Scan barcode
akswhy's review against another edition
- 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
3.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty
Minor: Vomit
christina_chen's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
kathrynleereads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Across time and space, they both find themselves being manipulated and coerced by Corien, leader of the angels and the Undying Empire.
•
This was so out-of-character for her that I actually went back and reread a bit to make sure I hadn’t missed something.
Evyline - Honestly, Rielle didn’t deserve Evyline. She was loyal to Rielle without a single doubt.
Even when Rielle sided with the angels, Evyline shifted her loyalty to Audric, knowing that he was Rielle’s best chance to come back to herself and the right side.
Garver - I love this man. Right in the Furyborn prologue, he had reminded Simon to not judge Rielle too harshly because she had once been just a girl.
He seemed to understand better than most of the characters that what Rielle was going through was not her fault (at least entirely).
Tal - At no point in this series was I a fan of Tal. His whole relationship with Rielle was so weird and bordered on the line of an obsession.
Obritsa - For such a young girl, Obritsa really had herself together.
Atheria - I love Atheria with my whole heart. Her presence acted as a sort of moral compass.
I also appreciated that Atheria’s role as a moral compass extended past Rielle to Audric as well. She was by his side the whole time he fought, helping when she could, but being a constant supporting presence.
•
ELIANA'S TIMELINE
Eliana - I’ve been trying for days to put down all my feelings about Eliana and the ending that she got, but I just can’t seem to fin the right words.
I’m so grateful for Zahra and the fact that, through her, a spark of the person that Eliana was still lives on.
I’m happy that she now gets to grow up properly, with Audric and Zahra and Simon there, but the hardships that she went through made her the person she was.
Simon - Simon’s story simultaneously aggrevated me and made me so deeply sad.
The idea that he underwent such incredible torture starting at the age of eight is horrible.
And for that revelation to happen only hours before he is then killed by Corien? Brutal.
He deserved so much more than that ending, and I hope that little Simon eventually gets the ending he deserves with little Eliana.
The Prophet - After a book and a half of guessing who The Prophet was, Lightbringer finally confirmed my hunch.
He followed in his sister's footsteps but stayed true to the person he was, studying and loving stories more than anything else.
"May I tell you the rest?" she asked. "May I tell you the story of your daughter?"
Tears in his eyes, completely undone, Audric nodded, and then he listened through the night as Zahra spoke of a future that would never be.
Those were the words that broke me and finally drew out all the tears I’d been holding in.
Suffice it to say, Lightbringer broke me.
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, and War
Moderate: Confinement, Gore, Infidelity, Self harm, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cursing, and Pregnancy
eve_reads's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.5
⁕ Rielle is one of the most complex heroines in the New Adult Fantasy genre and no one can convince me otherwise. Thank you, Claire Legrand, for writing a woman who has depth, makes morally flawed decisions and is not guided solely by her relationships with men. While I absolutely don't agree with or support many of Rielle's decisions, it means so much to see a woman truly put herself first.
⁕ Without giving anything away, this is a series you want to read if you're looking for something to make you FEEL. I'm talking Song of Achilles/Clockwork Princess levels of emotion in the last several chapters.
To read my full review, visit: https://evereads.online/
For regular book-related content, follow my Instagram account: @eve_reads
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Murder, and War
angstifies's review against another edition
the pacing is REALLY REALLY SLOW and things aren’t going in the direction them to go and there are a few useless POVs that just feel thrown there and i don’t enjoy reading them at all.
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child abuse, Confinement, Sexual content, Vomit, Religious bigotry, and Death of parent
ka_ke's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Blood, and Pregnancy
stormywolf's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Read my full review at The Wolf's Den
Overall, Lightbringer had some dark turns, but as a certain Prophet once said, "To rise, first one must burn," and this definitely turned up the heat. I didn't talk too much about the nitty gritty of the plot or the twists of this book, but honestly I didn't want to spoil more than I did. Just know that I was gripped at every step of the way, and had this not been a 12-hour read, I would have tried to devour it all in one go. I don't know that I'll be returning to dark fantasy soon, but for anyone who is a fan or is looking to dip their toes into the dark waters, I'd definitely recommend this trilogy. If you were as disheartened as I was after the second book, I can't promise it'll get easier to deal with the loss, but just as the title suggests, light is on the horizon if you can hang in there through the dark. And if nothing else, you can always let your hunger to see Corien suffer drive you forward.
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, and Murder
Moderate: Addiction, Gun violence, Infidelity, and Death of parent
bee94's review against another edition
- 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
3.0
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, and Murder
onceuponabookcase's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.5
Having adored the first two books in The Empirium Trilogy by Claire Legrand, I was so excited for the final book, Lightbringer! Though it wasn't the book I expected, it was absolutely incredible!
To be honest, I don't entirely know what I expected. We've known from the very beginning in Furyborn that there was a prophecy of the two queens. We've known that Rielle became the Blood Queen, and that her daughter Eliana was hoped to be the Sun Queen. What I didn't know was how Rielle would end up becoming the Sun Queen and causing so much devastation, nor how Eliana would end up defeating Corien - especially after the cliffhanger ending of Kingsbane, where we discover that Simon has been working for Emperor Corien all this time, and has abducted to Eliana to bring right to him. How on earth is Eliana going to be able to defeat him when she's in his clutches, and doesn't yet have full control of her power?! That cliffhanger came out of left field for me, and I honestly didn't have a clue what would happen next.
Kingsbane is a very different story than the previous two, for the reason that both queens are in Corien's hands. After Audric hears the truth about the death of his father, in his anger and grief, he calls Rielle the monster people are starting to believe she is, and she runs to Corien. As Corien has what he wants in both timelines, there's a lot less action overall. There's definitely moreso in Rielle's timeline, but not as much as we've seen in previous books. Eliana is continuously tortured mentally and physically by Corien, who is desperate for Eliana to use her power. Rielle's power grows ever stronger, and Corien convonces her to use it for ill time and again. The more she uses it, the more it grows, and the more she realises her power has a conciousness, one that is slowly carving away at her sanity.
But as we've seen in previous books, both queens have loved ones and allies, those who will bend over backwards to try and save their people, or fight for their queen - in all meanings of the word. So we have quite a few more narrators in Lightbringer, to see what is happening elsewhere, and how people are preparing for what is to come. Besides Rielle and Eliana, Audric has the most narration compared to everyone else, and he's not doing well. The love of his life killed his father, is now in the hands of their worst enemy, and is very likely the Blood Queen. His kingdom has been taken from him by Merovec, Ludivine's brother, and he's had to run for his safety - but those left behind are under the rule of an ignorant and suspicious new ruler, and are in danger. Audric struggles to deal with all that has happened, and falls into a deep depression. But there isn't time. His people need him. Now Rielle is with Corien and how he has her ear, it's only a matter of time before the Gate is opened, and the angels are released, and there will be war. It's so difficult to see those around him not understanding what he's going through, but needing him at the same time - needing him to take lead, to strategise, to come up with a plan of action, when he can't even get out of bed.
But I loved his chapters, because we see the other half of Rielle's timeline's story, and the lead up to the war. On top of that, I feel we get something from Lightbringer we don't get - or get only briefly - from other high fantasies when it comes to war; the very real fear for your own life, the fear for those fighting with you, the fear you may lose. I love high fantasies where the good vs evil trope climaxes in wars and battles, and seeing strategy play out, but even though the main characters are involved in those battles, there's still a distance to it; it's about strategy and manoeuvering. But with Lightbringer, you're deep in it, alongside Audric, as those around him fall, as he fights, as he sees individuals he cares about fighting. It's emotional and it's difficult, and it was brilliant.
Something else I loved about Lightbringer was the idea of the consequences of time travel. I can't talk about this in too much detail without spoiling the story, but time travel is definitely something that fascinates me. The idea of the butterfly effect, how a small change, something that could seem as insignificant, could have very real and very drastic consequences. Honestly, it just blows my mind with how clever authors can be when it comes to time travel, and I just love it.
The ending was fantastic. It absolutely wasn't what I was expecting at all, and I adored it. It's just so clever! You think you know what's coming, but do you? Do you really? With the Lightbringer, it's best to leave all expectations behind. I had one theory right, but everything else was a surprise for me. The climax was really something, and just genius. It was absolutely the right ending, but it did leave me feeling a little sad, especially when it comes to a number of other characters. But honestly, it was beautiful, and I love it!
And one that leaves so much scope for more stories! I've no idea if Legrand has any plans to write a companion series, but there is so much she could do! She's created a world where there are so many layers, of time and place and more, and there's so, so much she could explore here! That's not to say that there's no proper conclusion to this series, there definitely is. But I think of at least four different avenues Legrand could explore relating to this series if she chose to. So much scope. So many possibilities. And I find that so exciting! I hope Legrand does consider some of them, because we could have a completely different story, absolutely completely different, but with links to this one. And I love it when you can see the stories that are possible, after the end of the story. While the book has ended for us, the story hasn't ended - life goes on and continues for those around after. What happens next? And where? And when? Even if we don't get those stories, I like knowing those possibilities are there.
Lightbringer, while completely surprising in so many ways, is an incredible conclusion to this trilogy, and I just loved it! And I'm so looking forward to what Legrand gives us next!
Moderate: Mental illness, Self harm, Torture, and Murder
Minor: Vomit
War