Dellaria Wells, Delly, is a hard-drinking thief, about to be evicted from her apartment in Leiscourt. Delly is also a talented fire-witch, but has no idea how to hone her skills. Delly fast-talks herself into a good paying job, protecting a young rich lady from assassination.
The story revolves around Jie and Lilian’s blossoming love, while at the same time Lilian is planning a way to get herself out of the Black Lotus Clan, even considering killing Jie. In the present, Jie, Tian, and the rest are busy protecting the Empire from being overthrown.
The North is rebelling against the Chinese Emperor, intending to secede from the Empire. Last time this happened, Lord Yu and his family were killed for treason, the only survivor was the three year old daughter, Yu Mei, witnessing the murders.
A lord’s safe holds some secret, which the Black Lotus clan has been assigned to break into. But the contents of the safe are not only wanted by the Chinese emperor, but also by other criminal elements.
Half-elf Jie, pre-teen analytical genius Tian, and Yuna are on a mission in China’s slums to assassinate a Triad boss. The boss might know of the existence of the Black Lotus clan, their goals, and tactics. There are two unexpected obstacles, a serial killer is on the loose, and Yuna recognizes her birthplace and family.
The story continues from where the first book, Thorn of the Night Blossoms, left off. A murdered lord, a half-elf who despite having unnatural abilities does not have the gift of analysis, and a fantastical world which merges the old with the new.
It’s silly, insane, jumps around, and makes little sense especially if you read the first book. If you didn’t read Gideon the Ninth, I suggest you do, if you did – brush up on it before starting this one. The narration in this book is so unreliable that it doesn’t only alters what Harrow remembers, but attempts to alter what the reader remembers as well.
I really enjoyed the overall premise to he series, but in this last book I’m not sure what the author wanted to convey, or if he had a trilogy planned out at all. It seemed like a bunch of story-lines thrown together for good measure, crossing fingers they would somehow work and make sense.
The second book in The Origin Mystery trilogy, a science-fiction story following a genealogist out to save the human race from the brink of extinction.
To my surprise, this techno-fiction book became, about half way in, a world spanning espionage and intrigue story. Everything is drive, of course, by this new technology that would set the world into a new age that everyone wants to get their hands on.
