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melsage1823's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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
An action packed heartbreaking tear jerker of a story that builds up the threat of the Nihil very well.
Incredibly absolutely incredible. I don't know how Cavan Scott managed to pull it off but he's created a story that's just as good as Light Of The Jedi maybe even better. I was on the edge of my seat reading every chapter. It's clear all the writers of Project Luminous have sat down and planned the story together. This built on from Light Of The Jedi and the other books in the series really well. Most fans said it was worth the hype and it is.
The writing here is masterfully done. I couldn't find anything that really bothered me apart from maybe the inconsistent pacing and chapter lengths. I wish that some chapters were longer to develop certain characters but Scott managed to do his best despite so much going on. I hope some of his other stories are a little better with pacing. The pacing as I said is more a nitpick as I thoroughly enjoyed this book from start to finish as well as cried.
There's so much I could praise about this book but without spoilers I'm gonna pick out only a few. First the character arcs. Elzar, Stellan, Ty, Lina Soh, Bell, Lourna, Pan and Marchion are a few of many well developed character arcs in the book. Every character felt like they had a purpose even the new ones and that their presence was nesscary for the story to progress. Which is an impressive achievement in itself since these Adult stories love to include such a large cast of characters. There was also well incorporated foreshadowing about where we might find some of the characters by the end of the story. Bell and Elzar's character arcs especially hit close to home as I thought it showed how reaching out when mourning is important and that asking for help shouldn't be a shameful thing. The character development is the glue of this story and it really pays off especially if you've read Light Of The Jedi.
Secondly the stakes. I have never been shaken for a book a I have The Rising Storm. From the start this book is none stop action with people back stabbing each other, villians that don't know when to stop and menacing surprises that shocked me. Whilst Light Of The Jedi introduced us to several characters and made us feel attached to the era as a whole Rising Storm makes you attached to all the characters and worried for their lives every five seconds. With some characters actually dying. This book does not play it safe at all it shows you how deadly the Nihil andnameless . A good action or war story should build up suspense and high stakes and Rising Storm does that very well. Nobody is safe at all!
Finally the multi-pov narrative. People have said in their reviews that the bombardment of characters ruined things for them but for me it worked super well. The High Republic writes in a multi-pov style that adds to the mystery and intense action. Through the fast pacing of chapters and sudden pov switches Scott communicates not only the danger but also the chaos of the situation. It showed the wide scale conflict of the story and how intense things get. You could be with one character fighting on the ground before you instantly cut to the chaos in the skies. And some of the pov cuts are actually necessary.
Overall the best way to describe this story would be like if you were watching a deadly game of chess. It's intense, emotional and an absolute rollercoaster. A perfect well earned sequel to Light Of The Jedi that will leave you reeling by the time you finish the story. Cannot recommend enough.
Incredibly absolutely incredible. I don't know how Cavan Scott managed to pull it off but he's created a story that's just as good as Light Of The Jedi maybe even better. I was on the edge of my seat reading every chapter. It's clear all the writers of Project Luminous have sat down and planned the story together. This built on from Light Of The Jedi and the other books in the series really well. Most fans said it was worth the hype and it is.
The writing here is masterfully done. I couldn't find anything that really bothered me apart from maybe the inconsistent pacing and chapter lengths. I wish that some chapters were longer to develop certain characters but Scott managed to do his best despite so much going on. I hope some of his other stories are a little better with pacing. The pacing as I said is more a nitpick as I thoroughly enjoyed this book from start to finish as well as cried.
There's so much I could praise about this book but without spoilers I'm gonna pick out only a few. First the character arcs. Elzar, Stellan, Ty, Lina Soh, Bell, Lourna, Pan and Marchion are a few of many well developed character arcs in the book. Every character felt like they had a purpose even the new ones and that their presence was nesscary for the story to progress. Which is an impressive achievement in itself since these Adult stories love to include such a large cast of characters. There was also well incorporated foreshadowing about where we might find some of the characters by the end of the story. Bell and Elzar's character arcs especially hit close to home as I thought it showed how reaching out when mourning is important and that asking for help shouldn't be a shameful thing. The character development is the glue of this story and it really pays off especially if you've read Light Of The Jedi.
Secondly the stakes. I have never been shaken for a book a I have The Rising Storm. From the start this book is none stop action with people back stabbing each other, villians that don't know when to stop and menacing surprises that shocked me. Whilst Light Of The Jedi introduced us to several characters and made us feel attached to the era as a whole Rising Storm makes you attached to all the characters and worried for their lives every five seconds. With some characters actually dying. This book does not play it safe at all it shows you how deadly the Nihil and
Finally the multi-pov narrative. People have said in their reviews that the bombardment of characters ruined things for them but for me it worked super well. The High Republic writes in a multi-pov style that adds to the mystery and intense action. Through the fast pacing of chapters and sudden pov switches Scott communicates not only the danger but also the chaos of the situation. It showed the wide scale conflict of the story and how intense things get. You could be with one character fighting on the ground before you instantly cut to the chaos in the skies. And some of the pov cuts are actually necessary.
Overall the best way to describe this story would be like if you were watching a deadly game of chess. It's intense, emotional and an absolute rollercoaster. A perfect well earned sequel to Light Of The Jedi that will leave you reeling by the time you finish the story. Cannot recommend enough.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Torture, Medical content, Kidnapping, and Medical trauma
Minor: Animal cruelty