get a happyish ending, though.
After reading Rebel Blade, Anahid is still my favorite character of the series. I loved her journey to overcome the limitations placed on her by society. I do wish she would have spent less time in the beginning of this novel trying to avoid taking the responsibility of being baron. Her maneuvers through both azatani society and the seedier parts of Bezim were always so compelling to read. She eventually found a way to help stabilize her district in her own way through compromise and manipulation. Of course, having Laxmi stand menacingly over her shoulder probably helped too. lol. They were such a great duo.
Oh, Zagiri. I’ve always admired her fire and her desire to make Besim a better place for everyone who lives there. She had to grow up a lot in this book. I was so frustrated with her stubbornness and impulsivity, at times. She made some really poor choices in Rebel Blade, but she seemed to finally learn from them the hard way. By the end, her persistence paid off. She managed to bring the people together to demand a say in how they were governed. Consequently, her story was an excellent critique of top-down power structures and highlighted the struggle for a more equal world.
Overall, Rebel Blade wasn’t the exciting conclusion I was hoping for. However, I did appreciate where the characters and Bezim ended up. I just wish the additions to the world-building had been a bit more concrete, and the pacing could have been better. With all this in mind, I rate the book 3.5 out of 5 stars.
There you have it! My thoughts on Rebel Blade by Davinia Evans. Have you read The Burnished City trilogy? Let me know your thoughts down in the comments!