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tmarthal's review against another edition
2.0
Unsatisfying conclusion to the series which started out so well. No explanation of the antagonists, soft magic system keeps adding things last minute to move the plot, somehow tinkers just went away (which was the basis for the protagonist’s uniqueness), and a generic ‘feel good’ conclusion to the story. Not a good read.
wyrmdog's review against another edition
4.0
The journey of Heloise comes to a dramatic close here, and she doesn't get there without more trauma and more loss. Heloise's odyssey has been filled with violence and pain and horror, and she hasn't always weathered it well. But that's the thing with coming-of-age stories, particularly ones set in brutal fantasy worlds chock full of magic, monsters, and machines. Done well, the protagonist is not always right, doesn't win easily, and makes frequent mistakes. But through it all they learn and grow.
Heloise is no exception to this, though she pays a higher price than the majority of young women (or young men, for that matter) that have come before her in the halls of fantasy fiction. Cole seems almost to delight in maiming her and denying her the compassion of companionship and family.
Loudly critical of dogmatic systems - religion in particular, though cultures of other stripes take hits, too - the story still lends those systems a grounding in the reality of the world that helps with understanding. It continually edges into caricature, but inevitably backs off into nuance and a sort of grudging understanding. It never quite falls into the depths of tripe and angst, though I can't help but feel a longer page count would have betrayed it and for that alone, the brevity of the book is a real strength. Its primary weakness is the myopia of the setting. Things feel small and dark and by the second book, very well defined. This, the final chapter, does little to broaden the world or infuse it with the wonder that would make me pine for more. As such, this book serves as a fantastic end-cap and resolution, even wallowing in pain as it does.
Cole makes no bones about why he wrote this series, and at times it can feel a little like it has a few checkboxes it tries really hard to hit, but I think that Cole did a wonderful job making a new world and filling it with meaning.
This series has been a great ride.
Heloise is no exception to this, though she pays a higher price than the majority of young women (or young men, for that matter) that have come before her in the halls of fantasy fiction. Cole seems almost to delight in maiming her and denying her the compassion of companionship and family.
Loudly critical of dogmatic systems - religion in particular, though cultures of other stripes take hits, too - the story still lends those systems a grounding in the reality of the world that helps with understanding. It continually edges into caricature, but inevitably backs off into nuance and a sort of grudging understanding. It never quite falls into the depths of tripe and angst, though I can't help but feel a longer page count would have betrayed it and for that alone, the brevity of the book is a real strength. Its primary weakness is the myopia of the setting. Things feel small and dark and by the second book, very well defined. This, the final chapter, does little to broaden the world or infuse it with the wonder that would make me pine for more. As such, this book serves as a fantastic end-cap and resolution, even wallowing in pain as it does.
Cole makes no bones about why he wrote this series, and at times it can feel a little like it has a few checkboxes it tries really hard to hit, but I think that Cole did a wonderful job making a new world and filling it with meaning.
This series has been a great ride.
williamc's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
marklpotter's review against another edition
5.0
Myke Cole provides a perfect ending to this series. Seeing Heloise's saga end is heartbreaking for me as a reader because Mr. Cole has written a damn near perfect trilogy here and I wanted it to be so much longer. I want more time with the all of these characters and I am not going to get it but at the same time I realize that all good things must come to an end and this end is as beautiful as it is brutal. The Sacred Throne trilogy is one of the best trilogies I've ever consumed and consume it I did. I devoured these books not because they were easy to read but because I fell in love with the characters. Each installment better than the last and each more heart wrenching.
Mykes terse style of writing lends to reading this whole series at a breakneck pace. It's impossible not to share the urgency of Heloise and the rest of the characters as the reader is dragged through the entire gamut of human emotion. There is no respite from the story here, no stopping to smell the roses, the pacing is absolutely brutal and rightfully so. Myke spares no words here yet is not Spartan in his worldbuilding. I am truly amazed at how much the world comes alive in these three books, however it is the characters that drive this amazing tale and if you haven't fallen in love with them by the end of the story then I posit that you have no soul.
Mykes terse style of writing lends to reading this whole series at a breakneck pace. It's impossible not to share the urgency of Heloise and the rest of the characters as the reader is dragged through the entire gamut of human emotion. There is no respite from the story here, no stopping to smell the roses, the pacing is absolutely brutal and rightfully so. Myke spares no words here yet is not Spartan in his worldbuilding. I am truly amazed at how much the world comes alive in these three books, however it is the characters that drive this amazing tale and if you haven't fallen in love with them by the end of the story then I posit that you have no soul.
lighterthaneyre's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
3.0
The trilogy ending landed strangely for me. The themes built up in the previous book took a strange pivot halfway through, so the ending didn't feel quite earned, and the series didn't hit the climax I think it was going for.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Misogyny, Violence, Death, Death of parent, Blood, and Gore
joshgauthier's review against another edition
5.0
With The Killing Light Myke Cole brings The Sacred Throne trilogy to a dramatic and satisfying conclusion.
From the start, this series has been brutal and heartbreaking in its presentation of the world--not to shock or revel in the violence, but because the world can be a harsh and violent place. In slim volumes (for the fantasy genre), Cole builds an entire world out of a very contained story. Seen through the eyes of a single character, Cole's craft of world building and story telling is truly an accomplishment.
And his central hero of Heloise, a girl just trying to do the best she can for the people she cares about, is engaging in her complexity and simple humanity. Young girl and revered hero, daughter and leader, lover, commander, child, and savior--the tensions in Heloise's character add depth and drama to her unfolding story. She is not a heroic figure cut from some story--and she is. In her vulnerability, she is more human and more true for her weaknesses and doubts. She is the sort of hero we need, because most heroes are truly people who feel they do not belong--but who press on regardless in order to achieve "just one more impossible thing."
Cole's handling of the story rests comfortably within fantasy and military fiction. But in the same moment, he does not follow what is comfortable or familiar. With diverse voices, shocking twists, and lingering themes that defy easy answers--this trilogy succeeds on many levels. It is bold, finely crafted, exciting from start to finish--and lands with bittersweet weight across every beautiful, tragic moment.
From the start, this series has been brutal and heartbreaking in its presentation of the world--not to shock or revel in the violence, but because the world can be a harsh and violent place. In slim volumes (for the fantasy genre), Cole builds an entire world out of a very contained story. Seen through the eyes of a single character, Cole's craft of world building and story telling is truly an accomplishment.
And his central hero of Heloise, a girl just trying to do the best she can for the people she cares about, is engaging in her complexity and simple humanity. Young girl and revered hero, daughter and leader, lover, commander, child, and savior--the tensions in Heloise's character add depth and drama to her unfolding story. She is not a heroic figure cut from some story--and she is. In her vulnerability, she is more human and more true for her weaknesses and doubts. She is the sort of hero we need, because most heroes are truly people who feel they do not belong--but who press on regardless in order to achieve "just one more impossible thing."
Cole's handling of the story rests comfortably within fantasy and military fiction. But in the same moment, he does not follow what is comfortable or familiar. With diverse voices, shocking twists, and lingering themes that defy easy answers--this trilogy succeeds on many levels. It is bold, finely crafted, exciting from start to finish--and lands with bittersweet weight across every beautiful, tragic moment.
haljonesy's review against another edition
4.0
I binged this entire series in just a few days because IT. IS. AMAZING. There are moments that hurt, moments that just make me smile, and moments that I just want to hold in my heart forever. It's difficult to read something where one person, one woman, is screaming about a real threat and the men and others around her ignore what she says. But I'm so happy with how wonderful a conclusion this book was.
And the lesbians--UGH THESE LESBIANS ARE BEAUTIFUL.
And the lesbians--UGH THESE LESBIANS ARE BEAUTIFUL.
cornosaurus's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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? Yes
4.0
midrel's review against another edition
2.0
I have to say I originally fell in love with this trilogy, with what it tried to do, with its style and pacing, with every last one of its character and its story. The first book was an utter joy to read. So was the second, up until the disappointing Deus Ex Machina at the end of it.
This one wrecked any last hope I had with half a book still to go. Its not that the ending was bad, or that the characters themselves turned tedious. I enjoyed reading about most of them, thought they were all intriguing and well-written. And I actually enjoyed the ending itself as well, if an ending can ever be considered apart from all the plot elements that drive the story into it.
What I truly hated was the choice of making the devils into the main antagonists of the story, instead of the Order, when the other two books spent themselves basically setting the Order as the enemy. It was both lazy and disappointing. In one fell swoop the author killed what I consider was the driving heart of the series, and replaced with a standard and generic 'save the world' that felt utterly flat, all the more because the devils were utterly boring as enemies.
I would have much preferred a final confrontation between Tone and Heloise, and think it would have been more fitting with the story of the two previous entries.
This one wrecked any last hope I had with half a book still to go. Its not that the ending was bad, or that the characters themselves turned tedious. I enjoyed reading about most of them, thought they were all intriguing and well-written. And I actually enjoyed the ending itself as well, if an ending can ever be considered apart from all the plot elements that drive the story into it.
What I truly hated was the choice of making the devils into the main antagonists of the story, instead of the Order, when the other two books spent themselves basically setting the Order as the enemy. It was both lazy and disappointing. In one fell swoop the author killed what I consider was the driving heart of the series, and replaced with a standard and generic 'save the world' that felt utterly flat, all the more because the devils were utterly boring as enemies.
I would have much preferred a final confrontation between Tone and Heloise, and think it would have been more fitting with the story of the two previous entries.