Take a photo of a barcode or cover
booksandchocaholic 's review for:
Of War and Ruin
by Ryan Cahill
(7.43 on CAWPILE)
*I received an ARC from the author but have since purchased and read the published work.
This far in to the series I think I have a good grasp on what to expect from these books. I know they will be action packed and dripping with fantasy. If you are a long standing Ryan Cahill fan this book will not disappoint.
This book was completely swarming with plot. I believe sometimes to its own detriment. At times it felt like there was too much going on and not enough breathing room between major events. I also feel like the amount of "major events" in itself then devalued the intensity of them because they were so frequent. Every chapter had a scene of epic scope, which you would think would keep you on your toes but at times it felt like it was becoming routine. All in all, it was an epic story, with many well thought out events, but I think this book would have benefited from being split in two and having some slower scenes in between.
The characters are ones we've gotten to know well, given the size of each instalment in the series they get plenty of page time. Cahill knows how to play with that well, making you afraid for their wellbeing. Overall if you're attached to the existing characters you can expect some more additions.
Ryan Cahill's writing is very digestible and accessible which with a story of this scope is a welcome storytelling style. The pacing as previously mentioned could have done with some slower moments but for a book this size I never lost interest and remained intrigued the whole time.
This series has become so much more since it's conception, and yet, it is still very true to itself. It has a consistent increment in action and stakes that makes for a natural progression of a story of this scope.
The magic in this series as a whole is relatively easy to follow and not over convoluted while still being interesting enough. The magic is in and of itself a key point in the worldbuilding. The worldbuilding is something that is abundantly clear Cahill has taken painstaking effort to create. If I were to say one thing only about Cahill as an author it would be about his world.
Pros
* Immersive worldbuilding
* Characters that are easy to root for
* Compelling plot
Cons
* Arguably too long
* Too many "major events" in one book
* Could feel a little repetitive
Overall this was another excellent addition to this series, and though I have my critiques they are very minor in comparison to all of the incredible aspects this book has to offer.
*I received an ARC from the author but have since purchased and read the published work.
This far in to the series I think I have a good grasp on what to expect from these books. I know they will be action packed and dripping with fantasy. If you are a long standing Ryan Cahill fan this book will not disappoint.
This book was completely swarming with plot. I believe sometimes to its own detriment. At times it felt like there was too much going on and not enough breathing room between major events. I also feel like the amount of "major events" in itself then devalued the intensity of them because they were so frequent. Every chapter had a scene of epic scope, which you would think would keep you on your toes but at times it felt like it was becoming routine. All in all, it was an epic story, with many well thought out events, but I think this book would have benefited from being split in two and having some slower scenes in between.
The characters are ones we've gotten to know well, given the size of each instalment in the series they get plenty of page time. Cahill knows how to play with that well, making you afraid for their wellbeing. Overall if you're attached to the existing characters you can expect some more additions.
Ryan Cahill's writing is very digestible and accessible which with a story of this scope is a welcome storytelling style. The pacing as previously mentioned could have done with some slower moments but for a book this size I never lost interest and remained intrigued the whole time.
This series has become so much more since it's conception, and yet, it is still very true to itself. It has a consistent increment in action and stakes that makes for a natural progression of a story of this scope.
The magic in this series as a whole is relatively easy to follow and not over convoluted while still being interesting enough. The magic is in and of itself a key point in the worldbuilding. The worldbuilding is something that is abundantly clear Cahill has taken painstaking effort to create. If I were to say one thing only about Cahill as an author it would be about his world.
Pros
* Immersive worldbuilding
* Characters that are easy to root for
* Compelling plot
Cons
* Arguably too long
* Too many "major events" in one book
* Could feel a little repetitive
Overall this was another excellent addition to this series, and though I have my critiques they are very minor in comparison to all of the incredible aspects this book has to offer.