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sblanch12 's review for:
The Armor of Light
by Ken Follett
I liked this much better than the prequel and The Column of Fire. This book focused more on the Kingsbridge world and its varied characters and social classes, which is what I like. I also like that Follett toned down the rape scenes, because while I understand there was a ton of sexual assault in 1700-1800s Europe, I'm glad I didn't have to read about it, unlike in The Evening and The Morning. However, most of the chapters about the Battle of Waterloo were boring and I skimmed because I'm not interested in military strategy. There was still a way to place Jarge there without the audience having to be there too, especially getting the play-by-play of military decision-making. I found it too convenient that so many people from Kingsbridge also went to Brussels, and I wish we had the POV of a character(s) dealing with the reality of being in Kingsbridge while their husband(s) were in war. Lastly, the death of Hornbeam is unsatisfactory, and this is not a spoiler because we all know that in the end, the bad guys get what's coming to them and everybody else lives happily ever after in this series. But his consequences are mental anguish and presumably some depression -- would have been nice for his businesses to be reduced, adding to the despair, rather than the existential crisis.
Overall, better than the two previous books he released in the series, and not as tragic as the first two. 4 stars.
Overall, better than the two previous books he released in the series, and not as tragic as the first two. 4 stars.