5 stars

A stunning conclusion to one of the best fantasy trilogies of the decade. I’m obsessed with Nadežra, with the characters who inhabit it, with the refreshingly queer-normative world and the all-too-familiar power struggles between social classes and ethnic groups. The worldbuilding is exquisite and the plot is intricate. We brush so very close to disaster and at some times smash straight into it, but at all times I have hope in the bravery, temerity, and sheer stubbornness of our principal three—Ren, Vargo, and Grey—to by hook or by crook (or by Rook) save the city they love from itself.

Of special note in this particular installment are the role played by the zlyzen, the unravelling of a trilogy’s worth of lies, the hard work of building trust and family, and the time spent making the various magic practices feel real and compelling to the reader.

Please read this trilogy if you are at all interested in: stellar worldbuilding, queer-normative fantasy, found family, and deeply human characters you can’t help but root for.

[Full public Goodreads review will be held until August in accordance with publisher preference]

I’m so lucky that I got approved for an ARC of this book on NetGalley because I had just finished book 2 and needed to know what happens!
I thought this was a really solid ending to the trilogy, and I was satisfied by the way it wrapped up for most of the characters. I loved seeing the relationships (both romantic and platonic) become deeper in this installment, and if you love found family I would highly recommend this series to you. I still struggled to understand certain aspects of the magic system. Each books adds additional aspects to it so it was hard for me personally to keep track of. The strong point of this series as a whole for me was the characters and how unique each of their personalities and background were, and we get to see great development in this last installment.

There are no words for this book. If you have made it through to the third (and last) of the series, you are in it for the long haul. This was amazing and I will miss this world!

I love this series to death and really wish it got more attention. It has complicated and lush worldbuilding that you can FEEL, complex characters with interesting dynamics, and also gay people. all of my favorite things

This was an excellent conclusion to an excellent series.

An obscene amount of planning and research clearly went into it, and it contributes to a really lush and full-spectrum world. The attention to the details of the cultures make things so much more vivid. The clothes, the language, the politics, etc. all come together to help weave a tighter basket.

The magic systems, gah. Numinatria and Pattern are both fucking fascinating. I love the whimsical, open to interpretation slant of Pattern, which is heavily tarot-influenced, versus the more mathematical and precise Numinatria, which I picture kind of like a magical spirograph or something akin to alchemy in Full Metal Alchemist, only not at all? It's just really uncommon these days to come across magic systems that aren't elemental (which I don't dislike, but it's pervasive), nonsensical, completely unexplained, or otherwise boring. Not so with this series.

There were some interesting reveals in this book, one of which I suspected but was still pleased with, and another which was quite surprising. It was an incredibly satisfying read from a character perspective. A few plot points really warmed my heart. However, Letillia... bitch I hate you so much.

It was also a stellar read from a plot perspective. Really interesting shit happens.

It's an overall excellent book and a really satisfying closer.

This book was excellent.


The masterful world building and character work present in the earlier books very much continued, and the many plot threads balanced better than I’d thought they would, including the surprise bonus one that I really wasn’t expecting.

This format does not allow me spoiler boxes, so it feels wrong the rest of what I wrote and will be putting up on StoryGraph once within the time limit requested by he publishers, considering how giant of spoilers most of what I want to say about this book is.

Holy Cow!
That’s the first thought I had in completing this trilogy. M.A.C. knocked it out of the park! It’s hard to say anything without spoiling the plot, except, read this book after you finish the first two!

This entire series is fantastic. I’ve been pressing it on patrons and friends. This final volume doesn’t go where I expected, but goes exactly where it should. The only thing wrong with it is that it’s the series closer.

When I saw Labyrinth’s Heart by M. A. Carrick was FINALLY available on NetGalley, I squealed like an excited puppy with a new toy. I read The Liar’s Knot in 2021. Since the day I finished it, I have been waiting for the trilogy’s final book. M. A. Carrick did not disappoint. Labyrinth’s Heart was everything I could have hoped for. This day should be recorded in history, though. Because perhaps for the first time since I started reading fantasy novels as a child, MY FAVORITE CHARACTER DID NOT DIE. I could hardly believe it. Labyrinth’s Heart is a unique, thought-out, and incredibly dense addition to anyone’s fantasy library.

I reread the other two books of the “Rook & Rose” trilogy prior to beginning Labyrinth’s Heart, as I have read…many novels since 2021. If I hadn’t, I probably would have been okay with the trilogy the author’s provided at the beginning. But I am so glad I dove back into Carrick’s world, as it reminded me why I loved it in the first place. When reading the series, I wasn’t just reading. I was experiencing, transported into Nadežra through Carrick’s words. The authors succeed again with Labyrinth’s Heart. It has the same personality, same thrill, same humor, and same effects on my heart. Each character continues to grow—even Alsius!—and each one leaves me feeling all sorts of emotions. Warmth. Affection. Disbelief. Anticipation. Worry. Few authors pull reactions out of me, but Carrick does it. To the point I literally shook, pacing back and forth from one side of my kitchen to the other because I couldn’t read.

Labyrinth’s Heart wraps up every piece of “Rook & Rose.” Every question answered and every conclusion reached. After the epilogue, Carrick had me smiling because I was content. No furrowed brows from confusion. I didn’t ask myself, “Really?” or “Wait, what about this?” If I had my choice, I wouldn’t leave these characters behind, as I loved all of them, and I adored their stories—their pasts and their presents. I WISH I could know their futures, but I guess I’ll have to let my imagination do its work!

All this being said, Labyrinth’s Heart was probably my LEAST favorite of the trilogy. It is PACKED. Instead of having one or two climaxes, Labyrinth’s Heart had ten. My heart never got a break, which isn’t necessarily a BAD thing. But what I thought would be the “BIG FINALE” happened maybe 70-75% of the way through the book, and I asked, “What more could there be?” For me, anyway, Labyrinth’s Heart just had too much. It could have been two books. I still LOVED Labyrinth’s Heart by M. A. Carrick. I wish I could read it again for the first time. It is a beautiful work of fantasy, and I’d still recommend the “Rook & Rose” trilogy to ANYONE who loves the genre. The final novel, however, was…too full for me. Overflowing with plot points and questions answered to the point everything almost overwhelmed me.

I still want a Derossi Vargo in my life, please. And a Ren, Tess, Sedge, and Grey Serrado. Labyrinth’s Heart exemplifies that you don’t need “good” characters to be the main characters or the heroes. The morally gray ones may be even better!

Okay, WOW, this was an ARC that I was honored to get and one of the books that I was most sad to finish, because now the trilogy is over!

First of all, I always recommend that people run, not walk, to M.A. Carrick's works. Ren, Grey, and Vargo have all grown so much over the course of the 3 books, and the two authors did so well by all the side characters too. I fell even more in love with Tanaquis and Donaia, Arkady, and so many others!

Some of the many things I love about Rook & Rose are how it addresses race and class conflict, as well as what it means to have a blended heritage. Its explorations of sacred ritual, closed practice magic, and religion are beautiful and nuanced. Characters of privilege in this book were finally put into positions where they had to confront that position in quite satisfying ways, and the protagonists as well were written to have to confront and atone for their own mistakes and prejudices in responsible ways.

The magic system, pattern/numinatria/imbuing has always been a little confusing and murky, but I loved it nonetheless. The interrelationships between the three were given a lot of importance in this book, and the conflicts in books 1&2 came to heads here in a way that was incredibly well thought out and meaningful.

No spoilers, otherwise I would go into that even more :) however, following the resolution of political and magical matters, each character had their story tied up in a satisfying way that only led me to wish I could live in their heads for a little longer.

I loved the length of all these books, and I thought there was a great mixture of lighthearted scenes (some might call it fluff, I call it endearing character development) and intricate weaving of social intrigue. Ren got what was coming to her, as we knew she would, and Part 1 of Labyrinth's Heart could have been its own novella!

This was one of the ARCs I have read the quickest. I appreciated the trilogy recap at the beginning as I think it's been a minute since the last book. When Labyrinth's Heart began I was able to pick it up no problem!

One thing M.A. Carrick does incredibly well in this trilogy is to distinguish linguistic patterns of each of the main languages (Liganti, Vraszenian, Seterin, etc) by manipulating English grammar to imply cultural divides in a way I haven't often seen in books. The incorporation of Middle English spelling/grammar was a clever surprise as well.

I just finished the book within the hour so I'm sure there's some things I've forgotten here. This is seriously one of my favorite trilogies of all time, and I hold so much fondness for Nadezra and her lore <3 What a wonderful conclusion to a series of books that are lushly descriptive, magically unique, racially/sexuality/gender inclusive, and filled with incredibly flesh-out characters from lead to the smallest of side characters.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Orbit Books for this!

Labyrinth's Heart by MA Carrick is a captivating fantasy novel that delves into a world where identities are fluid, and the lines between truth and deception blur. With its intricate plot, multi-dimensional characters, and a city teetering on the edge of chaos, this book offers a thrilling and immersive reading experience.

The story revolves around Ren, a resourceful con artist and thief, who arrives in the city of Nadežra with a daring plan to pose as the lost daughter of the prestigious Traementis family. Ren intends to secure a fortune for herself and her sister, and then disappear without a trace. However, in Nadežra, a city of dreams and hidden dangers, nothing is ever as straightforward as it seems.

As Ren's journey unfolds, she finds herself assuming multiple identities. She becomes Renata, the celebrated Traementis heir, whose presence stirs intrigue and political unrest. She transforms into Arenza, a mysterious pattern reader and rebel with a cause. And she becomes the enigmatic Black Rose, a vigilante fighting alongside the legendary Rook. The weight of these various personas proves to be overwhelming, and the consequences of their actions threaten to unravel the very fabric of the city.

MA Carrick weaves a rich tapestry of magic, politics, and personal struggles, expertly blending them together to create a vivid and engaging world. The author's prose is elegant and immersive, bringing the bustling streets of Nadežra to life with vibrant descriptions and atmospheric settings. The city itself becomes a character, with its dark underbelly and simmering tensions mirroring the complexity of Ren's predicament.

The strength of Labyrinth's Heart lies in its characters. Ren is a complex protagonist, driven by her desire for freedom and the protection of her loved ones. Her allies, Grey Serrado, and Derossi Vargo, provide a compelling supporting cast, each with their own motivations and secrets. The dynamic relationships between these characters, filled with trust, betrayal, and unexpected alliances, add layers of intrigue and depth to the narrative.

The pacing of the story is generally well-maintained, with moments of intense action balanced by quieter, introspective scenes that allow for character development. However, at times, the multitude of identities and plot threads can become slightly overwhelming, requiring careful attention from the reader to keep track of the intricate web being spun.

Labyrinth's Heart is the third installment in a series, and while it can be enjoyed as a standalone novel, readers who have experienced the first two books will have a deeper understanding of the world and its intricacies.

In conclusion, Labyrinth's Heart is a remarkable fantasy novel that explores themes of identity, power, and the consequences of one's actions. MA Carrick's masterful storytelling and compelling characters make this a must-read for fans of intricate world-building and political intrigue. Prepare to be swept away into the labyrinthine streets of Nadežra, where nothing is as it seems, and the masks we wear can be our salvation or our downfall.