This review covers the 3 novels of the Dominion of the Fallen series, plus the short stories:

Of Books, and Earth, and Courtship
In Morningstar's Shadow
Court of Birth, Court of Strength
Children of Thorns, Children of Water

The series is set in an alternate universe where the fallen angels have fallen to Earth not to Hell - although it could be construed that by landing on Earth, Earth is now Hell. It certainly seems that way to the mortal inhabitants. All the novels and short stories are set in Paris which is ruled by various Fallen Houses; we see House Silverspires ruled initially by Morningstar then Selene, House Hawthorn ruled by Asmoedeus, House Harrier ruled by Guy and his consort Andrea, and various minor houses. Additionally, unbeknownst to the houses initially, there is a dragon kingdom beneath the Seine, and various gangs and Houseless areas, plus other Immortals.

The thread throughout the series is the appalling suffering inflicted by the Fallen on humanity; not necessarily through sadism and direct action, but most frequently the wars between the Fallen affect humanity as fallout - humans can't stand up to the Fallen directly, and Fallen magic has turned Paris (and the world) into a toxic wasteland, scarred by the fighting and poisoned by magic. So in a way, the series is also about surviving the unthinkable and what choices have to be made to ensure survival - if possible.

The Fallen themselves are depicted as human monsters: rarely do they show empathy to their human subjects, seeing them more as resources to be used. This conflicts with their overriding desire to return to the Heavenly City where they once dwelt. If they have been cast out to seek redemption, they are thus doomed to fail.

Humans do their best to survive in a ruined and toxic world; if they are lucky (in some respects) they become part of a House, serving the Fallen. Unhoused humans often end up in the gangs hunting the newly Fallen to murder them and strip their corpses to sell as alchemical ingredients. Alternatively, they become part of a human enclave like the Annamite (Vietnamese) enclave which also includes Maghrebi and Senegalese. The French colonies were used for troops in the Great War and the few survivors remained in Paris. This why there is an isolationist dragon kingdom in the Seine along with some Immortals living in Paris.

Overall, the series is about colonialism: the Fallen are in effect colonisers with little or no desire to understand the colonised. The colonised variously survive, cooperate with, ignore or strike back at the colonisers. Love does bloom in the stories; rarely though does it redeem.

So, what did I think of the books and stories? Well written, thought-provoking and something to read slowly not devour. The slow reading is partly because of the large cast and partly because of the non-Western background of many characters. What may help is a character list noting House affiliation for the Fallen and humans, titles, honourifics and nicknames for the Annanmese and dragon kingdom characters, and a map of Paris showing the House territories.

Recommended, but take your time over reading them.

Thuan is my favorite character ( )

an exciting ending to the Dominion of the Fallen trilogy (?) about fallen angels and their houses, set in the ruins of Paris. this series features a variety of very different kinds of magic from the usual fare, and is also notable for highlighting an interesting range of ethics the various characters employ during an apocalyptic crisis. ( )

Finally, my trilogy binge has come to an end and it’s always such fun to read all books at once, taking it all in. And this was such an immersive experience.

The author took this book in a much different direction than I was expecting. It starts off literally with a bang and just continues on with more, the stakes feeling higher and higher and even hopeless at times. It was interesting to see how the narrative changes when a big bad affects both the magical beings and mortals equally, and how each of them will react.

I think what I liked most about this one was how the author managed to bring all the important themes from the series to a head in this finale. This trilogy has always been about unbridled power and how those who exert it use it in oppressive ways, and this book finally shows us the devastating consequences of what happens when power goes unchecked. But it also shows the opposite side - what happens when the always powerless get some power of their own suddenly - will they use it to safeguard themselves or will power corrupt them as well. The other major theme that cuts very emotionally is that of colonial plunder - how the colonizers use their might to destroy colonies, abuse their resources and then use those people to fight their own wars - separating a whole group of people from their homeland and culture for generations to come, leading to never ending trauma. The author doesn’t give us many answers because they aren’t any, but we do get to see that sometimes, everyone has to cooperate or work together to stave off worst situations.

We get to know Emmanuelle in a very deep way in this book, seeing the kind of Fallen she is outside of her relationship with Selene. Aurore is a new character who only wants her family’s safety and will do anything to gain the power that will help her. I was very sympathetic to her plight but was also scared of the path she was taking, though the author did end up doing her character justice. Philippe is probably the one who has the most elaborate character arc, where he ends up realizing that not everything that has happened to him has been due to his helplessness, but that he has also made choices that have led to his current state. It was also interesting to see him falter in his dynamic with Isabelle, before realizing that he was treating her like he exerted control over her.

And of course my favorite parts were of Thuan and Asmodeus - how they both are a perfect foil to each other’s natures, trying to be better when the other falters. It was both fascinating and exhausting to see Thuan navigate the politics of House Hawthorn where he was stalled in all his attempts for reform because the old guard liked being fearful of their leader, rather than having another who wanted to be kind. But it was so enjoyable to see Thuan and Asmodeus actually be on the same page when it came to matters of the House, even though Asmodeus would never agree that he was being kind. I’ve already read the spin-off novella featuring both of them, but I feel like reading it again because I’ve completely fallen in love with this couple.

In the end, this was a very dark and immersive urban fantasy trilogy that explores the power dynamics between people with different levels of powers, and the mortals; and also the devastating effects of colonialism. It’s full of great characters who are amazing to follow along, twisty political intrigue and diplomacy, and some very unforgettable world building. The fact that it’s full of queer relationships gave me joy and I wish we get more fantasy novels with queernormative worlds. ( )

A worthy climax to a staggeringly good trilogy. Come for the discourse on how power corrupts by amplifying your flaws and the examination of healthy boundaries in friendships, stay for the conflicted romance between the murder angel and the do-gooding dragon. Expect de Bodard to blow up everything she has built (yes, all of it. And more).

No dragon kingdom this time around, but plenty of dragons (including dragon riding, dragon kissing and baby dragons, my life is complete).

Full review ( )