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4.32 AVERAGE
4.32 AVERAGE
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:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Complicated
The first 3 of the serie where my favorites but I did love them all. And the graphic audiobooks where perfect.
Gotta be fucking kidding me.
Perfect, peerless Brin never lies huh... I guess omitting the truth about Nyphron doesn't count as lying then. That light better be dimmer on her second trip.
And Fuck Malcolm too. MF fucked everything up by being a selfish arshole. Then pretends to be humle as he tries to fix everything by treating humanity as his personal pawns and making everyone else pay the price for his mistake and still failed.... WTF??? May be he just needs to stop fucking meddling and bury himself 6 feet under. Especially, if he refuses to actually use his beloved spear against actual bad guys.
I don't understand how the two of the most horrible characters get to walk away, and even get a happy ending of sorts, without facing any consequences for their horrible actions.
This book is my first ever 0 star review and I'd give it a negative rating if it were possible.
Spoiler
How does giving a mass murdering, war mongering, lying and wife abusing pos a pass make any sense? Then to make him Emperor for 3000 years on top of that... WTF??? I can't even describe how much this pisses me off. The only thing he deserves is a 3000 years in Sand Dan Glotka's dungeon.Perfect, peerless Brin never lies huh... I guess omitting the truth about Nyphron doesn't count as lying then. That light better be dimmer on her second trip.
And Fuck Malcolm too. MF fucked everything up by being a selfish arshole. Then pretends to be humle as he tries to fix everything by treating humanity as his personal pawns and making everyone else pay the price for his mistake and still failed.... WTF??? May be he just needs to stop fucking meddling and bury himself 6 feet under. Especially, if he refuses to actually use his beloved spear against actual bad guys.
I don't understand how the two of the most horrible characters get to walk away, and even get a happy ending of sorts, without facing any consequences for their horrible actions.
This book is my first ever 0 star review and I'd give it a negative rating if it were possible.
A great end to a fantasy series that has stole my heart. I have always been so intrigued by how well Sullivan keeps multiple characters well developed and makes you care for them all. Through the series each book made me have different favourite characters as the story progressed. This is what I love with reading, interesting well written characters. And Sullivan also has written some great female characters. I’ve cried during this book, laughed, and am sad to see it come to an end but I am very happy and satisfied with how he wrapped up this era of Elan. Now I’m onto Sullivan other books!
4.5 stars, but I think the fact the series resolved almost completely while leaving me wondering what happens next makes me want to push it to a five star rating for now. Conversely, some of the magic is really character-dependent and if we extrapolated it to all the people, some things wouldn’t make much sense. But any book a read in a day that takes more than a couple hours to read deserves five stars to me. I will note much of this series feels like when a TV show or movie films someone driving through the front windshield and you can see what looks like its own little abstract film of the landscape out the back windshield and you’re like, “That’s so unrealistic,” but then you realize that is exactly what the back windshield looks like when you are driving down the road.
Overall, a good wrap-up to the series. It has some of the concluding book issues of racing to get everyone into place which disrupts the slower pace required to dive into deeper moments (pun intended for those who have read), but this oscillation of pacing kinda fits the tale. I am terrified I’ve ruined Sullivan’s Riyria Revelations (the original covers look sweet) based on some other reviews I have read, though.
I enjoyed how Sullivan let the “good” people not get crushed underfoot (mostly) while also acknowledging the existence of very much imperfect people still getting what they want. There had been something about how the characters saw themselves I really wanted Sullivan to address throughout the series that he kept dodging at the last moment every time; in this book, he finally resolved it at the perfect time. When the line was spoken, I teared up a bit :’-)
Overall, a good wrap-up to the series. It has some of the concluding book issues of racing to get everyone into place which disrupts the slower pace required to dive into deeper moments (pun intended for those who have read), but this oscillation of pacing kinda fits the tale. I am terrified I’ve ruined Sullivan’s Riyria Revelations (the original covers look sweet) based on some other reviews I have read, though.
I enjoyed how Sullivan let the “good” people not get crushed underfoot (mostly) while also acknowledging the existence of very much imperfect people still getting what they want. There had been something about how the characters saw themselves I really wanted Sullivan to address throughout the series that he kept dodging at the last moment every time; in this book, he finally resolved it at the perfect time. When the line was spoken, I teared up a bit :’-)
adventurous
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
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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:
Yes
First read 2021: 4.5 stars
Second read 2025: 4 stars
Even if I enjoyed this finale slightly less than I remembered from my first read, I still stand by almost everything I said in my original review and I 100% consider Legends of the First Empire to be one of my all-time favourite series.
Sullivan just writes fantasy exactly how I like it, and coming back to this series honestly felt like coming home. I do feel like my reading tastes have changed a bit since my first read, which I especially noticed in moments where the resolution of internal/external conflicts felt a bit unrealistic and too heavy-handed on the moralizing. Like, some bits of dialogue almost felt like 'therapy talk', for lack of a better term, which made me roll my eyes more than a few times.
However, comma, all that saidddd, I still had an absolute blast with this re-read, and ultimately I think this has to be one of the most satisfying finales I have ever read. In my original review upon my first read, I mentioned feeling like the ending was a bit anti-climactic, but I did not feel that way at all this time around. Just perfectly executed personal arcs and overarching story arc, such masterful storytelling!
Needless to say, just go read this series if you haven't already, it's a true gem. And now I am even more excited to continue the World of Elan adventure with my (long overdue) first read of The Rise and Fall series and eventually reunite with my boys Royce and Hadrian. My heart is so full!
********************************
4.5 stars
Oh man, when I first started reading this series I did not expect to become this invested in these characters and now I am not ready to leave them all behind.
I can't even begin to describe how much I care() for everyone in this story, and some scenes really got me in the feels. Were I to rate this book purely on the characterwork and the level of investment, this would be a full 5 stars.
However, there were some things about the plot that made me knock off half a star. Somehow the ending to this series felt a bit anticlimactic? I am not sure why I feel that way, but ever since Age of War there has been this build-up to something, and I don't feel 100% satisfied with the pay-off. That being said, there are multiple storylines and most of them did end very beautifully in my opinion.
This world is so intricate and I loved how we got to explore basically the conception and history of all these different races, such as the Belgriclungreians, the different types of Fhrey and the Rhunes.
I am a sucker for stories with gods walking among the mortals and that is definitely present in this series. Sullivan adds some flavour to that trope by keeping it a mystery which characters might be more than they seem to be, so it is all quite mysterious and fun to see unravel.
Since this is basically a prequel series to the Riyria books, there are some cool connections you can find if you keep an eye out for them. Believe it or not, there are even some character cross-overs (which I will not spoil), despite the millenia that divide these different series. Reading this series has also made me want to reread The Riyria Revelations/Chronicles, because I just can't get enough of Sullivan's writing. Luckily, Sullivan is releasing a brand new series (a bridge series between this one and the Riyria books) and I cannot wait to read the first book later this year. Just based on the title of that book (Nolyn), I am expecting that I will love it.
Michael said in his afterword: "The stories I write might be fantasy, but the depiction of the feelings people share for each other is real." And that is exactly what makes these books so memorable; the characters, with all their flaws, pains, loves and losses, feel real and genuine, and they can live rent-free in my heart until eternity.
I highly recommend this series to all those who loves their fantasy with a truly epic scope but an intimate focus on character development and the interpersonal relationships, be that familial, platonic or romantic. I loved it and I am sure that I will come back to this series time and time again over the years!
Second read 2025: 4 stars
Even if I enjoyed this finale slightly less than I remembered from my first read, I still stand by almost everything I said in my original review and I 100% consider Legends of the First Empire to be one of my all-time favourite series.
Sullivan just writes fantasy exactly how I like it, and coming back to this series honestly felt like coming home. I do feel like my reading tastes have changed a bit since my first read, which I especially noticed in moments where the resolution of internal/external conflicts felt a bit unrealistic and too heavy-handed on the moralizing. Like, some bits of dialogue almost felt like 'therapy talk', for lack of a better term, which made me roll my eyes more than a few times.
However, comma, all that saidddd, I still had an absolute blast with this re-read, and ultimately I think this has to be one of the most satisfying finales I have ever read. In my original review upon my first read, I mentioned feeling like the ending was a bit anti-climactic, but I did not feel that way at all this time around. Just perfectly executed personal arcs and overarching story arc, such masterful storytelling!
Needless to say, just go read this series if you haven't already, it's a true gem. And now I am even more excited to continue the World of Elan adventure with my (long overdue) first read of The Rise and Fall series and eventually reunite with my boys Royce and Hadrian. My heart is so full!
********************************
4.5 stars
Oh man, when I first started reading this series I did not expect to become this invested in these characters and now I am not ready to leave them all behind.
I can't even begin to describe how much I care() for everyone in this story, and some scenes really got me in the feels. Were I to rate this book purely on the characterwork and the level of investment, this would be a full 5 stars.
However, there were some things about the plot that made me knock off half a star. Somehow the ending to this series felt a bit anticlimactic? I am not sure why I feel that way, but ever since Age of War there has been this build-up to something, and I don't feel 100% satisfied with the pay-off. That being said, there are multiple storylines and most of them did end very beautifully in my opinion.
This world is so intricate and I loved how we got to explore basically the conception and history of all these different races, such as the Belgriclungreians, the different types of Fhrey and the Rhunes.
I am a sucker for stories with gods walking among the mortals and that is definitely present in this series. Sullivan adds some flavour to that trope by keeping it a mystery which characters might be more than they seem to be, so it is all quite mysterious and fun to see unravel.
Since this is basically a prequel series to the Riyria books, there are some cool connections you can find if you keep an eye out for them. Believe it or not, there are even some character cross-overs (which I will not spoil), despite the millenia that divide these different series. Reading this series has also made me want to reread The Riyria Revelations/Chronicles, because I just can't get enough of Sullivan's writing. Luckily, Sullivan is releasing a brand new series (a bridge series between this one and the Riyria books) and I cannot wait to read the first book later this year. Just based on the title of that book (Nolyn), I am expecting that I will love it.
Michael said in his afterword: "The stories I write might be fantasy, but the depiction of the feelings people share for each other is real." And that is exactly what makes these books so memorable; the characters, with all their flaws, pains, loves and losses, feel real and genuine, and they can live rent-free in my heart until eternity.
I highly recommend this series to all those who loves their fantasy with a truly epic scope but an intimate focus on character development and the interpersonal relationships, be that familial, platonic or romantic. I loved it and I am sure that I will come back to this series time and time again over the years!
In Age of Empyre, Sullivan closes out his 6 novel Legends of the First Empire series with a thrilling conclusion that rewards readers who have stuck through the entire of the series with satisfying payoffs to all the different story/character event loops that had been created through the entirety of the Legends of the First Empire story.
When it comes to the Sullivan's Legend series, I tend to break it apart into two trilogies. Reason being is that it's readily apparent, given how much smaller the stakes and more in depth the character explorations were in the first three books, that this series was originally supposed to only be three novels long, ending with Age of War. Sullivan has admitted to as much in a couple of his author's notes. As such, the second trilogy of the Legend of the First Empire series falls prey to a little bit of some of the afflictions and shortcuts that undermined the last couple of seasons of the Game of Thrones television series. Too many time jumps and not enough time spent lingering in areas or traveling from one area to the next. Those moments where the pace of the story is slowed down to a trot from a gallop are really where a lot of the meat of the character depth and exposition take place and I feel like the first trilogy had more of that. That isn't to say there isn't any of that in the second trilogy of books. Persephone had plenty of moments in the second trilogy during her time spent at camp where she shared wonderful character moments with several other characters(Even though I feel a lot of the agency she had in the first trilogy was lacking in the second one as, save for the decision to keep the camp where it was and go against Zephyron's wishes, Persephone really didn't do a whole lot of decision making in the second trilogy [and even that decision not to relocate really only came about at the behest of Malcolm]). There was also the travel through the swamp to Muriel's house which was great. There were also definitely parts of the group of 7's journey through the underworld that I thoroughly enjoyed. But I still felt like there was some areas in the second trilogy of books, more specifically in Age of Death, where more time could have been spent exploring some of the locations and predicaments that are characters found themselves in. Specifically in Phyre. While I really dug the concept of there being three different underworlds that our heroes have to traverse through in order to get to the Elan's garden, I really don't feel like we got to spend enough in places like Rel and Nifrel. I understand they were in a hurry to save Suri, but given that none of them had ever been to a plane of existence even remotely close to what Phyre was, some time taken to establish their bearings and really understand how things worked in the different areas of Phyre could have really been of great service to the pacing of the story. The Abyss got a decent amount of play and was probably the most fleshed out of the different underworlds, but there still could have been some additional opportunities there to learn more about the Typhoons and what they do to people who get caught in them. Also, why didn't Drome question the group of 5 about why Ferrol was chasing after them in his realm or why she felt they had Eton's key? Also, wouldn't he have detained them for destroying his castle during their escape from Rel? The more I think on it, the more I feel like the journey through the realms of Phyre really should have been its own trilogy, but I digress.
All that being said, Age of Empyre was my favorite of the second trilogy of books. As already mentioned above, it brought closure to a lot of the story and character arcs in ways that were, for the most part, very pleasing. Moya was barely in it AoE, which aided in this concluding novel not being bogged down by her presence. Overall, and at the risk of sounding redundant, a really sound conclusion to an equally sound and enjoyable modern fantasy prequel series. Thoroughly enjoyed reading it and will look into reading more of Sullivan's works going forward.
When it comes to the Sullivan's Legend series, I tend to break it apart into two trilogies. Reason being is that it's readily apparent, given how much smaller the stakes and more in depth the character explorations were in the first three books, that this series was originally supposed to only be three novels long, ending with Age of War. Sullivan has admitted to as much in a couple of his author's notes. As such, the second trilogy of the Legend of the First Empire series falls prey to a little bit of some of the afflictions and shortcuts that undermined the last couple of seasons of the Game of Thrones television series. Too many time jumps and not enough time spent lingering in areas or traveling from one area to the next. Those moments where the pace of the story is slowed down to a trot from a gallop are really where a lot of the meat of the character depth and exposition take place and I feel like the first trilogy had more of that. That isn't to say there isn't any of that in the second trilogy of books. Persephone had plenty of moments in the second trilogy during her time spent at camp where she shared wonderful character moments with several other characters(Even though I feel a lot of the agency she had in the first trilogy was lacking in the second one as, save for the decision to keep the camp where it was and go against Zephyron's wishes, Persephone really didn't do a whole lot of decision making in the second trilogy [and even that decision not to relocate really only came about at the behest of Malcolm]). There was also the travel through the swamp to Muriel's house which was great. There were also definitely parts of the group of 7's journey through the underworld that I thoroughly enjoyed. But I still felt like there was some areas in the second trilogy of books, more specifically in Age of Death, where more time could have been spent exploring some of the locations and predicaments that are characters found themselves in. Specifically in Phyre. While I really dug the concept of there being three different underworlds that our heroes have to traverse through in order to get to the Elan's garden, I really don't feel like we got to spend enough in places like Rel and Nifrel. I understand they were in a hurry to save Suri, but given that none of them had ever been to a plane of existence even remotely close to what Phyre was, some time taken to establish their bearings and really understand how things worked in the different areas of Phyre could have really been of great service to the pacing of the story. The Abyss got a decent amount of play and was probably the most fleshed out of the different underworlds, but there still could have been some additional opportunities there to learn more about the Typhoons and what they do to people who get caught in them. Also, why didn't Drome question the group of 5 about why Ferrol was chasing after them in his realm or why she felt they had Eton's key? Also, wouldn't he have detained them for destroying his castle during their escape from Rel? The more I think on it, the more I feel like the journey through the realms of Phyre really should have been its own trilogy, but I digress.
All that being said, Age of Empyre was my favorite of the second trilogy of books. As already mentioned above, it brought closure to a lot of the story and character arcs in ways that were, for the most part, very pleasing. Moya was barely in it AoE, which aided in this concluding novel not being bogged down by her presence. Overall, and at the risk of sounding redundant, a really sound conclusion to an equally sound and enjoyable modern fantasy prequel series. Thoroughly enjoyed reading it and will look into reading more of Sullivan's works going forward.
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I great conclusion to this series.
I feel like my recent reviews have been inflated, so I'm trying to tone it down. I liked this book enough to read the book instead of listening to an audiobook! But it's not LotR or East of Eden, so it doesn't get 5 stars.
I loved the world building, but it came with a lot of info dumping.
My favorite parts were seeing Brin and Roan and Gifford grow.
I feel like my recent reviews have been inflated, so I'm trying to tone it down. I liked this book enough to read the book instead of listening to an audiobook! But it's not LotR or East of Eden, so it doesn't get 5 stars.
I loved the world building, but it came with a lot of info dumping.
My favorite parts were seeing Brin and Roan and Gifford grow.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes