Teenreads.com -- THE GLASS WORD: The Dark Reflections Trilogy, Book Three by Kai Meyer

Books by
Kai Meyer

THE GLASS WORD:
Dark Reflections, Book Three

THE STONE LIGHT:
Dark Reflections, Book Two

THE WATER MIRROR:
Dark Reflections, Book One

THE GLASS WORD:
The Dark Reflections Trilogy, Book Three
Kai Meyer
Margaret K. McElderry Books/Simon & Schuster
Fantasy
ISBN: 9780689877919
288 pages

Just like its predecessors, THE GLASS WORD, the final installment in Kai Meyer's Dark Reflections trilogy, takes no time to get right into the action. Central character Merle (whose mind is advised by the spirit of the Flowing Queen), her friend Junipa, and Vermithrax, the winged lion, have emerged from a harrowing battle in Hell --- and the various effects of the Stone Light --- to find themselves on the side of one of the huge pyramids of Egypt, which has been buried in snow in a new Ice Age.

As she gets her bearings following an emotional battle, Merle wishes only for a break: "She was at the end of her strength. She didn't want to fight anymore, not against Junipa, not against the Lilim down below in Hell, and also not against the henchmen of the Egyptian Empire up here. Merle's courage and determination were exhausted, and she only wanted to sleep." With so many enemies surrounding her on all sides, however, Merle barely has a chance to catch her breath before she is swept up, again, in the world-changing events in which she is destined to play a central part.

All the plot threads that Meyer set in motion earlier in the series come into play here, and all the characters, creatures and menacing enemies who populate this world (so like and yet unlike our own) are back for the final installment. Winter pursues Summer, mirrors create endless reflections that may or may not be trustworthy, and spies and mummies lurk on all sides. Sphinxes, pirates, sea witches and mermaids all have their part to play as the action moves toward the inevitable --- but surprising --- final battle, a battle in which Merle and her friends all have important, and perhaps even tragic, roles to play.

Not surprisingly, given the title of the series, many of the scenes and individuals depicted in the Dark Reflections trilogy are dark indeed. THE GLASS WORD is no exception, as characters must constantly shift their loyalties, evaluate their trust and even re-consider their faith in themselves. Again, Meyer provides readers not only with nearly nonstop action but also with genuine philosophical questions that will challenge fans right to the end.

Given its "in medias res" beginning, large cast of complex characters and detailed fantasy construction, THE GLASS WORD is not a book that readers should (or will want to) pick up without familiarizing themselves with the other volumes first. Those who have followed Merle's and Junipa's adventures from the first pages of THE WATER MIRROR, however, won't want to put this last installment down until they make their way to its satisfying conclusion.

--- Reviewed by Norah Piehl

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