scorcheded's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
saraishelafs's review
4.0
Calder joins the battles after the sky cracks and releases the elder that was driving his ship.
nate1032's review
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
mickeymickey's review
3.0
3.5/5
The book ended with a bang but I can’t help but be disappointed. The whole story shines in the adventure and the magic of the past, and not in the preset. And that is a real shame as I would have loved to read a story about the adventures of Calder and his crew out on the sea rather than him sitting on a throne and making bad decisions.
The book felt like it missed the mark for me, focusing on the wrong things. It felt like it had grown far too much in scope and the characters never caught up and so it spun out of control.
I really like the world and the lore and the Elders, I just didn’t like the story that was told in it. Which is my biggest disappointment.
The book ended with a bang but I can’t help but be disappointed. The whole story shines in the adventure and the magic of the past, and not in the preset. And that is a real shame as I would have loved to read a story about the adventures of Calder and his crew out on the sea rather than him sitting on a throne and making bad decisions.
The book felt like it missed the mark for me, focusing on the wrong things. It felt like it had grown far too much in scope and the characters never caught up and so it spun out of control.
I really like the world and the lore and the Elders, I just didn’t like the story that was told in it. Which is my biggest disappointment.
d3vilxl3gacy's review
4.0
Going back to review this after finishing shera's story cements that I like pirates better than assassins. Caldur had a much more engaging cast of supporting characters over all and his adventure flowed more naturally, probably due to not being lead by shadowy people. I thought jyrene (spelling? I listened on audible) really dragged down the story with constantly hindering Caldurs process and antics. While shera had a more satisfying conclusion and epilogue I more thoroughly enjoyed the pirates life story was a better overall experience.
The narrator for Caldurs story was also a better over all narrator for me personally than Shera. Not to say the other story had a bad performance, definitely worked well, but this audio performance was just better.
The narrator for Caldurs story was also a better over all narrator for me personally than Shera. Not to say the other story had a bad performance, definitely worked well, but this audio performance was just better.
miketilford's review
adventurous
mysterious
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
4.5
This is the final book of the Sea side of The Elder Empire series, my fifth book overall, and was the best of the bunch so far. We get some pretty cool reveals about the nature of the world and some of the characters that I won't spoil here.
Civil war has erupted in the empire and lines are drawn straight down the middle. Half the guilds want to maintain the empire by putting Calder on the throne, the other want the empire to fall and divide it up into smaller pieces. While most of the characters are focused on this, Calder discovers that there is an even bigger threat to the entire world, and attempts to unite them all.
The series ends with a satisfying, yet bittersweet conclusion. We are left with a definite end, but it leaves things open to the possibility of a future sequel, but they aren't necessary.
Now I sit here, five books into this six book series, and I don't really feel like I need to read the sixth book, nor do I really want to. The Shadow side has always been the weakest, and now I feel like it'll just be a letdown. I will read it however, as I am a completionist and wouldn't feel right about leaving the series incomplete.
I need to reiterate that I am not a fan of the way Will Wight has divided up this story. It was a cool novelty for the first pair of parallel novels, but it is annoying now. The Sea side of the series is the better of the two by far, with much more likeable characters, and better insights into the world as a whole. If someone was just starting this series, I would say read all the Sea novels and leave it at that. Maybe in a few years, come back and read the Shadow novels. Alternating back and forth didn't do it for me.
Overall, a satisfying conclusion to these characters and this world, albeit not perfect.
Civil war has erupted in the empire and lines are drawn straight down the middle. Half the guilds want to maintain the empire by putting Calder on the throne, the other want the empire to fall and divide it up into smaller pieces. While most of the characters are focused on this, Calder discovers that there is an even bigger threat to the entire world, and attempts to unite them all.
The series ends with a satisfying, yet bittersweet conclusion. We are left with a definite end, but it leaves things open to the possibility of a future sequel, but they aren't necessary.
Now I sit here, five books into this six book series, and I don't really feel like I need to read the sixth book, nor do I really want to. The Shadow side has always been the weakest, and now I feel like it'll just be a letdown. I will read it however, as I am a completionist and wouldn't feel right about leaving the series incomplete.
I need to reiterate that I am not a fan of the way Will Wight has divided up this story. It was a cool novelty for the first pair of parallel novels, but it is annoying now. The Sea side of the series is the better of the two by far, with much more likeable characters, and better insights into the world as a whole. If someone was just starting this series, I would say read all the Sea novels and leave it at that. Maybe in a few years, come back and read the Shadow novels. Alternating back and forth didn't do it for me.
Overall, a satisfying conclusion to these characters and this world, albeit not perfect.
maleesha's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
fast-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
mljohnson2698's review against another edition
5.0
Ohhhhhhhhh SO GOOD. My only real complaint is that this beautiful series is over. RIP. My heart will not go on. But this book was a stellar combination of Calder's crew, intense Elder action, scathing failures, great sacrifices, and satisfying resolution. I wish Calder got some more appreciation. He's freaking awesome. I wish everybody in that whole Empire knew that. Also the ending was a little more open than Shera's ending, and I only wish I got more, more, more. Okay, I guess I just wish I had 12 more books in this series.
sophieannalysa's review against another edition
3.0
For all of these books, I liked the Shadow storyline more. Jyrine drives me nuts to the point where I hate her POVs and am annoyed whenever Calder thinks about her. However, I read this one second (compared to of Killers and Kings) and LOVED the ending of this one. Of Killers and Kings wrapped up the story so well for their planet and Shera, and this book was so great in how it tied in some Willverse elements for Calder.