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nanzi38's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely loved this trilogy and this book made me cry, just as much as the second one! Loved the magic, loved the loyalty, the family, all the symbols! Such a great read!
sarahs_bookdragon's review against another edition
3.0
Really enjoyed it! The end was fantastic! I feel like it just went a little too fast. A lot of things happened faster than I wanted because "destiny" which made the moments a bit less effective. The battles went by very quickly for a large portion of the book, and the love story went way too quick. One second they barely know each other and the next they say "I love you."
All that said, this is a fantastic world, with really great complex themes and characters. An excellent story. It ended too quickly.
All that said, this is a fantastic world, with really great complex themes and characters. An excellent story. It ended too quickly.
princessamira's review against another edition
Plot feels already laid out. Characters are boring with little development. 18 days in and couldn't make myself want to read it.
heabooknerd's review against another edition
2.0
THE RISE OF MAGICKS was a bit of a struggle for me to finish. I loved the first book in this trilogy but the last two have been slow, overly detailed, and just haven't worked for me. Fallon was a bit annoying in the way she took every burden on her shoulders and refused to let anyone help until someone else made her see reason. Mostly I just had a hard time getting interested in all planning for battles, and then fighting battles, and then cleaning up after battles, and then starting it all over again.
I was also pretty disappointed in the romance between Fallon and Duncan. While this trilogy isn't focused on the romance it's definitely there. But Fallon and Duncan spend most of the first half of the book away from each other and then when they're finally back at New Hope together they basically just give in to the feelings they've always had. There's a few moments of tension in the relationship but overall, it was a weird mix of underdeveloped but also important to the story.
Content Warning: references to abuse, rape, torture, and experimentation; animal death; death of a loved one
I was also pretty disappointed in the romance between Fallon and Duncan. While this trilogy isn't focused on the romance it's definitely there. But Fallon and Duncan spend most of the first half of the book away from each other and then when they're finally back at New Hope together they basically just give in to the feelings they've always had. There's a few moments of tension in the relationship but overall, it was a weird mix of underdeveloped but also important to the story.
Content Warning: references to abuse, rape, torture, and experimentation; animal death; death of a loved one
krisleigh89's review against another edition
3.0
While the series overall was good, this book seemed long and slow compared to the others.
be_art's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
relaxing
tense
fast-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
5.0
katyanaish's review against another edition
3.0
***3.5***
I enjoyed this series, though it did have some problems. I think the oddest one is the abrupt shift from adult characters in book 1 to kids for books 2 and 3, making it veer into some YA territory. And the other things I struggled with in books 2 and 3 are, I think, related to it.
Primarily, I didn't find Duncan and Fallon's relationship to be compelling or believable. I think Duncan is an ass, honestly. And he takes off on her, leaving her to continue to shoulder the burden of being The One without a partner, for 2 and a half years. Then when he comes back, they're just ... together. They don't get together. They don't get to know each other. They don't honestly know each other at all, though he has a lot of preconceived notions about her and lays into her at several points in the series - he blasts her for being cold and unfeeling. No, douchebag. She is just struggling to live with this horrible responsibility, and the fact that even when she makes the best and most strategic choices, people die because she sends them into battle. And she's living with that alone. Yes, she has her family, and they are freaking awesome. But that's not the same as a partner she can be just herself with. Cry to. Someone who will make sure she stops to eat and sleep because she's running herself into the damn ground and she's only like 18.
I never believed Duncan actually cared about her. He was compelled by this fated mate connection, but he was out of her life much, much more than he was in it. And when he was in it, I don't think NR did anything to grow a relationship. They just fell into bed with each other and magic exploded and they were declaring their I-love-yous and it was done. I felt really cheated. Because it isn't that Duncan couldn't have gotten there - he's a damn spoiled, cocky teenager, yes, but he's also a soldier, and he can be a solid rock when needed for the war. I feel like he could have gotten there with Fallon too, with some effort. Instead, it was all resentment and pushing her away, until it suddenly wasn't.
I also didn't like Fallon's choice to peace out for a bit, herself. I get that she was tired, needed a break, to find her inspiration and faith again. But then SAY THAT. Don't just dramatically disappear like a goddamn child (and she's not a child anymore at this point, she's like a 21 year old who has been leading a war for 5 years) without telling anyone where you're going, while you're the primary target of the enemy, so they all worry endlessly ... and don't hear from you for 5 weeks. You could be dead for all they know.
I liked the story, the overall arc. But those points above really took away from it, for me.
I enjoyed this series, though it did have some problems. I think the oddest one is the abrupt shift from adult characters in book 1 to kids for books 2 and 3, making it veer into some YA territory. And the other things I struggled with in books 2 and 3 are, I think, related to it.
Primarily, I didn't find Duncan and Fallon's relationship to be compelling or believable. I think Duncan is an ass, honestly. And he takes off on her, leaving her to continue to shoulder the burden of being The One without a partner, for 2 and a half years. Then when he comes back, they're just ... together. They don't get together. They don't get to know each other. They don't honestly know each other at all, though he has a lot of preconceived notions about her and lays into her at several points in the series - he blasts her for being cold and unfeeling. No, douchebag. She is just struggling to live with this horrible responsibility, and the fact that even when she makes the best and most strategic choices, people die because she sends them into battle. And she's living with that alone. Yes, she has her family, and they are freaking awesome. But that's not the same as a partner she can be just herself with. Cry to. Someone who will make sure she stops to eat and sleep because she's running herself into the damn ground and she's only like 18.
I never believed Duncan actually cared about her. He was compelled by this fated mate connection, but he was out of her life much, much more than he was in it. And when he was in it, I don't think NR did anything to grow a relationship. They just fell into bed with each other and magic exploded and they were declaring their I-love-yous and it was done. I felt really cheated. Because it isn't that Duncan couldn't have gotten there - he's a damn spoiled, cocky teenager, yes, but he's also a soldier, and he can be a solid rock when needed for the war. I feel like he could have gotten there with Fallon too, with some effort. Instead, it was all resentment and pushing her away, until it suddenly wasn't.
I also didn't like Fallon's choice to peace out for a bit, herself. I get that she was tired, needed a break, to find her inspiration and faith again. But then SAY THAT. Don't just dramatically disappear like a goddamn child (and she's not a child anymore at this point, she's like a 21 year old who has been leading a war for 5 years) without telling anyone where you're going, while you're the primary target of the enemy, so they all worry endlessly ... and don't hear from you for 5 weeks. You could be dead for all they know.
I liked the story, the overall arc. But those points above really took away from it, for me.