The Two-Faced Ring imprisons powerful Darke warrior wizards and can only be destroyed by burning in the great alchemical Fyre, a fire forbidden for hundreds of years because it nearly destroyed the castle and all in it. Chief Alchemist Marcellus Pye secretly reignites the Fyre in preparation for destroying the ring, but the two wizards have escaped their prison, the ring has gone missing, and Princess Jenna and her kingdom are again in great danger from the Darke Domaine. Sage is a master of her created world, paying devoted attention to the smallest detail; the world and the characters in it are as vivid and engaging in this final installment as they have been throughout the Septimus Heap series. Multiple plotlines are nimbly plaited, characters from throughout the series are integrated seamlessly, and the ending is as satisfying as a warm sweater. There is even a thread spun out from an incidental character, tying this set to a forthcoming series called TodHunter Moon, something Heap fans w and old ll anticipate with delight.

The time has come for Septimus and the others to destroy the two-faced ring before the evil wizards trapped inside escape and exact their revenge. The plot slowly meanders, but fans of the series will be pleased with how Sage takes each character and crafts an expanded narrative to tie multiple elements together into a tidy ending.