Cavern of The Veil Queen: Conquest of The Veil Book Four

Cavern of the Veil Queen picks up where Witch's Brew, third in the series, left off. Alexandria and Tal are enjoying life as newlyweds, but Tal in particular also has responsibilities to the kingdom to consider. Preparation for war continues, and efforts to move troops through the mysterious breach in the Veil and take the battle to the Veil Queen are ongoing, if not moving as quickly as might be hoped.

If y'all have read my review of Witch's Brew, you know that I felt a little sorry for bad girl and fearsome warrior Maggie. She does make an appearance in this book, and finds herself facing new difficulties. Not only does she finally have to make her peace with the fact that Tal loves Alex and can never feel that way about her, she also finds herself facing emotional turmoil of a very different kind. My heart ached for her when I was reading the events that brought this turmoil about, and I really hope Clifton returns to this universe in other books. I want to know what happens with Maggie's story!

I won't say there's action on every page, but there's enough magic flung about and enough clashes of swords and weapons and the Veil Queen's freakish melds (part human, part other creature, all hideous) and people to get the blood of even the most laid-back reader pumping. There are schemes to be hatched and dangers to be faced, and some of those dangers are not at all what people were expecting.

And it's not just action and adventure. Clifton tells a good, engaging story that's relatable no matter what world it's set in. Alex and Tal are happy newlyweds, but they bicker. They face difficulties and have to find ways to work past them. You know, just like regular people. They may inhabit a fantasy world, but they're very believable characters. Clifton draws all of his characters in such a way that you care about them. You're invested in them. You may wish them well, like Alex and Tal, or you may wish them dead, like the loathsome Mance. But you're pulled in to their orbit.

The ending to the story was just about perfect. I can't think of any way it could have turned out other than it did. The closer I got to the end of the book, the harder it was to tear myself away from it. I finished up while I was fixing dinner – cooking with one hand, reading with the other! It's THAT good. And there's enough of a loose thread that maybe – just maybe – we'll get some more stories in the universe of Wheel. I hope so!

Cavern of the Veil Queen is in the running to be one of my favorites of 2022. If you like high fantasy and sword and sorcery, with action and intrigue and romance, you need to get your hands on this series and read it. Five stars, no question.