A review by bobbykarmakar
Forest of Ruin by Kelley Armstrong

4.0

The final book in Kelley's Age of Legends trilogy, I think the cover can depict how much excitement this can cause, especially when you've read the previous two books before it! Age of Legends is the first series of Kelley's that was not only my first taste of her writing in YA, but also completed. I'm following Cainsville and City of the Lost, as well as catching up on the Otherworld. I have yet to read her previous YA trilogies but I feel as though her writing and storytelling is similar in her adult work too. I also read The Masked Truth and The Unquiet Past, both of which again same in writing but different in genre. This series came to my shelves since I was a past student of Kelley's at her UofT annual Summer workshop, and during her topic of world building, she used this world as the best example as it was being published the next year.

This story picks up literally after the last line from Empire of Night, which had me pulled in from the start. Since this is also now coming to a close, I didn't have the expectation that Kelley would give me a satisfying ending because I knew she would; given that she is one of my absolute favourite authors. And surely enough, she did. The biggest example without spoiling involves the ending, and then the very end (!!!); it just proves the power of magic can certainly be evident.

I would love it if Kelley did another book or series that is related to high fantasy (YA or Adult I'll read either!) as this series was super fun time for just about anyone (even if you're not a young adult).