Reviews with content warning for War - Wrath

Reviews tagging 'War'

Wrath by John Gwynne

9 reviews

isi__1's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

Finishing this series felt so bittersweet. On the one hand, I‘m glad that the war is over, on the other hand, I can‘t help but think of all those characters who didn‘t get to see the end of it.

John Gwynne managed to make me empathise with the characters. I feel like I‘ve been through so much with them.
There‘s some characters on the “bad side“, but I still felt like I could understand their motivation and why they did what they did (except Lykos; fuck him and everything he stands for!). Even the “good guys“ weren‘t always flawless. The characters in this whole series just felt so real to me.

The plot never felt too overwhelming, nor too boring at any point. The book was well-paced throughout.

Ending this series makes me really want to jump into the sequel trilogy Of Blood and Bone, even though I know that it takes place quite a bit in the future and I won‘t be seeing many - if any - recurring characters. I just want to keep experiencing John Gwynne‘s writing.

It‘s hard to write a satisfying finale to a series, but John Gwynne nailed it. The ending wrapped up all of the character arcs incredibly well, but it also leaves some room to make me curious about how it will go downhill from here in the future of the followup series.

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dani_reis's review against another edition

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dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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grunks's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

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ayoung720's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Wow, what a story! Together with George RR Martin and Brandon Sanderson, I think that John Gwynne completes my holy trinity of favorite modern, "realist" fantasy authors. I love the way that he crafts his villains - some you downright loath (Calidus), some are amazingly entertaining in the most twisted way possible (Lykos), and some falls are tragic to watch (Nathair). He's not afraid to kill characters you love, some in the most horrific ways possible, and his ability to write a ~150 page battle without it dragging is astounding. Both this saga and the still to be completed Bloodsworn saga proudly sit on my bookshelf and I rave about them to anyone who will listen.

If I have any small nitpicks, it's two things:
1. Corban as the main protagonist is probably the least interesting POV character, mostly because his arc is so clear-cut. However, I also understand that his archetype is necessary in this type of story so that all the other plotlines can swirl around his central story.
2. The amount of fast-travelling taking place... It's almost like they're playing Skyrim 🤣 however, it doesn't take anything away from the story.

En fin, what an amazing saga! Can't wait to read more from Gwynne.

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surdiablo's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

Well, that was.. disappointing. My excitement to continue this series was revitalized after finishing Ruin, which regardless of my constant criticisms, still managed to stir some strong emotions within me, making me consider the potential for its successor. But alas, I got the same regurgitated tropes/plotlines in this one, where

people still travel back and forth for the majority of the book, at least 3-4 instances where good/bad guys are distracted and get stabbed from behind or saved by their friends, repetitive skirmishes with someone barely dying, all the unnecessary pov changes that did nothing except break the momentum, silly thought bubbles, etc.

It lacked the impact of a final book till the last 20%, and while the final battle was good overall, I don't think it was amazing enough to raise the rating further. I still noticed some grammatical errors here and there, awkward sentences that made me raise my eyebrow, and moments that were too corny/goofy for me to enjoy, which has proven again that Gwynne's writing just doesn't work for me. I think the ending itself was fine, and while I felt somewhat emotional regarding the deaths of two side characters, I mainly remained indifferent and had no hype whatsoever for the final battle.

I was thinking thank god it's over! rather than feeling any satisfaction from all these random villains dying ( except for Lykos perhaps ), since they just lived for too long, dragging everything longer than what was necessary.

. The one thing that surprised me most is something that actually didn't happen regardless of my expectations, which would be the

lack of a cameo appearance or interference from Elyon himself.

Ultimately, my main complaint comes down to this, something that was always an issue but not so irritating till now, which would be convenience. Most of the events transpired in such a convenient way for both good/bad guys that it became rather hard for me to suspend my disbelief by the end.

Fidele's capture, recapture, and death later if you want an example.

I also have several questions, like

if Maquin and Fidele have been united in the afterlife, what about their previous spouses that they were in good terms with? Why didn't Calidus make more super soldiers like at the end of book 2 if his powers are stronger with more treasures around? What was the point in that 'prophecy being fake' twist since nothing ever really came out of it and Asroth and Meical were turned into statues anyway in such an anti-climactic way?

I will stop now as I feel like I've ranted enough, but overall, I did have fun reading it, more than Malice anyway, so that's something. I will try the sequel series someday with the vague hope that it will be better, although I doubt it.

TLDR: It's fine. Might be worth it if you want a popcorn read, a modern take on classic fantasy but that's where my praise ends. Ruin > Valour > Wrath > Malice.

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jaedia's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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applejacksbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

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chattie_the_mad_chatter's review

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adventurous emotional inspiring tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Brilliant end to this series of epic classic fantasy. The set up of thevfirst three books pay off in here! There are amazing battle scenes, many emotional moments as the characters head towards their end goal. Not everyone can survive TRUTH AND COURAGE!!!
I love these characters it has been so much fun being with them seeing the change and growth. I am still processing and not ready to leave the banished lands.

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kylieqrada's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I am Faithful and the Fallen trash forever. That's it. That's the review.

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