THE LAST WEAVE

Kay continues her journey to save her father and little sister, Ell, from Ghast’s wicked plot in this duology closer.

As Kay keeps vigil over the dead wraith, Rex, a boatman arrives to reunite her with Will and Phantastes. Together again, they make a plan to save Kay’s family, but to do that they need to travel to the House of the Two Modes. There, they can enlist the help of Razzio, the greatest plotter among the wraiths, along with Oidos, Rex’s sister. Kay believes the story belongs to Ell, the true author, but in the House of the Two Modes, Kay learns she may have a bigger role to play than anyone realizes. Meanwhile, Ghast schemes to change the realm of storytelling forever. Metatextual commentary again plays a large role, but this time around it feels like a detriment to the plot, which rushes along with little time spent exploring the full ramifications of major developments. While the prose is beautiful, newcomer Oidos is undermined by an overabundance of expository information dumps regarding her motivations. The ending is simultaneously cathartic and disappointing, serving the villain his just deserts while leaving many unanswered questions and offering a twist that seems to come out of nowhere. Ultimately the narrative reads like missing chapters from Twelve Nights (2021) rather than a true sequel. Main characters read as White.

Bold and full of promise but lacking polish.