City of Miracles

Written by Robert Jackson Bennett

Narrated by Alma Cuervo

"Where your shadow falls there shall be night everlasting. And all shall dwell within the night, and the night shall swallow all." Sigrud je Harkvaldsson has nothing left to live for. He is a fugitive and an exile, wanted for murder throughout the empire of Saypur. His entire existence has seemed only to visit suffering and death upon those he wants most to protect-while he himself has emerged from each battle cruelly unscathed, inexplicably immune to forces both natural and divine. Then his closest friend and ally, former Prime Minister Shara Komayd, is assassinated. Suddenly, Sigrud's life has a purpose: to find Shara's killers and make them suffer for what they've done. And Sigrud has much experience in matters of suffering. Yet as he pursues his quarry with his customary terrifying efficiency, Sigrud learns that far more than revenge is at stake. Because Shara's assassin is no mere mortal, and her murder was just the beginning. Using death after death to fuel his powers, the killer plans to bring down a night of eternal darkness, and rule within it. Only Sigrud-and the strange curse that has destroyed his life-can stop him.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: May 2, 2017
• ISBN: 9781490657837

Robert Jackson Bennett

Robert Jackson Bennett is the author of Foundryside and the Divine Cities trilogy, which was a 2018 Hugo Awards finalist in the Best Series category. The first book in the series, City of Stairs, was also a finalist for the World Fantasy and Locus Awards, and the second, City of Blades, was a finalist for the World Fantasy, Locus, and British Fantasy Awards. His previous novels, which include American Elsewhere and Mr. Shivers, have received the Edgar Award, the Shirley Jackson Award, and the Philip K. Dick Citation of Excellence. He lives in Austin with his family.

Reviews for City of Miracles

[Joshua Regard · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Narrated incredibly well. An excellent end to a good trilogy.

[Stromboli · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Solid story, Alma Cuervo did a good job narrating, but man oh man the mixing and editing of the narration was God awful. Horribly jarring cuts and inserts that sounded very different from the rest of the sentence, were very common.

[macha_4 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

last book in the Divine Cities series. to me, it's not as well written as the previous book, or as exciting. and it was weird to find a series finale that was so nostalgic about itself, heading back over and over again to where it started, like it was self-aware. nevertheless i love the series, and i have to confess i cared so much about the characters that many tears were shed at the conclusion. which is so not like me at all.

[bookslesstravelled · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

*I received a copy from Blogging for Books for my honest, unbiased review*

A refreshing urban fantasy/alternate history that is well written and entertaining! Intriguing characters, beautiful world-building, and fast paced action, knitted together by strong writing! I only with that I hadn't started at the end, but I guess I'll have to read this again when I get to it, because it's one of those that I won't get over anytime soon! I really enjoyed this conclusion, and can't wait to read the other two books in this trilogy! The cover is interesting, and the blurb is what drew me in. The story lived up to my expectations, and often surpassed them!

[gridcube-504137 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book was Amazing. Not because it was perfect, it wasn't, many plot points where obvious from the first chapters and some of the mysteries where easily solvable if you paid attention, which sort of made you upset at characters not realizing earlier how some things worked, but still, was amazing, because it ended a series in a way that was emotional, rewarding, fulfilling, and yes, unexpected!

I regard this one of the best closing trilogy books I've ever read, on par with Lord of the Rings and His Dark Materials, surely not the same but you still have closure, you still see some friends go, some friends stay and a world that is somewhat the same but not any more.

[crtsjffrsn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Sigrud je Harkvaldsson has been waiting to be called up by his old friend, former Prime Minister Shara Komayd, thinking it possible the day may never come. But when Shara is assassinated, Sigrud knows he must act, that he must avenge his friend. It quickly becomes clear, however, that Shara was more active than anyone expected in retirement and she fully intended for Sigrud to pick up her war exactly where she left off. And when it comes to anything mysterious going on in Bulikov, you can almost guarantee there's some connection to the Divinities. And even though they've all supposedly been defeated, they always seem to keep coming back. But to win Shara's war and, as it seems, to survive, Sigrud will need to find a way to put an end to what amounts to an ancient curse that tests the limits of even his own understanding.

This is an action-packed final installment in what I personally consider to be an epic fantasy trilogy. It is interesting to read a Sigrud-driven story, considering his involvement in the previous two books. And there are elements here that tie back to the very beginning, where the motivations for the events that triggered the start of the first book are explained. And the explanation and Sigrud's journey take readers down some unexpected paths. An excellent read, and a fitting close to this series...

[Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher via the Blogging for Books program.]

[shrike58 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

My question with this third novel is how could Robert Bennett up the stakes in play, as compared to the climax of the middle book of the series, particularly since we enter into the book knowing from the start that Sigurd Harkvaldsson is going to be avenging the death of Shara Komayd and confronting a young god; where is the surprise there? Well, there are many surprises in this book as Bennett exposes the hidden machinery of this universe and provides a very satisfying conclusion to this epic.

[wyvernfriend · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Shara Komayd has been assassinated. When Sigrud finds out he's living in a logging camp under the name of Bjorn, waiting for her to tell him to come back because she has something for him to do. Only she never contacted him and he feels an urge to find out who killed her and why. This gets him caught up in a complicated plan by some children of the gods to get power. However one of the ones who looks like he's winning may not leave any other survivors, including humanity.I loved Sigrud, his life was interesting and how he came to realise some home truths was fascinating.A satisfying conclusion to the series.

[quondame · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An interesting exploration of what happens when you raise a special kid right.Lots of action, fast pace, many miracles, as we follow Sigurd following the assignation of Shara as he destroys his way though a rather lot of architecture and nearby people. And meet some rather interesting divine offspring.

[andrlik · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Everything I was hoping for in the conclusion to this series. Robert Jackson Bennett has created a masterwork.

[veeshee-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

At last! The final novel in this amazing trilogy! What I love about this series is that each novel takes place a few years after the previous one, and it focuses on a different character each time; this means that you can manage to read it as a standalone if you are strapped for time - though I would recommend reading the entire series in order to really understand everything. In the first book, the protagonist was Shara Komayd. In the second, it was Mulagesh. And now, we hear from Sigrud, who was always one of my favorites.

It was definitely a good thing that I read the previous books in the series because the magnanimity of the truths revealed in this novel was just ... WOW. And you really can't understand how amazing these are unless you read the previous novels. So while I'm sure you can enjoy and understand what is happening in this novel without reading anything else in the series, I would strongly advise against that; take the time and read the first 2 books before getting into this one, so that you can truly fall in love with this serie like I have!

Sigrud.... I love him. This book did him such justice. His personality is just so .... amazing and one cannot help but appreciate him for his kindness, his loyalty, and his ruthlessness. He comes off as simple but the more you read, the more you see his complexity. The author definitely did an amazing job when creating Sigrud! I also loved all of the other characters that were a part of this story; each one was unique and had so much depth that you felt like you truly knew them!

The story and world-building in this novel are incredible but I expected nothing less from the author of this series. I wasn't expecting all of the mysteries to be revealed in the way it did, which was a really awesome surprise. I really can't complain at all about anything in terms of the story, characters, or world-building.

This was a stunning conclusion to an epic series and I strongly urge anyone looking for an awesome fantasy series to read this series. You will not be disappointed!

I received this novel from Blogging for Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[justifiedsinner_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The final book in what is one of the best fantasy trilogies to appear in many years. Bennet's unique world building runs through the entire series. We have had Ruritanian before, we've had steampunk before but now it's overlaid with an inexplicable pantheon of highly idiosyncratic and destructive gods. Each book centers on a main character in the trilogy: Shara, Turyin and in this final book Sigrud. This final book is perhaps the most emotionally complex and delves deep into the foundations of how this world came to be, A fitting end to an outstanding trilogy.

[jmgold_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

An astonishingly assured and fitting end to a brilliant trilogy.

[gendeg-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Arguably the best part of Robert Jackson Bennett’s final book in his Divine Cities trilogy is Sigrud. Sigrud, the compellingly deadpan minor character who has stolen scenes from the leads since book 1 and might have been less complex than Shara and Turyin Mulaghesh, redeems himself in book 3. Bennett creates more nuance and complexity for our silent warrior-assassin and gives him center-stage.In City of Miracles, Sigrud becomes the epitome of Bennett’s worldbuilding skills. Bennett has created one of the best universes in the fantasy genre, accessible to even non-fans of the genre. The world of Bulikov is well-developed but at the same time it’s also in flux, playing with mythology and magic as well as technology and engineering; a world where gods and the trappings of modern life can co-exist so seamlessly. What we finally get with City of Miracles is more than Bennett’s worldbuilding skills, which we’ve already seen in the earlier two books. What we get now is a deeper sense of the cycles of life and death, rebirth and destruction playing out now over the years. As a weary witness to all this, Sigrud emerges as a kind of everyman hero. He’s filled with experience, a sense of history, and regret. He has been a party to violence and ultimately realizes the terrible mistakes he’s made. This gives Sigrud a wisdom and pathos that makes his last mission in this book a bittersweet one.

[gretchening · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I had reservations about one aspect of the first book, but I loved the characters, writing, plot, philosophy, mystery, worldbuilding, batshit weirdness and grumpy normal people trying to make sense of the divine so much that I've eagerly eaten up both subsequent books in this trilogy. This was undoubtedly my favorite of what is a very strong series overall. The story focuses on a character who has become my favorite gruff warrior in literature, and gives a weight of meditation on grief, power, sorrow, legacy, political ramification, and parenthood that leaves me breathless. I cried at the end and this is a fitting wrap-up to a truly excellent series. Bravo, Mr. Bennett.

[ronincats · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I received an Advance Review Copy of this book through the LT Early Reviewer Program.This is the third and last book of the Divine Cities series by Bennett. This series contains one of the two most original milieus in modern fantasy, IMHO, with the other being Max Gladstone's Craft Sequence. The world-building is superb, detailed and different. The fantasy plot elements are reminiscent to both Gladstone and N. K. Jemisin, another outstanding and original fantasy author, in that Divinity is interacting with the mundane world and drives several important elements of the plot. This final book is told from Sigrud's POV, although we do get to see key figures from previous books, and drives to a final climax that illuminates many things from previous books. A worthy finale to an excellent series.

[twolfe360 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I felt lucky to have been chosen to review City of Miracles by Robert Jackson Bennett. A few years back I was chosen to review City of Stairs which I liked enough to give a copy as a secret Santa this last Christmas. it is a little strange reading the third book without reading the second. Still it is easy enough to put the pieces together to follow the story. This book focuses on Sigurd who was introduced in the first book as Shara's partner/henchman. As pointed out by others this was a slower read than the first book mainly for me because I found Shara to be a more dynamic character and some of the plot was more predictable. Still I enjoyed the book immensely, love the world Bennet created. To me it echoes the Balkans or old Germany much the way old Universal Frankenstein movies did. I mention them because time seems equally fluid as in those movies. And that may be another reason this book doesn't grab me as much as City of Stairs. The world isn't as one of the characters as much as it was in the first book. Having been established it seems Bennett spends less time telling us about the other cities. Still I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend the series even though I now have to hunt down the second book.

[bragan_8 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is the third book in the trilogy that started with City of Stairs and City of Blades, set in a fantasy world of dead gods who are not, it turns out, quite as dead as they were believed to be.I like this series a lot. The world-building is good, especially the depiction of the various divinities and their miracles, which have just exactly the right feeling of unknowable strangeness to them. The characters are great, too, and the plots are great. And there are some nice, meaty themes. I think perhaps I liked the first one best. At least, it's certainly the one whose story grabbed me the strongest and kept me turning pages the fastest. This one -- which, like the previous volume, jumps many years forward in time and puts us (mostly) into the POV of a different main character -- didn't have nearly that same read-past-your-bedtime effect on me, but it's still pretty great, and it ends the series in an interesting, unexpected, and generally pretty satisfying way.

[beckahrah · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I love this series! It's so unique! This book follows Sigrud as he investigates the murder of his former employer/friend Shara. The previous books always lead us to believe that now, finally, all the old gods and all their creations/miracles have finally been wiped out...only to find that yet again, that's not true. Now the remnants of the old, dead gods are trying to become gods in their own right. Great addition to the series!

[craso_3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is the third and best novel in The Divine Cities series. It is a quick paced adventure with Sigrud je Harkvaldson, a character from the first two books. I grew to care for Sigrud, a burly Viking like character who wasn't very smart, but was very resourceful, as he fought and survived injuries no one else would have survived and always saved the day.Sigurd goes on a heroes journey. He starts in a forest working as a lumber jack paying penance for the killings he committed after the death of his daughter. When he hears that his mentor and friend Shara Komayd has been assassinated he searches for her killers and for her adopted daughter who he vows to protect. Along the way, he discovers that the divinities had children, with the consequences being one angry young divinity that is out to destroy the world.

[kgodey_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed the first two Divine Cities books so I was looking forward to see how City of Miracles wrapped up the story.This series changes protagonists in every installment, and this one is narrated by ex-spy and ex-royalty Sigrud je Harkvaldsson, who was a secondary character in both the previous books. After the events of City of Blades, Sigrud has been working menial jobs and trying to stay hidden, waiting for Shara to find him somehow and give him a new assignment. When Shara is suddenly assassinated, he gains a purpose at last – finding Shara’s killer – but following that trail tumbles him into a covert war against a angry young god.Just like the earlier two books, this one tells a self-contained story. It also wraps up the overarching plot arc of the six original Divinities in a satisfying manner. I wasn’t even sure what the overarching plot arc was, since the books seem designed to be standalones, but it was obvious by the end of the book and a lot of things from earlier made sense in retrospect.I didn’t find Sigrud to be a particularly compelling character in the last two books so I was dreading his point of view a little bit. I should have trusted the author, though, because Sigrud from the inside is quite different from observing him through other characters’ eyes. We get to see what goes through his head when other characters only see him being silent and emotionless, and he’s much more sympathetic than I originally gave him credit for. I was similarly skeptical about the idea of Shara being dead (especially offscreen!), but the author handled that very well, too.One of the things I love most about these books is the world – the Divinities and the way they manifest are unique and weird and wonderful. City of Miracles expands our understanding of the world and the mechanics of how the divine powers work even more, which was great. And the setting itself is interesting – a post-colonial era where everything has recently industrialized, and new engineering projects are far more likely to be brought up than magic, even though magic is more obviously present.I feel like my enjoyment of these books kind of snuck up on me, but now I think of the series as one of the most innovative and original fantasy I’ve read. If you haven’t read this series already, I recommend starting with City of Stairs for the full impact.

[euryale-2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

City of Miracles is the closing volume in Bennett's Divine Cities trilogy, this time focusing on Dreyling prince turned criminal and spy Sigrud je Harkvaldsson. Following events at the end City of Blades, Sigrud has spent years living in exile, drifting through odd jobs and waiting for his friend Shara Komayd to bring him back into the espionage fold. But instead, news reaches him that Shara has been assassinated, and Sigrud takes up a quest both to avenge her death and to protect her adopted daughter Tatyana from mysterious enemies. It turns out that Shara was not quite retired from her research in (and conflict with) Divine influences.As with the previous two books, the world building remains a major strength, although this book isn't limited to a single city as a setting. The nature of the Divine beings and their miracles is expanded, and the climax is just as bombastic as in the first two installments. I think this was my least favorite of the trilogy, if only because I found Shara and Turyin Mulaghesh to be more compelling protagonists than Sigrud, who is a bit one-note. (Both play small roles in this book; posthumously, in Shara's case, though of course she didn't go down without setting backup plans into motion.) That said, it is nice to get a more nuanced look at Sigrud's character: He's in no way stupid, and his single-minded, brutal killer shtick becomes important to the story as he develops beyond it. In fact, several common revenge story tropes get twisted or undercut to good effect here. Still, this story didn't feel like it flowed as naturally from the second book as that one did from the first. Overall, though, this was an enjoyable finish to a great fantasy series.

[lizzied_11 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

City of Miracles is easily my favorite of Robert Jackson Bennett's Divine Cities trilogy, and that's saying a lot. At the center of the action is Sigrud je Harkvaldsson, once the operative of the woman who became Prime Minister after the last of the gods but one were killed. However, the gods' children are still active, and while they do not have their parents' power, they are able to influence society for good or ill.What a bland attempt to describe a vital book! Sigrud is a man without hope, who continues to fight with purpose. His skill as a fighter makes for one of the most suspenseful action sequences I've ever read. The plotting is complex and satisfying. The characters have depth. The ending is a real ending. My only quibble, and it bothered me enough to mention it, is Bennett's choice of "they/their/them' as a singular pronoun (one person appears and then they do something). It's trendy, but I've never read anybody else who made such a point of it. I'm old. I don't like it. I do like this book though, and I thank Early Reviewers for my opportunity to read it now.

[liveshipvivacia · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

No, that's okay. I didn't need my heart. You can just trample on it. *still crying*Oh god, this was a masterful book. It tied together the series beautifully, even if my favorite characters are gone. I didn't need my heart, really. Here, you can have it. He writes so well and everything fits together so neatly. And argh...I didn't want the book to end and now the series is over. And I'm still crying.

[lostinalibrary · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Shara Komayd has been assassinated and, although it has been thirteen years since he last saw her, Sigrud de Harvaldson vows to hunt her killer down and exact revenge. But he soon discovers that since he left Shara, she was involved in actions and events that he couldn’t possibly have guessed or anticipated and he now finds himself way over his head – he had thought his biggest problem would be finding the villain but that, it turns out, is only the beginning of his story. City of Miracles by author Robert Jackson Bennett is the third and final installment in The Divine Cities series and oh what an ending it is. Bennett expands on the world he first created in City if Stairs and added to in City of Blades, a huge and complex world in which he seamlessly blends the modern and the mundane with the fantastical, full of gods and demi-gods, amazing cities and architecture, and fully-realized and mostly sympathetic characters who made it easy to care about their fates. This final book is action-packed and engrossing and kept me glued to the page from beginning to end. It answers many of the questions raised in the first two books about the gods and their children and who Sigrud really is. This is, yes, a story full of violence, loss, and heartbreak but there is also quiet moments, redemption, and even a little humour.Although City of Miracles could be read as a standalone, much of the story is tied to events from the previous books and the story wouldn’t have the same impact. Besides, this a great series, each book expanding on the world and its inhabitants, and it would be a shame to miss it all. That aside though, this is a very satisfying end to the series and I can’t recommend it highly enough for fans of really really well-written and engrossing fantasy. Thanks to Netgalley and Crown Publishing for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review

[pwaites_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Divine Cities series has been one of the most well written fantasy series I’ve ever read. Yet I have mixed emotions about this final book in the trilogy. You can read either the City of Stairs or City of Blades independently, but I think you need to have read both of them before going into City of Miracles.City of Miracles opens with the assassination of Shara Komayd, hero of the battle of Bulikov and former prime minister. Sigrud has spent the last thirteen years waiting for Shara to summon him out of exile and give him a purpose again. When he hears of her death, he decides his purpose must be to avenge her. But he soon finds that Shara wasn’t taking it easy in her retirement – she was deeply involved in a battle of shadowy forces, and Sigrud has charged head first into a situation where he has no idea what is going on.I wasn’t thrilled when I read the blurb for City of Miracles. For one, I really liked Shara and didn’t want her to be dead. For another, it looked like City of Miracles was using a gendered story trope I hated. A woman is fridged so that a man is given a vengeance plot, usually with the implication that he was the one wronged. I hate this story so much. Thankfully, that isn’t exactly what City of Miracles is doing.“Are you her self-anointed avenging angel? How very masculine of you.”City of Miracles subverts this story type in a number of ways. I won’t get into the largest of them because of spoilers, but I can talk about a few of the smaller subversions. First of all in the standard story line, the dead woman is always a wife, girlfriend, lover or sometimes mother, sister, or daughter. Possibly because these are the only significant roles women are allowed to have in men’s life – such stories rarely acknowledge that men and women can be significant to each other in other ways, especially as friends. But the relationship between Sigrud and Shara was always platonic, and it was not seen as less important because of that.Secondly, Shara is more important to City of Miracles than just a death to kick start the plot. The story is defined by her actions. She was always the mastermind, the one with the plan. And City of Miracles is fueled by the plans she put in place.Also, Shara is not the only significant female character in City of Miracles. Aside from Sigrud himself, the main villain, and the assassin, all other significant characters are women. All of Sigrud’s main allies are female! In particular, Taty, Shara’s daughter, plays a pivotal role. Mulaghesh also makes a brief reappearance, which is great because she’s one of my favorites.“You want her here even more than I do, maybe,” says Taty. “To tell you what to do again. To figure it all out. That’s why you waited on her for thirteen years, isn’t it? So she could tell you want to do next, how to make things go back to normal. To help you get home.”As always with this series, the world building was great. Bennett embeds his settings with such vitality that they practically leap off of the page. I loved seeing how this world has changed in the twenty years since the first book. This series does not fall into the trap of having its fantasy world remain stagnant.City of Miracles will also please those who like some action in their fantasy fiction. The story’s practically cinematic, with a fast pace and some great action scenes. In particular, I adored that scene with the tram car. If you read the book, you’ll know what I’m talking about.This series in general has just been so well written. Bennett has such beautiful, immersive prose. There are a few quirks that annoy me – for instance, he uses some of the same, pretty uncommon words with noticeable frequency. Specifically, I kept noticing “queer” to mean “strange” showing up again and again. I remember this from City of Blades as well.At this point you’re probably wondering why I only gave this book three and a half stars. I was wary due to the initial premise, but this book would easily have been awarded four stars if it wasn’t for a certain story choice that really upset me. When I read City of Stairs, I was bothered by the the treatment of the only gay character. While there were numerous troubling things about his portrayal, it was definitely a queer tragedy. In City of Blades, Bennett avoided including queer characters altogether. I was assuming the same would be true for City of Miracles. I was wrong. One of the prominent female characters is given a girlfriend. And they don’t both make it out alive.I was in the climax of the book, near the end, but I had to step away from it for a while. I’m not sure how exactly to describe my emotions, but a large part of it is anger. Writing this, I’m angry all over again and trying to resist the urge to use a whole lot of profanities in my review. I am just so effing done with Bury Your Gays. I am so pissed that this series can’t conceive of happy endings for queer people. And now I’ve been burned twice by this book series. If Bennett ever chooses to write more in this world, I honestly don’t know if I’ll choose to read it. I have loved this series, but it clearly doesn’t give a fig about people like me.So yeah. Mixed emotions may be an understatement. Read at your own risk.Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.I recieved an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for a free and honest review.

[strider66_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Pros: emotional punch, multi-layered plot, great charactersCons: It’s been thirteen years since Sigrud last saw Shara Komayd, but the news of her assassination still hits him hard. When he goes looking for those who killed her, he stumbles into a series of plots started years past. He also has to locate and protect her adopted daughter, Tatyana, from Shara’s enemies.This is the third book in the Divine Cities trilogy. While it was possible to read book two of this series as a standalone, the personal connections and plot twists of book three require having read at least the first book, though I’d recommend reading both before starting this one. Knowing the close connection between Sigrud and Shara is what propels the first half of this book, with Mulaghesh making an appearance and Signe’s name showing up several times. But it’s Shara’s presence that infuses the story, and Sigrud’s regrets regarding his treatment of the women in his life that completes it.In many ways this book takes the plot of City of Stairs and brings it full circle, explaining some of the mysteries that book left open as well as some of the mysteries surrounding Sigrud himself. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about Sigrud as the main point of view character considering how straightforward he is. But he’s quite fascinating once you get into his mind. And while he isn’t the planner that Shara was, he’s quite intelligent and figures things out pretty fast.It would have been nice to get to know Tatyana better, but I loved Ivanya. It’s strange seeing the future of a fantasy world, and seeing how people affected by the great events in one book pick up the pieces of their lives - or transform themselves completely - because of them. Ivanya is cool under pressure, having prepared for years for what’s coming. The plot has several layers to it, some of them get pulled back quickly, while others take a while to be revealed. This is a brilliant end to a brilliant series, and I’m not ashamed to say that it had me in tears several times.

[anneb10 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

City of Miracles starts strong and never weakens. Taking place more than a decade after the events of City of Blades, the reader gets to see the consequences of the choices made in the previous book and how they've effected the world. New conspiracies are afoot and it's up to Sigrud to save the day - a bit of a handful for him this time around.Fantastic end to the trilogy - if you enjoyed the first two books, you have to read this. It's fantastic.Disclaimer: Review copy received through LibraryThing's Early Reviewer's program.

[katybee_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

"City of Miracles" is the third book in The Divine Cities series by Robert Jackson Bennett and I think it's the best of the trilogy. What a vast universe Bennett has created and how well the main characters are developed over the course of books. This fictional world is populated by divine and semi-divine beings, strong females, frighteningly evil creatures, and all manner of heroes. There are beautifully described urban settings, fantastical imaginative architecture, sea adventures, and lovely quiet moments with cups of tea. The first book of the trilogy focused on world-building and a wily female spy named Shara Komayd and her strongman sidekick Sigrud. The second book was more militaristic and focused on Turyin Mulaghesh, a strong female general/governor and all around bad-ass. City of Miracles is centered around Sigrud's story - and there's more to this huge, strong man than meets the eye. I feel that much is gained by reading all of books in order, especially to understand the author's messages about the inevitability of time, the real dangers of ultimate power, the foolishness of bureaucracies and politics, and the strength of true hearts in the face of impossible odds.

[meandmybooks-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Whew! The final installment in Bennett's “Divine Cities” really is an action-packed thriller, and the best of a very fine series. We mostly see things from Sigrud's perspective, and, since he's always been the best character and has now become sympathetic almost to the point of cuddliness, this is a very fine thing. While the “hidden” identity of Shara's daughter, when finally revealed, was as expected, the actual resolution of the problem with this world's too-powerful gods, really did surprise me and delight me!My minor quibbles would be that the Big final conflict, after so many edge-of-one's seat, “Jason Bourne battles the villain on the roof of the skyscraper” conflicts, drags. And the centrality of self-absorbed, angsty teenagers gets a wee bit tiresome, though perhaps this will only be an issue for readers who already have their own moody teens to delight them. Finally, I can't be the only one who finds Shara so cool and analytical that her possible demise doesn't trouble me a bit. Not that there's any shortage of danger and loss here, what with the Fate of Mankind hanging in the balance and all, but the strands of the story that pertain to Shara's fate hang rather loose for me. Nitpicking aside, “City of Miracles” is a high speed adventure in a persuasively realized world. Building on what he established in the earlier two books, Bennett carries us from end to end of his creation, and even out among the stars. We revisit Bulikov, where we first met Shara and Sigrud, and get to spend a little more time with the wonderful Mulaghesh, the protagonist of “City of Blades,” and to better know Ivanya Restroyka, a minor character from “City of Stairs.” The book's ending, particularly, is beautifully done and far more satisfactory than I ever would have expected. A fine ending to a fine series.I received this book, an “uncorrected proof” copy, from LibraryThing through their Early Reviewers program with the understanding that the content of my review would not affect my likelihood of receiving books through the program in the future. Many thanks to Broadway Books, Robert Jackson Bennett, and LibraryThing!