Chaos (Guards of the Shadowlands #3)
by Sarah Fine
Introduction
The concluding book of the series, Chaos, is by far the best. I wish I could give it more than 5 stars. It’s action-packed and full of elements not for the squeamish!
Genre
YA fantasy; this installment has some of the most horrific violence in the series and may not be suitable for all teens
Narration
First person past tense told by the main character Lela Santos
Characters
Lela Santos - seventeen year old girl, in foster care since she was four, now a guard of the Shadow Lands
Diane - Lela’s foster mom
Tegan - Lela’s human friend
Anna - former Lieutenant of the Guard in the Dark City, now captain of the mission to the Mazikin city
Malachi - former Captain of the Guard in the Dark City, now a captive of the Mazikin
Henry - a human guard from the Wasteland (the purgatory reserved for murders)
Raphael - angel, healer
Michael - angel, weapons master
Takashi - former Captain of the Guard in the Dark City, now a captive of the Mazikin
Setting
Present day Rhode Island and the Mazikin City
Intended audience
Young adult (but not for the squeamish)
Plot
The Judge sends Lela and Anna on the most dangerous mission yet. They must infiltrate the Mazikin City, from which no human has ever returned, to rescue Malachi and Takashi. With Anna in charge of the mission, the two women plan as much as they can before going into the Mazikin city, but they mostly have to improvise. The Judge makes it clear that Raphael can open the dome of the city to let them in and back out again, but while there, they will not receive any help from the angels. In addition to rescuing their loved ones, they must also fulfill the Judge’s conditions: destroy the portal and kill the Mazikin queen, with nothing but their wits and the few weapons they can smuggle along with them.
About the Author
In addition to the Guards of the Shadowlands series, Sara Fine has written three others. I haven’t read any of them yet, but she is an author well worth following. Find out more on at Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5752145.Sarah_Fine) and her website: http://sarahfinebooks.com/.
My Opinion
All the elements I loved in the first book are back, and then some. Again, Lela is on a mission to rescue someone — this time Malachi himself, and she teams up with Anna who plans to rescue Takashi. The story, once they are in the city, is almost non-stop action and horrifying tension. The author does an incredible job of raising the stakes in this installment as she paints the most hellish location yet. The Mazikin city is full of torture, misery, and suffering, and there is no escape as even permanent death is denied its human inhabitants. Once Anna and Lela understand the scope of the human suffering and injustice there, they (along with Takashi and Malachi) can’t just leave. They’ll settle for no less than rescuing the entire enslaved human population.
One of my favorite moments is Lela challenging the Judge on letting the Mazikin evil exist and allowing the horrific suffering of innocents whose only crime was to be unlucky enough to fall into their hands. The Judge gives the usual theological answer, just as old as the question. She gave the creatures she loved free will, and free will must allow evil.
That’s a no more satisfying answer here than anywhere else, but it helps that our characters are having none of it. All of them challenge the Judge’s way of doing things and openly rail against the injustice of it. I liked that, and I appreciate that the Judge (essentially “god” though she’s never called that) doesn’t demand worship, devotion, or faith. Souls reach the various purgatories based on their own actions and attitudes, and redemption is always possible — unless you’re trapped in the Mazikin city!
Chaos did feel like it should have been book 3 and 4, however. There is a point in the plot where the story is over and a new one begins. I suppose the author didn’t feel like the final story could take an entire book. Not that it mattered as I read the entire series back to back with no break.
In the end, all the main characters get their happy endings. It’s perhaps a too pat wrap-up, but it should satisfy readers who want happy-ever-after endings, and no one can argue that the characters don’t deserve it after all their trials, tribulations, and suffering.