Fantasy Book Critic: Book review: The Girl and The Moon (Book of the Ice #3) by Mark Lawrence

AUTHOR INFO: Mark Lawrence is a research scientist working on artificial intelligence. He is a dual national with both British and American citizenship, and has held secret-level clearance with both governments. At one point, he was qualified to say, “This isn’t rocket science—oh wait, it actually is.” He is the author of the Broken Empire trilogy (Prince of Thorns, King of Thorns, and Emperor of Thorns), the Red Queen’s War trilogy (Prince of Fools, The Liar’s Key, and The Wheel of Osheim) and the Book of the Ancestor series (Red Sister).

Publisher: Ace (April 26, 2022) Page count: 416 pages

The Girl and the Moon rounds out the Book of the Ice trilogy by Mark Lawrence, and I must say the finale is breathtaking. With surprising twists and turns, the story rarely slows down.

Yaz and her friends have made it to the Corridor and the Convent of Sweet Mercy, where nuns train young girls who possess ancient gifts. But unfortunately, Yaz's enemies are two steps ahead of her, and the Book opens with lethal danger. At the center is Yaz, who is trying to open the Ark of the Missing and save the world. Her ability to control the stars plays a crucial role in this.

Thrilling stuff.

In The Book of the Ancestor, Lawrence has created an entire world, complete and round with its history, customs, traditions, languages, and secrets. Then in Book of the Ice, he shakes up the pieces and offers exciting revelations that will astonish followers of his books. There are new layers to the world of the Ancestor, and they ARE exciting.

I'll also mention that The Girl and The Moon confirms certain theories about the interconnectedness of Mark's books. Prepare for many surprises and thrilling discoveries. But I won't spoil anything here.

Lawrence knows how to balance conflict and character development with the central mystery. He juggles the personal and the epic with admirable skill and leads his characters to a deeply satisfying, well-earned conclusion.

The Girl and The Moon offers excellent closure to the series. I can't wait to see what Mark writes next.