I was waiting for all three of the Creature Court trilogy to come out before I read them because I am a dreadful whinger about things that are to be continued ([a:Mira Grant|3153776|Mira Grant|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1282493757p2/3153776.jpg], I am looking at you, but in a very fond way). Finally all three were out and I could devour them. But I was depressed and down when I opened [b:Power and Majesty|8305689|Power and Majesty (Creature Court trilogy #1)|Tansy Rayner Roberts|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1274854501s/8305689.jpg|13154710], so I was afraid I wasn't going to enjoy the books as much as I might.

Boy, was I wrong.

Tansy has created an incredible world that is indeed filled with power and majesty in this trilogy. I couldn't read it fast enough. I was constantly going 'oh my gods' as the twists and turns popped up, and I loved how I as the reader was dumped into the middle of everything just as the lead characters were thrown unexpectedly into the reality of the night world that the daylight world rarely sees. Usually when I'm depressed I can't manage anything above the level of a Baby-sitter's Club book (I'm more likely to be lying in bed not reading at all), but these books were just so well realised that they pulled me up out of the darkness and helped me get through the black patch I was going through.

I especially liked Tansy's treatment of queer characters. For one thing, they existed! And it wasn't weird! It was so good to see characters ranging across the sexual spectrum, especially the inclusion of bisexual characters.

I'd recommend this trilogy to anyone who likes their fantasy darker than usual; there are more layers here than just the good guys and the bad guys, and it can be hard to tell who's on whose side. If you like strong, well fleshed out characters, you'll appreciate the hard work Tansy has put in. And if you like plots that are filled with more intrigue and twists than Labyrinth, then this is for you. ( )

Reign of Beasts, by Tansy Rayner Roberts, is the final instalment of the Creature Court trilogy.

The series is excellent and a testament to how fantastic a writer Roberts is.

However, it’s not the kind of series where you can pick up the third (or second) book without having read the first two.

I really felt this series improved with each book. Where the first two books were spent building the world and setting up all manner of conflicts, in the final instalment Roberts meticulously dismantles her world. It’s quite masterfully done and I will be surprised if Reign of Beasts doesn’t win any awards.

Throughout the series, Roberts sets up a variety of conflicts of all magnitudes. In the first book the challenge for Velody seems to be overcoming prejudice, expectations and the established group dynamics to become the first female Power and Majesty. While this bleeds into the second and third books, priorities shift and by the end of Reign of Beasts we learn who the true enemy really is. (No spoilers, but it takes a lot of twists and turns to get there.)

Roberts has populated her world with a variety of strong, wilful, petty, manipulative, animalistic, brutal, loyal characters who all elicit our sympathy at some point and our distaste at others. They are all far from perfect, yet none are quite pure evil. (Incidentally, of the three original girls, Rhian was my least favourite in Reign of Beasts and Delphine, unexpectedly, my favourite.)

A review of Reign of Beasts would be incomplete without some comment on the structure of the novel. There are two simultaneous time lines running through the book, the main one in the “present” immediately following on from The Shattered City, and the other recounting events from the Creature Court’s (pre start of main events) past. All the threads were expertly woven together to enhance the present story and convey interesting (as well as relevant) backstory.

The Creature Court trilogy is definitely worth a read for all fans of fantasy. It’s dark and brutal and pretty dresses are relevant to the plot.

5 / 5 stars ( )