Havoc, follows Itzel, who grew up as part of a monastery devoted to a death goddess but Itzel was forced out after a disastrous mission and has been a part of Temperance Reed's crew on the Calamity for years. The thing is, occasionally, Itzel still receives a name and because of her training and her beliefs, she does what she was trained to do, believing that it is not her place to question her orders, as she thinks it was that very thing that got her kicked out to begin with. When the crew of the Calamity is invited to attend a gathering that has all the most powerful families in the universe on one ship, Itzel joins them and that is where her old superiors give her another name. That name is Lucien Chandra, considered a prince to the Chandra family and a person from Itzel's past. Itzel wants to question her orders but she still tries to do what she was told to do and when that doesn't go exactly to plan, Itzel realizes she wants to learn more about Lucien and is starting to do just that when the Family Summit is hit with sabotage. Now faced with figuring out how to keep everyone safe, Itzel and Lucien have to work together to face a new enemy. If they succeed, the Families could start making a new world for everyone. For Itzel, she would have to discover if Lucien is willing to see a future with her in it beside him.
The world-building for these books has always grabbed my attention. The idea of the Families, how they wield power and then try to force others to do as they want by whatever means necessary, their politics, it all just makes for the most intriguing backdrop for each individual adventure. We are first introduced to the Families in Calamity, specifically through Captain Temperance Reed, who has been banished by her brother, the current head to the Reed family who after various events in the books are now part of the Five, known as the most influential and powerful of the families. Readers know that Temper hates the Families and then we thrown into an adventure in which we learn about every member of her crew while also getting to know Arcadio Escajeda, the second child of the Escajeda Family. It was the perfect way to give readers an in for this world, to help us to recognize the found family aspects of the crew and what they would do to keep each other safe and how Temper leads as a person who implicitly trusts her crew and loves them. It also helped with learning about another member of a Family and how Temper falling for them changes everything she had known in ways that will change the future for her, her crew and the Families they both came from.
Each book builds on this framework, the idea that the Families have something brewing that affects someone on the crew of the Calamity and everyone rallies together in their own way to help them. Each book also builds on the threat that the Families have on everyone they rule over with Chaos putting the Five in place for Havoc to have them all on one ship, with the idea being that one Family has been caught with nefarious plans and now has to be dealt with accordingly. Fay has built an intricate system in these books with the politics and the ruling power of the Families and each book works to display yet something else about the way this world works. Each member of the crew has has their own dealings with the Families, their own past they have tried to get away from, their own plights and struggles. Havoc is a culmination of the past three books and a worthy addition to the overall story arc and a fitting conclusion to the storyline. I said it before and I'll say it again, I was waiting for this book and everything that occurred kept my attention through many happenings in my world and it was a wonderful experience to read this book.
As for the characters, I've LOVED Itzel from the start. She always came across as interesting, having first been introduced as part of a religious order, or even a cult, that was devoted to the Dark Mother of the Void. She's small but deadly and her hands are covered in the tattoos that mark each name she has successfully gotten rid of for her previous order. She liked to make up new euphemisms that felt fun when they were revealed and she was happy to give people a shot to be part of the crew. I knew I would love her even more once she was the focus of the book and I can definitively say that Itzel did not disappoint. I loved the way she worked with her friends and how her past colored her present and her interest in Lucien Chandra. Every decision that Itzel made was carefully considered and the fact that she was so powerful was a treat. I loved how easy it was for her to move around, to fight and assess situations. She was just so much FUN to be with for this book and I knew it was going to be that way once I heard for sure that Havoc would be focused on her. I thought Lucien was the perfect match for her. Here was a guy who knew about Itzel's past and still trusted her, who believed in her, who cared so much about her after one adventure with her in their past. I loved how he was trying to keep so much on his shoulders and was trying to find a way to beat the threat that was hanging over his head without hurting anybody. He was admirable in his own right and was the exact type of person that would be perfect for Itzel. After spending three books learning about every member of the crew of the Calamity, it was wonderful to get to spend so much time with each of them in this book. We got to see each of them in their element, working hard to defeat their adversaries and keep everyone they loved safe and their back and forth with each other was a delight to witness. I had a feeling this book would be spectacular and it was that and more.
What really drew my attention to Itzel from the start was the Order that raised her and Fay does not shy away from discussing an order that raises acolytes for the express purpose of being assassins. Itzel was abandoned as a baby, left with the order, and she was great at her job until her last mission that got her expelled. I found the discussion interesting, the fact that even though she'd been kicked out, Itzel's faith was such an important part of her character. This was a woman whose faith was such an important part of her, that she wondered about her choices and how it would align with what she'd been raised to believe. The reveals given in this book that moved Itzel into a "crisis of faith" were surprising and the way it was woven into so much of this book for Itzel made me feel so much for her. I wanted to keep Itzel safe from what she was discovering and I was so grateful that she had Lucien by her side through every change that happened. Also, the reveals were just whoa, unexpected and yet at the same time, exactly what I feared would be revealed and the way Itzel moved with that and overcame what she went through were inspiring to see.
In the end, Havoc was a great way for this series to close. I loved each of these books and I can't wait to get my official paperback copy of Havoc to have next to the rest of the Uncharted Hearts series. If you have been wondering whether or not to try this series, you won't be disappointed with any of these books as each is worth reading several times over. If you love a sci-fi adventure that has a natural love story woven into it, you need to pick up this whole series and start reading. You'll thank me later.
Rating on my Scale: 10 Stars. I loved this series and LOVED Itzel, and Fay did something great with this series. It was not a disappointment at any point and I will be reading this series again and again in the future. Every book was a high point and if you've already been a fan, be prepared to love Itzel and Lucien and where the rest of the crew are by the time Havoc comes to an end.
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