Writer – Keith Giffen, Mindy Newell
Artist – Esteban Maroto
Colorus – Tatjana Wood
Letters – John Costanza

Flaw stands resurrected with Emmy in hand, abducted from Earth and thankfully unconscious while elsewhere in the castle, Topaz and Donal tend to Turquoise and Amber. Chaos has caused just that and the only thing standing between victory for it is Amethyst, Lord of Order. Even she may not be enough to stand against the incredible onslaught that Chaos reigns down upon her though. Be that as it may, the light of Order is strong and she has been asleep for a long time and now that she is awake, she is ready to fight for that which is hers, meaning the Gemworld and all who live upon it. The writers of this tale do an amazing job at keeping the tension high, the suspense present throughout and the drama intense. Not to be left out in the cold is Esteban Maroto who truly outdoes himself on this book, the pencils he puts down being some of the best of his career, all of it looking like the work of pure fantasy which it is. Reading this, those who do will be present to some tragedy within the pages, some of it taking place first-hand while some of it is simply mentioned by The Child who inhabits Emmy’s form. Hearing that Taffy passed away, that Amy’s mom got lost within her own mind while her dad became a philanderer without a thought for the family he once had, all of it being incredibly sad to hear especially given that over the course of the two previous volumes, readers had gotten to know them all quite well. The horrors that have taken place have also served to nearly break Topaz and the sight of Amethyst is almost too much to bear for the man, for once upon a time, he thought he was in love with her and here she is alive, after all this time. Donal has the bravery of youth in him and he heads straight into the fire as it were, ready to protect his family even though he might be no match for what he faces. The story thrills which is hard to think that during the tail-end of the last volume, it was not like this at all. Keith Giffen and Mindy Newell have redeemed themselves with this miniseries and one has to wonder just how they are going to wrap it all up in the next issue. Will everyone live, will the Gemworld be saved and will Amethyst stick around? Good to see though is Princess Emerald back where she belongs, though if she stays is yet another question readers will have to discover the answer. A must-read series in every sense of the word.

4.5 out of 5