What an ending!!! The first two books built the tension to knife's edge and now we find exactly where the fatal cut will come. Mirah Bolender, you're a hero!!!

I read the first 2 books in preparation for this one and this one did not disappoint!! It was a little slow in parts but I loved it a lot. I enjoyed the character development and how the plot progressed

This review was originally posted on <a href="https://booksofmyheart.net/2021/04/29/fortress-of-magi-by-mirah-bolender/" target="_blank"> Books of My Heart</a>
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<i>Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.</i>

I went right from <strong>The Monstrous Citadel</strong> into reading <strong>Fortress of Magi</strong> in the <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/248437-chronicles-of-amicae" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em><strong>Chronicles of Amicae</strong></em></a> series.   Everyone seems to have their own agenda and be against the Sinclair sweepers.  I really enjoyed this but I think you have to read this series in order to have any idea of the plot and world.

Laura and Okane and their new allies do the best they can, but things are dire. They also have a huge lack of knowledge being too new in their learning.  But they pick up quickly on things, and Grim is able to help Okane discover more about his magic.   They were very lucky to meet the Rangers, Cherry and Grim.

Amicae is cut off in their communications with some other towns.  The mobs are causing more trouble.  The Council has their head in the sand and won't do anything to help or protect the citizens.

The Sinclair sweepers have a fight to the death on their hands with the hive mind and Rex.  They can't count on anyone else. In fact, some of the mobsters are trying to kill them.  But unfortunately for the mobsters, Clae is intolerant of those attacking Laura even though he is dead.

The ending is exciting and for the most part, satisfying.  I do wish we could have had one more chapter to show a little more of how things go after the battle with the survivors.  There are a few loose ends like the status of other towns and especially, the Magi in Rex.   But maybe that would be handled in another book?  I hope there will be another book in this series.

"Fortress of Magi" is the 3rd in Mirah Bolender's "Chronicles of Amicae". This world's isolated cities' magical bomb squads, Sweepers, fight off voracious infestations, that eat magic and anything else they encounter.

In the 1st episode, Laura trained as an apprentice under Amicae Sweeper Clae Sinclair. As it ended, Clae was transformed into magical crystal.

Now, as local infestations increase, the powerful Hive Mind nears Amicae from the south, and new information on crystallization gives Laura a sliver of hope that Clae might be recovered.

Action - and the threat of extinction of all humanity - escalate to a thrilling and satisfying conclusion to this unusual fantasy trilogy.

Fortress of Magi by Mirah Bolender, a solid third book. I enjoy this series and this book is no exception. Some parts are a tad slow but they do help the overall read of the book. If you haven't started this series yet put it on your TBR

Fortress of Magi is the final to a fantasy trilogy of a magical bomb squad that diffuse bad magic. It has been such an interesting concept throughout the series but this last installment left me feeling a bit dissapointed.

This book was shorter than the other two, which is not always a bad thing. But I feel that it was in this case. When it comes to the plot of the hive mind I felt that the ending in which it was wrapped up was too easy and too much at the very end. Most of the book we spend on the gang that is after Laura and it completely takes away from what really matters which is the hive mind. Which then only takes such a little space in the plot in a way that I felt wasn't really fitting for the hive mind. It could have just taken over the whole city. Why didn't it do that? I still don't really understand. It just didn't give the climatic ending to the story that I wanted to see for our sweepers.

Adding onto that some storylines aren't really wrapped up. I still am not sure I understand what one of the rangers really is. And what about Okane's family? The whole of Rex? What happened there? What about Clae and all they discovered about his responsiveness to Laura?

I feel like there is so much room for more continuation in this world and I would happily read those books. But at this point I have no idea if this is it for this world and these characters. If this is it, this final is quite lacking.

Having said that though. I think this series still has much uniqueness to hold and a cast of characters that will warm your heart. And at the end of the day, Fortress of Magi was still an enjoyable read. Just not as satisfying as I wanted it to be.

It's time. Fortress of Magi is the third and final novel in Mirah Bolender's Chronicles of Amicae series. Honestly, I'm not sure that I'm prepared for this series to end, but you better believe that I won't let that stop me from reading it!

Amicae has survived Infestations that should have taken down the entire city. Even with only two official Sweepers available, somehow, they survive. Much of that credit must go to Laura Kramer, of the Sinclair Sweepers.

Though you wouldn't know it from the way the Council treats her, or the rest of the Sweepers for that matter. Throw in the complications that come with the city's gangs, new recruits, and a dangerous new threat, and Laura Kramer is going to have to fight for her life. And the lives of everyone else. Again.

“We may be the only Sweepers left, but the Council hates us. We seem to undermine everything they do.”

Oh. My. God. Fortress of Magi was terrific! I know I probably sound extremely biased right now. And in a way, I am. I've adored The Chronicles of Magi ever since I picked up the first book. It had everything I wanted out of a good fantasy series.

And let me tell you, the conclusion lived up to my expectations. Fortress of Magi had a lot going on, with all the different threats and complications that Laura was facing. Yet it was also perfect for that very reason.

Once again, I was transported away to a different world when reading. I adore the magical system and world that Bolender created here. While it is probably not a world I would want to live in (my luck isn't that great – I'd be one of the people eaten by monsters in the first chapter), I still loved every minute of it. Likewise, I'll miss it now that the series is done.

“If you did want the Council here to praise you, you'd be disappointed at every turn.”

Fortress of Magi is the most epic novel in the series and with good reason. It grabs all of the plots started in the first and second books and wraps them up into something huge and cataclysmic. It's the perfect sendoff for this series; come to think of it.

There is a lot more I would like to say about this book, but I feel like if I do, I'll accidentally spill over into spoiler territory. So instead, I'll say this: my poor husband had to listen to me talk about Fortress of Magi for at least an hour. I gushed and squealed all over the place and probably drove him a little nuts because of it. Interpret that how you will.

I will admit that I am feeling pretty depressed about the idea of this series coming to an end. While it was absolutely the ending the series deserved, I simply wasn't ready to let it go. I think I'll have to take some time to sit down and reread the whole series. To help me cope. With any luck, we'll be hearing about Mirah Bolender's next project soon enough.

I've been long awaiting the final book in the Chronicles of Amicae trilogy,  mostly to see if Clae Sinclair would somehow come back to life. I won't tell you here  since that would be kind of unfair and also a huge spoiler. This was quite a short book, so any spoilers are kind of a big deal.

Laura and Okane are still running the Sinclair Sweepers, Amicae's only non-gang affiliated sweeper crew. It's just the two of them against… an unusually small number of infestations? What? Something strange is going on and one of the neighboring towns has gone radio silent - then word comes that they were overrun by infestations.  Something big is happening, so it's fortunate that some of our friends from the previous book show up looking for asylum in Amicae. A few more sweepers could make all the difference, even if they are from Rex and just can't seem to get along with one another.

The book focused far more on the political climate in Amicae, the struggles of how the Rexian refugees are treated by the city (constantly under guard), and how they just can't not argue with one another. The growing infestation issue was a secondary concern and quite frankly didn't make me fear for our characters lives. This book could have benefitted from some extra length and detail because it was a little underwhelming as it is. The ending happened suddenly and left me feeling somewhat disappointed in its brevity and overall lack of emotional impact.

This series was a really fun read, but the first book remains the strongest of the three. I liked following the characters and there were plenty of harrowing events and new locales throughout the series, but the books were so short that I feel we didn't get as much detail or time spent as was needed.

I can't tell you how much I've been looking forward to this book since I finished The Monstrous Citadel. Mirah Bolender has become one of my favorite authors in the last couple of years and I've had high expectations for this book since the day I saw it announced.  Fortress of Magi was a fun and fast-paced read full of as much action and political intrigue as you could hope for. I read through this book in a single sitting and enjoyed it so much I had to read it a second time just a few days later, and I'm already planning on getting the audiobook when it releases in a few days.

As much as I loved this book and want to do a chapter-by-chapter breakdown of why I enjoyed it as much as I did, I don't want to spoil anything for anyone who hasn't read it or the previous two books in the series. So all I will say is that Mirah Bolender did an absolutely fantastic job with Fortress of Magic. She took all the awesome characters that we were introduced to in the previous two books, as well as the amazing world she built around them, and give us what I consider to be an absolutely epic conclusion to this trilogy. Normally after a trilogy or series ends I'm happy with it but have a list of things I wish the author had touched on before the end and I honestly don't have anything like that with this book.

Fortress of Magi answers pretty much every question I had from the first two books and ties up all the loose ends that I wanted it to before it ended. My only real complaint is that it was so much shorter than the previous two books in the series. Which, in some ways, is a good thing as it allowed the author to tell a much more tightly focused story, but I also just wanted more by the time it was over. Happily,  I don't think that really takes away much from how much I think everyone will enjoy it.

All in all, I found Fortress of Magi to be a really fun book to read and a great conclusion to the Chronicles of Amicae trilogy. I would happily recommend this book to anyone looking for something to read, though I think it's obvious that the first two books in the trilogy should be read first as Fortress of Magi probably won't stand well on its own.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A very satisfying ending for this series. The plot, the characters development, the finality of everything. It was good and made the story worth it! I recommend it!

I love the world in this series! It's so complex and very well thought out. I had read the first book and loved it, it wasn't until I saw this book that I knew there were more, had to get the 2nd before I read this.

Chronicles of Amicae, #3...another well-crafted fantasy from Mirah Bolender! Laura and Okane are struggling to serve as the official Sweepers (who defeat magical infestations) of the city of Amicae. They must not only convince the authorities that they are both capable and trustworthy, but also keep the Mad Dog gang of outlaw sweepers from overwhelming them and taking control of hostile magic disposal in the city. They are joined by three Rexians, members of an enemy group who, nonetheless, aided their escape from the city of Rex, and by two Rangers, who patrol the wilderness between cities. Meanwhile, an neighboring city has been overwhelmed by the Hive Mind, communications are cut between Amicae and other cities, and the end seems near. Highly entertaining, a very quick read. Many thanks to NetGalley and Tor Books for the opportunity to read Fortress of Magi in return for an honest review.

I enjoyed spending more time in the world and with the unique magic systems. Laura and Okane are great characters but I very much missed Clae. Lots happening but felt a little less plot- driven than the previous books in the series.