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4.61 AVERAGE
4.61 AVERAGE
Anyways, this was a great time. Ryan Cahill solidifies his ability to make a classical and tropey world feel morally grey, complex and lived in. The characters are in difficult places, and have to make hard choices, and grow from them.
Fantastic, one of my favorite books of the year
I thought this was unlike any other lengthy book I’ve read, yes it was very long but it was written and structured in a way that it was easy to read
All the POVs were interesting to follow, each one could’ve had their own individually book in relation to their story arcs because they were that good. It was also refreshing to follow both protagonist and almost antagonists points of view as it added to the tension and scope of the story. I couldn’t help but feel more invested in Calens story though, but I think this is only because he was one of the first characters to be introduced to the series and I had that deeper connection
With a book this length it’s almost inevitable that there’s going to be some parts that could’ve been trimmed down slightly (I am just being picky) but it never once lost my attention whilst reading this massive tome even during these parts
I am amazed how Of Blood and Fire has lead to this grand scale of a world, this book is the definition of epic fantasy. It really is an impressive feat and there is more to come
Star rating: 5
Spice: 0
Series: The Bound and the Broken #3
Series type: Series
Genre: Fantasy
Subgenre: Epic Fantasy, Adult Fantasy
Publisher: Self Published
Tropes:
- Dragons
- Chosen One
- Boy and the Dragon
- Multi-POV
- Political Intrigue
- Animal Companions
- Large World & Scope
- Big cast of characters
Other
Fantasy species: Dragon Riders, Elves, Dragons, Dwarves, Orcs, Humans with magical abilities, Druids, Wyvern
Format: Ebook
Plot or character driven: A mix of both
POV/narration: Multi- POV, Third Person
Pacing: Medium
Magic Type: Elemental, Blood Magic, Healing Magic, Bonded to Animals
Comparison titles: Lord of the Rings x A Song of Ice and Fire
Characters:
This book follows a large cast of characters, switching between a lot of different POV’s. This might be a struggle for some to connect to each and everyone of them. However, I love this type of story. Switching between multiple characters and storylines kept this behemoth of a book exciting. It prevented the story from feeling dragged out or repetitive.
Next to that, I love that the characters really feel three dimensional. This element gets a lot clearer in the sequels, specifically in this installment. We meet a lot of strong characters who have experienced a lot, yet they still have flaws, even our main character, Calen. The characters who are villainous and we are supposed to hate, are written in a way where we learn to understand their perspectives and motivations. There are a lot of classic fantasy races in this series that still feel really interesting.
Lastly, this is a great series for readers who love animal companions.
World building & magic:
I am absolutely in love with this world. I think that’s one of the reasons why I’m obsessed with this series. There’s nothing I love more than exploring a world that feels large and epic in scale. It feels lived in, with an interesting history that we explore more throughout the story and so many different locations. I can never get enough of it, even after more than a thousand pages. Even though the world is big, it never feels info dumpy. The information about the world feels well spread out and we get explanations when it needs to be there.
The magic system continues to fascinate me more with each book. It is interesting, but it also isn’t too complicated to understand. A lot of it is elemental, which I always love, but I like that the magic does have some consequences in this story. The magic definitely got more fleshed out in this installment, especially the Blood Magic.
What I loved:
I loved everything about this book. There might be flaws, especially since this book is over a 1000 pages, but I don’t see them and I don’t want to. This series reignited my love for epic fantasy and it reminds me why this is my favorite genre (next to fantasy romance). The scope of the world, along with the many characters and storylines made every page of this book worth it. Even though this series isn’t grim dark, I love that it still feels like an adult series and that the themes and that it doesn't shy aways from the brutality of war.
What I didn’t like:
Nothing. I have no notes. My one complaint was that some of the descriptions and describing of emotions felt repetitive. At times I thought to myself: “Okay, we have gone over this already.” But that’s a minor complaint and something that I encounter frequently with thick books like this.
Overall thoughts:
I recommend this to anyone who loves epic scaled fantasy stories with a lot of characters you can root for and storylines to get you invested. A series that isn’t too graphic, but doesn’t shy away from topics like war and power. There are a lot of heartfelt themes woven throughout this story. This has the vibes of Lord of the Rings with the scope of the world like in A Song of Ice and Fire. If you love animal companions, you’ll love this. Reading this installment specifically felt like such an accomplishment because of the length of this book. If you’re already obsessed with this story like I was, then you’ll fly through this nonetheless.
Of War And Ruin is the third novel in Ryan Cahill’s popular self-published epic fantasy series The Bound And The Broken, and once again Cahill steps up the complexity and epicness of this series.
“Live as one. Die as one. For those we've lost.“
Of War And Ruin picks up right from where Of Darkness And Light ended. Aeson, Therin and Dann continue to search for Calen, while Calen continues to seek his friend while also seeking to learn what it truly means to be a Draleid. Dayne has returned from exile and seeks to help his sister free Valtara from the Lorian Empire’s hold and avenge their parents’ death. Dahlen and Belina are caught up in growing tensions in the Dwarven Freehold where the threat of civil war grows. Kallinvar and the Knights Of Achyron must recover from a great loss. And in the midst of all of this… The Blood Moon rises once more, the Traitor God grows in strength, and both Emperor Fane and the monstrous Uraks seek to use this for their own destructive ends.
“In a world where nothing matters, what matters to us means everything. If we forget about the ones we love, everything loses meaning.”
This book is an absolute tome coming in at 1000 pages (for the hardcover) and 450,000 words. In spite of the length, I didn’t have any gripes with pacing or anything like that as there is just so much happening in this book. Cahill ties together threads from both the novellas in this book now as well as the previous two novels. The world of Epheria is continually developed and all of the characters, history, monsters and lore feel so well developed.
Cahill just continues to improve with every book - I really enjoyed Of Blood And Fire with its classic fantasy story beginnings, but Of War And Ruin is just in a complete other league of epic fantasy and I really encourage any fans of fantasy to pick this series up.
