Even as the war against Orcs is ending, Lord Kaspar calls on Rosa Rolfe to find defamatory evidence against the Orcs to justify raiding Orc Mountain. While trying to figure out the secret life of the Orcs, John waltz into her small library and begins his mission to read the entire library’s collection. 

 

As Rosa tries to woo John into giving her facts about the Orcs, John rebuffs her advances until she threatens to remove him from the library. This results in John taking Rosa into Orc Mountain for her to gain knowledge of the Orcs. 

 

The book’s entirety takes place in Orc Mountain as Rosa struggles with her role in Orc Mountain as John works with his role within his community. Ultimately, as Rosa realizes that her role as Lord Kaspar’s secret is tiresome, she chooses to live a life with the last of the Ka John in Orc Mountain. 

 

Loving the world-building within the Orc Mountain as Rosa gets access to John’s library. The main issue is the Orcs struggling with women dying in childbirth and trying to find a solution to these deaths. Rosa learns Black Tongue and translates books from former Orcs theorizing about Orc births, and it is fascinating.