This issue has been a long time coming since the previous one, but I never doubted that it would be worth the wait.

I always find reviewing final issues like this tricky, as it’s hard to write in detail about what I liked or didn’t like without revealing significant spoilers. So I can’t say too much here, but I can assure you that this is a very satisfying and exciting finale to this miniseries.

This is the most action-packed issue yet, as Calista and Malek fight against the villain who has them captured and is prepared to sacrifice their lives to achieve his goal of gaining possession and control of the grimoire. Malek has to show Calista how to utilize magick in ways that she hadn’t tried before, and she’s fully aware that one small mistake could very well destroy the world. That’s a lot of pressure for a teenage girl, and writer Blake Northcott helps us, the reader, feel that pressure too, with her dialog and captions that let us peak into Calista’s brain.

One of Blake’s biggest strengths as a writer, in my opinion, is that her characters always feel realistic and, therefore, relatable, even when they’re in unreal situations. Calista’s innocence is wonderfully contrasted against Agent Malek’s supernatural James Bond-ish persona.

This issue also fills in more details about Calista’s background, including some surprising revelations about her mother, and she gets a surprising reunion with someone unexpected, who gives her the final bit of confidence she needs to win the battle.

Oops, I hope it’s not a significant spoiler to say that, but, yes, Calista and Malek win in the end. The best thing about the ending is that it’s both open-ended and complete, a feat that not many authors can successfully achieve. This miniseries, like the prose novel it’s adapted from, hints at more to come from our co-leads (and Blake has indeed promised an eventual sequel) but also leaves you fully satisfied with what you’ve read so far, so you don’t feel like you’ve just finished “part 1” of a larger story.

Artists Guiseppe Cafaro and Nicola Izzo return to illustrate this issue, trading duties on both bringing their A-game to bring Blake’s story to life. The North Valley Grimoire is an exciting thrill ride that you won’t want to miss!

Chacebook rating: FIVE STARS

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