I read and loved Megan Bannen’s The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy and its follow-up, The Undermining of Twyla and Frank last year, so I was happy to receive ARC (though this hasn’t influenced my review of this book!) for the third (and seemingly final) book in the series, The Undercutting of Rosie and Adam (which is releasing in July).
Rosie Fox is an immortal demigod, around the age of 150, and works as a “Marshall” (sort of a combination between a park ranger and a security guard) for the realm of Tanria. Tanria is the fantastical (in previous books, it’s had undead and pink dragons that breathe glitter) former home to the gods and can only be accessed via portal. When the portals to and from Tanria start malfunctioning, the inventor and expert on the portals, Dr. Adam Lee, is called in to investigate. Rosie and her partner are assigned to assist and protect Adam, and when an evacuation order is called for Tanria, they end up getting stuck on the wrong side of the portal. Trapped, Rosie and Adam have to work together to escape, while becoming closer and dealing with their own personal issues.
While I didn’t love this book quite so much as the previous books in the series, it was still a really good time. I love the setting and the vibes—it’s quite cute and cozy in a way, while also having some depth. I also really liked the full exploration of Rosie’s immortality and her feelings about knowing that she’s never going to die. The side characters continue to delight—the mail-delivering, animal-shaped, former messengers of the gods are adorable, and Rosie’s partner Duckers (also a former partner to Hart, Twyla, and Frank) undergoes some great character development throughout the books. Overall, a satisfying end to a fun series!