Penny’s finally tied the knot with Raven, her dragon suitor, and returned to Lloegyr, but life can’t ever stay calm for the world-hopping vicar.  Sue Harkness continues to lean into her anger against the alternate world, and anyone tied to Penny may be at risk.  To make matters worse, fellow clergy may be helping with Harkness’ plans to make Daer’s denizens pay for her maternal neglect, and the Rat Kings definitely are willing to broker deals with England at the expense of other species.  Penny needs to come up with a solution for the refugees stuck in both worlds, but when one world is secret from the other, it’s a tall order.  Is humanity ready for the truth about mythical creatures?  Penny may have to take the gamble of her life and hope that faith is enough to save everyone.

I knew going into The Humility of Humans that this was Chrys Cymri’s final installment in Penny White’s adventures, which created mixed feelings.  I wanted to see the characters reach peaceful endings (I’m not sure that “happy” is the right word to describe some of their journeys.), but I would also be saying goodbye to a charming world that provided insight into current issues while providing respite and solace.  Penny’s marriage to Raven at the end of The Business of Bees closed a major story arc, but the other major storylines such as Clyde’s admittance to seminary and Jago and Basty’s interspecies relationship needed one more book to find resolution.  I’ve ascribed a theme to each of Penny’s novels, and I can easily say that “resolution/closure” matches the final volume.  Not everything ended as I would have preferred, but I didn’t feel like anyone was left hanging when I reached the final page.  The end was a little sudden, but what more needed to be said?  Penny’s journey focused on protecting Daer from Earth, and, suddenly, that wasn’t a factor.

Rather than going into detail about the numerous plot points from Penny White’s ninth adventure, I will just say that the work put into building and creating relationships throughout the series flowers magnificently in the finale.  Earl’s Barton Man reveals a softer side, James grows up enough to become a family man, Clyde makes strides towards his religious vocation and a first love, Jago discovers the beauty and heartbreak of loving someone fully, and so much more.  Most strikingly Penny, who has often been critical of her fellow humans, learns that trusting and having faith in the goodness of others can have incredible rewards. (Plus, there is an engaging cameo of Queen Elizabeth II.)

I loved the conclusion to Penny’s incredible adventure, but I feel sad to know that I won’t get any future installments. (No, I will not be writing fan fiction, although I might be tempted to give Clyde further adventures.)  I’ll just have to keep an eye out for the author’s upcoming work and check into her back catalog.  And if I feel especially nostalgic, I can always go back to the beginning and start again, since Penny and her companions have become faithful friends that I don’t want to be without for the long term.

4.5 #flyingunicorn Social Media Posts out of 5

Creative Team: Chrys Cymri (author)
Publisher: Amazon Digital Services, LLC
Click here to purchase.