Please note Judged is the third book in a series. It is highly likely if you haven’t read the first two books then this review will contain some spoilers. Don’t say I didn’t warn ya!
Kit’s job description includes solving crimes – the supernatural kind . . .
Glow, a fae-created drug, is rapidly going viral and the suppliers have to be shut down. Teaming up with Aiden and Dante, Kit follows leads across London, tracking down dealers. They stir up trouble, making themselves a target for the gang they’re trying to stop.
In the Otherwhere, Thorn stumbles across a secret that could destroy both the human and Fae worlds. The Veil that separates our human world from the fae realms is weakening and the goddess is dying. And if she dies and the Veil fails, madness and chaos will wreak unstoppable havoc upon both lands.
Thorn turns to the only person he knows who’ll be able to help him: Kit. Torn between working the Glow case and her loyalty for the young prince, Kit is propelled headlong into a world of danger. She faces enemies from both the Otherwhere and our world. And as the stakes are raised, the consequence of failure for both Kit and Thorn, and two realms, could be devastating.
First there was Banished, then there was Vowed and now we have the final book in the Blackhart Legacy, Judged.
The action picks up not long after the events at the end of Vowed. Kit and her friends are still trying to unpick the clues that will expose who is behind the escalating Fae related crimes that have escalated in London and across the globe. Most worryingly, a supernaturally enhanced drug is causing violence to erupt in the capital’s clubs.
Meanwhile in Otherwhere, Prince Thorn continues to have problems of his own. Fae politics are a minefield and it seems like everyone has an ulterior motive to their actions. Who can he trust?
How are seemingly random events connected, and who or what is behind it all? Kit, Thorn and their friends need to pull together and find out before everything they have worked so hard to protect is destroyed.
I’ve mentioned previously that this series reminds me of television shows like Buffy and Supernatural, and I think I’ve finally figured out why. It’s the wonderful characters that the author has created. They’ve evolved as each of the books has progressed. Now, in book three, they come across as firmly established and well rounded. Reading this novel makes me feel like I am catching up with old friends. Kit has gone from being the unsure girl who was uncomfortable in her own skin that we first met in book one, to being a determined and courageous leader. She’s no longer afraid to take action and kick ass when necessary. Aiden has become her best friend, staunchest supporter and strongest ally (Go Team Werewolf!). Dante has finally started to discover more detail regarding his origins and where he fits in the strange new world he finds himself part of. It’s always fun to watch as characters grow and change with the passage of time.
In tandem with all the fantastic characters there is some great action. It turns out supernatural beings tend to be rough and ready sorts, so Kit needs to make sure they continue to abide by the rules and tow the line. What with her special abilities and deft swordswomanship she is more than a match for most of them. Put it this way, there are more magical, fighty thrills in Judged than I could have possibly hoped for. The lively, energetic chapters kept me glued to the narrative and I whistled through the entire book in a few sittings. I’m just so darned conflicted. I love that the book kept me so engrossed, but I’m sorry it had to end. It’s impressive that it successfully manages the trick of being both the perfect ending and a new beginning in a single stroke.
I always love that feeling when I’m reading something new, really lost in it, and it makes me smile. Thinking about it, I reckon Liz de Jager’s writing makes me smile more than any other author I’ve ever come across.
This has been a fun and utterly entertaining young adult urban fantasy journey. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this book and the entire series, I can only hope there will be more in the future. There are a group of special ops soldiers who pop up for a couple of chapters in Judged who were loads of fun. I’d love to learn more about their exploits. If I promise to be good can we please have a book about them? I’d happily read it tomorrow. In fact, if I’m being one hundred percent honest, I’d happily read anything written by Liz de Jager tomorrow.
Judged is published by Tor and is available now. Do yourself a favour, if you haven’t already discovered Kit Blackhart then I strongly urge you to do so. Devour book one, relish book two and then, like me, I’m sure you’ll love book three.
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