Nancy Campbell Allen, The Lady in the Coppergate Tower

Hazel Hughes has dreamed of a girl who looks exactly like her for years. So when her long-lost uncle reveals that she has a twin sister in Romania — a sister who appears to be slowly going mad — Hazel isn’t unduly shocked. She agrees to accompany her uncle to Romania in hopes that her skills as a Healer will help her sister. Dr. Sam MacInnes, Hazel’s employer, decides to come along for protection; as the two slowly fall in love, they also realize Hazel’s uncle is hiding something and try to uncover his sinister secrets. I’m continuing to enjoy this series of steampunk fairy tales. This installment is a riff on Rapunzel, but it also contains some clever allusions to Dracula — for example, in this book Hazel and Sam consider and reject the possibility that her uncle could be a vampire. The romance itself is a bit bland, as no real obstacles stand in the couple’s way. While I did like the book overall, I’m pretty sure I won’t be keeping the series on my selves once I read the fourth and final installment.

Catherine Lloyd, Death Comes to Bath

In this installment of the Kurland St. Mary series, Robert’s injured leg is paining him more than usual, so he and Lucy head for Bath in hopes that the spa town’s mineral-rich waters will provide relief and healing. There Robert befriends Sir William Benson, who’s also “taking the waters” for his health, and the two families soon become acquainted. But when Sir William dies, apparently drowned in the baths, Robert suspects foul play. And between Sir William’s much younger wife, three disappointing sons, and two odious stepsons, there’s no shortage of possible murderers. This is another strong entry in the series, benefiting from a new location and a close focus on the small circle of suspects. I liked Robert and Lucy’s dynamic as well; though they still butt heads occasionally, they work together and recognize each other’s strengths. I’m happy that the series is still so entertaining six books in, and I’m looking forward to the next one.

Martha Wells, The Gate of Gods

Following the events of The Ships of Air, Tremaine and her allies are in the country of Capidara, Ile-Rien’s ally and the current seat of its government-in-exile. They’re hoping to use their hard-won knowledge of the etheric gates to liberate the Rienish sorcerers trapped inside the besieged city of Lodun. But their plans go awry when half the group — including Tremaine, Ilias, and Giliead — travels to an unexplored world using a new type of etheric gate and can’t get back again. This conclusion to the Fall of Ile-Rien trilogy is a fitting end to the series; it answers the big questions of who the Gardier are and what they want, and it sees Tremaine finally deciding what she wants from her life. That said, I did find the ending anticlimactic — some of the answers the book provides don’t feel terribly satisfying. I also wanted more development for the secondary characters such as Florian, Gerard, and Niles, who were a constant presence throughout the trilogy but never really got their own stories. Overall, I’m glad I finally read this series but won’t be keeping it on my shelves.