A review by braszinski2
Lightbringer by Claire Legrand
2.0
Finally! Lightbringer! What will happen? How will Legrand end her wonderful start to a story? I loved the first book, did not like the second book, and so the final book in the series had something to prove but I was hopeful for more of what I got in Furyborn than what I got in Kingsbane. Did Legrand deliver?
Hell-to-the-NO.
Lightbringer is one of the worse YA books I have read in a long time. I ran through it because I kept wanting it to get better, and the end was nice, but it was very anti-climatic. Eliana spends over 2/3 of the book in mental prison in Elysium under Corien's crazy control. Simon betrayed her and the rest of Red Crown, killing almost all their allies. While his true loyalties are not questioned, he is quite annoying through most of this novel. Legrand DRAGGGGGGGGGGS Eliana's development on until she literally runs out of room to. The Prophet (yeah... have not mentioned her in my other reviews... ooops) finally reveals herself to Eliana (in angel-speak), but if you did not figure out who it was after the first book, then you were not paying attention. It's one of the few spoilers I kept out of my reviews. Anyway, this book is a mix of Rielle going crazy, Eliana getting mind-raped, Navi (another character I did not care enough about to mention in my other reviews) creating a pitiful army and getting to Elysium to rescue Eliana, etc.
I will say this: Legrand had a plan, knew what she wanted to do, and got her readers there in one piece. I just wish she did not have to make books 2 and 3 so unbelievably anti-climatic and non-story driven. On top of this disappointment, Legrand must have gotten praised for her graphic sex scenes (I'm not surprised), as she chooses to add more of them in this book. I had to tell my mom not to read the series because these scenes ruin the integrity of the story. Of course Rielle's and Audric's love is tested... it's clearly based on sex. Of course, Legrand shapes it as more than that, but that's all she presents. Rielle does not marry Audric until after multiple sexual encounters and then the day of their marriage is the day Rielle leaves Audric (I'm not explaining that). Eliana and Simon have the same kind of relationship: sex, more sex, betrayal, and then even more sex after she escapes from Corien and finds the Prophet. Love is very one-dimensional in this series and I did not appreciate it.
The best example of love Legrand happens to create is the end, when Eliana, after traveling through time again to her mother to end the tyrannical reign of Corien, changes the timeline completely and ends up being born in her own time. Audric, her father, loves her dearly and shows that affection. It's amazing, really. When good authors create scenes of real love it makes me wonder why they take up so much time and space making me word watch sex. It takes away from the whole story and is one of the major reasons why I think the novel failed as a good story.
Claire Legrand had a great start in Furyborn: she did not overdue sex, she focused on the story and character development, and provided some awesome twists right when we needed it. However, she strays from that same intention in Kingsbane and Lightbringer. I was sorely disappointed.
Hell-to-the-NO.
Lightbringer is one of the worse YA books I have read in a long time. I ran through it because I kept wanting it to get better, and the end was nice, but it was very anti-climatic. Eliana spends over 2/3 of the book in mental prison in Elysium under Corien's crazy control. Simon betrayed her and the rest of Red Crown, killing almost all their allies. While his true loyalties are not questioned, he is quite annoying through most of this novel. Legrand DRAGGGGGGGGGGS Eliana's development on until she literally runs out of room to. The Prophet (yeah... have not mentioned her in my other reviews... ooops) finally reveals herself to Eliana (in angel-speak), but if you did not figure out who it was after the first book, then you were not paying attention. It's one of the few spoilers I kept out of my reviews. Anyway, this book is a mix of Rielle going crazy, Eliana getting mind-raped, Navi (another character I did not care enough about to mention in my other reviews) creating a pitiful army and getting to Elysium to rescue Eliana, etc.
I will say this: Legrand had a plan, knew what she wanted to do, and got her readers there in one piece. I just wish she did not have to make books 2 and 3 so unbelievably anti-climatic and non-story driven. On top of this disappointment, Legrand must have gotten praised for her graphic sex scenes (I'm not surprised), as she chooses to add more of them in this book. I had to tell my mom not to read the series because these scenes ruin the integrity of the story. Of course Rielle's and Audric's love is tested... it's clearly based on sex. Of course, Legrand shapes it as more than that, but that's all she presents. Rielle does not marry Audric until after multiple sexual encounters and then the day of their marriage is the day Rielle leaves Audric (I'm not explaining that). Eliana and Simon have the same kind of relationship: sex, more sex, betrayal, and then even more sex after she escapes from Corien and finds the Prophet. Love is very one-dimensional in this series and I did not appreciate it.
The best example of love Legrand happens to create is the end, when Eliana, after traveling through time again to her mother to end the tyrannical reign of Corien, changes the timeline completely and ends up being born in her own time. Audric, her father, loves her dearly and shows that affection. It's amazing, really. When good authors create scenes of real love it makes me wonder why they take up so much time and space making me word watch sex. It takes away from the whole story and is one of the major reasons why I think the novel failed as a good story.
Claire Legrand had a great start in Furyborn: she did not overdue sex, she focused on the story and character development, and provided some awesome twists right when we needed it. However, she strays from that same intention in Kingsbane and Lightbringer. I was sorely disappointed.