Kingdom of Almonds by Ariel Kaplan

Here is a summary with spoilers for Kingdom of Almonds by Ariel Kaplan

The Kingdom of Almonds begins after the destruction of Zayit, with the characters separated into several groups. Toba and Naftaly have entered Aravoth, the mysterious third realm, through the Gate of Luz. Aravoth is a strange and dangerous place where time and reality do not behave normally, and it is home to the Ziz, the enormous legendary bird capable of raising the sea. Toba and Naftaly's objective is to find the Ziz because the creature is necessary to raise the drowned city of Luz and restore its missing Gate. They soon discover that they are not alone in Aravoth and encounter Nehama, a new character who is connected directly to Toba's past. Nehama is the reincarnated form of the original Toba, retaining some memories from her former life while remaining her own person. This creates another complication surrounding the different versions of Toba that have existed throughout the trilogy. Toba Bet, meanwhile, has also had her own transformations, including becoming the Ziz before eventually returning to Toba. The search through Aravoth eventually becomes tied to the larger struggle between the Leviathan of the sea and the Ziz of the sky, whose powers are necessary for restoring Luz.

In the Mazik realm, Elena, Asmel, and the old woman travel to P'ri Hadar after escaping the destruction of Zayit. They hope Queen Kasfia will help them resist Tarses, but Kasfia is suspicious, authoritarian, and unwilling to simply become their ally. Barsilay, the heir of Luz, is captured and imprisoned by the queen, who demands an enormous ransom for his release. Barsilay is placed in a dark prison inhabited by demons and initially has little control over his situation. Rather than simply waiting to be rescued, he begins learning about the prison, the people and creatures around him, and the secrets surrounding Queen Kasfia. His interactions with the demons become increasingly important, and he works to help free other prisoners. Barsilay also asks Naftaly to act as his conscience, reflecting the trust that has developed between them. The imprisonment becomes more than a simple kidnapping because Barsilay begins to understand that Kasfia is protecting an ancient secret, and that knowledge may be connected to Luz and to the larger conflict with Tarses.

Tarses continues his campaign to conquer the Mazik world and the mortal world. He has an army capable of operating across both realms and possesses increasingly powerful visions of the future. His visions show him the future he wants, but they are also connected to visions experienced by Naftaly, creating an unexplained connection between the two. Tarses believes that taking control of both worlds is necessary to achieve the future he has seen, and he continues moving toward P'ri Hadar while the protagonists attempt to prepare for his attack. Tsifra remains caught between her loyalty to her father and her increasingly complicated relationship with the people opposing him. Her role continues the pattern established in the earlier books in which she is neither simply an ally nor an enemy, and her choices become important to the eventual conflict. The different groups therefore work toward the same objective from separate locations: Toba and Naftaly must find the Ziz, Barsilay must survive imprisonment and uncover Kasfia's secret, and Elena and the others must delay Tarses long enough for Luz to be restored.

The characters eventually begin uncovering the information necessary to bring the separate pieces of the plan together. The old woman, who has survived through a combination of experience, deception, and witchcraft, becomes increasingly important, and her witchery plays a direct role in the later events. Queen Kasfia's secrets are also revealed, changing the characters' understanding of why Barsilay was imprisoned and what she has been protecting. New characters including Natin and Ayleth become involved with the group, while Nehama's connection to Toba adds another layer to the history of the characters and the repeated lives associated with Toba. Naftaly's earlier decisions also return to affect the final conflict. In particular, his decision to spare the archers from Habush proves significant when those forces later return and join the fight against Tarses. Instead of remaining separate enemies, they become part of the force that helps trap Tarses's army between themselves and the forces of P'ri Hadar. The different storylines therefore converge as the characters prepare to restore Luz and use it against Tarses.

The final confrontation centers on the restoration of Luz and the battle against Tarses. Toba and Naftaly succeed in bringing the Ziz into the larger plan, while the Leviathan and Ziz become part of the process of restoring the drowned city. Luz is pulled up from beneath the sea and its Gate is restored, allowing the rightful heir, Barsilay, to reclaim his position. At the same time, Tarses's forces attack, leading to the final battle between his army and the combined forces opposing him. The Habush archers who Naftaly previously spared return and help surround Tarses's forces, while the people of P'ri Hadar fight against the invasion. The battle finally ends with Tarses being killed. His death comes abruptly after the extensive buildup surrounding his campaign, and Elena delivers the final words to him before he dies. With Tarses gone, his attempt to rule both the Mazik and mortal worlds is stopped, and the restoration of Luz changes the balance between the realms.

After the battle, the surviving characters begin rebuilding their lives and the damaged realms. The book includes a glimpse of the twenty years following the defeat of Tarses, showing the longer-term consequences of restoring Luz and ending his campaign. Toba's complicated history across her different incarnations is resolved through Nehama and Toba's other forms, while Naftaly's relationship with Barsilay remains an important part of the ending. Nehama develops her own life rather than simply functioning as a replacement for the original Toba, and her relationship with Natin develops as well. Toba's relationship with Asmel also continues, although it remains less central to the resolution than the larger restoration of the realms. The final events bring the mortal world, Mazik world, Aravoth, Luz, the Ziz, and the Leviathan into the same resolution: Luz is restored, Tarses is defeated, Barsilay's position as heir is secured, and the surviving characters are given a future after years of war, displacement, and conflict.