Tasmakat

Tuyo #7

by Rachel Neumeier

It's a long way from the northern mountains back to the summer lands—and all the challenges Aras left behind are waiting. Worse, no matter how Aras handles those problems, the summer king's judgment of his actions is certain to be harsh.

Released from every vow he ever swore to Aras, Ryo could remain among his own people. But he can't abandon Aras to confront his king alone—especially as the struggle they endured in the land of the shades still haunts them both.

But, as they journey south, Ryo realizes that Aras may be losing control of his sorcery. Even if Ryo can persuade the summer king to judge Aras kindly, that may only be the beginning of the challenges they face. If Aras' strength of will fails, even Ugaro stubbornness may not be enough to prevent disaster…

Genres: Fantasy, Adventure, Fiction

954 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 15, 2023

About the author

Rachel Neumeier started writing fiction to relax when she was a graduate student and needed a hobby unrelated to her research. Prior to selling her first fantasy novel, she had published only a few articles in venues such as The American Journal of Botany. However, finding that her interests did not lie in research, Rachel left academia and began to let her hobbies take over her life instead.

She now raises and shows dogs, gardens, cooks, and occasionally finds time to read. She works part-time for a tutoring program, though she tutors far more students in Math and Chemistry than in English Composition.

Reviews

[Linda ~ they got the mustard out! ~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This was a strong conclusion to the Tuyo trilogy. A bit overlong at times, and then rushed at other times, and the whole first part should have been a third of the length it was. The third act especially was a strange mix of time jumps followed by lingering about. I did wonder at one point if Part Three was going to even do anything. Surely, they weren't just going to go to the Land of Two Suns just for Aras to sit around the desert and learn to handle his sorcery better, because I really couldn't see this author pulling some George R.R. Martin twist at the last minute. And then that twist happens, and it looked like she really was going to get dark and depressing there for a second, which would have been unexpected but certainly earned. And then she was like, "Sike!," and brought back the happy ending I expected all along. And I can't say I'm sorry about this ending, but at the same time, the darker ending could have had much more of a profound impact. It was like the first time watching Wonder Woman and she kills who she thinks is Ares, believing that'll stop humanity from sucking. But then the war continues and she realizes that humans had corruption in them all along, and we were finally going to get a superhero movie without the cliché fourth act epic battle. And then, nope, she was wrong, that wasn't Ares, and then we get the cliché fourth act epic battle, she kills the real Ares, humans still suck, and her boyfriend dies to boot, but somehow that's a happier, more positive ending. And you're just sitting there mourning for the better ending that could've been. Except Neumeier manages to not fumble the ball quite that badly. It is still overly optimistic? Hell, yes. But that's the flavor of this series as a whole and she stuck to it and made it good despite the odds.

I'm still not sure what to think of Darra, Ryo and Elaro and that whole situation. I guess I'm glad they found a way to make it work, but honestly girl, you made this so complicated for yourself, lol. Was all that really just so Ryo could be surprised by premature twins? Seriously? That was unnecessary and pretty cheesy. There was massive eye rolling happening during that. I can't say I care about Ryo's relationship woes all that much, and honestly Part 1 where they're figuring out how to make that whole dynamic work could have been cut out entirely if she'd just decided to marry Elaro only like a sensible woman, which would have left more room for Part 3 to breathe. Still, there were enough other things in Part 1 to hold my attention, chiefly, the ever evolving issue of Aras's sorcery curse growing stronger since his actions in the land of shades in the previous book. Ryo's and Aras's friendship has always been the heart and soul of this series (the main trilogy, anyway) and I think this would've been a lot stronger if it had just focused on that instead.

Part 2 was when things really started to move towards the end and tensions started to build up. The red flags, y'all. I'm surprised by how much I ended up liking Kerren. I was confused though why Ryo didn't realize that Keruanani's baby was Kerren's. He never made that connection, when he had to have been in the room when Aras gave Esau that order to find Keruanani and marry her before the pregnancy could be too far along to spare the baby having to be put to death. I'm baffled how the author could have forgotten that. Unless I'm remembering it wrong, but I don't think I am.

This is a good place to leave Ryo though, and I'm glad she's still planning future stories set in this world.

[Hannah-backwards-spells-Hannah. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful conclusion to the Tuyo series: gripping, interesting (I love some of the new world-building), and in parts very moving. (I got a bit weepy in the beginning.) And the tension!! The suspense! A very satisfying conclusion to the series; and definitely a conclusion, with a resolution of the major arc, which feels right, although I am really looking forward to the other arcs and further stories promised in this world.

I have some serious thoughts about the ending, so treat the rest of this review with caution: major spoilers ahead. Read the book first, then come back! But if you want the spoiler free-summary, what follows is an extended comparison of the ending of this book to the ending of The Return of the King (JRR Tolkien) in which I conclude that this book does not accomplish the “back again” portion of the journey so well as Tolkien.

That I had to pick such a good book as the comparison to this one probably tells you all you need to know: I think this series is truly amazing, and a wonderful example of the kinds of things fantasy books can do that other genres struggle to accomplish. I would recommend the whole series to anyone who likes fantasy.



Now for the spoilers.

I spent most of the book wondering how Rachel Neumeier could possibly get a happy ending out of the plot, and worried that she wouldn’t: that it would end tragically. So I was on complete tenterhooks! I saw a couple of the plot twists coming: realised about Aras’s sorcerer granddaughter from the moment she was introduced, which I think I was meant to. (There’s a lot of dramatic irony in that scene.) I figured toward the end that Ryo would have to kill Aras though I really didn’t want him to. (He did). I did not figure the means by which Aras would be redeemed (godly intervention) but I did hope that something like it would happen. This is not a complaint about predictability; it’s praise for the seeming inevitability of the conclusion. It couldn’t have satisfyingly gone any other way.

In retrospect, the whole book and series now occupy a kind of “descent into hell” sort of arc in my mind, ala Star Wars, Tolkien, and my favourite mystical dream-vision book, CS Lewis’s Till We Have Faces. (The whole trip down into The Silence as a kind of miniature of the novel’s plot as a whole was really neat, and a great motif.) This is absolutely perfect, and the physical movement of the book, across the winter country, into the summer country, then down down down into the desert and over the hot sands was the perfect analogue to Aras’s spiritual and mental descent into madness. Everything up until the very moment that Ryo has to kill Aras was absolutely perfect.

After this was trickier. It was all still excellent, but I couldn’t help feeling that the aftermath portion of the book was too short. In Tarashana (Book 2) Aras’s transgression and the adventure in the land of the shades happen quite early on, comparatively, and there is quite a lot of plot afterward to bring us back into the ordinary world and help us believe in Aras’s repentance, and in his reintegration back into non-sorcerer society. Those scenes are some of my favourite parts of Book 2 and I loved that Neumeier felt confident there to end her action plot on an extended examination of the aftermath of the big magical battle: it’s a brave choice, given how climaxes usually work, especially in fantasy, in escalating “big bads” and I thought it was brilliant. This story, unlike that one, is very much about the enemy within. The actual enemies only pose a credible threat in that they force Aras to continue his descent to death, rather than recover from it. But there is still a problem of recovery.
Aras’s death happens very near the end, and there isn’t a great deal of time afterward in which we see him on page in stressful situations, showing us (the reader) that (and how) his new god-given second chance is going to work. I wanted a) much more time in the land of the shades, possibly in which Ryo makes a more conscious choice about dragging Aras back up with him b) much more travel time afterward.

Re b). I wished that the return up to the winter country part of the book had been slower, because this would give us more time to absorb the ending and to feel and experience Aras’s rescue from the curse. I also very much wished that Ryo had had the emotional knock of going back to twin babies in uncertain health, instead of very healthy ones. This whole section really needed, to my mind, a more drawn-out amount of ordinary world tension, with a chance for us to see how Ryo’s relationships are better now and will be able to withstand him going off on adventures with Aras, and also to see how Aras is better now, and how it is that his king has come to trust him again. (We get shown all this stuff at once, in one scene, instead of slowly with time to absorb.)

All this may seem churlish of me. Tasmakat is already a very long book, and I know that many complain about books with long endings, ala the many many endings of The Return of the King film. But the ending of the Return of the King book (with its higher stakes and clear message re the impacts of war) has always struck me as a great model for dealing with the “back again” portion of a “there and back again” journey. This might well be a personal idiosyncrasy, but I’ll say that I much preferred the ending of Book 2 of this series, as an example of dealing with this kind of descent into death arc than the ending of this book, precisely because it was so long, and so many less important things happened; things which showed us the impact of the big things.

So much for my incredibly picky comparisons to Tolkien. It seems unfair that this is my standard, except that this book is so very good indeed. I am so hooked on this world, and want to see so much more of it.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tasmakat brings the original "Tuyo" series full circle. Ryo and his 'buddy' sorcerer have conquered the worst foe of the sorcery world in a land (of sand) ruled by lions with human heads and traits. Said rulers are surrounded by lessor sorcerers, but do not tell said 'lessors' that. Thus we have in Neumeier's world, the lands of sand, summer, winter, star-light and shade. As the land of shade is the land of the deceased, I myself may enter that land before Rachel Neumeier ever finishes authoring additional books of "Tuyo." The lady author has a good thing going.

Imaginative writing. Honor is key in Tuyo. Better than written laws.

I'll go next to yet another spin off from Tuyo since it is already published. And another after that also published. In for a penny, in for a pound.

[Julie Davis]

Did not finish due to polygamy themes. This isn't a spoiler as it was brought up slightly at the end of Tarashana, but it was delved into a great deal more here in a way that didn't feel true to the character's knowledge and feelings. Anyway ... just in case this is helpful to any potential readers, I wanted to have it here.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just, so incredible

At no point in this book could i have possibly predicted anything that happened, and yet it all happened perfectly in what felt exactly the right way.

I’m honestly amazed at how every one of these books i think can’t possibly be as good as the last one, and then it blows my mind.

An absolute work of art, and at its core and incredibly healing story about love and friendship.

[Kat Sanford · Rating 5 out of 5]

As of this review, Tasmakat is the last Tuyo book, although Rachel Neumeier plans to release more. It is also the last part of the initial story arc from Ryo’s perspective, which also included the original Tuyo and Tarashana. As such, it’s something of a natural endpoint for the series, at least for now.

I will be forever grateful to the mystery person who suggested Tuyo for my book club. We ended up not putting on the list, but I still made note and eventually read it out of curiosity. These books are not perfect, nor are they for everyone. They’re quite slow-paced, they will not appeal to certain types of readers, and Tasmakat in particular is LONG. (Side rant that is solely about ebook technology, not this book at all: ebooks really need to get better about showing an accurate page count. Tasmakat showed up on my Kindle as 543 pages, but even reading at a normal page size it was at least 850. I need to be able to pace myself when I read! A goal of 100 pages a day only works if I have something accurate to count against! Rant over.)

But I am so, so glad I read these, and will continue to read them as more are published. Fantasy is a genre filled with idea-borrowing and lookalike stories, but the Tuyo series is genuinely unlike anything I have read before. It’s not entirely unique (nothing in fantasy is or can be at this point) but it is so, SO refreshing to read something different, something with a world that isn’t just “real-world culture but with magic” or characters that aren’t just “will-they-or-won’t-they-but-we-all-know-they-will.”

Tasmakat continues and concludes Ryo and Aras’s story after the events of Tarashana. The story is split into three parts, and honestly, with the length of the book it almost feels like three books in one. Each part has a distinct focus, both in terms of the area of the world they are traveling in and the specific plot conflict to be resolved. Part 1: Will Ryo be able to work it out with Darra and Elaro after Darra has declared her desire to marry them both? Part 2: What will the summer king decide with respect to Aras, now that some of the earliest signs of sorcerous madness have started to come upon him? Part 3: Will the Lakasha be able to break the tie between Ryo and Aras—no, just kidding, COMPLETELY waylaid by another plot at the last second! I joke, but honestly I was glad about the part 3 twist. It’s what drove the story to its final and extremely satisfying conclusion.

I will personally always prefer time spent in the winter country, but it was fascinating to get such a close look at the country of sand, with its two nonhuman peoples (the Lakasha and the Ro) and its complicated social structures. I would love to learn much more about how that part of the world works. It was also great to see so much more of the summer country, especially the capital, Avaras. Aras’s daughter Selili and granddaughter Tathimi were a delight, and the Peacock Desert a beautiful and fascinating place.

Ryo and Aras and their relationship is again the driving force of the story—again, SO REFRESHING to read something where the focus is friendship rather than romance! Even when they’re at odds, these two have come through so much together that they will always respect and listen to each other. The ultimate climax of the book was heartbreaking but completely earned—and then the resolution of that climax utterly beautiful. Even if we never get another book from Ryo’s perspective, I have no doubt that he will continue to be a major force for good in this world. He had an excellent teacher, after all.

[Genevieve Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 1 Aras: I do hope this sorcerer isn't going to be too difficult to deal with. They often are, you know.

Book 3 Aras: Another evil sorcerer, you say? I can't WAIT to CRUSH him under my heel and make him WISH HE'D NEVER BEEN BORN. I'm going to DRAG HIS WORLD DOWN AROUND HIS EARS. *ahem* ...For the greater good, of course.

Okay. With the greatest and most respectful restraint, I have to say that I am JUMPING UP AND DOWN AND SCREAMING. This book was an extremely long, epic journey to hell and back. I had chores to do today, and I did exactly none of them because I could not countenance putting this book down for that long.

This is definitely a long travelogue book. They are traveling the ENTIRE time, without exaggeration. There are three distinct phases: 1) Journey to the Summer Country, 2) Journey to the Summer King's Reckoning, and 3) Journey to the Land of the Jackal-Headed People and People-Headed Lions.

We pick up immediately after the end of book two, with Ryo, Aras, and the whole crew traveling back to the Summer Country after their extremely long and arduous sojourn. So many questions remain. Can Ryo come to grips with the weird polygamy situation he's entered into? Is Aras' newfound difficulty controlling himself getting worse? Of course, there are many small and large dangers and adventures they face before they even get within sight of the river. I was riveted the whole time, naturally. I'm not going to lie - I don't enjoy the weird polygamy situation, and it took up a lot of emotional and narrative space in this part of the book.

Once they make it to the Summer Country, though, things really started kicking off. Some highlights:

• I was RABID to know how it Aras' justice against the attempted assassination from last book was going to go. Frankly, I did NOT expect how it went? Gratifying. Deeply concerning. Both at the same time.

• Kerren was a good character. He got better and better as the story went on.

• WE GOT TO MEET ARAS' FAMILY!!!!!!!!!!!! I would have liked, frankly, to spend a LOT more time with them than we did, but what we got was quite enjoyable. I clocked his granddaughter the MINUTE she said, "Don't be sad!" What a terrifying, heart-wrenching set of circumstances. This subplot had me on tenterhooks the entire time.

• This is redundant because by now we all know the entire series is about this but. THE LOYALTY DYNAMICS. They remain ABSOLUTELY UNMATCHED. Everyone has some sort of complex tangle of deep honor and loyalty they're striving to satisfy, and it's incredible. I was FEASTING.

• Lots more worldbuilding was added. It's interesting we hadn't heard anything about day-astrology in the previous books, but it became so significant here. It was also interesting to hear what the Jackal People had to say about the origin of sorcery.

• There is absolutely a high-pitched violin note of sustained tension rising in the background the whole time, when it comes to Aras' slowly yet inexorably progressing descent into megalomania. Each time he wanted to do something, or did something, and Ryo pulled him up on it and in all wide-eyed sincerity he argued, "I really don't think this will cause harm, Ryo." Well. I was biting my nails. By the time they dealt with the Peacock Desert issue, WELL. The writing was pretty clearly on the wall. I was horrified and scared but I also loved it. Even the gradually-progressing changes of his speech patterns that Ryo made note of... THE TENSION.

• I WAS SO. INVESTED. in the Summer King's reckoning. And it delivered. I loved seeing their family dynamic there, as well, with the king and the prince and Aras and Commander Samaura all being relatives and caring about one another, but also bound so strictly to their greater responsibilities.

• Aras voluntarily taking the sleeping potion over and over throughout his life, never knowing if this is the one time he's not going to wake up from it... Upsetting.

• I still have less than no idea what the People-Headed Lions actually look like, and I'm not sure I want to. A weirdly small human head affixed to a massive lion body with zero neck? A weirdly huge human head with a freakishly large neck? They still have manes, so is the human head just like, planted in the center of the mane like the middle part of a sunflower? Creepy. I just started imagining them as complete, sentient lions after a while because it was less distracting.

• Also, is it just me or are the People-Headed Lions kind of OP? Like, they CREATED the Jackal People? They had the power to grant sorcery in the first place? They can teleport, terraform and so on and so forth? Each people does have their own special abilities, but this seems to just make the People-Headed Lions basically demigods.

• Aras whenever he gets to be a part of a happy surprise: >:D

• The climax... I would say "the ending" but in classic Tuyo Series fashion, it's not the ending since there's a decently long "and back again" portion. THE CLIMAX... When Ryo stabbed Aras I was so sad. When it turned out to have been a sorcerous false memory, I was SHOOK. WHEN HE HAD TO DO IT THREE TIMES... WHEN ARAS FINALLY LET HIM DO IT FOR REAL... 😭

• The extent to which literal divine intervention happens in these books is very interesting. I'm not mad about it, though. It never does seem to make anything feel cheapened.

• THE ENDING... I honestly can't be too upset about the People-Headed Lions teleportation, because I didn't want to have to painstakingly travel by horse all the way back. And the ending was so sweet. I loved all the reunions. I'm not sure how I felt about the realistic nature of the monarchs' council's final ruling on Aras, but I'm sure it was what the Summer King would have WANTED to do, so you know what? Maybe so.

• Ryo: "With us." Aras: "...With us." 🥺 I hollered. I hollered for so long. Some say I am still out there hollering, to this very day.

Anyway. I love this series with my entire whole heart. I love this book. I love Aras and Ryo and the worldbuilding and the intricate dilemmas of morality and honor and the trust and loyalty everyone has for everyone else and Aras' descent into evil and his redemption and EVERYTHING else. This whole thing was a ride, and I adored every bit of it.

[Cori Samuel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Satisfying close to the main "Ryo & Aras" arc (books 1, 3, 7 - Tuyo, Tarashana, Takasmat). Yes, this book was an epic road-trip, but I am more than happy to travel along with these two, exploring interpersonal relationships and cultural differences, so it worked for me.

If you're looking for a detailed world-build without heavy info-dumping, and flawed characters who are able to grow as you read, I'd definitely recommend this series!


In my view, it's not essential to read the side books, or you could come back to them later -- there are some plot references in the 'main' books, but you won't feel like you "missed something big" if you skip Nikoles (prequel), Keraunani, Suelen, and Tano. Though, book 6 looks like being the start of a new arc with Tano as the MC, and I enjoyed that story too, so.

Brilliant series, looking forward to more!

[Camille Penyak · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore this series and I’d die for Ryo inGara.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW.

The first third or so got a little slow at times to be honest, especially the bits with Darra and Elaro. I wasn't particularly interested in them at the end of Tarashana (in fact, I barely remember Elaro) so I wasn't rooting for them and was pretty glad to see the back of them. I'm not totally convinced their plot line was relevant or useful.

But after that first third it picked up fast. The next third was BEAUTIFUL. As usual, Tasmakat has the most gorgeous writing style and the locations we visited in this book were incredible. Ryo continues to be an all-time favourite character, his brutal honesty and straightforward dialogue is great to read and at times pretty funny. His interactions with other characters are still the highlight, and the focus on this book was very much the stabilising influence he has on Aras.

Aras is also a great character, and we got a lot of character development that had been foreshadowed in previous books. It's definitely a very character driven book, and if you already enjoy the series for these two then there's no doubt you'll enjoy this one too (just don't be intimidated by the size of this novel, it's absolutely worth it for the last third).

Also love the designs of the different people/races and the culture/mythology that is extended a lot more. It had been mentioned previously but this is the first time we get to see it first hand and I'm loving it. The more books released from this series, the more I feel the immense amount of care that was put into building this world and connecting each story line.

Absolutely the best series I've ever read, and I'm so happy to see more books being planned for!! Although I will miss reading from Ryo's pov. 5* because despite feeling a little underwhelmed at the beginning, it'd be a crime to rate the rest of the book any lower.

Previous review, made at page 266:

The arrival in Sigaranra is divine!! It's been so long since I last read a book that fits this scene, a grand return of an army after a battle. I absolutely adore it. I had been tiring fast of Ryo's plotline with Darra and Elaro (Kerren's story is excellent though which made up for it) so I'm happy to be moving on.

[Adi Greif · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Mostly, it’s a great bromance. there’s a lot of mirroring of both characters and situations making similar choices in thoughtful ways. The ending is great emotionally even if the twist was really predictable.

Mild Spoilers-
The book feels disjointed. There’s a long section on relationships in the beginning unrelated to what comes next. Then there’s a fight scene and we never learn who is the bad guy who orchestrated it. Then there’s another large fight, only for us to hear rumors of another problem that doesn’t get resolved.

In all the books, the deux ex machina is some intervention from the gods. It’s very moving but also l becomes predictable after a while. Actually, the whole storyline is repetitive. Not necessarily bad, I like their adventures. But I had hoped for a little more magic system building, or some greater understanding of the system that links north to south. Something the characters can use and figure out without the divine intervention, a la Spirit Ring by Lois McMaster Bujold.

The language is often repetitive too - the linguistic quirks of the Ugaro “I can think of three different ways this is a problem” can become a little tiring. More than that, sometimes other characters spoke that way. It starts to feel like it’s the only voice the author can write with. I don’t think that’s true, but, she’s not careful to keep character voices distinct.

This is a minor issue but at the end I found the use of the word “thriving” for babies doing well very modern. That’s hospital language in the U.S. Also, the idea that sleeping in a tent at the end is so lovely and relaxing was hard to swallow - with a mom who is so tired she can’t even stay awake for her husband’s dramatic story, and where newborns will wake up every two hours to eat! They do not mention helping. I do like that difficulties with newborns is part of the story.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book, number seven in the Tuyo series, caused me to become very upset multiple times. For at least three reasons, as Ryo tends to say. Since I don't want to ruin anything for anyone, I won't say what was so upsetting. This is a very large book. It weighs in at close to a thousand pages.

The story takes place from the mountains and steppes of the Winter lands down to the extreme desert homeland of Tasmakat. If at first the plot seems to meander, my advice is to stick with it; everything's going to make sense in the end.

There were a few negatives. Ryo's marriage, for one. It just didn't seem to mesh with his character's personality and moral stance. Another thing I wasn't crazy about had to do with these two new lands. Or more specifically, the characters' names from these kingdoms. They were both difficult to pronounce and to differentiate. I finally stopped trying to figure out the suffix meanings and just went with the flow. Once the story was back in the Summer and Winter lands I was happier. I have truly loved the interactions between the Lau and Ugaro peoples, and I really missed that aspect.

The ending- while complete- seems to allow some wiggle room for more stories in the series. I really hope so. Ryo, Aras, Lalani, Geras, Suyet, Esau and the rest have been such likeable characters!

[Sky · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very long book, basically three and a half novels in one. I loved the first three novels, I didn't love but still enjoyed the last half novel.

It's pretty clear early on what the structure of this book will be (especially if you note the section title in the table of contents, or take a glance at the cover). Ryo will accompany Aras through the winter lands to the border, then through the summer lands to the capital to receive his king's judgment, then to the lands of fire to deal with a problem there. Even moreso than the previous books, though told from Ryo's perspective, the main character and protagonist is Aras, and the main plot thread is Aras's struggle with his curse. Of course, within that broad outline there are tons of surprises, side plots, minor character arcs, this book is packed full of stuff, all of it really good.

I will say that I didn't love the ending. I think this book could've ended at Chapter 42 and maybe a bit more, and I would've liked it better. Instead, it goes on for another 150 pages. I don't think that last bit is bad, clearly the author had different ideas about how her story should go than I did, and probably most people will prefer it this way.

[grosbeak · Rating 3 out of 5]

A moderately satisfying end to the series. But boy oh boy was the pacing bad! We don’t even meet Tasmakat and barely even hear about her or her people until 3/4 of the way through, at which point the pace becomes frenetic.

I do appreciate that RM took the pitfall that so many fantasy writers fall into, where they give their protagonist magic powers, and then the series goes on and the character has to do more and more dramatic things with those powers, and pretty soon they are blithely crossing moral event horizons but it’s fine because it’s for good reasons (Lois McMaster Bujold’s Penric books, I’m looking at you) and made that explicitly the central conflict: Aras descends into corruption slowly, but steadily, and it’s quite affecting. The exploration of power and coercion and the abnegation of one’s will (magical and non-magical) continues to be interesting. The romantic relationships? Extremely not interesting.

[M.H. Thaung]

This latest book in the Tuyo series leads on naturally from the previous ones.We start off with Ryo wrestling over how he’ll cope with married life (it’s more complicated than that, of course) while Aras has increasing problems of his own. The supporting cast includes many of the characters we’ve met before, and it’s nice to see how they’re getting on.

The focus is on personal/internal challenges: the opposition/villains aren’t developed as characters and mainly serve to showcase how Ryo and Aras deal with them and each other.

As before, there’s a very slice-of-life feel. I do enjoy these books for the leisurely pace and meditative musings, though I could have done without as much repeated internal and external spelling out of thoughts, opinions and so on (accepting that’s how Ryo speaks).

Overall, a gentle-paced fantasy with a focus on interpersonal relationships.

[Nicole Luiken · Rating 4 out of 5]

With the earlier books I'd either not noticed or forgotten how freaking cool the world-building is: the starlit lands, the winter lands (moon), the summer lands (sun), and the desert Land of the Two Suns (the great sun and the younger sun) in which the moon doesn't shine.

The essential (not romantic) relationship of the three Ryo POV books is between Ryo and Aras, between the tension of someone raised to believe sorcery was evil and a sorcerer and issues of trust. I really liked the pendulum swing here as Aras comes to depend on Ryo.

Quibble: this is a loooong book, which could IMO have been shorter. In part this is simply the very formal politeness of the Ugaro culture, which takes pages for a simple greeting.

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

https://wordnerdy.blogspot.com/2023/0...

This is the conclusion to the main trilogy in the Tuyo series (though there are other books set in the world and more are forthcoming), and it was a very satisfying conclusion indeed. I enjoy the length and depth of these books for really getting caught up in a whole new world, and this one goes to some interesting new worlds for sure. This may be the first time I was actually excited to read a book that is a basically a long-ass journey! Neumeier is so good with pacing and character moments. I am gonna have to reread this whole series soon to really take it all in. A.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

So this is basically my definition of what epic fantasy ought to be - the characters are front and center, the worldbuilding is both extremely detailed and does not make scientific or logical sense, the real world mythological roots are not too intrusive into the story, and I don’t have to deal with too many people’s point of view.
Oh and also there’s a real ethical dilemma at the heart of the story that is not about people being terrible, but about trying to do good against impossible odds. I really needed it.

[Adena Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

The saga of Ryo and Aras continues. The interaction between these two men from very different cultures and backgrounds is fascinating to the anthropologically minded, as is each man's dealings with the people of the other. Throw them both into a culture which even more different than their own, along with an unexpected quest, and we have two men struggling mightily to be true to themselves and suffering the price of their struggles. To misquote someone else's blurb, 'whom the gods would recruit, they first test to destruction ...'.

[Stephanie C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my goodness. This book was slow, and there were even aspects that I didn't like, but what an brilliant story. What brilliant writing. What brilliant characters. I finished reading this and went straight back to reading book #1 again, the same evening, because I didn't want to leave this world yet. And then I went on and read Suelen again. And then because I was still in a Rachel Neumeier mood went and read The Floating Islands again.

[Trenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am sososo happy with the ending. I've read so many books (and fic) that end abruptly I hadn't imagined we'd get a real conclusion where all the main plot points were tied up in a tidy bow.

I plan on going back and rereading from the beginning of the series since I'm more comfortable reading first person novels.

[Dannica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series continues to play with delicate politics, inter-personal dynamics, and how power relates to both. Still in love with Ryo and Aras, and enjoyed seeing a bit more of Elaro and Darra, as well as a whole new country in this world. Sad that this is the last book in the series from Ryo's POV (my baby!) but I guess I will have to read some of the side books now and comfort myself with that.

[Celia · Rating 4 out of 5]

The final book in this series from Ryo's perspective - probably a good thing as I was wearying a little of his narrative voice. The struggle that Aras has been having in controlling his sorcerous madness comes to a head in this book - can Ryo save him from himself? (You know the answer to this question).

[Ron Richards · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful

This series is creative, innovative and I have read every word with total attention. I hope it goes on, and we are able to take part in the future adventures of this strong partnership.
Highly recommended.

[Annie Lima · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! It's long, but it could have been another five hundred pages as far as I'm concerned. So many interesting and well-described settings and characters. If you've read the first two books in the series, you definitely won't want to miss this one!!

[Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful, wonderful series

The Black Dog series was very good, but this is superb. Characterization and world building outstanding. One caveat: I wasn’t a fan of Book 4 where the main character seemed (to my mind) slightly sleazy rather than charming- but perhaps that’s just me.

[Meredith · Rating 5 out of 5]

So satisfying

Like a deep hearty meal. I’m happily satiated with this book. Details, plot, pacing, tension were all on point. Well done!

[Jed · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read the series up to this point and loved it.

[K Hancock · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25*
i've really enjoyed this series so far. i am telling everyone i know who likes fantasy to read this series! i'm going to find some of her other work as well.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I encourage anyone to read this series. Great characters and many things I was not expecting (through the whole series) keeps the interest. It flows well and just fast/slow enough.