A dangerous fugitive on the loose. Threats against the world's rulers. And a bit of family drama, too.
Hallie Talbot is far from everything that is familiar to her, halfway across the world, traveling through buildings and landscapes she had only read about. If the locations are new, the job is not. She and Girard Abbott are charged with tracking down and bringing into custody a dangerous fugitive.
As if that job wasn't hard enough, they are working against a backdrop of intense scrutiny and pressure on their investigative team, not to mention growing threats against members of the world's ruling council, and whispers about an extensive plot to over-turn the established world order. Whoever wants to reshape the world doesn't care who they have to hurt - or kill - to get their way, and as bodies pile up, Hallie is the focus of a lot of unwanted attention.
Added to which, Hallie's family ties and personal connections - old and new - are trying to shape her life to their wishes.
Can Hallie, once a skip tracer from low city, find a way to navigate the new dangers around her and prevent disaster?
If you like your fantasy mixed with mystery and magic, and a heroine who can hold her own, you will love this latest from Vanessa Nelson.
A Fractured Conclave is the sixth and final book in the series which started with A Usual Suspect - reading in order is recommended as later books will contain spoilers for earlier books in the series.
Pre-order your copy of A Fractured Conclave now in order to complete Hallie's story when it is released, anticipated to be May 2026.
I am a fantasy author living in Scotland, United Kingdom and spending my days juggling the demands of an elderly, spoiled cat, two giant dogs and a host of fictional characters.
As far as the cat is concerned, she’s in charge and should always come first. The older dog’s favourite method of getting my attention is a gentle nudge with his head. At least, he would say it’s gentle. And the younger dog's attention-getting method generally involves playing with the loudest squeaky toy he can find.
I dragged my heels a little on starting this one because, while I didn't dislike the series, there were definitely things that didn't work for me.
However, this last book was pleasantly solid. Hallie and Girard felt like a team, she worked well with and was clearly respected by the rest of the investigation team (with one glaring exception, but that guy has been a dick from the beginning of the series), and she didn't feel TSTL (which has been a problem in the latter half of the series). I'm rounding it up, because the action that drove the book really kept me in it, and it was a good ride.
I also appreciate that it felt like the events of this book are leading to reform in hochlen society, which is so needed, because frankly they've felt like evil overlords for the entire run.
A decent book (and series) that could have been so much more. As a finale, it kinda wraps everything up, but all those super interesting threads that I absolutely ached for the author to mine were left brushed over and left hanging on the surface, darn it! SO many juice areas lost - such as Hallie’s relationship with Cotevatre and her powers, and how she will grow into them and her status in the Hochlan world. I wanted to see her rise and become a powerful force! I think one of the biggest let-downs for me, though, was we never actually get the big showdown between Hallie and her mother and we NEEDED that! She never did rise and stand-up to her. She just cowered every.single.time and had Cotevatre handled it for her. AND, she was okay with Cotevatre paying huge sums of money to make her mom go away! WHAT?!? Good grief girl! Stand up for yourself! Put your Mom in the place she deserves, do SOMETHING! You are a Hochlan now! You have power, you have influence, SHAEEEESH!
Hallie Talbot and Girard Abbott are on the hunt for Findo Trask, taking them abroad, but danger is never far behind, and the veondken is always a few steps ahead. They return to Daydawn injured and carrying unsettling discoveries that hint at a conspiracy far larger than they imagined.
Every one of Vanessa Nelson’s series has become my favorite while I was reading it, but The Fractured Conclave may genuinely be my favorite overall. Hallie’s world is vivid, kinetic, immersive, and yet just a little familiar. The dynamics of the family vines, class systems, prejudice, and ignorance create a constant tension beneath the unfolding story.
Hallie is incredibly easy to root for. Her pragmatism has never left much room for dreams of love or legacy, so she is genuinely mystified when the possibility of both—as well as freedom—begins to present itself. Girard is delightfully nice-guy normal. Despite being hochlen, with access to wealth, education, a loyal if somewhat snobby family, and stability, he remains humble and grounded. He does not take people or opportunities for granted.
There are enough hints throughout the story that the plot never feels as though it came out of nowhere, but still enough mystery that it kept me paying close attention. The pacing is engaging throughout. It felt like a quick but substantial read, and my favorite characters continued to grow alongside Hallie’s tentative ambitions for herself.
If I had to complain about anything, it’s that, after the first deal with Wilona failed to stick, I have little confidence in the second succeeding, and Morgana remains trapped. Part of me wanted the magravine to be forced to confront her own bitterness and paranoia. Still, the outcome feels more realistic as written, even if I wished for more.
The Fractured Conclave will appeal to fans of Ilona Andrews, Lindsay Buroker’s The Emperor’s Edge series, and complex fantasy systems set within technologically advanced worlds. It’s a fun, satisfying read that balances harsh realities with a hopeful ending.
Hallie’s story comes to its explosive conclusion in this sixth book of the Fractured Conclave series.
Hallie and Girard are trying to track down the dangerous fugitive Hallie had managed to capture for them before, but this time he’s proving to be elusive. That doesn’t mean much though, because Hallie’s success rate is high, and she doesn’t give up. It’s not long though, before the hunt leads them in a different direction, and they discover that their case might have connections to a much more dangerous group.
Picking up shortly after book five, this book leads us and Hallie from exotic locations, back to her home city of Daydawn, and the various things happening there. Between the machinations of her mother, and those of the criminals she is chasing, Hallie is kept busy, and our story move along at an incredibly fast pace. There is a lot of action, a hint of romance (behind closed doors), and some interesting revelations. It all comes to a pretty epic conclusion, and a happily for now for Hallie and a number of her friends.
I shall miss Hallie and her world, which has been an absorbing one, as much as I miss the other characters that Vanessa Nelson has created. Her worlds are absorbing, and the stories are all entertaining, making her an author I always watch for new releases from- and even as I say goodbye to Hallie and Girard, I am also looking forward to the next story! This is an excellent series for those who enjoy contemporary/urban fantasy (heavy on the fantasy, slow burn and light on the romance), as are the author’s other series, and I highly recommend reading it (just make sure to read in order!)
Wraps up lots of loose ends but doesn’t really have a satisfying conclusion.
By the time you get to book 6, it’s likely that you have a lot of good feelings for this series and I did coming into the book and there’s a lot to like: the world build, some interesting characters, some good action scenes, tying up loose ends and the author has a distinct writing style.
But this book just didn’t quite work for me. Initially I thought I’d missed a book as the setting had changed, but this was soon resolved and it was no biggie. My main issue with the book is that the ‘baddies’ just don’t make sense. The lead perpetrator just doesn’t have a strong rationale behind their actions and their reasons seem to have been shovelled in around the action scenes as opposed to the narrative driving the action scenes. Also, some of their actions make no sense, people who are killed or attacked for no reason, and why do they wait to attack the conclave in the conclave building when they have earlier opportunities?
So overall, it’s got some good scenes, side plots are resolved, but it just doesn’t hang together well as a book that makes sense in its own right.
Nelson's books are on my Must Read list and this series is no different. The FMC, Hallie, is a strong and independent person who remains a bit mystified at her place with the hochen community. This finale picks up quickly after the end of book 5 and focuses much more on Hallie and Girard's professional as well as personal relationships. A bit of travel expands the world we have previously been privy to but all eventually returns to DayDawn and the low/mid/upper cities. The tension and turmoil between her mother and the agreements made continue throughout the book. While it did feel Hallie "hid" a bit behind Cotovatre, it was clear she was the only one that Wilona would even listen to.
There's plenty of action in this one, some with very sad outcomes. Touches of magic throughout also. It was quite unsatisfying to see how blatantly Hallie and her consistent saving of the lives around her was summarily dismissed. Most threads are completed in the end but it still feels like the story continues. There are a few typos within the text but there is little impact on the storyline. I look forward to the next book/series by Nelson.
A very satisfying ending to a great series. I love me some good characters, and I feel like this series delivered. We get to see a bit more of the world with Hallie in this book, too, which was fun. I appreciated that Hallie finally seemed to be developing more of a relationship with Cotovatre. It really bothered me (in previous books) that Hallie was declared her heir and then ... ummm, nothing. We'll just move the story to something and somewhere else, nothing to see? Hallie just goes back to what she was doing. That wasn't working for me, so I'm glad we go back to building that relationship. As for Girard, he felt a little flat to me, but my expectations were pretty high. He seemed more like a foil than a partner sometimes. Not much of Rosalia, but more of Frollo, so I'll take it. :D Maybe I've been a little sensitive lately, but it did feel like there was a lot of violence. It makes the plot work, so it's not gratuitous, but it's also not minor. And two thumbs way way up for a book that doesn't swear. Yay!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Wow, what a great series. Hailey was the perfect protagonist - strong yet kind. I hate snark. It just means that the character likes to say mean things to hurt other people. That is not entertaining to me. Girard, Emmet, Coutavature were all likeable, smart, strong characters, too.
And I really liked that there was obviously no AI used to write the book. More than half of the books that Amazon recommends are written by computers, not humans. I really appreciate an author who writes her own books and does it so incredibly well.
Hallie has come to the end of her story - although I'd still like to know what happens next in this world there are so many possibilities. All the loose ends are more or less satisfactorily tied up and the best people survived, but really I'd love to know what happens with the Talbot vine and who and how the next margravine takes over and how the political fallout affects the low city. There's at least another three books in there alone!
This is the end of this series. I like this author however the first half of this book is slow and involves a lot of overly detailed descriptions that feel like filler and become tedious. The second half moves quickly with a lot happening as you rush quickly to the end which seems abrupt. It’s still a good read but it doesn’t seem like she gets any recognition for all that she does even if it almost kills her. It leaves you feeling a bit dissatisfied.
This book ends the Fractured Conclave series with a banger. Lots of action, great pacing, and all storylines finished in a very satisfying read. I couldn't put it down, super engaging without being overly stressful. I highly recommend this book and this author. I still love her series 'The Hundred' best and if you haven't read it, suggest you check it out.
This series is truly outstanding! The storyline is excellent, with all the elements needed to keep you reading and constantly involved. I thoroughly enjoyed living in Hallie's world and highly recommend you spend time there, as well. Vanessa Nelson is an extremely talented author.
I have enjoyed this series - I like all of Vanessa’s books. I felt there were still a lot of unresolved questions. I wanted to know more about Haille’s magic , how she fits in the 2 worlds , her mother! I think the relationships are very real the characters interesting and show development. Thank you - I have saved the series until they were all available and the gobbled them up!
Vanessa Nelson never fails to enchant and entertain this series is no different
I enjoy a strong heroine who surprises and defeats all her enemies, the slow romance and partnership with the lead man is heart warming. Hollie gains great friends and expands her world view. I can imagine a wonderful future for her.
A generous three stars for the series, although there was a 4 star book or two in it.
Unfortunately this just felt a bit unfinished, this world is still separated by class, the resolution with the mother had no comeuppance, and it still just seems a not nice place to live.
Also she sure wasn't afraid to kill people off in this one! I wish that one guy had comeuppance before death too...
I'm sorry to see this series end. I love Haley and Girard and all of their adventures. There were some typos in this edition, but they didn't detract too much from the story. Can't wait for Ms. Nelson's next series!
Yes, I actually have stayed up all night to finish this book !! It is a really good series that I highly recommend. I especially enjoyed the well drawn, realist characters.
I really enjoyed this book, it was an excellent conclusion to the series. Great character development, a great storyline. I’m going to see what else I can read by Vanessa Nelson.
Surprising story to round out fractured conclave series. I've purchased them all! Full of magic and hope as well as touching moments. Keeps you entertained all the way to the end!! Wonderful creativity and imagination! Now I want more:)
Great ending to a really good series. I have enjoyed the mystery and action within an urban fantasy world. This series has good world building and characters. I highly recommend.
Excellent thriller/mystery with nonstop action and edge-of-the-seat events that keep the reader enthralled. I was briefly worried that the author would leave some important threads untied, but Nelson comes through with a perfect ending to this series.
What a rollercoaster this book was. Action all around. And in the middle of it Hallie and the zauber. I am sad that this series has come to an end. Loved to hear more about Hallie and Girard. They make an excellent team together.
I have yet to be disappointed by these series. This finale of Hallie’s story answered all the questions and brought the story to a most satisfying conclusion.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys immersing themselves in a new world. This author creates such fabulous worlds that speak to the hearts of people. It will draw you in and you don't be able to put it down until it's finished.
I loved the weaving of so many facets of life in this series. While set in a different place, it highlighted real issues. AND great characters! They come alive on the page. Enjoyable and satisfying.
Excellent fast paced conclusion to an imaginative series.. Great world building and wonderful characters. Not just the primary characters, but a host of believable actor that added to the rich Tapestry of the tale.
Great series sad not to get to read more about the characters and this interesting world. Charcters are amazing . in this series. Maybe there be more stories set in this unqie world with other characters.