FIRESNAKE

In this trilogy closer, 13-year-old Itzel Tui Olmstead embarks on a centurieslong voyage to her family’s ancestral planet, carrying more than just her grandmother’s stories with her.

Ninety years after the Cuentista Petra Peña landed on the planet Sagan, people struggle to rebuild their lives in the face of critically limited resources and frequent, punishing windstorms. Itzel, who’s Petra’s granddaughter, and her father barely survive on their meager rations, which they supplement with risky, clandestine foraging. They’re still mourning the loss of Itzel’s mother, who was killed when a heat vent erupted two years ago while she was doing scientific research. A message reaches Sagan, confirming that humanity survived the comet that Petra and others fled and inviting them back to Earth: “todos son bienvenidos a La Cuna.” Dad, considering their ongoing battle for survival, decides they’ll join those making a return journey to Earth, but Itzel is distraught at leaving behind the only home she knows. With careful, deliberate pacing, this volume expertly connects the first two books, continuing the impeccable worldbuilding and exploring similarly profound themes, including the difficult choices people are forced to make when established systems fail them. Higuera raises questions about the possibility of enduring human happiness and whether cycles of turmoil are destined to repeat themselves even when there are chances for improvement. The series ends on a hopeful and satisfying note of new beginnings.

A testament to humanity, celebrating the legacies we leave behind in our stories and sacrifices.