Is War on the Horizon?
The Court of Mystery series from Sarah E. Burr has become a mix of mystery and political intrigue. The ongoing political storyline comes to a head in Crown of Chaos, the ninth book in the series, and I couldn’t put it down.
This series is a bit different. It’s set in a fictional continent made up of independent nations. The main character is Jacqueline Arienta Xavier, Jax to her friends, the ruler of the most powerful of the kingdoms. As she’s tried to introduce some reforms into her own country, she has encountered resistance from some of the other rulers. This has led her to call for a War Council, a rarely used provision to bring all the leaders to one place. And that war council is finally set to take place as this book begins.
There is more to the story. Much more. So, I suggest you start with The Ducal Detective, the novella that introduced the characters and setting. You’ll be here before you know it.
As I said, the war council is finally happening, and Jax is happy to be able to present the evidence of the treason that has been happening in the realm. But even before the council gets started, Jax learns of betrayal among those she thought were allies. The first session ends with no progress, but things only get worse when a fire and a murder complicate things. Can Jax figure out what is happening? Or is she in over her head?
I’ve found the last couple of books struggled to find the balance between the political intrigue and murder mystery, causing the pacing to be off. That wasn’t the case here. If you pick up this book at random, you might still feel like the story starts slowly, but for fans, they will be hooked. We’ve been building to this book for the last several entries, so I was there for the drama unfolding. Things only kick into high gear later in the book, and I couldn’t wait to figure out how Jax was going to piece things together and get out alive. Another character gets some of the story told from his point of view, which really gives us the full picture of what is going on.
This isn’t to say that the book is always light. There are some darker moments, but they are earned and make sense with the direction the series has taken.
There’s a subplot that has been bothering me for the last couple of books, and I am hopeful it has been resolved or is getting near being resolved.
We don’t have all the regulars in this book. Like Jax, I missed them, but there was more than enough chaos without them. We still got some updates on what is happening with them in addition to the growth that we saw for the characters who did make the trip. I’m very curious to see where Jax is going. I’m noting some arrogance from her that hadn’t been so prominent previously. It will be interesting to see if that continues going forward.
While this book may have been what we’ve been building to for the last several books, it opens to door to the next arc, leaving me anxious for more. Jax’s fans will be glad they read Crown of Chaos.
Settle in for the rest of the Court of Mysteries saga.
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