Reviews

The Fall by Ryan Cahill

olethered's review

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

4.5

the_dragon_reread's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

stacey_unchecked's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

5 star novella to introduce us to the world of Ryan Cahill's making. A masterful telling of the fall of Ilnaen and those who fought to save it. Dragons, magic and absolute betrayal abound. Our hearts are ripped out at the losses of our hero's but hope is not totally lost. Some remain to fight again another day. 
I can't wait to read more of The Bound and the Broken. 

jaytayriv's review

adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

4.5

b_morganbooks's review

3.5

I’m really not a novella fan, but as far as they go, this was a good one. I’m really glad I decided to pick it up after reading the first book because I don’t think I would have had any reason to care about it if I wasn’t already invested in the world. It was entertaining to read about some of the characters that featured in the first book and I’m more excited to jump into the next book now that I have this knowledge under my belt. 

camerenk's review

adventurous dark emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

the_pale_woman's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

4.0

I read this prequel novella before the first book, and for the most part, I would recommend others do the same. The only reason I could see to read this after book one is if you want to get a better sense of how the series feels as a whole before becoming fully invested. The Bound and the Broken as a series feels very much like a traditional fantasy. Farm boy and friends get wrangled into fighting "evil". In slight contrast, the pace of this novella is extremely quick. It doesn't slow down to explain anything. It just takes you through the events of an extremely bloody night, four hundred years before the events of book one, told in four parts, each with its own POV.

In book one, Of Blood and Fire, there is a moment when a character tells a much more simplified version of this story. That moment gives you the basic information you'll need going forward in the story, but I think that part was more enjoyable to read, knowing more of the context from this novella. That said, you won't be confused if you just jump straight into book one. You'll never feel like you missed anything.
 

down_legends_and_lore's review

dark emotional mysterious sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.25

hassim's review

emotional

4.5

primmiiee's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0