Everything is terrible for Jess and his compatriots as they fight to survive both the folks who want to kill them and. . . . the other folks who want to kill them. It's hard, super-dangerous work to fight against the great and powerful Library (Yes, that's a capital "L" thank you very much). It took me forever to read this book and I think--now that I've finished--the problem is with Jess' inner monologue. I think I might have read the word "brittle" and "broken" too many times. Even though I did enjoy the book, and I don't believe the narrative has any gaping holes in it, Caine definitely needs to diversify her descriptions of Jess' tormented psyche. ( )

Absolutely loved that Caine is so willing to plainly show a queer relationship in this series. In this installation, more than any of the others, that relationship was brought to the forefront and presented in a "no-big-deal" way that made my tiny little heart about burst.

I've finally bumped the star power up to five, because I finally got some of that character development I had been so desperate for in the previous two books. And on top of feeling all squooshy about that, the plot in this one was just stellar from the first page to the last.

Now go read the series already so you can cry alone with me while we wait for book #4 to come out in July! ( )

Book 3: Our plucky young heroes find themselves in a Philadelphia, PA, run by burners. I started it in hopes of finishing the series, only to glance at the back page and see that the story continues on Volume 4. But, after trying a few more pages, I was once again engrossed, albeit exhausted, by their nonstop, anxious, exciting adventures.
Ben Franklin has replaced William Penn on the top of City Hall. ( )

4 1/2 stars
Oh man, I thought this was to be a trilogy and as the book progressed I figured that unless it came to an abrupt and very unsatisfactory conclusion that there would be more books in the series. Thankfully that is the case and more books will becoming, but this book was just released a few days ago so I know I'll have an uncomfortable wait for it to arrive. ( )

Jess Brightwell, Thomas, and their intrepid comrades teleported to the city of brotherly love, Philadelphia, which is anything but. It is a Burner stronghold, and their affiliation with the Great Library makes them targets for the populace and a chess piece for their leader, Willington Beck. Morgan's powers and Thomas's printing press represent their only values as they scheme to escape. When Captain Santi is gravely injured, a local doctor and Morgan collaborate to save his life, but at what cost? Jess reaches out to his brother Brendan to plan an escape, but their sanctuary is just a different kind of prison, again with Thomas's printing press as the key bargaining chip. Dario and Jess work on a plan with their keen ability to strategize, sacrificing pawns while keeping their eye on the big prize: bringing down the leaders of the Great Library, who have usurped their power. ( )