This series is developing wonderfully. Emerging characters are sturdily bearing their portions of the plot, and established ones are maturing into something you want to go to bed with for several hours. The use of symbolic magic and interpretation, most notably in Chapter 25, makes for exciting reading by showing how real magic can work in ways that are both subtle and sure. From the dedication, a lovely tribute to Marion Zimmer Bradley, to the last page, sounding a blend of hope and dread like a minor chord, Darkening Skies is enthralling.

Do not try to read this without have familiarized yourself with what has gone before in Dangerous Waters, book 1 of the Hadrumal Crisis; this is not a set of stand-alone adventures but a single story arc. – Chris R. Paige