This was a series I picked up, I must admit, solely on the cover. Look at the detailing on them! Once I was in, I had to see things through since the situation seemed unresolvable by the time revelations happened in the second book. I needed closure on all their lives, and this book definitely delivered.
Closure, in general, should not be underrated in books filled with a lot of mayhem and death (or close calls). Without going into too much detail, I will try to talk about what the series was originally about. Our leading lady was living in forced isolation because her very touch was dangerous to people. Within her four walls, she tried to maintain her important position in her land. She was succeeding until schemes that had long been simmering finally came to a head. The second book was entirely about the explosion and implosion of demons running around, causing pure chaos. The kingdoms in this world have always been in an uneasy truce with each other, and it takes very feeble pushes to have everyone at each other's throats.
Every established relationship, both personal and professional, comes into question in this book, and everything is resolved. I liked the way things ended. It was not a completely rosy picture, nor was it the destruction of the entire world.
I did not expect to enjoy the book too much because of my experience with the middle book. I actually found myself making much better progress with this than I expected. It still took longer than some of the other fantasy books I am in the habit of reading. I would recommend it to fans of the genre because the action in this is almost constant.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

I love it. It's really amazing the plot and flow of the story is amazing. I love everything about it.

Firstly, whatever you do – don’t plunge into this slice of the adventure without reading the previous two books in the series. Caruso’s writing creaks with tension, plot twists and dangerous, unpredictable characters so that you won’t be in a position to appreciate the full awesomeness of the worldbuilding and some telling developments if you don’t have a full picture of what came before. And no… the helpful summary at the beginning of the book is designed to bump-start your memory, not act as replacement for reading the previous books.

One of the reasons why I’m so passionate about the above point is the glorious manner in which Ryx develops throughout the series. She goes from being shunned and desperately lonely without knowing why she has been so cursed at the start of the first book, to coming to terms with who she is and what she’s done by the end of the final book. There is a major reveal that explains a lot about her character and the formidable talent she has for causing mayhem during the second book, which also impacts on the action during The Ivory Tomb in a major way.

In epic fantasy, there nearly always is an overarching threat to the world. Most of the time, the fullest extent of said threat doesn’t come to pass. However this time around, the hammer has fallen and the world is reeling from devastating attacks on several fronts. This keeps the action and tension full on, as Ryx and the Rooks race from one crisis to another in an attempt to save as many lives as possible. Sometimes, such ongoing full-scale devastation comes at the expense of characterisation and description – not so in The Ivory Tomb. Caruso’s skill is evident as she manages to keep all those vital plates spinning, while keeping the pacing dialled up and the action thick and fast. I stayed up far later than intended to discover what happens and whether the denouement and ending matches the eventful, risk-ridden journey. It does.

It’s always something of a wrench when a much-loved series comes to an end, but Caruso brings the Ruin and Rook series back home in triumphant style, with real poignancy and emotion. This wonderful finale is one of my outstanding reads of 2022 and very highly recommended. While I obtained an arc of The Ivory Tomb from the publisher via Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own.
10/10

My bad did not realise when requested that there were previous books, I love the sound of this so off to purchase the others now and I know I’ll love them, definitely check this series out

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy in return for an honest opinion

4.5 Stars!

Synopsis: The Dark Days have returned and Ryx and The Rookery must find a way to end this destruction.

CW/TW: Violence/Blood/Death/Imprisonment/Torture/Starvation imagery/others may be present.

Rep: Bisexual mc | Sapphic couple | Polyamorous rep | Non-binary side character | Trans side character |

Book1: The Obsidian Tower (Rooks And Ruin #1), by Melissa Caruso

Book 2:Book Review: The Quicksilver Court (Rooks and Ruin #2), by Melissa Caruso

The Ivory Tomb by Melissa Caruso is a fantastic, action-packed and emotional conclusion to a gorgeous trilogy.

I’ll keep this review short and sweet because it is the conclusion and I don’t want to give away spoilers!! But if you’re interested then check out my reviews for book 1 and 2, or better yet – check out this amazing series for yourselves!

Melissa Caruso has created an absolutely fantastic conclusion to such a brilliant trilogy. The Ivory Tomb ties up everything from the first two books in an engaging, action-packed and emotional way. Every single character has developed and does develop more over the course of this book and we get to see the bonds made between them strengthen over the events that occur. But, we also get the tension, conflict and angst needed between the characters to keep the complex and dynamic.

I absolutely adored Ryx’s character in this book, her stubborn determination, diplomatic skills and hot-headed tendency to dive into situations makes this book all the more fantastic and readable! I love Ryx, her passion, complexity, flaws and strengths all truly come together to give us such a raw picture of Ryx and a satisfying end to her story. Similarly, the Rookery also develops well over the course of the book. I particularly loved Ash, Kessa, and Bastian’s growth and focus. I also thought each of the Rookery had a deserved or suited ending to their own stories (and yes I would read more stories of the Rookery and their jobs because I love them). Severin also goes through a lot in this book and I enjoyed watching his strengths and flaws combine, to watch some more of his vulnerability show alongside his own smooth and dramatic flair for a scene. I really loved Severin’s arc and thought his character got a well-suited end. (Also love love Whisper, and Discord, in this book – truly a delight).

The plot was fantastic, we got action, tension, emotion, sensitivity, backstories, memories and more. I really did love the plot, the meeting of the different Demons and the displays of their unique powers. I adored piecing together Ryx’s ‘lost’ memories and the reactions of those around her acknowledging her true identity. But most of all I loved that the action was still intwined with diplomatic strategies – the true heart of Ryx. The action was well balanced with the magic, the emotion and the clever diplomatic plans and ideals.

Finally, I liked that, even though we are now fully immersed in this world and know how it works, we still get subtle worldbuilding elements that continue to enhance and add finesse to the world and its magic. From the Witchlords to their Domains we learn those smaller more delicate elements of the world and it makes the book all the more incredible.

Overall The Ivory Tomb, by Melissa Caruso is an excellent conclusion to an already brilliant trilogy that I cannot recommend enough!

*I received an eARC via Netgalley from Orbit Books in exchange for an honest review – Thank you!! *

A brilliant final book in this brilliant series: gripping, well plotted, and highly entertaining.
Ms Caruso did an excellent job in delivering a solid plot and a fascinating world building. The characters are fleshed out and intriguing.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

This was the perfect end to the series! From the very first page I was caught up in the story and it was all action from there as Ryx and the Rookery try to save the world from the dark days. I cannot praise this series enough. I have loved it from the first book. Caruso has a fabulous way of writing that draws you into the world and the world building is amazing. I love Ryx and Severin and all the characters are well rounded. The ending tied everything together perfectly.

The Ivory Tomb is a cinematic finish that shows how Caruso has found the most interesting aspects of the multi-series setting. The take on demons is both fun and thoughtful, with it elevated by the constant tie to Ryx's emotional bond. I actually really enjoyed the flashback sequences, and would honestly have had a few more of them, as they become a little sparse and functional as it moves on. And as ever, Caruso's writing has this propulsive element that, despite some slightly unnatural dialogue and characterisation, makes this an easy read. This is entertainment first, and it works as such, although it is not without theming. However, I am left with some significant dissatisfaction at the handling of the overall narrative: this book seems determined to place itself in dark adult fantasy, with constant, often quite graphic violence, but the tendency for death to happen to incomprehensible numbers of offscreen, unnamed characters, or, worse, characters that are just introduced for the purpose of being killed, feels like an attempt to distance readers from the serious themes. And this is particularly apparent in the overly neat end, which feels determined to tie everything off in a way that makes the books feel for a younger audience than they supposedly are. Still a fun read overall, and a trilogy that exceeded my expectations, but I wish it commited to the messy, hard-to-look-at elements it introduced.

There were some parts of this book I loved and some parts that I think could have been stronger.

I loved how we got to learn more about Disaster. The glimpses throughout the book about who Disaster had been in the Dark Days, her role in shaping the world as we know it now, the cameo of Kathe(!) and the general character development we've come to know and love from Caruso.

There were a few scenes, without too many spoilers, that as I said could have been stronger. The energy device, Carnage, Ashe and Kessa reunion scene in particular comes to mind. It did make for a nice epilogue but felt a bit out of left field, fan service for when it appeared. I also felt that it all wrapped up a little too nicely and neatly for legendary Nine Demons let loose on the world. It's not as if I was expecting everyone to die in the book (this isn't an R. F. Kuang book after all) but I did expect some heartbreak beyond what we had. (No one worry, Whisper was ok!)

Over all, this was another wonder end to a trilogy from Caruso and wholly stacks up against the previous trilogy we all enjoyed. And my final note is, going forward everyone should get their books signed by Melissa with a note calling them a 'horrible little attack weasel' because that is a fantastic series of words.

This was a brilliant finale to Melissa Caruso’s Rooks and Ruin trilogy. The Ivory Tomb picks up where book 2 ends and then goes off on a roller coaster ride as Ryx and the Rookery try to prevent the demons from taking over their world.
In book two we discovered who Ryx was and in this volume we see her coming to terms with that heritage and power. Her backstory is revealed gradually and feels very natural rather than being explained to the reader in an info dump manner. The characters of the Rookery also grow and develop especially Bastian. My favourite character has to be the Lady of the Owls though as I think I’m always drawn to morally grey characters.
The demons are fantastically imagined and each one of them is completely different Contagion is particularly vivid especially towards the end where we see the effects of him being on the loose in Severin’s domain
The book is full of action with a touch of romance which at times is almost heartbreaking. I loved the conclusion to this trilogy and can’t wait to see what the author comes up with next.
Huge thanks to Net Galley and Orbit for providing me with this ARC.

What a thrill to receive an arc of this book! I adored the first two in this trilogy and to find out how events pan out was a top-of-the-list priority! It was perfect! All strands wrapped up well and satisfyingly. The Rookery were all wonderful characters and Ryx was masterclass. #chef’skiss. Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.