As the third (and possibly last?) book in the series, it is a rollicking ride to a meaningful, action-packed finale. Loose ends are tied, old characters and conflicts are resolved (for now) and a tenuous peace is restored... at great cost.
Green is the name of the main character, who was sold by her father at a very young age to serve a mysterious and powerful Duke across the sea in a city called Copper Downs. She subsequently uses her skills, wit, luck and uncanny connection with deities to forever upend the established order of things in Copper Downs. (Book 1, "Green") However, forces from the hot southern city of Kalimpura, the mysterious Saffron Tower, and beyond follow her to Copper Downs to continue to try to gain power and control. (Book 2, "Endurance") In "Kalimpura" Green returns to Kalimpura to make amends for her actions, save captured hostages, and avoid detection from crazed bureaucrats and misogynistic priests... all while taking care of her newborn twins!
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| Previous books in the Green series |
With plenty of back story to digest and a vivid world to explore Green is a fantastic adventure where the conflicts are never quite black and white. Her coming-of-age tale rejects dusty old tropes and stereotypical romances, yet maintains a high level of emotional tension. Green is a flawed character, but her flaws strengthen her just as much as they undermine her efforts, making for quite the journey. I picked up the first book thanks to its gorgeous cover art, and I'm glad I stuck with the series.
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| Art for the German cover of "Green", found here. |
This is a series that is very close to my heart, and I look forward to collecting the hardcover editions myself someday. Besides the three books, there are several short novellas floating around the internet and the author's blog. However, I fear that this may be the last full Green book I may read. The author has been diagnosed with a spreading and very bad form of cancer and is currently undergoing experimental treatment at the NIH. This even seemed apparent in the book, despite it being published about a year ago. There were several threads in the book that point to a sequel, but... the final chapter pretty much quashed those thoughts. Too bad.
Green was sold into slavery at a young age to eventually become a consort for a rich Duke, a fact that continuously defines, hurts and helps her. In her honor, I am making this week's donation to the Polaris Project, an organization committed to halting human trafficking in the US and around the world. The organization is named after the star that guided American slaves to freedom along the Underground Railroad. The Polaris Project operates a Human Trafficking hotline, pushes for stronger state and federal laws, and provides training and services to victims.
Their website also has resources and information about the situation in every US state. For example, Illinois has had 685 total tip and crisis calls since 2007, which is (fortunately? unfortunately?) on the high end. However, it's nothing like California (2,556!). But I would imagine that Chicago, being a transportation hub, is where many of the problems and solutions start. Please visit here to donate!
2014 TOTALS:
Pages read: 1,084
Dollars donated: 30.00
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