Bridge Of Souls: The Quickening: Book Three Reviews

This is the third and final book in The Quickening trilogy (after Myrren's Gift and Blood and Memory).

In the Wild, Wyl now knows that he has to become king of Morgravia in order to put an end to Myrren's curse. However, he cannot provoque the magic or he will have to face even more terrible consequences. There also is Fynch's destiny revealed to him: with the help of the creatures of the Thicket, he must get the world rid of Elysius's brother, the dark magician Rashlyn, King Cailech's barshi.

Meanwhile, Aremys the huge Grenadyne mercenary has been teleported by the Thicket to the Razors. At first made prisoner by the warrior Myrt and his men, his previous dealings with Celimus and his knowledge of the Morgravian sovereign later help him get into Cailech's good books and become his counsellor. He suggests the King of the Mountain Kingdom organize a peace parley with Celimus. Acting as go-between, Aremys gambles and offers to deliver Ylena as guarantee.

In Morgravia, as Celimus performs further random acts of cruelty, killing any who dares questions certain mysterious deaths but always managing to put the blame on alleged traitorous nobles, his Chancellor Jessom becomes less and less convinced about his King's course of actions. And as the wedding day draws nearer, Queen Valentyna of Briavel finds it increasingly difficult to resolve to marry this tyrant.

This volume is more focused on the Mountain Kingdom, and I really enjoyed discovering further facets of Myrt, Cailech, and also Aremys, as well as reading about Lothryn and Gueryn's ordeals at the hands of twisted Rashlyn. I was a little dubious at first about the whole magical aspect introduced in this volume with Fynch's inheritance, wondering where Fiona McIntosh was taking the plot, but in the end she managed to blend it in almost seamlessly and surprised me once again with the breath-taking twists and jaw-dropping turns that I have come to love and look forward to.