#Review - Julia Unbound by Catherine Egan #YALIT #Fantasy

Series: The Witch's Child (#3)
Format: Hardcover, 480 pages
Release Date: August 14, 2018
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Source: Library
Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy

In this heart-pounding conclusion to the Witch’s Child trilogy, Catherine Egan’s masterful world-building and fiercely flawed heroine will thrill fans of Graceling and Six of Crows.

Julia has been ensnared in so many different webs, it’s hard to see how she’ll ever break free. She must do Casimir’s bidding in order to save the life of her brother. She must work against Casimir to save the lives of most everyone else she knows.

Casimir demands that Julia use her vanishing skills to act as a spy at court and ensure that a malleable prince is installed on the throne of Frayne. But Julia is secretly acting as a double agent, passing information to the revolutionaries and witches who want a rebel princess to rule.

Beyond these deadly entanglements, Julia is also desperately seeking the truth about herself: How is it she can vanish? Is she some form of monster? Is her life her own?

With every move she makes, Julia finds herself tangled ever tighter. Should she try to save her country? Her brother? A beloved child? Can she even save herself?

Story Locale: Spira City—an alternate Paris

 

Julia Unbound is the third and final installment in author Catherine Egan's Witch's Child trilogy. The story picks up shortly after the end of Julia Defiant. Julia has been cornered like a wet cat by Casimir, a Xianren immortal who wants the remaining piece of the Book of Disruption. A piece that was hidden away by Julia in a place he has no access to. In order to save her brother Benedek, Julia agrees to be a spy and to be implanted with a parasite which will slowly make its way to her brain, and make her pliable to anything that Casimir asks her to do.

Julia only has 10 days to find a way to save her brother and remove the parasite before she loses. Thankfully, Julia has a friend of sorts in Pia Kos. Pia is a broken and mechanical assassin controlled by the villain, Casimir. Yes, that means that she has one of the parasite's in her brain. While she has some free will of her own, in the end, she has to stay particularly close to whatever Casimir orders her to do. Julia and Pia work together in a very curious manner. I am not saying that thee is any romance involved. There isn't. But, Julia definitely thinks of Pia as someone she can save. 

As a character, Julia has a pretty amazing ability to pull herself one step out of the world & into an invisible pocket. One of the places that Julia is able to visit is a place called Kahge where she changes into something monstrous and powerful enough to kill an immortal. She's been trained as a thief and a spy, so spying on the King and Duke Everard, the heir apparent. But, it is her role as a sort of double agent that has Julia stuck in the middle of a rebellion against the leadership of Frayne, including the Prime Minister who was responsible for drowning her mother in what the author calls the Cleansing. 

Julia's main concern becomes who can she really trust when it seems as though she is being lead astray? Since the beginning of this series, there has always been this question surrounding Julia and how she is able to do the things she has been able to do. I think readers who have read the first two books will have several emotions after she finds out why she is able to do what she does. Satisfied or Disappointed. I think when all is said and done, I was a bit let down, but the way the author explains things, really does make sense.

If you are looking for a book that is action packed, you've found that book. This is a book that has a dying king, a disputed and contested crown, a revolution that has found Julia with some curious allies, as well as allies she grew up with, angry witches, immortals, and political intrigue. You can say that the author walks a thin line between what is good and what is bad. There really is no good or bad options for Julia. There is only a grey area where she must do what's right for those she cares about while standing up to those who don't have Julia's best interests at heart.

Recommendation: Yes, but please make sure you read the books in the order as they were released and not skip over anything to get to the final chapter in this series.

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