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4.38 AVERAGE
4.38 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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
What a freaking ride! A Time of Courage was everything I had hoped it would be. My emotions are scattered, I’m shaking but above all else I am in awe of the raw and the brutality of John Gwynne’s penmanship. I picked up the first book in the Of Blood and Bone series in the summer and it has easily become my favourite adult fantasy series, ever, and I have read a lot of adult fantasy!
Get ready for a finale that is action packed, swifter than a war-hammer to the face and so heart-breaking that it brings you straight to your knees.
A Time of Courage is a story that make you cry. It’s a dark tale of friendship, leadership, loyalty, strength, and love. These themes are at the eye of the storm and they never leave us. It is our hope in a sea of vines, threatening to quash everything our characters stand for. It resembles that even in the darkest of times that good can overcome evil. I don’t think I can verbalise just how much this series got under my skin and how much I loved this book. It was just damn perfect.
"We are just people, all of us the same. Flawed, fragile, stubborn, angry, happy. And life treats no one differently. We are born, and we live, and then we die. It’s what we do while we are here that counts. And if we can be called friend, then we are lucky indeed"
Every single detail, every step travelled kept me grounded and focussed on the narrative. It prepared me to peel back the dangerously dark layers that John Gwynne set up for his readers.
In this review I won’t delve into individual characters – you can look at my review for A Time of Dread, what I will say however, is that staying to form, the characterisation in A Time of Courage was pinpoint perfect. These characters will long stay with me long after the dust has settled on the final page. They are like you and I, in a way. They’ve all felt pain, rage, grief, anguish, love, and hope. they are relatable. They reach out of the page and call to you, call to you to hear their story, feel their trauma, just to be heard. The characters are constantly on a tipping point and with different points of view, the reader is drop-kicked straight to hell. John is the first fantasy author to make me cry huge, fat ugly tears!
A Time of Courage also excels at superior prose at describing such atrocious events that we can only imagine. I was more than happy to share the burden with characters I’ve came to love, came to care about, but boy was the anxiety strong. I needed them all to come out the other side. Gwynne had the power to implant vivid images in my brain and I was transfixed. The book caused a ripple in my stomach but in a good way, I was invested, heart and soul.
I hope that you can feel the passion that I have felt for this series within this review. Please, please pick it up. Experience the magic that it emits. It’s a fond farewell, these characters will be missed.
Get ready for a finale that is action packed, swifter than a war-hammer to the face and so heart-breaking that it brings you straight to your knees.
A Time of Courage is a story that make you cry. It’s a dark tale of friendship, leadership, loyalty, strength, and love. These themes are at the eye of the storm and they never leave us. It is our hope in a sea of vines, threatening to quash everything our characters stand for. It resembles that even in the darkest of times that good can overcome evil. I don’t think I can verbalise just how much this series got under my skin and how much I loved this book. It was just damn perfect.
"We are just people, all of us the same. Flawed, fragile, stubborn, angry, happy. And life treats no one differently. We are born, and we live, and then we die. It’s what we do while we are here that counts. And if we can be called friend, then we are lucky indeed"
Every single detail, every step travelled kept me grounded and focussed on the narrative. It prepared me to peel back the dangerously dark layers that John Gwynne set up for his readers.
In this review I won’t delve into individual characters – you can look at my review for A Time of Dread, what I will say however, is that staying to form, the characterisation in A Time of Courage was pinpoint perfect. These characters will long stay with me long after the dust has settled on the final page. They are like you and I, in a way. They’ve all felt pain, rage, grief, anguish, love, and hope. they are relatable. They reach out of the page and call to you, call to you to hear their story, feel their trauma, just to be heard. The characters are constantly on a tipping point and with different points of view, the reader is drop-kicked straight to hell. John is the first fantasy author to make me cry huge, fat ugly tears!
A Time of Courage also excels at superior prose at describing such atrocious events that we can only imagine. I was more than happy to share the burden with characters I’ve came to love, came to care about, but boy was the anxiety strong. I needed them all to come out the other side. Gwynne had the power to implant vivid images in my brain and I was transfixed. The book caused a ripple in my stomach but in a good way, I was invested, heart and soul.
I hope that you can feel the passion that I have felt for this series within this review. Please, please pick it up. Experience the magic that it emits. It’s a fond farewell, these characters will be missed.
adventurous
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Absolutely phenomenal end to a fantastic series of books. I cant really do the books justice with a written review. Just recommend everyone should read all 7 books from the banished lands. I hear Mr Gwynne is moving into my favourite historical era and people with a viking series up next... genuinely can not wait.... one thing to note, I did see someone on Twitter take issues with Drem as a character. Having read the entire series now, cant help but be confused and perplexed my this. A wonderful character who fitted perfectly into an incredible world. Him touching his neck, to get that control, is the most human and real thing in entire book. Thank you Mr Gwynne for bringing this character to life
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I cannot believe this series is over. I cannot believe this series is over. i cannot believe this series is over.
this will be my whole personality for the next few years, i think.
this will be my whole personality for the next few years, i think.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
*SPOILER-FREE*
A Time Of Courage feels like a single huge 600+ page battle.
Now... That may sound a bit daunting or "over the top" to those who haven't read anything by John Gwynne before, but those that have know that his large-scale battle coordination and his visceral skirmish descriptions are some of the absolute best that the genre has to offer.
I hope that this helps make it clear as to the sheer volume of high quality writing this book contains.
The story of A Time Of Courage also develops the various factions that have been featured throughout the series(') in a much more nuanced way than some of the previous entries.
Rather than the good and the bad, we have all sorts of complex grey areas and overlaps. These grey areas and crossovers make the character motivations of those that belong to each faction much more multifaceted and far more unpredictable.
I said that this book reads like a single huge battle, but in truth, of course, that isn't entirely the case. It is extremely fast paced and action packed, but there are also very poignant moments of rest and reprieve in which our characters learn, grow and bond.
Family, friendship and companionship are key themes employed throughout most of Mr. Gwynne's stories, but rarely more so than here. It is so freshing and heartwarming to read of these relationships, but also therefore so utterly devastating if or when these get torn apart.
There hasn't been a single book set in the Banished Lands that hasn't at some point brought me to tears of either joy or sadness or both.
There is always a lot riding on the end of a series, particularly an epic fantasy series such as this. Quite often the ending falls a little short, but I am very happy to say this series ends on a strong note.
There was a lot that happened in this book that surprised me. I do not wish to spoil anything for those that have yet to read it, but if you are this far in the series then I assure you that you, like me, shall be very satisfied with it's conclusion.
5 Stars
As one series comes to an end, I am left with my excitement for what is coming next from Mr. Gwynne, in the form of the wonderfully titled [b:The Dragon Unchained|52694527|The Dragon Unchained (The Bloodsworn Saga, #1)|John Gwynne|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|73710031], the first book in 'The Bloodsworn Saga'.
But, until then, truth and courage.
________________________
Thank you for reading my review. I hope you are all keeping well, staying safe and reading good books.
A Time Of Courage feels like a single huge 600+ page battle.
Now... That may sound a bit daunting or "over the top" to those who haven't read anything by John Gwynne before, but those that have know that his large-scale battle coordination and his visceral skirmish descriptions are some of the absolute best that the genre has to offer.
I hope that this helps make it clear as to the sheer volume of high quality writing this book contains.
The story of A Time Of Courage also develops the various factions that have been featured throughout the series(') in a much more nuanced way than some of the previous entries.
Rather than the good and the bad, we have all sorts of complex grey areas and overlaps. These grey areas and crossovers make the character motivations of those that belong to each faction much more multifaceted and far more unpredictable.
I said that this book reads like a single huge battle, but in truth, of course, that isn't entirely the case. It is extremely fast paced and action packed, but there are also very poignant moments of rest and reprieve in which our characters learn, grow and bond.
Family, friendship and companionship are key themes employed throughout most of Mr. Gwynne's stories, but rarely more so than here. It is so freshing and heartwarming to read of these relationships, but also therefore so utterly devastating if or when these get torn apart.
There hasn't been a single book set in the Banished Lands that hasn't at some point brought me to tears of either joy or sadness or both.
'Love, loyalty and friendship shall be my guiding light.'
There is always a lot riding on the end of a series, particularly an epic fantasy series such as this. Quite often the ending falls a little short, but I am very happy to say this series ends on a strong note.
There was a lot that happened in this book that surprised me. I do not wish to spoil anything for those that have yet to read it, but if you are this far in the series then I assure you that you, like me, shall be very satisfied with it's conclusion.
5 Stars
As one series comes to an end, I am left with my excitement for what is coming next from Mr. Gwynne, in the form of the wonderfully titled [b:The Dragon Unchained|52694527|The Dragon Unchained (The Bloodsworn Saga, #1)|John Gwynne|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|73710031], the first book in 'The Bloodsworn Saga'.
But, until then, truth and courage.
________________________
Thank you for reading my review. I hope you are all keeping well, staying safe and reading good books.