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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
I was both excited and terrified to read this big beast of a book. Excited because I’ve been invested in this series for so long and I couldn’t wait to see how it all ended. Terrified because I’ve become so invested in this series and these characters and I want nothing but good for my precious babies. I’m glad to say that it was everything I could have hoped for and more as an ending to what’s become one of my all time favourite series. It had it all; it made me laugh and sob and want to throw the book across the room and hug it to my chest and just hold it close. In short, it was absolute perfection. It was an absolutely brilliant conclusion to one of the most stunning and intricate series I’ve ever read and I couldn’t have loved it more. It’s been days since I finished it and I still can’t stop thinking about how utterly perfect it was!
A strong ending to a good series, The Core ramps things up in every way, but manages to cling to genuine tension and surprises. There is a lot to get through, but I felt engaged the entire time. I loved or hated the characters all in a way that kept me interested in seeing what would happen. I felt satisfied, entertained, and a bit surprised by some of the deeper questions that arise throughout the story. Often times, a series can be marred by the end. The Demon Cycle remains a worthwhile endeavor the entire way through.
Such a disappointment. Don't think I've ever skim read so much of a final book in a series before because it deals with so many pointless things even 80% of the way in.... And main characters don't appear enough.
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Unfortunately, I'm not too terribly impressed with this final installment in the Demon Cycle. Halfway through, I realized there wasn't a whole lot going on and then in reflection, I recognized that nothing really had happened since the third book. My point is a bulk of this book could have been edited out. I didn't like the new POVs introduced and felt that they took away from our main characters and what they were doing. It was filler and Brett's final conclusion was disappointing to me.
However, does this have to do with this book in particular or the series overall? The answer is that series overall could have been so much better and this was the final nail in the coffin. In the first book, Brett introduced some remarkable and wonderful characters, i.e., Arlen, Leesha and Rojer, who all started with pretty unique arcs, but over the course of the series, some of this development was completely abandoned. (Spoilers up ahead) Where is my crazy Warded man by the end of the series? Rippin' gone. So is Rojer, who's death was completely pointless, and his wives gone, as well.
And Leesha. That character is a complete mess and it makes me so upset. Yes, she's still completely badass and the Countess of a new duchy at the end. But, her character development gets kinda old after awhile. She's in charge, she commands people around, she's kinda manipulative and this cycle continues without anyone REALLY challenging her authority. However, the biggest disappointment is the relationship between Leesha and Arlen. Again, there was a lot of wasted opportunity here. And yes, I wanted them to end up together and I may be a little bitter, but my biggest criticism goes as follows. If Brett wanted to change their relationship from a potential romance to platonic friends, he did not handle it well at all. They went from friends to being non-existent friends but then there was always random bits of dialogue, where Renna was jealous of Leesha. But why? Because at this point, Arlen isn't even the same person that loved Leesha. He's some foreign individual that says "ent" and rippin'" too much. Also, let's not even get into how Arlen abandoned two girls in his life and then just marries Renna - a rash decision that goes against his character - but Brett decided that he'd just throw out that whole backstory just because.
And again, this is my biggest gripe with the series. I feel like where Brett was going in the first book is not where he actually ended up. There's a lot that feels unresolved and for me, the characters seem completely foreign to me. I started this journey with Arlen, who was hellbent on ending the demon cycle, and ended with a character that I barely saw, or knew. With Leesha, who wanted to fix the warded man and have a family, and then somehow ended up with an intersex baby (ALSO WHAT WAS THE POINT OF THAT?????), but it's cool because she has a duchy and other women with fatherless babies. And Rojer. Poor boy. I don't know why he deserved the ending he received.
Lastly, Jardir offering to make Renna his wife is just ridiculous.
However, does this have to do with this book in particular or the series overall? The answer is that series overall could have been so much better and this was the final nail in the coffin. In the first book, Brett introduced some remarkable and wonderful characters, i.e., Arlen, Leesha and Rojer, who all started with pretty unique arcs, but over the course of the series, some of this development was completely abandoned. (Spoilers up ahead) Where is my crazy Warded man by the end of the series? Rippin' gone. So is Rojer, who's death was completely pointless, and his wives gone, as well.
And Leesha. That character is a complete mess and it makes me so upset. Yes, she's still completely badass and the Countess of a new duchy at the end. But, her character development gets kinda old after awhile. She's in charge, she commands people around, she's kinda manipulative and this cycle continues without anyone REALLY challenging her authority. However, the biggest disappointment is the relationship between Leesha and Arlen. Again, there was a lot of wasted opportunity here. And yes, I wanted them to end up together and I may be a little bitter, but my biggest criticism goes as follows. If Brett wanted to change their relationship from a potential romance to platonic friends, he did not handle it well at all. They went from friends to being non-existent friends but then there was always random bits of dialogue, where Renna was jealous of Leesha. But why? Because at this point, Arlen isn't even the same person that loved Leesha. He's some foreign individual that says "ent" and rippin'" too much. Also, let's not even get into how Arlen abandoned two girls in his life and then just marries Renna - a rash decision that goes against his character - but Brett decided that he'd just throw out that whole backstory just because.
And again, this is my biggest gripe with the series. I feel like where Brett was going in the first book is not where he actually ended up. There's a lot that feels unresolved and for me, the characters seem completely foreign to me. I started this journey with Arlen, who was hellbent on ending the demon cycle, and ended with a character that I barely saw, or knew. With Leesha, who wanted to fix the warded man and have a family, and then somehow ended up with an intersex baby (ALSO WHAT WAS THE POINT OF THAT?????), but it's cool because she has a duchy and other women with fatherless babies. And Rojer. Poor boy. I don't know why he deserved the ending he received.
Lastly, Jardir offering to make Renna his wife is just ridiculous.
Pelas barbas de Everam, a honra desta série é infinita!
I have FINALLY FINISHED this series. It's been a wild (and long...very very long) ride, but I did it!
Unfortunately, the conclusion felt a bit...anticlimactic. Not sure if it was because of trying to catch the trails of all the various characters in the Massive Battle Sequence, or just that the build up of going to the Core and all the prophecies just could never possibly be matched...but I just feel like Brett killed off all the Dramatic characters that made an emotional impact in the fourth book. The deaths (whilst there are a lot of deaths in this book, there aren't many protaganist deaths) and even the Big One #spoiler was so quick in passing you weren't sure it was a death or they just haven't revealed themselves again. Given the length of the book, I felt like the ones we really cared about could have used a little more love and attention for us to really feel the loss - although an argument can be made that 'that's war baby'.
Also...I still don't really see how Abban 'changed the flow of the tide' in regards to the war (prophecy prophecy prophecy) unless it was mainly a roundabout way of saying "get Abban because in the process you need to take down Hasik and that's the main purpose, not Abban himself".
Anyways, I really enjoyed this series, but I'm also glad it's over. I'm gonna miss some of these characters, however I definitely enjoyed the pace and narrative of the earlier books before it just descended into battle sequence after battle sequence (which i'm not saying is a bad thing - it was always headed that ways given the whole premise of the book). I just felt like even in the battle sequences, you lost the emotional connection to the action - there was no gripping the pages like the original battles in the Hollow or the feelings you got when people finally took action for themselves. I think it just descended into a little chaos, which I understand and appreciate, I'm just not a huge fan of.
I think Brett did a great job with this series, but I'm definitely excited to move on with something different now that my mind can be clear of all those narrative threads!
Unfortunately, the conclusion felt a bit...anticlimactic. Not sure if it was because of trying to catch the trails of all the various characters in the Massive Battle Sequence, or just that the build up of going to the Core and all the prophecies just could never possibly be matched...but I just feel like Brett killed off all the Dramatic characters that made an emotional impact in the fourth book. The deaths (whilst there are a lot of deaths in this book, there aren't many protaganist deaths) and even the Big One #spoiler was so quick in passing you weren't sure it was a death or they just haven't revealed themselves again. Given the length of the book, I felt like the ones we really cared about could have used a little more love and attention for us to really feel the loss - although an argument can be made that 'that's war baby'.
Also...I still don't really see how Abban 'changed the flow of the tide' in regards to the war (prophecy prophecy prophecy) unless it was mainly a roundabout way of saying "get Abban because in the process you need to take down Hasik and that's the main purpose, not Abban himself".
Anyways, I really enjoyed this series, but I'm also glad it's over. I'm gonna miss some of these characters, however I definitely enjoyed the pace and narrative of the earlier books before it just descended into battle sequence after battle sequence (which i'm not saying is a bad thing - it was always headed that ways given the whole premise of the book). I just felt like even in the battle sequences, you lost the emotional connection to the action - there was no gripping the pages like the original battles in the Hollow or the feelings you got when people finally took action for themselves. I think it just descended into a little chaos, which I understand and appreciate, I'm just not a huge fan of.
I think Brett did a great job with this series, but I'm definitely excited to move on with something different now that my mind can be clear of all those narrative threads!
Notes:
Well.
I wondered if I would like the story more if I read it. I already listened to the audio a few times and my impression was more negative than positive. Reading it did not make me enjoy the story more. It reinforced my first impressions.
The ending was hocus pocus. I'm sure some people will enjoy it. I thought it was forgettable.
Well.
I wondered if I would like the story more if I read it. I already listened to the audio a few times and my impression was more negative than positive. Reading it did not make me enjoy the story more. It reinforced my first impressions.
The ending was hocus pocus. I'm sure some people will enjoy it. I thought it was forgettable.
This is a big book, it has all of the components which have made the rest of the Demon Cycle excellent.