Labyrinth’s Heart

Carrick, the pseudonym for author duo Marie Brennan and Alyc Helms, sends out the Rook & Rose trilogy (after The Liar’s Knot) with a laborious epic fantasy. Heroine Ren has spent the series wearing many masks, but now they all fall off as the secrets of the city of Nadežra gradually come to light. The city is buckling under an ancient curse with a mysterious connection to a set of lost medallions that Ren and her allies, Capt. Grey Serrado of the city Vigil and crime lord Derossi Varg, set out to gather and destroy. Meanwhile, Grey’s old demons return—this time in the flesh. There are so many dominos set up in the previous books that need to fall, and the unfortunate result of the author’s diligently hitting them all is glacial pacing and a lack of suspense in the ultimate showdown. The third act is especially slow going, eaten up by overly detailed discussions of tarot card spreads. The result is an arduous trek through a murky world. Agents: for Brennan, Eddie Schneider, Jabberwocky; for Helms, Paul Stevens, DMLA. (Aug.)