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llmacrae 's review for:
A Time of Courage
by John Gwynne
Woooo, an exciting way to end the series!
The third and final book in the Of Blood And Bone trilogy is essentially one enormous battle. It was indeed a thrilling conclusion to the series (and the Banished Lands in general), although for me, neither book two or three were quite as great as A Time Of Dread.
I think depending on what you like and want from your fantasy (and finales) will determine whether this last book really clicks with you or not. It feels very “classical” fantasy with clear cut good guys and bad guys, and that comes with a certain amount of predictability. There is found family, animal friends/familiars, giants, angels/demons (in all but name), ancient magic, enormous forests, fortresses, and a huge world that has a lot of history.
For some, these things are comforting like a blanket, allowing you to enjoy the story no matter how bad things get. For others it can seem less than exciting.
I fall somewhere in the middle? And as incredible and awe-inspiring as the battle sequences are, there are a *lot* of them in this final book, and I did have to break up my reading more than usual to balance it.
Drem remains my favourite character of the series by far, and his growth and coming into himself over the three books was an absolute joy to read. Also Rob (and Craf!) - all the talking crows, really - are wonderful and I love this element of the world-building here.
One of the things that made me uncomfortable in A Time Of Blood was the violent treatment of animals - particularly their deaths. This definitely has been handled more gently in book three, from dogs to bears to horses, which I really appreciated. It is still a difficult life, but here it feels like the people around them do care for them, instead of treating them as more throwaway.
The Faithful And The Fallen is one of my favourite series and the first truly epic fantasies I read in recent years, and the nods to that series are really wonderful. It is super nostalgic and feels like an extended Epilogue to that series, which is a brilliant touch.
All in all a great conclusion to a great series
The third and final book in the Of Blood And Bone trilogy is essentially one enormous battle. It was indeed a thrilling conclusion to the series (and the Banished Lands in general), although for me, neither book two or three were quite as great as A Time Of Dread.
I think depending on what you like and want from your fantasy (and finales) will determine whether this last book really clicks with you or not. It feels very “classical” fantasy with clear cut good guys and bad guys, and that comes with a certain amount of predictability. There is found family, animal friends/familiars, giants, angels/demons (in all but name), ancient magic, enormous forests, fortresses, and a huge world that has a lot of history.
For some, these things are comforting like a blanket, allowing you to enjoy the story no matter how bad things get. For others it can seem less than exciting.
I fall somewhere in the middle? And as incredible and awe-inspiring as the battle sequences are, there are a *lot* of them in this final book, and I did have to break up my reading more than usual to balance it.
Drem remains my favourite character of the series by far, and his growth and coming into himself over the three books was an absolute joy to read. Also Rob (and Craf!) - all the talking crows, really - are wonderful and I love this element of the world-building here.
One of the things that made me uncomfortable in A Time Of Blood was the violent treatment of animals - particularly their deaths. This definitely has been handled more gently in book three, from dogs to bears to horses, which I really appreciated. It is still a difficult life, but here it feels like the people around them do care for them, instead of treating them as more throwaway.
The Faithful And The Fallen is one of my favourite series and the first truly epic fantasies I read in recent years, and the nods to that series are really wonderful. It is super nostalgic and feels like an extended Epilogue to that series, which is a brilliant touch.
All in all a great conclusion to a great series