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MY ⭐️ RATING: 4.75/5
Format: Kindle Whispersync
BOOK DESCRIPTION
THE WORLD HAS FALLEN INTO RUIN. MYTH AND LEGEND HAVE PROVEN TRUE. MONSTERS HAVE RETURNED TO ILLIAN.
Orcs, an ancient fiend thought lost to history, have risen from The Under Realm. Their hunger for total dominance has plunged Illian into war, pushing the survivors to Namdhor, the last refuge of man at the top of the world.
For those who stand up to this foe, they do so in darkness. Ash clouds smother the skies, blocking out the sun as the orcs rampage across the land.
Behind it all, manipulating from the shadows, The Black Hand fuels the war on both sides. The Crow, the one who was promised, has seen the future and works in the depths of The Bastion to forge a new weapon, a weapon that can stand against the dark at all costs.
Gideon Thorn is adrift, his order decimated, and his oath to protect the realm meaningless. The Master Dragorn faces his greatest test yet, balancing his duty to the people and his duty to his order.
Inara Galfrey has a choice to make as the realm’s darkest hour approaches. Malliath and Asher cannot be ignored but holding fast to her courage could save the world. It could also spell her end.
Doran Heavybelly finds himself at the throne of his father. There are realms of hell he would rather visit than the halls of his ancestors. Shackled and bound, however, the dwarf has no choice but to face his past…
MY REVIEW
If there’s one word I could use to say about this novel, it’s phenomenal! I was glued to it from the get go and didn’t want to stop when I knew it was coming to an end. I’m typically not a huge fan of sequels that are setup book, but Kingdom of Bones is more than that, and that’s why it succeeded. It was more than just a lead up to an epic finale, it was just the beginning of the finale. Things that were set in motion in book 1 were settling in place while also giving such an epic battle and unforgettable scenes. Quiantrell’s growth as a writer from the first trilogy to this one, is incredible, and it shows with the story he’s telling.
I love Quaintrell’s writing, his story-telling ability continues to be one of his greatest qualities, and for me to call this a setup or lead up book would be a disservice to what this truly is, because it’s definitely more than just that. He always gives an adventurous story and what I called A Song of Ice and Fire in Middle Earth holds true even more. I love the darkness and the tension that this series brings to the table to make it feel a lot more grounded in realism while also making it somewhat emotional. The story was engaging throughout, whether it’s a battle with the orcs, dragon fights or political subterfuge, while also leading up to an incredible finale in Age of the King.
“We can have ambitions beyond our capacity and equally lack the ambition to fulfil our capacity. We are prone to violence as easily as we are prone to love.”
Characters. Something else that Quaintrell does very well is his attention to character development, especially with Alijah and what he’s going through with The Crow. His development is the most important and that shows with how much the character has to go through so far throughout book 1 and now this. Despite having a bunch of fantastic characters, like Gideon, Galanör, Vighnon & Inara, I still find Doran Heavybelly to be my favorite of the bunch and a scene stealer, he just brings so much to the table that makes everything better. I can’t help but look forward to every time he graces the pages, and I’m gonna be an absolute mess when Quaintrell decides to kill him off… I know it’s going to happen at some point, I just need to be ready for it.
Though I will say that I still find Steven Brands narration a bit monotonous, and I don’t think that’ll ever change, I still think he’s a good narrator and I enjoyed this more after coming to terms with his style. With that said, the production side had minor issues of the whispersync being behind the entire time by several words, which wasn’t really all that bothersome, but me having OCD, it was a bit of a strain seeing it not be correct. The only part of the actual narration I had issues with was during Alijah’s pov chapters, Brand would say “the rogue” even though it wasn’t there on the page. I’m not sure if that was a creative decision, if a change was made after the recording or maybe Brand just had something different from the published novel. Didn’t bother me too much, but it was noticeable as a whispersync’ing OCD person. I would suggest reading or listening over the immersive whispersync.
Wolfmantula.com 