What do you think?
Rate this book
Princes' Game #6
From Ruins
A spy dying on the wall of a palace.
An Emperor turned rebel through the power of a psalm.
A shapechanger on the cusp of an enormous discovery.
A woman riding to battle in the vanguard of her enemies.
The known worlds are about to convulse in a cataclysmic war; time is running out. Can the Eldritch, the Chatcaava, and their Pelted allies turn the tide? Or will it all go up in fire?
Is there hope in ashes?
The sixth and final installment of the Princes' Game series brings together all the threads from five epic novels to a stunning conclusion that will change the shape of the Peltedverse forever.
An Emperor turned rebel through the power of a psalm.
A shapechanger on the cusp of an enormous discovery.
A woman riding to battle in the vanguard of her enemies.
The known worlds are about to convulse in a cataclysmic war; time is running out. Can the Eldritch, the Chatcaava, and their Pelted allies turn the tide? Or will it all go up in fire?
Is there hope in ashes?
The sixth and final installment of the Princes' Game series brings together all the threads from five epic novels to a stunning conclusion that will change the shape of the Peltedverse forever.
486 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 1, 2017
24 people are currently reading
33 people want to read
About the author
M.C.A. Hogarth
145 books390 followersDaughter of two Cuban political exiles, M.C.A. Hogarth was born a foreigner in the American melting pot and has had a fascination for the gaps in cultures and the bridges that span them ever since. She has been many things—-web database architect, product manager, technical writer and massage therapist—-but is currently a full-time parent, artist, writer and anthropologist to aliens, both human and otherwise.
Her fiction has variously been recommended for a Nebula, a finalist for the Spectrum, placed on the secondary Tiptree reading list and chosen for two best-of anthologies; her art has appeared in RPGs, magazines and on book covers.
Her fiction has variously been recommended for a Nebula, a finalist for the Spectrum, placed on the secondary Tiptree reading list and chosen for two best-of anthologies; her art has appeared in RPGs, magazines and on book covers.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
April 26, 2019
A nice end to the series, wrapping up the main characters' stories. I still wish we'd had another female Chatcaavan POV, especially a wingless female Chatcaavan given how the story ended for the Queen Ransomed, and honestly Sediryl and Jahir's romance feels somewhat forced- I really needed more time with them together on screen in the present than logistics allowed for me to buy into the feelings from a very, very long ago childhood being strong enough for a marriage proposal, and I'm also slightly disappointed at how (this is sort of a spoiler, but for something that is a foregone conclusion at this point so not really) Jahir and Vasiht'h ended up setting aside their practice as therapists in favor of Eldritch politics. It was a rare and interesting feature of this setting in the genre to have therapist protagonists, and I'm sad to see that turn into a stepping stone for a more typical war and intrigue narrative.
Overall, even though I enjoyed the latter half of this series, I find it a hard one to recommend, especially to fans of the Dreamhealers quartet. The first two books really are that rough, and while the later books elaborate on a lot of things like Chatcaavan society, I often felt like these were layers papering over problems in the earlier books rather than layers of complexity being revealed as the series progressed- while it's not necessarily that things don't match up, I feel like the groundwork wasn't well laid, often due to characters not asking basic facts about the society. (I still don't know how the society works when it's so gender-segregated that we only see a handful of women kept inside households of wealthy and powerful men- after six thick books, I have no idea what gender dynamics look like among average Chatcaava; it's uncomfortable too that the uplifting resolution is significantly more about male Chatcaava being open to treating aliens as equals than it is about them treating women as equals.)
There are an appealing number of threads yet to be wrapped up in the capstone Jubilee Summer duology, especially with regard to Sediryl.
Overall, even though I enjoyed the latter half of this series, I find it a hard one to recommend, especially to fans of the Dreamhealers quartet. The first two books really are that rough, and while the later books elaborate on a lot of things like Chatcaavan society, I often felt like these were layers papering over problems in the earlier books rather than layers of complexity being revealed as the series progressed- while it's not necessarily that things don't match up, I feel like the groundwork wasn't well laid, often due to characters not asking basic facts about the society. (I still don't know how the society works when it's so gender-segregated that we only see a handful of women kept inside households of wealthy and powerful men- after six thick books, I have no idea what gender dynamics look like among average Chatcaava; it's uncomfortable too that the uplifting resolution is significantly more about male Chatcaava being open to treating aliens as equals than it is about them treating women as equals.)
There are an appealing number of threads yet to be wrapped up in the capstone Jubilee Summer duology, especially with regard to Sediryl.
May 3, 2018
I really liked the series as a whole (thus five stars!) but this last book felt rushed-- in fact, the pace of the books in general accelerated throughout the series. I think this was to the detriment of the psychological depth we got in the first book, and doubtless due to the size of the cast of characters by the end. I think it's telling that I found myself 70% of the way through From Ruins and had no idea how things were going to be wrapped up in so little time-- basically, though the main plot was resolved, we have a million dangling threads. And some of those threads are really big, civilization-shaking things!
On a smaller level, I wasn't pleased with
Similarly, Vasiht'h's reaction to
Still, I had a lot of fun reading the whole series and going along for the ride.
On a smaller level, I wasn't pleased with
Similarly, Vasiht'h's reaction to
Still, I had a lot of fun reading the whole series and going along for the ride.
February 18, 2024
It is a nice ending to the series.
But firstly, some things I didn't like. There were few things that went too smoothly. Considering enormous changes the Emperor will bring to the entire Chatcaavan's culture, I personally feel that there should be more of resistance, but I hope it's something left for some possible future books. I would prefer to know a bit more about the female Chatcaava, their way of life and how it all affected them. Jahir/Sedyril relationship was very rushed - while their chemistry was good, everything felt out of the blue just to have a happy ending.
But even given these flaws, it was generally quite satisfying book. Reunions of the characters were extremely heartwarming and wholesome. The changes that Emperor went through from the first book felt very realistic because they were given a lot of time to mature. And no plot thread was forgotten.
So, while I do feel like the series overall has more than a few weak spots, it keeps the constant quality and it delivers what was promised to the end.
But firstly, some things I didn't like. There were few things that went too smoothly. Considering enormous changes the Emperor will bring to the entire Chatcaavan's culture, I personally feel that there should be more of resistance, but I hope it's something left for some possible future books. I would prefer to know a bit more about the female Chatcaava, their way of life and how it all affected them. Jahir/Sedyril relationship was very rushed - while their chemistry was good, everything felt out of the blue just to have a happy ending.
But even given these flaws, it was generally quite satisfying book. Reunions of the characters were extremely heartwarming and wholesome. The changes that Emperor went through from the first book felt very realistic because they were given a lot of time to mature. And no plot thread was forgotten.
So, while I do feel like the series overall has more than a few weak spots, it keeps the constant quality and it delivers what was promised to the end.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 14, 2019
Rare is the end of a long book series (6 books!) so satisfying. (Even the end of the Lymond Chronicles to me felt it was missing something)
It took more than a year a half to finish the Prince's Game series, partly I wanted to space it out so as to savour the series for longer! But what an ending, and one that covers nearly every loose end thst needed tying. Overall a very satisfying read, one of the better ones I've read this year.
If anything though, the showdown with the usurper was a bit underwhelming even if by design, and the resolution with Second hanging, albeit realistic; but still it was overall a very satisfying end to a very good series. (off to read Healer's Wedding kthnx gotta love Sediryl's "Can I watch??" line, which I pretty much a fan girl standin...)
It took more than a year a half to finish the Prince's Game series, partly I wanted to space it out so as to savour the series for longer! But what an ending, and one that covers nearly every loose end thst needed tying. Overall a very satisfying read, one of the better ones I've read this year.
If anything though, the showdown with the usurper was a bit underwhelming even if by design, and the resolution with Second hanging, albeit realistic; but still it was overall a very satisfying end to a very good series. (off to read Healer's Wedding kthnx gotta love Sediryl's "Can I watch??" line, which I pretty much a fan girl standin...)
December 18, 2017
Finally, the long awaited end! Well, maybe not so long for me, as I only picked up the first book a few months ago. And promptly devoured it and all the other books (including the Dreamhealers series, which is good to read if you want more context for some of the characters in this series). First the bad. It was wasn't long enough! I didn't want it to end! But it did! Hmph. Seriously, though, it was a very satisfying end to a great series. All the major loose ends are tied up, with a couple minor things left open or hinted at, hopefully to be explored in more books! I choked up at several points. I laughed so loud that my husband gave me funny looks. It is a powerful tale of redemption.
December 24, 2017
My favourite books in this series are the first two. This last book is a satisfying read and ties the previous ones together nicely. It is fresh out, so no spoilers, but not a five because weak on action (galactic battle described in a paragraph) and ending is a little too predictable for my taste. I also think I spotted some time kinks (impossible sequence of events) in the sequencing of different novels that take place in the pelted Universe, but I am currently re-reading Earthrise and its sequels to verify I am not imagining things. If there was less romance and more politics and action this could be my favourite series.
August 3, 2024
A mostly satisfying finale, but looking back on the series the tone is uneven and I needed many more and more intense character moments for the ending to be fully impactful. Still, there are many aspects of the story that needed to come together and in fact did so which is why I say this was mostly satisfying.
January 22, 2018
Awesome!
That was a satisfying ending ... but I hope there will be more in this world. Maybe even with these characters, we still have Second to deal with after all ... And then I want children!
That was a satisfying ending ... but I hope there will be more in this world. Maybe even with these characters, we still have Second to deal with after all ... And then I want children!
December 22, 2018
My rating reflects the series as a whole, not just this book. It's a wildly ambitious series, and Hogarth pulls it off - a really satisfying read, despite it going to some rather dark places (or perhaps because it does go there).
August 12, 2021
An "Ending"?
Oh, what a sublime end to this sub-set of this series. After all of the trials, tribulations and loss, some more peaceful resolutions. New chapters started and a wonderful start to the next sub-set of this series. Onward
Oh, what a sublime end to this sub-set of this series. After all of the trials, tribulations and loss, some more peaceful resolutions. New chapters started and a wonderful start to the next sub-set of this series. Onward
March 31, 2023
Everything coming together. Lovely characters with a good dose of serendipity.
One thing I find annoying is that Jahir is not getting enough credit. Especially by the emperor. He never even speaks to him.
One thing I find annoying is that Jahir is not getting enough credit. Especially by the emperor. He never even speaks to him.
February 22, 2019
A perfect end to the series, and perfect endings for all my favourite characters and, even better yet, some new beginnings.
January 6, 2020
Amazing.
April 25, 2020
Aside from being ‘traumatized’ by Book 1, I’m stunned by the depth and breadth of detail. Also totally hooked. Keep creating so we readers can continue to be awed.
February 12, 2018
A satisfying end to the series. Everyone got more or less what they wanted, etc.
And hey, nobody got raped! Nice work, author! I am impressed!
And hey, nobody got raped! Nice work, author! I am impressed!
January 29, 2023
A very satisfying ending to a rather fraught set of six books. I very much enjoyed this final story in The Princes' Game set, and would recommend that a reader read the earlier books about the Pelted before attempting these.
November 28, 2022
Still darker than I like, but wrapped up well for the most part, and each storyline and set of characters was addressed. Really amazing world building in this series.
ETA Reading “Major Pieces” along side of this series adds a lot of richness to the story. Highly recommend it!
ETA Reading “Major Pieces” along side of this series adds a lot of richness to the story. Highly recommend it!
August 30, 2025
I love this book so stupid much that I'm at a loss for words. The love, the terror, the loss... they're incredible, and go to show just how amazing of a writer M.C.A. Hogarth is. I hope she continues to write for many years to come.
EDIT: Fifth re-read!
EDIT: Fifth re-read!
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews