The Tomb of Dragons by Katherine Addison

This book was fantastic! So worth waiting for!!!!

Like many people, I first encountered Katherine Addison when I found the Goblin Emperor on a bunch of awards ballots and was immediately enchanted. Within six months of reading it, I doubled back and listened to the audiobook  - that novel was charming and delightful and wonderful.  (I also adored her unrelated book, the Angel of the Crows, and I think more people need to read that.) I was thrilled beyond belief when Tor and NetGalley gave me an eARC for The Witness For the Dead, a related book in the same universe as The Goblin Emperor.  That book was a book of my heart -  It was the most enjoyable reading experience I had in months when I read it the first time.  I was even more exited two years ago when Tor and NetGalley gave me an eARC for The Grief of Stones, the direct sequel to the Witness for the Dead which I described at the time as “perfection itself” - a description I still stand by. 

In anticipation of the Tomb of Dregons, the long awaited, third book in the Cemeteries of Amalo trilogy, I recently re-listened to audiobooks of the other books in this universe, so I have been soaking in it for weeks now. I was ecstatic when Tor and NetGalley gave me an eARC in exchange for an honest review. 

This book was a joy from beginning to end. It picked up right where The Grief of Stones ended, with Thara Celehar still suffering from the loss of his ability to speak to the dead after his encounter under the hill of werewolves in the last volume. The treatment of his pain and loss feels true without being maudlin or overwhelming. Without spoiling things, the resolution to that plot point is quite satisfying. This story takes unexpected twists and turns that keep you invested in the characters and their problems. The return of some characters and plot points from prior books is perfectly done without swamping Celehar’s story. I loved this book madly and am so so so sorry it is over. I take from the marketing that this is wrapping up the Cemeteries of Amalo trilogy, but I hope this is not the last we see of these characters.