Of the Mortal Realm

Mancer #3

by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

The gripping conclusion to Amelia Atwater-Rhodes’s Mancer trilogy, Of the Mortal Realm finds the city of Kavet cast into the middle of the final showdown between the infernal Abyssi and the divine Numini. It is battle that could reshape the world . . . and a battle not all will survive.

Hansa, Umber, and Cadmia have managed to fight their way out of the Abyss and return to Kavet, bringing with them the long-imprisoned Terre Verte.

Prince Verte is determined to return Kavet to its former magical strength and restore the royal reign of the Terre family. He has the ability; his stay in the Abyss has left him abundantly powerful. But it has also left him dangerously unstable.

But when Naples, once the strongest Abyssumancer in Kavet—and former ally of Verte—also returns from the Abyss, Hansa and the others realize it is not Verte they need to be concerned with. For the Abyssi and the Numini are engaged in their own grand war, one that is pouring across the veils of the realms. And if the magic-users cannot come together to stop them, the fabric of the mortal world will be destroyed, taking all of them with it.

Genres: Fantasy

400 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 21, 2018

About the author

I grew up in Concord, Massachusetts, where I matriculated through the public Concord-Carlisle school district from kindergarten until my graduation in 2001. The best part of school, from fifth grade until the year I graduated, was definitely chorus. I love music, and I love to sing, and though I never had the courage or the talent to participate in any of the high school plays as a performer, I enjoyed being involved at other levels; the music and drama community at CCHS was the highlight of my high school career. I was also on the fencing team for two years, an experience that actually inspired a couple storylines, and regret that I did not continue with that sport.

I now live in Massachusetts with several pets... as well as, of course, my family. I am a student at the University of Massachusetts, with an English/psychology double-major. I hope to work either as an English teacher at the secondary level, or in special education. I have strong opinions about literacy, education, and how our educational systems are treated- strong enough that most of my friends know not to get me started on the subject.

My non-writing hobbies are eclectic, and cover everything from rather domestic pastimes like cross-stitch and cooking to aquarium keeping, playing piano, gardening, carpentry, Harley-Davidsons, driving, and arguing- there are few things I enjoy more than a good debate with someone who knows how to argue, which might have something to do with a best friend who works in politics. I love to learn, so if I have down-time and nothing to do, it is not at all unusual to find me pouring over some book, website or video designed to teach me some new skill, from belly dancing (something I desperately want to learn but have not yet been brave enough to sign up for classes on) to JavaScript.

Reviews

[Rowan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the conclusion to this series, the conclusion to a lot of the characters arcs.Similar to the previous book parts made me laugh and smile and others made my heart ache and eyes water, I'm very fond of these characters and it's sad to say good bye to them now. There's aspects of the world that I would personally love to see explored in other books but would highly recommend reading this series with the warning that it tackles some very major themes, in regards to consent, in regards to sexual assault and manipulation from higher powers.

[Alice]

(Trigger warning: childhood sexual assault, strongly implied rape)

This book frustrates me so much.

On one hand, I rarely enjoy adult fantasy, and this is one of the few I did like in terms of worldbuilding, magic, and characters (many of whom were queer).

On the other hand...there's just a lot of questionable aspects regarding consent issues, glossed-over sexual assault, and the idea of a "heartbond" described in a way that's severely acephobic, so...yeah. It's hard to celebrate the queer rep here with these kinds of issues.

[S. Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

No matter how sure I am that I can see the ending to an Atwater-Rhodes novel coming, I’m always, always wrong. Something surprises me (sometimes several things surprise me in a row), and then the whole course of the story, and sometimes the fate of an entire world, shifts into no-man’s land and I have no idea what I’m in for. That point is usually around 80% of the way through the story.

Of the Mortal Realm is no exception. The ending is a major surprise, and leaves room for future stories in this world. As a trilogy, though, I think this stands alone nicely.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book! Loved how she ended the series it was strangely gratifying.

[Kristina Uyeda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous! Many twists and turns, the ending definitely surprised me! 
The first book in the series will always be my favourite, but this was a satisfying ending. This was high fantasy at it's best, and expert world building and character development. Amelia Atwater-rhodes remains one of my favs.