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4.35 AVERAGE
4.35 AVERAGE
This is 3-stars solely because I don't understand why we're all listening to Calen...He's a child.
The story is 4.5-stars. I read this faster than I thought especially because this is the 1st book I've read NOT LISTENED TO in years. My dyslexic ass tore through this in a week, 5 chapters a night.
This is not a 3-star book based on the quality of the story. It's a 3-star for me bc I feel like these are not real people. Belina and Erik are the only ones who feel real and whose company I've truly enjoyed throughout. Petition for more Erik?? He's such a drama queen.
I understand Calen is a Draleid, but bestie...babe did his Proving like what, 6 months ago or something?? How are Erik, Tarmon, and Vaeril so irresponsible?? All they say is, 'Is this a good idea? I'm with you till death do us part.' Why is Aeson the only one who understands how to treat Calen?? How Dann is treated in this book is how Calen should be treated.
I thought the whole sequence of
The way Aeson is acting like Calen is the new Christ and he's willing to sacrifice everything...you'd think that Erik would have that urgency of keeping Calen safe not letting him go anywhere because he has a bleeding heart. They were lucky. Each time they've been lucky. Them going to find Rist is so insane to me like Calen would, I could never.
Also Dayne....
Almost everyone here is so noble and has such good morals which is also crazy to me lol. Even the antagonists are not evillll, they're all giving 'Oh no, we did this unspeakably terrible thing...anyway, they need us now. Uwu.'
Anyway, can't wait to continue. This series is really interesting. Being irritated with Calen has become something I look forward to.
The story is 4.5-stars. I read this faster than I thought especially because this is the 1st book I've read NOT LISTENED TO in years. My dyslexic ass tore through this in a week, 5 chapters a night.
This is not a 3-star book based on the quality of the story. It's a 3-star for me bc I feel like these are not real people. Belina and Erik are the only ones who feel real and whose company I've truly enjoyed throughout. Petition for more Erik?? He's such a drama queen.
I understand Calen is a Draleid, but bestie...babe did his Proving like what, 6 months ago or something?? How are Erik, Tarmon, and Vaeril so irresponsible?? All they say is, 'Is this a good idea? I'm with you till death do us part.' Why is Aeson the only one who understands how to treat Calen?? How Dann is treated in this book is how Calen should be treated.
I thought the whole sequence of
Spoiler
someone needs to be saved -> we can't save them -> I'm not leaving them -> almost everyone dying because we can't leave that one person we barely even know....wasn't the adult thing to do on repeat and they lost people for it.The way Aeson is acting like Calen is the new Christ and he's willing to sacrifice everything...you'd think that Erik would have that urgency of keeping Calen safe not letting him go anywhere because he has a bleeding heart. They were lucky. Each time they've been lucky. Them going to find Rist is so insane to me like Calen would, I could never.
Also Dayne....
Spoiler
You left your siblings and they felt betrayed...I get it. You're alive and you feel bad about it, I get it, I promise. We don't need to dwell on it forever fr.Almost everyone here is so noble and has such good morals which is also crazy to me lol. Even the antagonists are not evillll, they're all giving 'Oh no, we did this unspeakably terrible thing...anyway, they need us now. Uwu.'
Anyway, can't wait to continue. This series is really interesting. Being irritated with Calen has become something I look forward to.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book only slightly disappointed, but not by much. I expected for this book to be an instant five star, but sadly for me I am settling at a 4.75/5. But that is nothing to scoff at. This book was amazing in the way it tackles guilt. I feel like that is the biggest thing we see throughout this series, the feeling of guilt and how it comes about through either our inability to do action or failure to do the correct action. So now, everything except my conclusion will have full spoilers for this book, The Fall, and Of Blood and Fire.
The Knights of Achyron:If you have read the entire book you know why I am starting with the knights. I was thoroughly shocked by the revelation that the man who was made a knight at the start of Book One was Haem, Calen's brother. My suspicion was that Vars was the character ressurected at the start, although it was a simple suspicion because I paid no attention to the characteristics of Vars and Haem in the prologue. Anyways, let me talk about the actual knights. I loved learning a little bit more about the bloodmarked and The Fall from Kallinvar's perspective. I think what really threw me off was that it seems the knights take up new names after they are accepted into the order. Now I think my only problem with the knights was the very first section where they go out on a mission. I thought it lasted a bit too long for my taste. There was that Urak fight that I felt had no weight behind but maybe my memory is finnicky. Although my favorite part of this section was one of my favorite quotes which makes me love Kallinvar so much. "There is not a soul in this world that does not feel the push and pull of pride. Damage it, and you can make an enemy for life. Keep it intact, and you may find allies in the strangest of places" (Cahill 335). This quote was completely relatable. No matter how much some people want to say that they don't have pride, they may not even know it, but they are full of shit. I also love that Kallinvar tells Haem/Arden that politics is everywhere whether we like it or not. That is too true, I find that people love to shove politics into every little nook and cranny they can find and all you can do is work with it as best as you can.
Dayne:I love Dayne. I think this was my favorite section of the book. Learning about the place this Dayne guy grew up in was very interesting. I loved the wyverns, mostly because dragons are badass and they are close relatives. I loved his relationship with his family. Family dynamics tend to be my favorite ones. The way he constantly thinks of him as a terrible person makes me excited to check out The Exile. Especially since I am pretty sure, Belina (I think that was her name), the lady who helps Dahlen, played a big role in that downfall but maybe I am pulling this information out of my ass and I did not read that anywhere. But seeing his relationship with his brother and sister was amazing. Hearing about what Baren had to do to protect their family was just so gut-wrenching because he really had no choice- it was either cause a rebellion which has already taken so much from his family, or kill his sister's lover and take her son. It was a terrible position and I love how Dayne punches him and immediately ownes up to the fact that he has probably done much worse in his time away. I also love that he truly does love his family and doesn't want his sister to murder his brother. Now the only nitpick I had with this section, and I guess it could be possible to fix in The Exile novella, was that Mera still loved him and never seemed to try and move on after he died. I just feel like it is unrealistic although I could easily be wrong. I am excited to see the future of this character. I keep specualting on more draleid coming into the game and I feel like if we get more draleid then he will be one of them.
Ella and Farda:This section was probably a really close second favorite section. Ella is one of my favorite characters in the series although I think the biggest problem with her sections is that it feels more like she is reacting which doesn't make for a very good active character. I still enjoy her sections but it doesn't feel like she has a lot of agency since she is almost always being used. Although admittedly I think she will be much more active in the next book since she is now with "the rebellion". I think my favorite part of her story was the final time she chose to call herself Ella Fjorn rather than Bryer. I still don't quite understand Farda but I hope he ends up helping Ella because I do quite like him.I feel like he is heading onto an interesting Arc.
Rist:This section was also really good. I am pretty sure the Glade was burned down to the ground and I don't remember what happened in the first book all that well. So correct me if I am wrong but I think the letters from his parents are fake. What really scared me though was his choice in the trial of the Will. I am extremely worried about what will happen when Rist reunites with Calen, but what might make their reunion better is Calen's reminder of when to help people. I don't have much more to say on the topic other than this is heading in the direction of one of my favorite character dynamics. It makes me think of Suzaku and Lelouch from Code Geass if anyone has watched that. Best friends who are on opposing sides of a conflict due to opposing ideals.
Dahlen and Ihvon:Dahlen was my least favorite section. I was not invested in the mystery of who was trying to kill Daymon and I was not really connecting with the characters he came into contact too. The only character I liked was Ihvon because of his love for Daymon and the nuance in his connection to the dwarves. I think the core of the Dahlen section was his connection to Ihvon. Dahlen learning to care more about the people around him was an interesting thing to read and seeing how he would end up getting used just by trying to help, especially in the end. How the lady just continuously risked his life and let him get hurt. Then there was the reveal that just makes me so much more angry with Daymon where he sabotaged the Dwarves. At the end of the first book I thought he was a pretty good guy but now he feels very similar to a spoiled brat and it drives me beyond mad.
Dann and Aeson:Dann was a very interesting read. With the group separated it gave him a lot more character than the careless drunk we had seen before. I loved the conflict he had with Aeson and the other elves because he made it seem as if they did not care about Calen and Erik and everyone who was lost but the reality was very different. I absolutely love the idea that he will have a romance with Alea. Don't ask why, I just like it. Anyways, getting a little bit more teasing as to who exactly Vars was is so tantalizing. It is one of the big reasons why I cannot wait to continue this series. They called Vars the "Chainbreaker" which sounds so badass. I want to know more about the shapeshifters and how exactly they know where Calen is. Now I want to talk about how frustrating Aeson can be. To keep his family out of the way it drives me nuts that he keeps trying to take Dahlen out of the equation. I know he wants to keep them safe and it is logical from a character standpoint, but it still drives me nuts because Aeson just keeps neglecting Dahlen. I do have to say I love the part where he just started talking about how no matter what there will always be that person who just walks into your life and demands your love, maybe not romantically but they can be such a kind and wonderful person that they just make you love them because that is how they are.
Calen:Alright this section has probably the highest highs and the lowest lows for this book, which are not very low by the way. My problem was mostly the beginning feeling a bit too slow because that just was not the pace I expected for the series or book. After that point in the book I feel like I got Calen chapters exactly when I felt like I was wanting them. I also have to applaud the way the POVs were split up because it felt like we would get a few chapters with one character, but just enough of them so that we could finish up a very small story which helped build up further until the end. I think the best part of Calen in this book was the time he spent in the South. I loved getting to explore that kingdom and having to learn about the Wyrms. Calen feels like a much better character because now he has a very core flaw in that I feel like he is growing more and more callous in his regard for life. Valerys feels less like a character though which I hope will get improved, but let me explain why I think that. I feel as if Valerys was simply angry for the sake of the plot in particular at the end in Kingspass. I think I want a bit more insight into Valerys's head before I really start to consider him as a better character because while he means a lot to Calen he also feels like he is exclusively reacting to the world around him. I think a really good part of Calen being captured is that now we understand what is at stake if Valerys dies. We understand more of what will happen if Calen becomes a Broken Draleid.
Conclusion: This book was fantastic and it teases me so much as to what will happen in the future of the series that I just want to jump straight into Of War and Ruin but I will keep myself on a leash for now. I have high expectations for Of War and Ruin and I do not think I will be disappointed.
The Knights of Achyron:
Dayne:
Ella and Farda:
Rist:
Dahlen and Ihvon:
Dann and Aeson:
Calen:
Conclusion: This book was fantastic and it teases me so much as to what will happen in the future of the series that I just want to jump straight into Of War and Ruin but I will keep myself on a leash for now. I have high expectations for Of War and Ruin and I do not think I will be disappointed.
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Definitely an improvement from book one. I'm continually impressed by the scale of Cahill's ambition. The ambition to jam his story full of everything he loves in fantasy. My hope is that he keeps adding. Bring on the complexity. I can take it.
I still think that some the characters need more work. There are a few that seem too similar to each other. In my opinion, they need something more than their plot lines to differentiate themselves from the pack. Some tick or quark. I want them to be more than men with swords.
I still think that some the characters need more work. There are a few that seem too similar to each other. In my opinion, they need something more than their plot lines to differentiate themselves from the pack. Some tick or quark. I want them to be more than men with swords.
adventurous
slow-paced
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
funny
inspiring
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:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
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
Oh my oh my! What a brilliant follow up to Book 1. An undulating unfolding of a breathtaking fantasy world. Page by page the author draws you in. Expands the world with organic character growth.
Wonderful. Highly recommended.
Wonderful. Highly recommended.
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No