Early Review – The Last Star in the Void (The Echo Archives, Book 3) by Melissa Caruso (5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 400 pages
Publisher: Orbit
Release Date: November 10, 2026
ASIN: B0GTJSXHS7
Stand Alone or Series: 3rd book in The Echo Archives
Source: eGalley from NetGalley for Review
Rating: 5/5 stars

“Kembral Thorne is back on the job. Everything is going great—she hasn’t been in mortal peril for months, her daughter is learning to crawl, and she’s thinking about getting serious with her girlfriend, cat burglar Rika Nonesuch. But then a simple mission goes wrong, and a mysterious Echo hires her for her most dangerous case yet.

This time, the murder Kembral must solve is her own.

Her first warning: Watch out above you. It won’t be her last. The cryptic messages give Kem an edge against her would-be murderer—but there’s more at stake than her own survival.

Rips in the very fabric of reality are spreading through the Echoes, and Kem’s blood is the only thing that can close them. A traitor among her allies is willing to kill to stop her. To save all the worlds, Kem must figure out who she can trust—and Rika must decide how much of her humanity she’ll sacrifice for the power to protect the woman she loves.”

Series Info/Source: This is the third (and final) book in The Echo Archives. I got an eGalley of this from NetGalley for review.

Thoughts: I absolutely loved this whole series and thought that this book was the perfect conclusion to it. I am sad to see the end of this fascinating world and to say goodbye to the intriguing characters.

Kembral is working again, doing low risk jobs. Her and Rika are settling into a pleasant life together. Kem’s baby is learning to crawl, and everything is going great. Then Kembral finds a message from herself in a lower Echo to “watch out above you”. Kembral’s Echoes have been dying and that can only mean one thing, Kembral (as the Prime) is being murdered. So now Kembral has to solve her own murder. To make things more complicated the Ravens have found tears in the fabric of reality that can only be closed with a combination of Raven workings and Kembral’s blood (as the year-namer).

This was incredibly fun, fast-paced, and creative. It was such a joy to read. I love that Kembral is working on balancing her work, raising her daughter, and navigating her new relationship with Rika. It’s rare to get such a realistic dynamic shown in fantasy like this. Kembral and Rika are both fascinating characters. Kembral is known for her decisive action (brashness) and putting herself in danger to help others; but she must balance this with being a mother and anchor for Rika. Rika is known for her sneaky, behind the shadows antics and now for being half Empyrean; Rika must temper her sneakiness to coincide with Kembral’s sense of honor, and temper her protectiveness to let Kembral do her job.

I continue to find all these layers of Echoes fascinating. This is a world of parallel realities where the more layers you drop away from Prime reality, the more unhinged things become. The idea of a vast void infiltrating the Echoes is unique and intriguing.

The end of this book is flawless; the climax is amazing, and the ending is satisfying. I liked all the action and battle and the involvement of the Empyreans, but also really enjoyed getting a look into how things end up for our favorite characters once the dust settles.

This was incredibly easy to read; the writing flows well, the pace is fast, and the book is very engaging and kept my interest. I am eager to see what Caruso comes up with next!

My Summary (5/5): Overall I absolutely loved this conclusion to The Echo Archives series. This final book was the star of the trilogy and did an amazing job with both presenting a new problem for our characters to solve and wrapping up any loose threads from the previous books in the series. I absolutely love the world here and enjoyed the complex characters as well. The pace is fast and fun, and I enjoyed learning more about the Ravens and the world beyond the Echoes. I would recommend this series to those who enjoys intriguing, complex world-building, fascinating characters, and a fast-paced plot.