The Last Uncharted Sky by Curtis Craddock

Title: The Last Uncharted Sky

Author: Curtis Craddock
Genre: Fantasy
Series: The Risen Kingdoms #3
Hardcover, 448 pages
Publication: August 11, 2020 by Tor Books
Source: I received a review copy from the publisher in exchange for a honest review.
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Isabelle and Jean-Claude undertake an airship expedition to recover a fabled treasure and claim a hitherto undiscovered craton for l'Empire Celeste. But Isabelle, as a result from a previous attack that tried to subsume her body and soul, suffers from increasingly disturbing and disruptive hallucinations. Disasters are compounded when the ship is sabotaged by an enemy agent, and Jean-Claude is seperated from the expedition.

In a race against time, Isabelle must figure out how to ward off her ailment before it destroys her and reunite with Jean-Claude to seek the fabled treasure as ancient secrets and a royal conspiracry threaten to undo the entire realm.

It felt as if it was just yesterday when I started The Risen Kingdom series. I didn’t know what I was getting into. Only to discover a world full of sky islands, magic and courtly intrigue. I definitely didn’t expect this to be one of my favorite series. The Risen Kingdom series follows Princess Isabelle and her musketeer, adoptive father Jean-Claude as they navigate the political and social sides of the royal court.

In The Last Uncharted Sky, the final installment of The Risen Kingdom readers find newly titled Capitaine Isabelle, Marie, Jean-Claude and Major Bitterlich on a quest for the legendary and mythical Vault of Ages; a place of riches and power…and supposed key to the end of the world. As the new Capitaine, Isabelle’s role and responsibilities haven’t changed or decreased. The weight of the world and people’s dependency seems to rest more heavily upon her and so is the long list that wish her incapacitated. Isabelle’s crew aren’t the only one looking for the Vault. Isabelle fly across the skies in a race against pirate and time itself.

Craddock finishes the series strong, delivering another action packed adventure while keeping true to the essence of the characters. Isabelle has came a very long way from the first book, under the supervision and restriction of her father and certainly made a name and charted a path for herself, however fraught it may be; she always came out swinging and on top. I still love seeing the relationship between Isabelle, Marie and Jean-Claude grow and their banter always brings a smile to my face. We see a lot of old and new characters enter the picture, expanding more on the world. I especially enjoyed seeing Djordi’s tribes and seeing Marie enter the challenge for the title of Fellhand. That was amazing.

The Last Uncharted Sky was a bittersweet ending to a beloved series. While this book concludes the trilogy, there is so much potential for additional books within the world or another trilogy arc. I’m crossing my fingers for more books in the world! If you haven’t read this series yet, I highly recommend that you do. Definitely an underrated gem with a strong and brilliant female protagonist.