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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
A solid conclusion to the Empire of Salt series.
As with all these books, it took a little while to draw me into the story but then I was steadily propelled to the end.
Onto the plot:
A foreign nation - at first seemingly eager to trade but secretly planning war - sets its sights on war with the city of Darien. Tellius, once an outsider and now one of the rulers, gathers a team of his best warriors and magic users to save the city...
And so the scene is set. By now the reader 'knows' Tellius's team from previous books and it's a pleasure to be reunited with them and see them use their myriad skills to the max.
There are a few characters I'd like to have seen more of - the young golem king, even the city of Shiang. It might've been nice to go deeper into the more intriguing magic skills on show too.
But never mind - as I said the plot is a solid way to bring characters back together for one last adventure (or one last city defense), tying up some loose ends along the way. It's not spectacular, but it is comforting and sometimes that's what you need.
As with all these books, it took a little while to draw me into the story but then I was steadily propelled to the end.
Onto the plot:
A foreign nation - at first seemingly eager to trade but secretly planning war - sets its sights on war with the city of Darien. Tellius, once an outsider and now one of the rulers, gathers a team of his best warriors and magic users to save the city...
And so the scene is set. By now the reader 'knows' Tellius's team from previous books and it's a pleasure to be reunited with them and see them use their myriad skills to the max.
There are a few characters I'd like to have seen more of - the young golem king, even the city of Shiang. It might've been nice to go deeper into the more intriguing magic skills on show too.
But never mind - as I said the plot is a solid way to bring characters back together for one last adventure (or one last city defense), tying up some loose ends along the way. It's not spectacular, but it is comforting and sometimes that's what you need.
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Such a page turner. I love how everything comes together from the previous two books for an epic conclusion to the series. I have yet to be disappointed by an Iggulden book.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book would've been a certain 4 star for me if it wasn't for the rushed ending that actually pissed me off. I still have so many questions that I know will never be answered. I wish I could've spent more time with the characters in action and see them form bonds. I still don't understand the history of the magic system as it wasn't explained. Also I hated how the POV changed when it was convenient for the writer. Why was one paragraph Elias' pov, then two sentences Jean's pov and then again Elias'. It was written in third person but I still didn't like the constant change at the end. Also the character death was completely pointless and rushed as well. It felt like the author had a deadline for the book and didn't bother to write the last 50 pages properly.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Violence, War
As far as trashy fantasy stuff goes this is right up there. The superheroes from the previous two books align to defeat a common enemy and the city is saved. Not a great deal of character development, and hardly Dickensian plotting, but plenty of action and generally engaging stuff.
The Sword Saint is a solid ending to the trilogy that began with Darien.
The scope of the trilogy can't be faulted - city-wide, not just character-centred and yet it is the characters that spoke most to me. It is good, in this final part, that we are reunited with the characters of book 1 as well as book 2. As such, The Sword Saint feels more complete than Book 2.
It is Tellius that binds all three stories together, just as much as Darien itself, and some of the 'newer' characters feel a little superfluous in this final book. Yes, I know they add to the storyline, but it could have been done a bit quicker, and more time spent on Tellius et al.
Overall, I enjoyed The Sword Saint, but I would have liked a few questions answered and I would have loved much, much more of the warriors who defend Darien once more. But, I suppose it's better to leave an audience wanting more!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my review copy.
The scope of the trilogy can't be faulted - city-wide, not just character-centred and yet it is the characters that spoke most to me. It is good, in this final part, that we are reunited with the characters of book 1 as well as book 2. As such, The Sword Saint feels more complete than Book 2.
It is Tellius that binds all three stories together, just as much as Darien itself, and some of the 'newer' characters feel a little superfluous in this final book. Yes, I know they add to the storyline, but it could have been done a bit quicker, and more time spent on Tellius et al.
Overall, I enjoyed The Sword Saint, but I would have liked a few questions answered and I would have loved much, much more of the warriors who defend Darien once more. But, I suppose it's better to leave an audience wanting more!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my review copy.
I have very mixed feelings about this trilogy (I’m reviewing all three books again). This is Conn Iggulden’s first attempt at a fantasy series as his usual genre is historical fiction. I’ve always liked his other books so had high hopes for this trilogy. Conn’s writing is fast flowing and easy to read, so that you can literally jump into the book at any point with no issues.
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The story itself revolves around a city named Darien, ruled by twelve families, and a plot to kill the king. We’re quickly introduced to the entire cast who all play a vital role, but have no affiliation with each other. Despite this, all characters somehow converge in one place, despite very different motives. I will say one thing though, and that is the characters are extremely varied and have some really exciting aspects to them which do make them very unique. This is probably one of the first times I’ve liked EVERY character. I won’t say much about the magic system in the books, however, it was unique and quite enjoyable to discover more about it.
-
The plot at times was interesting yet mostly felt messily thrown together. I actually think the first book could easily have been a stand-alone or if anything just worked as a stage setting book, because the plot really only started....and ended in book two.
-
I actually found the second book a lot better than the first. We’re introduced to some new and interesting characters and a brand new city. Conn somehow links up the plot between the two cities and suddenly we’re back at Darien and stuff happens. But overall it was actually a better book. Book three on the other hand...hmmph. This should’ve been a duo series. It wasn’t a bad book, but not really needed and didn’t expand on the world or reveal any revelations, except for just extending the story and revealing a new bad guy, (whose motives were so “tropey”). So once again the band of characters gets together and does some shit (very similar to book one). I think the third book may have been a rehash of book one?!
-
Overall verdict is 3.5
-
The story itself revolves around a city named Darien, ruled by twelve families, and a plot to kill the king. We’re quickly introduced to the entire cast who all play a vital role, but have no affiliation with each other. Despite this, all characters somehow converge in one place, despite very different motives. I will say one thing though, and that is the characters are extremely varied and have some really exciting aspects to them which do make them very unique. This is probably one of the first times I’ve liked EVERY character. I won’t say much about the magic system in the books, however, it was unique and quite enjoyable to discover more about it.
-
The plot at times was interesting yet mostly felt messily thrown together. I actually think the first book could easily have been a stand-alone or if anything just worked as a stage setting book, because the plot really only started....and ended in book two.
-
I actually found the second book a lot better than the first. We’re introduced to some new and interesting characters and a brand new city. Conn somehow links up the plot between the two cities and suddenly we’re back at Darien and stuff happens. But overall it was actually a better book. Book three on the other hand...hmmph. This should’ve been a duo series. It wasn’t a bad book, but not really needed and didn’t expand on the world or reveal any revelations, except for just extending the story and revealing a new bad guy, (whose motives were so “tropey”). So once again the band of characters gets together and does some shit (very similar to book one). I think the third book may have been a rehash of book one?!
-
Overall verdict is 3.5
The Sword Saint was a solid ending to the Empire of Salt series.
I suppose it’s almost expected that sequels don’t carry the same allure as the first in a series, and unfortunately I feel the same applies to this series. I thoroughly enjoyed Darien, but my enthusiasm waned through the next two books. That’s not to say the books weren’t enjoyable, but for me they lacked the originality and the ‘unknown’ factor that made the first book so great.
Thanks NetGalley and Penguin UK for a review copy
I suppose it’s almost expected that sequels don’t carry the same allure as the first in a series, and unfortunately I feel the same applies to this series. I thoroughly enjoyed Darien, but my enthusiasm waned through the next two books. That’s not to say the books weren’t enjoyable, but for me they lacked the originality and the ‘unknown’ factor that made the first book so great.
Thanks NetGalley and Penguin UK for a review copy
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A tale of two halves.
The Sword Saint is the finale of the "Empire of Salt" fantasy series, by the famous historical fiction writer Conn Iggulden.
The books are written so each one can be a standalone within the series and that has some positive and negatives.
By having the standalone aspects, the story is easy to pick up without having to remember previous novels. On the flip side and what stopped this being a 5 star finale for me, it does mean each book needs to add in new characters, arc, villains and stories.
Following the frenetic and colossus ending to the previous book I was hoping this book would maintain that level. However long periods of this book were dedicated to bringing a new story together, and the characters we have grown to love and the relationships they forged in previous books were not utilised how I had hoped .
All of that said, CI is an incredible writer with the ability to write the most incredible showdowns and battle scenes. Which meant the final 40 percent of this book was just balls to the wall , drama, action and outright outstanding writing.
All in all, a really strong book and a brilliant fantasy series. Albeit not on the same level as the conqueror series, written by the same author
The Sword Saint is the finale of the "Empire of Salt" fantasy series, by the famous historical fiction writer Conn Iggulden.
The books are written so each one can be a standalone within the series and that has some positive and negatives.
By having the standalone aspects, the story is easy to pick up without having to remember previous novels. On the flip side and what stopped this being a 5 star finale for me, it does mean each book needs to add in new characters, arc, villains and stories.
Following the frenetic and colossus ending to the previous book I was hoping this book would maintain that level. However long periods of this book were dedicated to bringing a new story together, and the characters we have grown to love and the relationships they forged in previous books were not utilised how I had hoped .
All of that said, CI is an incredible writer with the ability to write the most incredible showdowns and battle scenes. Which meant the final 40 percent of this book was just balls to the wall , drama, action and outright outstanding writing.
All in all, a really strong book and a brilliant fantasy series. Albeit not on the same level as the conqueror series, written by the same author