Title: The Owl in the Labyrinth
Author: Hûw Steer
Publication Date: June 5, 2025
Genre: Fantasy / steampunk
Buy the Owl in the Labyrinth
What Goodreads has to say:
“We’re stuck in the middle of the Boiling Seas,” Tal said, “surrounded by soldiers, at the mercy of a tyrant and one of the most powerful magicians in the world. We’ve got no weapons, no friends, and no way out.”
“Exactly,” said Lily. “It’s going to be so much fun.”
Tal, Max and Lily might have sailed the deadly Boiling Seas, explored their mysterious islands, even flown through their steamy skies – but they’ve never ventured underneath them. Until now.
Because Max is trapped, surrounded by the very secrets she and her friends have been hunting – but while she unravels the mystery of the Scrolls, Tal and Lily are more concerned with getting her back alive.
It’s only a journey into the most inhospitable environment on the an ocean of boiling water, floored with molten rock and filled with steel-scaled sea serpents. And it’s not like the most powerful man on the Seas is trying to seize their secrets for himself at the same time.
What could possibly go wrong?
What I have to say:
Well, it's been fun.
The Boiling Seas trilogy kicked off with a steampunk Indiana Jones adventure that kept me glued to the page. The second book introduced some new characters and fun surprises. And now we have reached the third and concluding (at least for now) book.
The Owl in the Labyrinth finds Max on her own in a mysterious glass labyrinth beneath the Boiling Seas, while her friends Tal and Lily search for a way to rescue her.
While the previous two books felt more like quick reads, this one was definitely on the longer side. The first half was intriguing, but it was sort of like the first half of the seventh Harry Potter book pacing-wise, as the characters are making a lot of guesses, putting puzzle pieces together, and running from the trouble that ensues. Max spends a lot of time trying to solve the labyrinth and understand her mysterious new friend The Gardener. Tal and Lily spend a lot of time trying to figure out where Max is.
The second half was where things picked up and I got invested. Max was on her way to solving the biggest puzzle of them all. Tal and Lily were battling their way through dangerous waters to reach their friend. Then everyone converged in one spot and there was comaraderie, magic, and, of course, swordfighting.
Let's talk characters, shall we?
Of the three characters, Max is probably the most interesting in this book. She spends a lot of time without Tal and Lily, which gives her time to think and work through things on her own. I enjoyed exploring the labyrinth with her and experiencing the way her brain works. I liked her moments of self-reflection and growth. I loved her conflict with her mother. They didn't have a black and white relationship, which was great because family is often complicated and ambiguous.
The focus was less on Tal in this book, which makes sense as he basically got the whole first book to himself, but he's still here, always ready with a pointed jibe, a crazy idea, or a trick he pulls out of his back pocket to save everyone's hides. I think he's still my favorite.
Lily, as usual, is a bit of a wild card. I enjoyed the part where she single-handedly fought a giant metallic serpent underwater with only a sword and a diving suit. It was fun seeing her and Tal get up to shenanigans together.
All in all, I don't think this one is quite as strong as the first book, which still holds the top spot for me. But for followers of the Blackbird, the Nightingale, and the Owl, it's a satsifying end to the trio's adventures.
I can only imagine what our friends will get up to in the future.
********************SPOILERS BELOW*************************
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OK, can we talk about Max and Lily????
In the second book, I really picked up on some chemistry between the two of them and I was rooting hard for it. But when nothing came of it, I figured maybe I'd misread the relationship.
Throughout The Owl in the Library, there are more hints that what Max and Lily feel for each other is just a bit more than love, but it wasn't until near the end of the novel that everything crystallized, and I realized that what I'd been picking up on had in fact been a thing. I was as excited as Tal when the two finally hooked up.
Also, I like that the two female characters get a relationship in this story. Although there's not really a main character between the three of them, Tal is the more traditional hero, so I love that he's not the one to get the girl. Instead, the girls get each other.
I love that for them. That's like, all I really wanted to say, so I guess this review is over now?
Rating:
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