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misterwisp's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I appreciate the twisting and subverting of fantasy tropes here. It's a great story with interesting characters told well, and setting it after the standard fellowship of heroes destroys a dark lord storyline already happened made for some compelling story telling. It's a look at what happens when the heroes get older and go their own way pursuing their own agendas, and is the destroying a dark lord skill set really suited to the challenges of creating a lasting peace in the land afterwards, and what doing the "right thing" means when there isn't a dark lord anymore but evil bad things are still happening. Seeing a hero farm boy character become old and cynical and conflicted about what his role is in the new order of things was fun, and also unexpectedly poignant and heartfelt a few times. For me any little frustrations with the writing here and there were more than eclipsed by how well the characters were done and how enjoyable it is as a whole. It is fast paced and easy to read. I will have to check out the author's other books based on this one. There is a lot of creativity and imagination to enjoy including an evil talking sword.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Grief, Violence, and War
Minor: Blood, Death, Alcohol, and Animal cruelty
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