cheloboo's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This book is definitely not a happy book, the characters never seem to catch a break and the storyline is definitely one I enjoyed, the book overall was enjoyable and I enjoyed the story as a whole, I'm definitely glad I took the time to read this book as it was one I definitely didn't find I thought I would enjoy as much as I did, I found myself unable to stop listening to this last book and I am looking forward to reading skullsworn next
diaryofthebookdragon's review against another edition
4.0
I was never a big fan-girl of this series, but also I can't deny that Brian Staveley wrote solid fantasy series with good world-building and complex characters.
The Last Mortal Bond was the darkest part of the series with a lot of gruesome battles, torture. All main characters have hit rock bottom and it seems that there is no hope for human race. That made this book very hard to read. The pages flew by, but the dark cloud spread from the book to my own feelings...
I guess it's the sign how good writer Brian Staveley is.
Recommended for fantasy fans.
The Last Mortal Bond was the darkest part of the series with a lot of gruesome battles, torture. All main characters have hit rock bottom and it seems that there is no hope for human race. That made this book very hard to read. The pages flew by, but the dark cloud spread from the book to my own feelings...
I guess it's the sign how good writer Brian Staveley is.
Recommended for fantasy fans.
coniferus's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
zivan's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
OK, I had a better time with The Last Mortal Bond, as the main characters start taking back the initiative and stop getting hoodwinked at every turn. and the end game made the long wait worth it.
What a brutal world.
Pray that you don't come to the attention of the gods.
What a brutal world.
Pray that you don't come to the attention of the gods.
disastrouspenguin's review against another edition
3.0
Still an interesting book with a great narrator, but I found myself frustrated (or bored) by the sometimes seemingly-endless exposition or inner dialogues. What I like about this series that there aren't really "good guys" and "bad guys" so much as a series of flawed but usually relatable characters. The characters that didn't really interest me in the beginning were the ones I wanted to hear more about at the end (e.g. Gwenna). I would definitely read future series by this author.
haney's review against another edition
5.0
Excited for The Empire's Ruin, I decided to do a re-read of the Trilogy.
I still loved these books. I do have to say there are still a few things that happened at the end that I wish would have gone differently. Not the story, but some of the characters I just feel deserved more time. Oshi and Nira for example, could have been a truly epic battle scene. I don't understand why it was left out.
I left my original 5-Star rating and I still stand by it. If I was basing it off of my re-read I would give it a 4 because of things I didn't notice or didn't bother me during my first read. But I didn't notice it the first time for a reason. Just like anything else in life, nothing will ever hit you the same the second time around.
I look forward to the coming trilogy and can't wait to dive deeper into Staveley's world.
Also, Mr. Staveley, if you happen to read this, WE NEED MORE VALYN!!!
I still loved these books. I do have to say there are still a few things that happened at the end that I wish would have gone differently. Not the story, but some of the characters I just feel deserved more time. Oshi and Nira for example, could have been a truly epic battle scene. I don't understand why it was left out.
I left my original 5-Star rating and I still stand by it. If I was basing it off of my re-read I would give it a 4 because of things I didn't notice or didn't bother me during my first read. But I didn't notice it the first time for a reason. Just like anything else in life, nothing will ever hit you the same the second time around.
I look forward to the coming trilogy and can't wait to dive deeper into Staveley's world.
Also, Mr. Staveley, if you happen to read this, WE NEED MORE VALYN!!!
annebowersox's review against another edition
5.0
LOVE THIS SERIES! Wow. This was an awesome finale to an excellent series. I finished this in record time because I could not stop reading. The story, characters, and world are all incredibly compelling. There are moments that move you to tears, fist pumping pride, and even laughter. While I loved the first two I thought this book carried even more action, heart ache, and twists. Most importantly, the story ended satisfactorily and it felt true to each of the characters. I have recommended this book to everyone and think it holds a lot of joy even for those who rarely/never read fantasy.
franrodalg's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Another series that promised much when it started, but failed to stick the landing
I loved the POV characters in the first book, started to dislike some in the sequel, and despised most of them by the third and final book. I am not sure if the author was going for the "moral ambiguity" angle on purpose, but I feel it was approached in the complete wrong way. Whereas Abercrombie, for instance, manages to create characters the reader knows they are horrible people yet one can't help but root for them, in here they ended being so annoying and making such stupid decisions that I often wished they would lose, even if that meant "the end of humanity".
Not a good feeling.
I also found the prose to become somehow more pretentious in a quite noticeable way, which is never good. And what I feel are quite glaring plotholes, such as characters not even trying to just talk their way out of pickles even though they should have the authority to do just so. Maybe that fails and they need to run or fight or whatever anyway, but not even trying felt like nothing more than a cheap trick to "raise tension". Not to talk about the drag I felt reading this last book.
Overall, the conclusion of the series left me a pretty bad taste in the mouth.
Yet another disappointment.
I loved the POV characters in the first book, started to dislike some in the sequel, and despised most of them by the third and final book. I am not sure if the author was going for the "moral ambiguity" angle on purpose, but I feel it was approached in the complete wrong way. Whereas Abercrombie, for instance, manages to create characters the reader knows they are horrible people yet one can't help but root for them, in here they ended being so annoying and making such stupid decisions that I often wished they would lose, even if that meant "the end of humanity".
Not a good feeling.
I also found the prose to become somehow more pretentious in a quite noticeable way, which is never good. And what I feel are quite glaring plotholes, such as characters not even trying to just talk their way out of pickles even though they should have the authority to do just so. Maybe that fails and they need to run or fight or whatever anyway, but not even trying felt like nothing more than a cheap trick to "raise tension". Not to talk about the drag I felt reading this last book.
Overall, the conclusion of the series left me a pretty bad taste in the mouth.
Yet another disappointment.
squirrelking's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book was good, but a bit overly long. It seemed to just sort of end and certain characters were not given a satisfactory conclusion. Overall, it does a decent job of wrapping up the story and throwing in some surprises.
tylarfrench's review
3.75
Overall I did enjoy this book and series. I struggle with Adears character, I feel like she could have been more. Same with Kaden, although he does have a weird history with the monk upbringing. Valen and later Gwinna, the kektral in general are so incredibly interesting. I could have seen more and in more detail.