Scan barcode
stormywolf's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-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
4.0
I've made no effort to hide how much Kingsbane's ending affected me. In fact, I've mentioned in several other reviews how depressed I was, and how I didn't plan on ever reading it again, regardless of my tradition of rereading series leading up to the latest book. It was really thanks to the audiobook that I ended up revisiting both Furyborn and Kingsbane, partly to refresh myself on the characters, but mostly so I could give a review of the audio throughout the series. And I will say, thanks in part to the year of letting my wounds heal, and having the expectation of devastation in my mind throughout the reread, I entered into this final chapter with a bit more hope than I last left off.
Read my full review at The Wolf's Den
Overall, Lightbringer had some dark turns, but as a certain Prophet once said, "To rise, first one must burn," and this definitely turned up the heat. I didn't talk too much about the nitty gritty of the plot or the twists of this book, but honestly I didn't want to spoil more than I did. Just know that I was gripped at every step of the way, and had this not been a 12-hour read, I would have tried to devour it all in one go. I don't know that I'll be returning to dark fantasy soon, but for anyone who is a fan or is looking to dip their toes into the dark waters, I'd definitely recommend this trilogy. If you were as disheartened as I was after the second book, I can't promise it'll get easier to deal with the loss, but just as the title suggests, light is on the horizon if you can hang in there through the dark. And if nothing else, you can always let your hunger to see Corien suffer drive you forward.
Read my full review at The Wolf's Den
Overall, Lightbringer had some dark turns, but as a certain Prophet once said, "To rise, first one must burn," and this definitely turned up the heat. I didn't talk too much about the nitty gritty of the plot or the twists of this book, but honestly I didn't want to spoil more than I did. Just know that I was gripped at every step of the way, and had this not been a 12-hour read, I would have tried to devour it all in one go. I don't know that I'll be returning to dark fantasy soon, but for anyone who is a fan or is looking to dip their toes into the dark waters, I'd definitely recommend this trilogy. If you were as disheartened as I was after the second book, I can't promise it'll get easier to deal with the loss, but just as the title suggests, light is on the horizon if you can hang in there through the dark. And if nothing else, you can always let your hunger to see Corien suffer drive you forward.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Torture, Death, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Addiction, Death of parent, Gun violence, and Infidelity
bee94's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Violence, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Physical abuse, Murder, Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, and Death
haleybsreads's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Torture, and Violence
alizam's review
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book crushed me, in the best and worst ways. It made me realize that, essentially, the plot of this trilogy is "things get worse, and worse, and worse". Lightbringer, and the entire Empirium Trilogy by extension, does that very well. It is, essentially, all setup for a canonical time-travel fix-it fic. Despite my lack of interest in any character except Corien, Remy, and Ludivine, it is a compelling story arc. This book revolves around impossible choices, and the human cost of those choices. The "happy ending", I would argue, makes the rest of the series more depressing in hindsight. The Bad Future of Eliana's story never happened, thanks to a time travel shenanigan handwaved by the narrative, but in handwaving that it makes her whole plot arc feel pointless. Everybody dies except Eliana, Simon, and Audric, three characters I do NOT give a shit about.
And I have to bring up the problem with this book that is heavily discoursed by book twitter et large: Yes, there is explicit sex. No, it's not appropriate for the young teens who will read this.
And I have to bring up the problem with this book that is heavily discoursed by book twitter et large: Yes, there is explicit sex. No, it's not appropriate for the young teens who will read this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Infidelity, Vomit, and Violence
deedireads's review
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
All my reviews live at https://deedispeaking.com/reads/.
TL;DR REVIEW:
Lightbringer isn’t perfect, but it is the sweeping, exciting, heart-wrenching conclusion to the Empirium Trilogy we’ve been waiting for!
For you if: You read and loved Furyborn and Kingsbane.
FULL REVIEW:
TL;DR REVIEW:
Lightbringer isn’t perfect, but it is the sweeping, exciting, heart-wrenching conclusion to the Empirium Trilogy we’ve been waiting for!
For you if: You read and loved Furyborn and Kingsbane.
FULL REVIEW:
“Love is the one constant force that no violence or despair can diminish. We must hold onto the light of this truth, even when the world grows dark. Especially then.”
I’ve been waiting for Lightbringer since the moment I finished Kingsbane, which ended on a huge cliffhanger! And finally, a few weeks ago, it landed in my hands — all 600 pages of it. And now, friends, I’ve experienced the exciting ending we’ve been waiting for.
I’m not going to recap the plot because I don’t want to spoil the first two books, but here’s the 1,000-foot view of the series: We have two main characters, 1,000 years apart: Rielle, who has more magic than anyone else, and Eliana, who fights her way through the world that was created when Rielle fell.
Lightbringer itself was great. I do think that it could have been shorter, and the pacing in the first half frustrated me a little. But the ending was worth it. So good!!! My heart!! I don’t want to spoil anything, but if you liked the first two books, I think you’ll be happy with this conclusion.
If you like to read adult fantasy series about characters who love big, fight hard, and bleed for a better world, then this is the one for you. READ IT.
TRIGGER WARNINGS:
Violence; Relationship abuse; Suicidal thoughts
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
kpburk's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Slavery, and Violence
More...