roseice's review against another edition
5.0
(hefty sigh) Cripes, the journey is over! All that happens in these three super long books really built to an incredibly satisfying point, and I think that can only be properly managed with such length. But this was a fantastic story. The character development was top-notch--props to Jill for a job well done. The romance, though a bit dragged out, was pretty rewarding by the end, too. Rarely do you find something so perfectly paced, and by no means insta-love, leaving room for the characters to really get to know each other for who they are. The two leads, when together and happy, are super sweet in this installment with their charming banter and bloodvoicing.
"I hear the prince pines away for you. Whilst he is engaged to... to you!"
Vrell's attitude towards Achan before she loses her memory was really tiresome, too. There was no good reason for her to be such a stick in the mud about it, I wanted to smack her upside the head. It was all induced drama though, and I suppose we'd have less a story without it. ;)
I enjoyed Nathak's villain, as well. The life he fabricated for Achan, the fear he had of killing him because of what Arman would do to him. Really excellent. He essentially single-handedly made the story as awesome and multi-layered as it was. Props, as always, to those dastardly villains that give our characters so much opportunity for growth. Yay!
Because I shared so much time with these characters, I find they linger longer than that of those from most books I read. I don't usually find myself thinking about them when I'm not reading, but these characters I do. I'll miss this series, but it had a tremendously satisfying ending, which must have been pretty tough with a world as big as this one. And all the characters! I love how Gren and Noam and even Harnu who used to bully Achan got their time in the spotlight. Very nicely done.
Spoiler
But there was such silliness in the first half of this book... I found myself laughing even as I rolled my eyes."I hear the prince pines away for you. Whilst he is engaged to... to you!"
Vrell's attitude towards Achan before she loses her memory was really tiresome, too. There was no good reason for her to be such a stick in the mud about it, I wanted to smack her upside the head. It was all induced drama though, and I suppose we'd have less a story without it. ;)
I enjoyed Nathak's villain, as well. The life he fabricated for Achan, the fear he had of killing him because of what Arman would do to him. Really excellent. He essentially single-handedly made the story as awesome and multi-layered as it was. Props, as always, to those dastardly villains that give our characters so much opportunity for growth. Yay!
Because I shared so much time with these characters, I find they linger longer than that of those from most books I read. I don't usually find myself thinking about them when I'm not reading, but these characters I do. I'll miss this series, but it had a tremendously satisfying ending, which must have been pretty tough with a world as big as this one. And all the characters! I love how Gren and Noam and even Harnu who used to bully Achan got their time in the spotlight. Very nicely done.
panda_incognito's review against another edition
5.0
2020 Review:
Thanks to COVID-19, I finally got around to rereading this series that I loved in high school. Amazingly, it is just as good as I remembered, and since I've grown out of being able to appreciate the characterization, plotting, and writing styles of most of the Christian fantasy books that I enjoyed when I was younger, I am very glad to still find this series just as wonderful and immersive as I did the first time.
I liked the finale less than I did before, because there's too much detailed play-by-play of people's actions and travels. However, even though the book could have been more streamlined and much shorter, it was still wonderful, and since I had read this book fewer times than the others and didn't remember as much from it, I enjoyed being surprised by some of the twists again.
2012 Review:
This is one of those books that is just so awesome that I do not consider myself capable of adequately reviewing it, and yet I feel that I do a disservice to not write a review for a book I love this much. Thus, after reading this book for the second time, I am undertaking to write in no particular order five reasons why this is my favorite book ever.
1. Witty banter.
This book has some of the most amusing dialogue of any I have ever read, and I routinely have to set it down and just laugh over the clever comments and witty retorts.
2. Intricate, complex plotting.
I really enjoy all of the different plot threads involved in this trilogy. This is not one of those books where you pick it up, read the first five chapters, and know exactly how it all works out. Instead, the plot is well-crafted, surprising, and never drags. Plus...
3. The plot has a satisfying resolution.
This book is the final installment in the trilogy, and it adequately ties together all of the many plot threads from the preceding two books. Even if some things are not totally resolved, but are left up to the reader's imagination, no major plot thread is just dropped.
I am very impressed by the way that the author was intentional about crafting a good plot. One of the reasons that this book is so satisfying to read is that it not only ties together all of the major plot threads, but also includes in the climax all kinds of things which she hinted to in earlier books. This adds not only an extra element of surprise and excitement, but makes the whole journey just seem that much fuller and more complete.
4. The romance is actually quite good.
The love between Achan and Vrell is realistically portrayed, and because of that realism, I really enjoyed reading about. These were the first books involving romance which I ever read without feeling an element of disgust. Usually, I enjoy laughing and groaning and poking fun at romantic plots in the books I read, but this was totally different.
Even though the circumstantial aspects are wildly different than what would happen in everyday life, the fundamental emotions, thought processes, and interactions are all founded in reality, and thus are enjoyable to read.
5. Christian worldview.
I have read plenty of Christian fantasy books, and this stands out as the best of them all, for neither the character's relationships with God nor the supernatural involvement is cheesy or contrived. The entire book is written through the lens of a Christian worldview. This is not one of those books where you have some wise character come along and offer a few corny words every now and again about how the characters ought to be behaving. Instead, every single page is influenced by the author's worldview, and it is really refreshing to read a book that is not just "Inspirational fiction" but is deeply and intrinsically Christian.
Another thing which I really appreciated was the way that whenever Arman, the God character, spoke or was quoted, it was actual Scripture. The author applied true words of God to the fictional situation, instead of just coming up with something that sounded wise and inspirational. This makes all the difference in the world. It's not cheesy, because it's Scripture, and it avoids the trap of theological inaccuracy which too many well-meaning authors fall into when trying to write allegorical/Christian books.
Well, I guess that's it. I have no idea how to end this review, since it is not well organized and rather stream-of-consciousness. Even if it's kind of terrible, at least I can take satisfaction in the fact that I finally written a review for my favorite book.
Thanks to COVID-19, I finally got around to rereading this series that I loved in high school. Amazingly, it is just as good as I remembered, and since I've grown out of being able to appreciate the characterization, plotting, and writing styles of most of the Christian fantasy books that I enjoyed when I was younger, I am very glad to still find this series just as wonderful and immersive as I did the first time.
I liked the finale less than I did before, because there's too much detailed play-by-play of people's actions and travels. However, even though the book could have been more streamlined and much shorter, it was still wonderful, and since I had read this book fewer times than the others and didn't remember as much from it, I enjoyed being surprised by some of the twists again.
2012 Review:
This is one of those books that is just so awesome that I do not consider myself capable of adequately reviewing it, and yet I feel that I do a disservice to not write a review for a book I love this much. Thus, after reading this book for the second time, I am undertaking to write in no particular order five reasons why this is my favorite book ever.
1. Witty banter.
This book has some of the most amusing dialogue of any I have ever read, and I routinely have to set it down and just laugh over the clever comments and witty retorts.
2. Intricate, complex plotting.
I really enjoy all of the different plot threads involved in this trilogy. This is not one of those books where you pick it up, read the first five chapters, and know exactly how it all works out. Instead, the plot is well-crafted, surprising, and never drags. Plus...
3. The plot has a satisfying resolution.
This book is the final installment in the trilogy, and it adequately ties together all of the many plot threads from the preceding two books. Even if some things are not totally resolved, but are left up to the reader's imagination, no major plot thread is just dropped.
I am very impressed by the way that the author was intentional about crafting a good plot. One of the reasons that this book is so satisfying to read is that it not only ties together all of the major plot threads, but also includes in the climax all kinds of things which she hinted to in earlier books. This adds not only an extra element of surprise and excitement, but makes the whole journey just seem that much fuller and more complete.
4. The romance is actually quite good.
The love between Achan and Vrell is realistically portrayed, and because of that realism, I really enjoyed reading about. These were the first books involving romance which I ever read without feeling an element of disgust. Usually, I enjoy laughing and groaning and poking fun at romantic plots in the books I read, but this was totally different.
Even though the circumstantial aspects are wildly different than what would happen in everyday life, the fundamental emotions, thought processes, and interactions are all founded in reality, and thus are enjoyable to read.
5. Christian worldview.
I have read plenty of Christian fantasy books, and this stands out as the best of them all, for neither the character's relationships with God nor the supernatural involvement is cheesy or contrived. The entire book is written through the lens of a Christian worldview. This is not one of those books where you have some wise character come along and offer a few corny words every now and again about how the characters ought to be behaving. Instead, every single page is influenced by the author's worldview, and it is really refreshing to read a book that is not just "Inspirational fiction" but is deeply and intrinsically Christian.
Another thing which I really appreciated was the way that whenever Arman, the God character, spoke or was quoted, it was actual Scripture. The author applied true words of God to the fictional situation, instead of just coming up with something that sounded wise and inspirational. This makes all the difference in the world. It's not cheesy, because it's Scripture, and it avoids the trap of theological inaccuracy which too many well-meaning authors fall into when trying to write allegorical/Christian books.
Well, I guess that's it. I have no idea how to end this review, since it is not well organized and rather stream-of-consciousness. Even if it's kind of terrible, at least I can take satisfaction in the fact that I finally written a review for my favorite book.
kitkatmichelle's review against another edition
5.0
I'm so sad this amazing series is over, but I'm also SO happy with how it all ended. It's just stunning. Absolutely STUNNING. I was not only entertained by it but also encouraged by the Lord, and that is truly special.
Everything about this trilogy grabbed my heart and wouldn't let go. The characters are so well-developed I could have sworn they were real people (Achan and Vrell and Shung and Sir Eagan and Duchess Amal and Sir Caleb and Kurtz and little Matthias and ALL OF THEM <3), and the world came to life in my mind's eye.
Is is truly all over now? *sniffles*
This is the kind of story that will literally matter for all eternity.
Everything about this trilogy grabbed my heart and wouldn't let go. The characters are so well-developed I could have sworn they were real people (Achan and Vrell and Shung and Sir Eagan and Duchess Amal and Sir Caleb and Kurtz and little Matthias and ALL OF THEM <3), and the world came to life in my mind's eye.
Is is truly all over now? *sniffles*
This is the kind of story that will literally matter for all eternity.
tiotacoslibrary's review against another edition
4.0
From Darkness Won was a fulfilling conclusion to the Blood of Kings trilogy. This book tied up each loose end so perfectly and then some. The suspense, action, and humor remained a constant presence through these pages. And the locations in this trilogy culminated here. I love all the detail and variety Williamson put to the cities, and landscape in this story and how she made them so real without boring the reader. One of the best conclusions to a trilogy I’ve read in a while!
celeste57's review against another edition
4.0
This was a fantastic Christian fantasy trilogy. I enjoyed them immensely!
daphself's review against another edition
5.0
By Darkness Hid, To Darkness Fled, From Darkness Won: The Blood of Kings by Jill Williamson
Published by Marcher Lord Press- 2009, 2010, 2011
Jill Williamson may sit beside the authors Tad Williams with his Sword of Sorrow series and George R.R. Martin with his Game of Thrones series. She succeeds them with her Blood of Kings trilogy.
Follow the whirlwind journey of Achan, a young man whose status is lower than a slave, who not only discovers that he is the long lost heir to the throne, but also the one anointed by the One True God. Not a believer at first, Achan soon walks in fellowship with Arman.
Gifted with the legacy of bloodvoicing, Achan is the strongest one of all. He is befriended by Sir Gavin. Before long, Achan is thrust into a terrifying war to claim his birthright and destiny.
Knights, Giants, a boy who is really a girl, Duchesses, Dukes, and demons are only a few of the companions and foes. Temptations, daring rescues, torture and cruelty, and thieves bombard Achan and his knights.
This is a story about false idols, love, the One True God, and honor. Superbly written in a fast pace, it will honestly keep you up for hours until you turn the last page. Especially with the twists and turns thrown your way.
Williamson's books break the thin line between young adult and adult fantasy. Entertaining and thought provoking...
Published by Marcher Lord Press- 2009, 2010, 2011
Jill Williamson may sit beside the authors Tad Williams with his Sword of Sorrow series and George R.R. Martin with his Game of Thrones series. She succeeds them with her Blood of Kings trilogy.
Follow the whirlwind journey of Achan, a young man whose status is lower than a slave, who not only discovers that he is the long lost heir to the throne, but also the one anointed by the One True God. Not a believer at first, Achan soon walks in fellowship with Arman.
Gifted with the legacy of bloodvoicing, Achan is the strongest one of all. He is befriended by Sir Gavin. Before long, Achan is thrust into a terrifying war to claim his birthright and destiny.
Knights, Giants, a boy who is really a girl, Duchesses, Dukes, and demons are only a few of the companions and foes. Temptations, daring rescues, torture and cruelty, and thieves bombard Achan and his knights.
This is a story about false idols, love, the One True God, and honor. Superbly written in a fast pace, it will honestly keep you up for hours until you turn the last page. Especially with the twists and turns thrown your way.
Williamson's books break the thin line between young adult and adult fantasy. Entertaining and thought provoking...
jaguarhero1's review
adventurous
dark
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
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