The Girl and the Moon by Mark Lawrence ( Book of the Ice # 3)

 So The Girl and the Moon by Mark Lawrence ( Book of the Ice #3) marks the end of this trilogy and his thirteenth book that I have finished. (His sci-fi series, I am yet to wrap up Books, 2 and 3!) Again, hats off to one of the most hard-working writers in this genre today, one who has consistently managed to up his game, his quality of writing and give us some fascinating stories that entertain, educate and make us ponder. Even this series, Mark expands that interesting universe of his, bringing in that curious mix of science-fantasy that is trademark Mark, along with with some fabulous main characters, whom you would follow to the end of the world and back. 

Like literally, in this series - Yaz of the Ictha tribe of the Ice. Book-2 The Girl and the Mountain, we followed Yaz and her rag-tag crew of 'rebellers' who set out to defy mother nature, in a quest to find the promised land, that "Green Land" a thin strip of green corridor in this world of Abeth, fast losing a long war against the ice. And the only thing that has kept this corridor alive is the Moon and the warmth from the same. Yaz is on a greater mission, to save the Moon from being struck down by the evil intentions of her enemies, and thus, keep the humanity from being wiped out. 

So in Book-3, The Girl and the Moon, we come to the final battle. After that literal cliff-hanger of an ending of the second book, we are reunited with Yaz, Mali, Quinna, Erris and Thurin - the bunch who had made it beyond the inhospitable terrains and the monsters that resided within, to get to this Monastery of Sweet Mercy, to meet up with the sisters and the Abbess who might be the only ones to support her mission. The pacing of Book-3 is much better than the second book, pitching us headlong into long-drawn dramatic conflicts between Yaz's friends and their cunning foes. And yet, I...just couldn't seem to get into this book. I frankly, was plodding along to get to the conclusion, clever and mind-bending as it was, my own reading was too far slow and so I might have missed one too many clues that Mark has peppered this book with. Linking the world from the Book of the Ancestor series with this world (Hint!)  But maybe the reasons are perhaps, just my own. 

The narrative is fraught with danger, there are multiple points where the twists and turns catch you unawares. At times, it felt I was riding the waves, each part/sub-plot a complete set-up that comes crashing down presenting Yaz with a newer hurdle to get past. Old enemies make their re-appearances, some unexpected allies turn up at the right times. Most of the scenes are set within the city inside the Green Corridor where Yaz has finally arrived. Mark wastes no time in setting up the conflicts right from get-go as Yaz and her friends face the wrath of Priest Eular, their old enemy from the Ice. Whom they realize has been playing games, with dual identities as a Priest of the Ancient Church as well. Eular enlists the aid of the Archon to condemn them to death, multiple times, through different ways. By drowning and then in another thrilling set-up, makes Yaz walk the "Blade Path" blindfolded and without the safety-net below! ( If you remember the story of Nona the Grey and her friends, this exercise of walking the Blade Path is one of the most difficult ones for the novices at the Monastery!) 

While the initial story focuses on how Yaz and Quina are trying to fit themselves into the Monastery, and learn the various arts that the novices are required to learn and discipline themselves in, we switch POVs from Yaz to also Thurin/Mali who are on a different mission to recover the parts of old Taproot himself from a different place within the city. But ultimately, all these stories merge as the root of all evil, Seus emerges to thwart Yaz and her friends in all their attempts to "unlock the ark" using the different stars Yaz has collected along her arduous journey. The last quarter of the book is relentless and gripping as Yaz struggles to get to her goals and of course, Mark sets things up pretty cleverly to bring us to a brilliant unexpected climax. 

Mark draws up his characters really well and this was another great journey, over three books where Yaz and her set of friends are a pleasure to be with. Yaz especially in this one, is the leader that I have always admired. Despite her youth, her inexperience, it is about how she evolves with all the hardships and learns to be a better leader for her die-hard set of friends. Speaking of which, Quina and her devotion to Yaz's cause is a joy in this book. Thurin, Erris and the others are still pretty nicely etched out.  

The Girl and the Moon marks the conclusion to yet another excellent series by Mark Lawrence, stringing together myths, science and fantasy into a compelling and clever story. If you haven't yet picked up this series, do yourself a favor and dive right in. There are some clever intrusions that Mark's set up, that interweaves his previous worlds/storylines with this one, so yes it makes sense to read the Book of the Ancestor series as well. Highly recommended, happy reading!