The following review was posted on Goodreads, with a 3/5 star rating:

***This review contains unmarked spoilers***

City of Miracles is the highly anticipated conclusion to the Divine Cities trilogy. At least, I think it will be a trilogy given the way that things turned out!

Sigrud je Harkvaldson is the protagonist and the hero of this story. While this may seem like a good thing, I found him to be an underwhelming lead. Loved him as a supporting character in the previous installments, it's just that he actually didn't feel as interesting with the spotlight on him. While a flawed character with a tragic back story, Sigrud is the doer, not the thinker. This actually formed the basis for part of his struggle after hearing that his leader, the person that did all of the thinking for him, is dead and gone. He never really got to the point of being a thinker though, so I did not find that particular character arc to be rewarding.

Similarly, Malwina and Ivanya's arcs did not feel like they went anywhere in terms of the development of these characters. Contrast with Shara, Sigrud, Signe, and Mulaghesh from previous entries and I felt that the characterization in City of Miracles was just not as surprising or as well defined as I had expected.

Once again, the setting is beautifully drawn and the writing is top notch. RJB has a cinematic way of writing that makes each scene jump out of the pages (err, screen) at me and draws me right in. The chase scene through the mountains on the tram car, or when Sigrud visits the old hulk where Nokov was imprisoned, were stand-outs for me.

Plot. Well, I enjoyed the first 80% or so. The climax, and the literal deus ex machina in particular, did not feel earned. Although I won't go into specifics, I will say that I was not happy with the way that the climax in Bulikov went. The denouement was decent though. It was kind of fun to read how the consequences of the climax have affected the setting and will continue to affect it. It feels like an origin story for super powers though, and that tempered my enjoyment quite a bit. Right up until the last scene, which was so beautiful and touching that it made me smile through the lump in my throat.

This was my least favourite of the series, but I still sincerely enjoyed it. I hope this is the end of this series but that RJB moves onto give us another fantasy series. The genre needs more authors like RJB. Authors that are talented and able to produce beautiful stories on a regular basis.

A big thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

In a series of interesting books this was the most immersing of them. While each book has had a separate protagonist hints of Sigrud's story have been fluttering in the background through the previous 2 novels and his story was everything a reader could hope for. Paced well between action in mystery, mythology of the world and suspense this story was hard to put down. The cities of the gods were such an original idea and the way the three novels tied together was beautifully done. The new characters that joined the old were as interesting as their predecessors have been. I don't believe many will deduce the payoff ay the end, the climax and conclusion twitch between triumphant and heart rending with ease, a fabulous way to finish a story. Can hardly wait for Robert Jackson Bennett's next offering and intend to reread this entire series soon.

City of Miracles was one of my most anticipated books of 2017 so I was pleased as punch to receive an ARC from Netgalley. But does it live up to my hopes and dreams? I have to admit was pretty shocked to originally read the blurb for City of Miracles – Shara is dead? Robert Jackson Bennett how could you do this to one of my favourite characters ever! But the Divine Cities series has been a story of cycles and thematically Shara dying does make sense. Shara, Turyin, Sigrud – they were all a vanguard of another generation, they were once the promised new generation, free of the blood and crimes of the last. Shara barely lasted a few years as prime minister, of course was going to be the first to leave the mortal coil.

And Sigrud was always going to seek vengeance on her killers. I think the book's pace slowed slightly by losing focus on the middle of the book, as the plot shifted from the mystery to the end game plot. But it did couple with Sigrud also being confused – this really was a book where Sigrud, lost from his homeland and family for years, first because he was driven, second because he exiled himself – about himself and the actions he had taken. Sigrud was very young when he had life altering events happen to him and it stunted his development. So was interesting to see how Sigrud was developed as a character through the series, or lack thereof really, considering he was really stuck in a particular time, was reliving the violence that had been once inflicted on him. That came to a full conclusion so it was a fitting character arc.

There were some fantastic action sequences as well. Sigrud is such an interesting fighter and he was driven to the wall, driven near death multiple times during this book. I liked how the technology was constantly changing in the series, driven by the absence of the Divine, and how this forced the action scenes to play out differently. I also want to try travelling in an aerotram!

While not mentioned, Shara's daughter, an oh so fleeting reference at the end of City of Blades, plays a role in City of Miracles as well. In a very different way than I had originally envisioned but plays with the themes of cycles, and the new generation rising to the fore at the old generation leaves.

As per the rest of the series, the epistolary elements really added to the story, creating a richer and more illuminating universe. The vast and intricate world building of the Divine Cities was always one of my most favourite elements. Though, as a fantasy fan, I desperately want a map of the world. It was good and multilayered to see old characters come back as cameos. Turyin was a scene stealer every time she featured and I was so glad we got to see what she had been up to over the past decade or so! Vinya, dark and twisted, and full of schemes just waiting for the wrong person to trip over them.

This was a surprising book at times but held true to the themes laid out and was a compelling conclusion to the series.

*please note that this review will not be published until one week prior to the book's publication, so link does not exist yet. Please see geeklyinc.com closer to pub date. Thank you."


There was never going to be a question of whether City of Miracles, the final installment* of the Divine Cities trilogy by Robert Jackson Bennett, was good. Of course it was going to be good. The question was how good. Good enough to close one of my favorite fantasy series ever? Good enough to be a successor--or a capstone?

Ultimately a bit of both, I think. What has impressed me most is Bennett's ability to get at (and answer) the most essential questions without reducing the complexity of his world or characters. This is still very much a book about the nuances and struggles of colonialism, religious persecution, and governmental overreach, and those issues aren't shunted to the side. Instead, they're put into a larger context of what it means to rule and be ruled--whether you're a citizen, a god, or a refugee.

Sigrud, the brokenhearted viking badass, is a bit of all three. He has not aged and has not found absolution for the carnage he wreaked in City of Blades (as with the previous novels, we've continued in time but not with the same character--and now it's Sigrud's turn). He's biding what might be an unlimited amount of time in the outskirts of society, brooding on his sins, when word comes: Shara, his beloved friend, has been assassinated. Who would bother to kill the former prime minister of Saypur, a woman who now devotes her faded career to charity? And who could kill her, one of the canniest minds of her generation? Sigrud intends to find out. He does so at first out of a sense of resigned fury, since vengeance feels like all he's good for. But over the course of the book, his most fundamental beliefs about himself and the world will change.

Also he's going to kill a lot of people. I just want to reassure you of that. I'm going to rhapsodize about this book's many insights, but it is full of action and drama and battle like the others and you will not be bored. Because of the insights, but yes, also because of the murder.

Right-o. So, the first book was a long and thrilling discussion--complete, as most "discussions" are on the world stage, with bombs and assassinations--of what it means when your gods fail you. In this world, that means literal gods and also the gods we set up for ourselves, however false they might be: of just government, true love, and heroes. And even more thrilling and rare: we get a sense for what happens when our gods, however flawed they might be, succeed.

The second book took stock of all those dead gods and asked, "well, what do we lose when we lose the gods?" The answer is a great one, because it takes such a simple question so seriously. We don't actually lose our religion, at least not all at once. Form calcifies over function, and people go on with the motions out of hope or despair. Instead, we lose the ultimate hope for justice: we lose our afterlife, the place where the scales balance. We lose that most fundamental pact with the gods that says that what we do matters, even minimally, to the infinite.

I had my guesses about the ultimate question of the third book, and I was both right and wrong. I supposed we might finally get an answer to the question of beginnings, rather than endings: where do the gods come from? We sort of get an answer (I won't spoil it). But really, the third book is about power. Power, Bennett supposes, is a zero-sum game. If one person has more, then everyone else has less. That goes for the gods, too.

It's popular nowadays to turn the ancient order on its head: instead of human needing gods, gods need humans. Gods need humans' worship and belief to exist at all.I find this idea theologically uninteresting, to be frank. It sounds more like the rambling of a pothead: "what if...like...instead of god making us...we were the ones...who made god?? Whoaaaa."

Some people have used this idea to good effect. When Terry Pratchett did it in Small Gods, it was pretty original. Not so nowadays, when I see this idea crop up without examination or understanding. Great, so humans "made" gods. Then what? Nobody seemed capable of answering that.

Nobody except Bennett, that is. His standpoint isn't quite as simple as "mortals make gods," but he does do a fantastic job exploring the theme. Or maybe "exploding" the theme would be a better way to put it. In either case, he takes seriously the complexity of interaction between human and divine, not reducing it to who creates whom. Because parents create children, but those children aren't ultimately defined by their parents. Parenthood is on display here in all its complexity, both triumphant and limited. So too is metaphor, the way that how we think delineates what we think. If we collectively create the gods, then they express our limits as well as our possibilities, whether we understand them or not. And when they interact with us and reflect things back on us, well, that's when things get really interesting.

Interesting--and more. When I turned the last page, I wasn't just intellectually engaged. I was thoroughly, tearfully moved. There's something very special about this book that makes deep emotion an act of reflection, and vice versa. Sigrud's bravery toward the end is profound, even transcendent: in a story about gods, his superhuman endurance and deeply human struggle for redemption combine into something truly amazing.

City of Miracles comes out May 2. Preorder here.

If you, like me, need to salve your spirit when you realize there might not be any more books in this series, I have a few suggestions to fill out your order. If you're going to miss Sigrud more than anyone, read Egil's Saga, a viking epic featuring a man who will kill you and write a poem about it, and then maybe turn into a werewolf. If you're going to miss the clandestine spy stuff, try Steven Brust's Vlad Taltos series, which is as sneaky and clever as it gets. For fans of Shara and her idealism and politics, the heartwrenching Lumatere Chronicles is for you. Those interested in the divine aspects of all this should check on N. K. Jemsin's Inheritance trilogy. And for devotees of singular soldier Mulaghesh, the closest I can think of is the Deed of Paksenarrion. But really, this world and its characters are all one-of-a-kind, and no matter how happy I am with how these books turned out, I am dreadfully sorry to see them go.


*unless I am wrong, and never would I be more pleased to be wrong

A satisfying conclusion to the Divine Cities trilogy. People who loved the first two books will most likely love this as well, especially if they're fans of one Sigrud je Harkvaldsson. Where books 1 and 2 belonged to Shara and Mulaghesh, respectively, this definitely belongs to Sigrud.

Because of the focus on this character, both directly and indirectly via foils and various relationships, the story told here is much more of an action/adventure a la James Bond -- there's even a nail-biting sequence wherein Sigrud climbs between the Divine Cities' version of cable cars! -- and this would all make the narrative feel much more masculine, but for the lengthy use of female characters, old and new. In any case Sigrud is a lot more complex, and these novels a lot more nuanced, than any Bond.

There's some time-travel stuff that didn't really work for me. It's a bit hand-wavy and overly convenient, which did not seem in keeping with RJB's usual care to make sure that the internal logic of these books' magic "miracles" is consistent and well-integrated with the rest of the plot. I also found the main villain a little underdeveloped, though he is frankly still more developed than the villains in most other fantasy novels, and does function, as I implied above, as a foil for Sigrud in terms of their vastly differing responses to suffering.

I'd have liked to see more of Mulaghesh. We got a lot of Sigrud in "her" installment, so why not more of her in "his" installment? Also, I thought I'd miss seeing more of Shara here but... I didn't. What we see of her is... not precisely her, and it felt like cheating. One of the underlying messages in these books is about the onward march of time, progress, and history, and it seems fitting and oddly realistic that everyone must eventually meet their end.

So why am I giving this book 5 stars? Honestly, faults and all, it's still head and shoulders above the majority of books I've read recently. It's excellent work, and I'm so happy to have read this book, and this whole trilogy. I hope RJB will consider writing more in this world, but look forward to seeing whatever he comes up with next.

"City of Miracles" was the first book I was approved for over at NetGalley, when I didn't have a single review to my name. Needless to say, I was feeling very grateful. I didn't actually get around reading the book however, for a while, since I discovered that it's the third volume in the series, and the completist that I am, I had to start the story from the beginning with "City of Stairs" and then "City of Blades."

Having never heard of this series or the author, I really had no idea what to expect. I was prepared to hate the book and then still have to read the other two, since I promised the review in exchange for access to a free copy. These fears turned out to be the furthest from reality.

I was simply astounded how quickly I have become completely obsessed with the series. It provides the best kind of epic fantasy - seamlessly combining the magical with the very tangibly realistic. The characters that populate this world are some of the strongest I've read in years. They are so clearly drawn, you see them as actual, living, breathing people. The world building astounds. Layers upon layers for you to slowly discover, naturally, along with the characters and not in awkward info dumps. The mystery interwoven in the story is like a small powerful engine driving each novel forward, chugging through the world history, the individual character histories and the fascinating lore.

The first two volumes, it can be safely said, followed a certain pattern. A mystery to solve, a central character to solve it, and most importantly, a city to set the story in. Before opening "The City of Miracles" I was fully prepared to encounter the same scaffolding. My only question was which city will be the centerpiece of this novel.

But that's not exactly what followed.

I'm striving to avoid spoilers, as this book is yet to be released and the series has many ardent followers who should prefer to discover the particulars on their own. But let me say that at about 20% into the book I started to feel a bit uneasy. While I loved the protagonist, and the mystery was certainly very absorbing (Not Shara! Why?), something felt off. I was not getting as absorbed in the narrative as I had with the previous two volumes. When I tried to put my finger on possible reasons, there was a couple that came to mind. First, the tension of "who killed Shara" is relieved very early in the novel, so the plot feels a bit aimless. The villain is not only named, he/she is present throughout the novel; the revelation of their identity is not the climax here. Second, there is much confusion about the titular "City of Miracles" (there are at least two candidates at the beginning of the novel, and that's not the end of possibilities.) This lack of anchoring of the plot results in the story feeling somewhat aimless. Displaced. Things get even worse when Sigrud departs the cities and heads to the country. The reader, who has by now become used to a certain Divine Cities structure, becomes a bit unglued herself.

But if the author has earned anything with the first two installments, it definitely is the readers' faith. Once Sigrud departs the country and heads for the actual City of Miracles (which I won't reveal), the story not only gets back on track, it does so in a spellbindingly spectacular fashion. It might be hard to imagine that "City of Miracles" could be even more epic than the first two installments, but I promise you, it is. The conclusion is gut-wrenching, but the fans of the series know to expect that. I gasped, I laughed, I cried. Above all, I LOVED.

In a word: magnificent.

I will follow Bennett anywhere he goes. His books , and this trilogy in particular gets better and better. Not many writers can create rounded characters, wonderful wotld-building and gripping action all in the same book. My one question is when will his next book be published?

As with the second book in the series, I read the back cover intrigued about the story to come, but was surprised with the direction Bennett chose to go. Following Sigruid and his journey, and being able to go into his head, was an interesting and welcome choice. After so many fantasy novels following around teenager or just post-teenager characters coming into their own, having the 2nd and 3rd book in this series deal with older characters struggling to accept their age and their changing world just makes these books really stand out.

This book in particular has a slower build, and lays a lot of required groundwork for the rest of the story in the first third. But as the momentum picks up, the character relationships really solidify and I had a lot of empathy and concern for the fates of many of the characters. I won't spoil anything about the ending, but I will say that where things stand at the end of the book I am so interested to see who is chosen as the next POV character and where and when the next book is going to be set.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

In this final volume of Robert Jackson Bennett’s brilliantly inventive Divine Cities trilogy, the focus shifts to Sigrud je Harkvaldsson — for my money, one of the best characters in the series. Seeing him get the spotlight was a welcome sight, but I didn’t end up enjoying his POV as much as Shara’s and Mulaghesh’s before him. He may be better served as a supporting character being peppered-in sparingly rather than having full star-status, but as the plot unfolds you come to realize that he was the necessary choice for this role. While he struggles to carry parts of the novel, Bennett builds up a strong supporting cast around him that mostly negates this deficiency.

Bennett’s writing is as strong as ever here, as the novel sets off with a propulsive pace. I’ll set the scene — against the backdrop of a gloomy metropolis, a hulking, lone-wolf vigilante, stealthily picks off baddies one by one in the dark, fueled by the deaths of those he loved. He’s basically Batman for the first part of the novel and I loved it. Despite a middle portion that could have been tightened up as my interest started to wane, Bennett ratchets everything back up for the big heart-pounding finale that each of his books have done so well.

Overall, this was a worthy addition to the Divine Cities series, but not my favorite. That said, Robert Jackson Bennett nailed this trilogy and did a wonderful job with the interplay of gods & mortals, modernity & traditional fantasy worlds, and great characters & an imaginative story. I look forward to seeing what he puts out next.

City of Miracles is a thoroughly enjoyable tale, both action-packed and poignant. This well-crafted novel recaptures the magic of the series debut that charmed so many. I preferred this installment to the previous, which was very enjoyable in its own right. I highly recommend without reservation.

I was blessed enough to be approved by the publisher via Netgally to receive a free ebook copy of the book in exchange for my honest review of the book which is as follows:

Around page 115(In the PDF copy that I received via Netgally) is when the book started to make sense to me, in my personal experience with the series so far the books have always been a little bit hard to follow because (at least for books 2-3) you're not always sure what characters you'll be following. I still don’t understand how the magic/mythology of the world of the series works, it's not enough to bug me (I just know that I'm not understanding it).

I definitely didn’t see the plot twist that happens around the later half of the middle of the book coming at all. I personally feel like a lot of the political advice(I can't really think of a better word for it) towards the end of the book is stuff that I wish that people would think about especially with all of stuff going on in the world/US right now.

I wish that I could say what my favorite part of the book is however doing so would give away a big plot twist in the book so I can't; I will say that for me personally I felt like it showed a lot of heart and character development.

I have a feeling that the last half of the book sets up a change in the overall story arc of the series as a whole and I am excited to see where it goes next. The ending of the book made me sad it was bittersweet and fitting. Overall I personally rate this book a 8/10

City of Miracles by Robert Jackson Bennett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!

It's getting really hard for me to have content-less gushing in certain books. Like this one. I mean, sure, I can say that Shara has been killed and Sigurd is out to avenge/solve her murder, but beyond that, I really can't be as specific as I want to be.

The fact is: SO MUCH AWESOME happens in this book! And I mean crazy awesome. Or absolutely Divine Awesome. :)

Lordy, some of these reveals came right on top of each other's heels and rather than having you expect a simple mystery, I should warn you all that REALLY BIG THINGS HAPPEN. :)

Oh, and for all you lovers of Sigurd: this novel is ALL HIM! YAY! He was always my favorite and he was really subdued in the previous book -(um, sort of, at least until the end) - but this is the book where he really, really shines. Where he lets down his hair and we get all of his checkered past and... oh goodness, no more spoilers. :)

Divine action is everywhere and the epic battles are very epic. One might say, time-consuming. :)

Okay, maybe I'm being a bit TOO cryptic. But still, this hasn't been released! I'm all fanboy over it, however, and that's not going to change.

What a great series! Complicated, dense world-building, truly fantastic characters, and a really twisty awesome plot that always surprises. :)

And we get tons of explosions. :) What more could you want?

I love the world Bennett has created for this series because it's full of bizarre, crumbling wonders and odd, miraculous artifacts that are remnants of a time when gods ruled the world. It's dark and gritty without being soul-crushing or angsty. The characters are diverse and complex.

Despite this being Sigrud's vengeance story, he's actually got a whole lot of amazing women helping him on his quest. There are actually more women of importance in this book than men. I found that stunning and refreshing.

In short, this was a great book. I assume it is the final book in the series, because it certainly feels like a satisfying, if bittersweet, ending point. This is such a great world that I kind of wish there had been more books in the series. Then again, it's nice to have a series that's all high points and a strong ending.

This was a fantastic, gut-wrenching conclusion to a fantastic trilogy!

City of Miracles by Robert Jackson Bennett

Pros: emotional punch, multi-layered plot, great characters

Cons:

It’s been thirteen years since Sigrud last saw Shara Komayd, but the news of her assassination still hits him hard. When he goes looking for those who killed her, he stumbles into a series of plots started years past. He also has to locate and protect her adopted daughter, Tatyana, from Shara’s enemies.

This is the third book in the Divine Cities trilogy. While it was possible to read book two of this series as a standalone, the personal connections and plot twists of book three require having read at least the first book, though I’d recommend reading both before starting this one. Knowing the close connection between Sigrud and Shara is what propels the first half of this book, with Mulaghesh making an appearance and Signe’s name showing up several times. But it’s Shara’s presence that infuses the story, and Sigrud’s regrets regarding his treatment of the women in his life that completes it.

In many ways this book takes the plot of City of Stairs and brings it full circle, explaining some of the mysteries that book left open as well as some of the mysteries surrounding Sigrud himself.

I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about Sigrud as the main point of view character considering how straightforward he is. But he’s quite fascinating once you get into his mind. And while he isn’t the planner that Shara was, he’s quite intelligent and figures things out pretty fast.

It would have been nice to get to know Tatyana better, but I loved Ivanya. It’s strange seeing the future of a fantasy world, and seeing how people affected by the great events in one book pick up the pieces of their lives - or transform themselves completely - because of them. Ivanya is cool under pressure, having prepared for years for what’s coming.

The plot has several layers to it, some of them get pulled back quickly, while others take a while to be revealed.

This is a brilliant end to a brilliant series, and I’m not ashamed to say that it had me in tears several times.

The final volume in the Divine Cities trilogy. If you haven't read the first two, this book won't have nearly the impact, since previous events weigh heavily here.

Sigrud the Dreyling has been hiding for 13 years, ever since the Battle of Bulikov, where his daughter was killed and he went on a murderous rampage. Now he learns that Shara Komayd, who saved him from the prison in which he'd been tortured for years and guided him in their espionage work, has been assassinated. He kills the assassin but learns that the instigator was a semi-divine being who means to destroy the world. He also finds a message from Shara asking him to protect her adopted daughter, Tatyana, who is missing. Sigrud is the main character here, with some very vibrant secondary characters. Are the gods all dead? Who are these semi-divine creatures, and how is it that Sigrud has not aged at all and is able to survive battles with them, albeit grievously injured? And can he keep Tatyana safe?

A fitting end to the trilogy, with an unexpected ending which brings things to a satisfying close. Here's to more from Bennett in the future.

I was so excited to receive a copy of City of Miracles by Robert Jackson Bennett though Netgalley, so thank you, again for allowing me the chance to read this early!

The Divine Cities series, has been hands down my favorite series since I received a copy of City of Stairs from here on Goodreads. I love this series, I shout at just about anyone who asks, what my favorite book is every year that they need to read it. This did not disappoint.

When I had read the synopsis, it looks like I wasn't the only one who felt it was a punch in the stomach to hear that Shara Komayd was assassinated. And that Sigrud comes out of hiding to pick up the pieces, to find out where the life of his beloved friend Shara went and what exactly she had gotten herself into now. But we know Shara and the Divine are never really far from each other, and she's never caught off guard and never not planning something. She was a force to be reckoned with even in death. Her daughter Tatyana Komayd is missing. Her hotel blown to bits.
And old enemies are everywhere, as well as a few new ones.

The book opens with a violent death, certainly the first, but not the last by far. Old gods still lurk in hiding watching humanity tear it's self apart in circles. Miracles are still functioning, new and ancient worlds brush against each other competing for space. Old favorites make their appearances.
My favorite cranky, swearing one-armed spirit animal makes an appearance as well, good old Turyin Mulaghesh now Minister of the Minority Party, now known as "Mother Mulaghesh" which is the most hilarious nickname she could have been given, hasn't changed much. Albeit older and just as cranky.

I liked the way that Sigurd's character was treated, the journey he got though these 3 books, always an operative at heart like Shara. But by the end he has come full circle, as a person, and is in some ways healed, though the hard journey of his life.
There are so many twists and turns, when the Divine is involved. The old, the new, power like that is always evolving, adapting, changing, even the miracles take on a life of their own. I don't want to give too much away. "Operation Rebirth" is really going to give you one hell of a ride. I defiantly cried at the end.

I just want to say thank you, to the author, Robert Jackson Bennett for giving us this amazing world to root around in and these great characters that stick with us. We got pretty attached to them in these three books. It's one of the best examples of a creation of a new, rich world, you'll want to do a lot more than just sink your toes into.

A great addition to The Divine Cities series. Great plotting, world-building, and character development. Docking a star for:

a) obvious conclusions that characters take an unrealistically long time to cotton to

<spoiler>b) what seems to be a glaring mistake in the author's own lore. If Taty is one of the Divine orphans who never age and just keep getting adopted over and over
<blockquote>Then one day people started getting suspicious. They started wondering, when was this child going to grow up? When was this child going to become an adult? Why does this child stay adolescent? Why was this child still here? And when people started asking these questions and getting suspicious, then Jukov's miracle took care of you.</blockquote>then how did Sigrud see her as a young child in [book:City of Blades|23909755]?
<blockquote>Shara freezes and turns around just as a small, round face pokes through the curtains of the bed. It’s the face of a young Continental girl, perhaps no older than five, and she blinks sleepily at Shara and rubs her eyes. </blockquote></spoiler>