It's a heist book! Lee gets her privilege checked! (and to other reviewers mentioning they wanted a satisfying story, not a sermon, welp... what do you expect from 1850s Gold Rush?) I enjoyed the finale to Gold Seer- with each character not knowing the entirety of the plan for plot reasons that made sense, it's up to the reader to put clues together (and really, all the elements are sprinkled throughout the book) like why else would you pointedly look at the wax impressions for key making or just casually mention the repair of some hose.

Author's note at the end namechecked Polly Bemis as influence for Mary- as Polly settled in my home state, I can kind of see it? I guess? I am grateful for her presence (and really, also acknowledging the fact that fantasy historical fiction ought to include people of color because we were around in those days). ( )

heist adventure/magical realism in the old west (teen fiction series) ( )

The last book in the Gold Seer Trilogy and it is a sad goodbye.

As a whole, I have loved this series. I love the characters, the magic, and the way Rae Carson writes her historical fiction. I really loved – and I cannot emphasize this enough – the way Leah is constantly challenged to understand her privilege and make the world a better place for everyone. I have never, never read fantasy or historical fiction that so bluntly addresses inherent racism and urges action. I really appreciated it, and it makes me appreciate Carson that much more.

Outside of the activism and the fact that I have grown to love these characters and would just like more books about the residents of Glory… Into the Bright Unknown is not very impressive. The elements that I liked from previous books were all there, but this is the last book in the trilogy and I really expected more action. At the least, I thought there would be a climatic ending. But there was not. Into the Bright Unknown feels like book-three-out-of-four, where we were still being introduced to new elements. The big bad, although concerning, played all his cards early in the novel and the action never rose from there.

And don’t get me wrong. I still enjoyed it. I still loved it. My personal enjoyment rating is still 5/5 stars. But I can’t overlook the fact that it was an unsatisfying end. The plot meandered, and while there were lives and the town at stake in words… it never felt like those things were at stake in feeling. The sense of urgency was missing, and while Hardwick definitely had the outline to be a formidable villain (the conversation about a corrupt-to-wealthy-and-successful businessman cashing it all in for a political career so he could make laws that suit him rang painfully familiar)… his threat felt detached from the gang. Also worth mentioning – this was a heist plot and it was just… slow.

The characters are still good. I appreciated Jim’s return, as well as a little more development in Becky’s character (though she’s still has opportunities for more growth). I actually wanted to see a little more of the side plot romance than just at the tail ends of the book. In many ways, Like a River Glorious tied up loose ends, so all we got in Into the Bright Unknown were new loose ends that didn’t really get resolved because this was the last book. There were moments that I really enjoyed, like Leah trying to get out of wedding planning and extravagance. Or the subtle gay relationship that has been slowing blooming in the background since book one. I enjoyed the experience of Into the Bright Unknown, despite its flaws.

If you, like me, were a big fan of Walk on Earth a Stranger and Like a River Glorious, then I think you’ll enjoy Into the Bright Unknown. Not because it’s a smashing ending, but just because it’s an extension to the story and you get to spend a little more time in this world and with these characters. But, objectively, the story really seems to end neatly in Like a River Glorious and this third book could be skipped without the reader really missing out on anything. I liked it, I’d still say read it because I love Rae Carson’s work, but it’s not strictly necessary. ( )

A satisfying conclusion to an amazing series.

Glory, California has become a hub of people looking for a place to call home. Leah had been promised an official charter for months but hasn’t received one so she and a group of Glory townspeople decide to head into San Fransisco to ask for it. James Henry Hardwick a rising politician and the financier to Hiram’s mine operation in the previous book has threatened Leah and her friends to end their hopes of making their town an officially recognized city if they get in his way. By staying in the city, Leah and her friends discover Hardwick’s schemes and plans on ripping people off to make the money circulate directly back to him and maintaining all the power of the city for himself.

This book had a very different feel than the other two but it didn’t make it less enjoyable. Leah, more like Becky, is planning a wedding. Jefferson just wants to marry Leah period (which was disgustingly cute). All of the college men just want to practice their respective degrees. Hampton, a newly freed slave, is waiting to receive his emancipation papers and hear word about if the person who owns his wife has received her payout and how soon she can be sent to him. A lot of Leah’s friends had something they needed to do and this book tied up their loose ends.

There was much at stake for all of them but it wasn’t as intense as it was in the other two books. While there were still losses and setbacks nothing kept me on the edge of my seat but it wasn’t a bad thing. At one point it became a sort of caper/heist story which was kind of interesting but because I was invested in the characters I found myself more interested in the parts where they had to deal with personal situations. I really didn’t know what to expect going into this book so I think that played a big part into those feelings.

It’s clear how much research Carson put into this series. It never occurred to me that the reason San Fransisco is so dang expensive is because inflation was a thing since the beginning of time. It’s a really cool place with a cool scene but you really do have to be a freaking millionaire to live in the middle of the cool action.

This series is one of the better ones I’ve read all year. I kept grabbing the next one right after finishing the last page of the previous one. ( )

The conclusion to Rae Carson’s young adult trilogy set during the Californian gold-rush. Leah Westfall and her friends arrive in San Francisco in 1850, hopeful that their various goals will be straightforward to achieve. Instead they discover complications and obstacles -- and a city in which laws can be circumnavigated if those who have the right combination of money and connections. I like how this builds on the previous books: Walk on Earth a Stranger was about the journey to California, Like a River Glorious was about life on the goldfields. Leah’s magical ability with gold also has an even more prominent role in the story, as she continues to explore, and make use of, her unusual talent.

Leah’s voice is engaging, her story is tense and eventful, the writing is vivid and lovely, and the historical details are fascinating. Carson continues to thoughtfully highlight abuses of power and raise questions about land ownership, privilege and injustice. It would be easy to have a story in which Leah, with her supernatural ability to acquire wealth, gets to sweep in and buy her friends free from trouble. But instead she is confronted with the fact that the solutions her money can buy have limitations. To be effective, to attempt to change the system and not just rescue one person, requires teamwork.

I was expecting a slightly more explosive ending. However, I like that Leah’s journey -- in spite of its hardships and difficult lessons -- ends so positively. She has friends she can trust, friends who love her and who know her secrets, and that is wonderful.

Gold has been singing a muted song for our entire journey here, sometimes from far away, sometimes buzzing in my throat. But this, when my feet touch ground here.. this is like hearing a chorus of a thousand voices. ( )