Search For A Review:
Reviews are in order by last name of author.
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G| H | I | J | K | L | M |
| N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z |
| Books of the Year | About Me |
| ARC Reviews | Recent Posts |
| The Den (Home) |
MY ⭐️ RATING: 6/5
Format: Advanced Review Copy
BOOK DESCRIPTION
I just want to say thank you to Ryan for providing me with an advanced review copy, for an honest review.
This did not impact my rating, in any way.
The balance of power in Epheria is shifting. Gods are waking.
The world is burning. Ashes and dust are all that will remain.
The Bound and The Broken continues this coming spring, on 3/1/25! Are you ready?
MY REVIEW
Yes, I gave Of Empires and Dust 6 stars on a 5-star rating scale. How is that even possible, you might ask? Well, once you get to put your eyes on it, on March 31st, you’ll completely understand how it’s possible that 5 just isn’t enough. This is undeniably Cahill’s best work yet and quite easily going to be my top read of 2025, it might even claim the top read of the decade, which may be a bit premature since the unwritten finale, Of Gods and Ashes lurks in the shadows.
I’ve been praising Cahill since 2021 when Of Blood and Fire dragged me into Heraya’s embrace, I’ve called his books “a soul-punching masterpiece”, and “Cahill has gold flowing through his fingertips”, “Cahill has solidified himself as one of the top authors in all of fantasy” and even said that “Cahill must have sold his soul to be able to drop masterpiece after masterpiece”… each and every one of these things is 100% true, so what’s left to say when he drops yet another masterpiece? What words are there left to say about a book that doesn’t just raise the bar, but shatters it, showing that Cahill & The Bound and the Broken stand atop the fantasy pantheon.
There are many things I admire about what Cahill does with his stories, but his mastery of long-form storytelling is what shines brightest in Of Empires and Dust, John Gwynne would be proud. All the threads that Cahill has spun from the start, with minor characters being more than what was led to believe. Each novella enriches the tapestry, shining a light on characters giving them a much deeper arc while introducing new characters and new parts of the world. All the unseen subtle threads a part of the grand overarching design, finally begin to reveal their final destination in this penultimate entry to The Bound and the Broken saga. Of Empires and Dust proves that Cahill is a master architect, and he’s putting the final touches on his magnum opus.
I absolutely love seeing Cahill’s evolution as a writer. Each entry into the world of Epheria takes everything to the next level, and with Of Empires and Dust, Cahill went for the kill and decided it was time to BREAK EVERYONE! It’s a brutal, visceral gut-punch, yet beautiful and heartwarming too. It’s a story of redemption, sacrifice, love, and pain—so much pain, but Cahill also does an incredible job of splitting that pain with so much love. He can break you woefully and blissfully and you’ll thank him for it.
“This path was never what he had dreamt of, but it was his now, and he would not shy away from it. Gods and demons warred over the world he loved, and he would burn them all to save it.”
I teared up multiple times and ugly-cried hard enough to produce a snot bubble, maybe (probably). But let’s be perfectly honest, while this is going to break you like it did me, in typical Cahill form, his sharp banter had me belly-laughing throughout. This was easily everything I had hoped for and far more, and I can’t wait to see and hear others’ reactions on its release. With that said, I’m itching to hear Derek Perkins breathe life into it later this year.
The action in this story is unforgettable, there were times where it was just so vividly crafted it felt straight out of an action blockbuster or as if you were right there in the fray yourself. It’s not just a single moment either, it was a relentless cavalcade of clashes. It was a visceral visualization as dragons and wyverns ripped each other to shreds in mid-air and the beings of Epheria going toe to toe in all-out battles to tense alvadrû duels to the death, while bringing up new and old dwarven creatures form the depths of your nightmares.
Cahill masterfully crafts a multitude of unforgettable characters and making each one matter—even the minor cameos of some loved individuals within the fantasy community. I loved seeing all of my favorite characters and seeing their evolution from book 1 until the end of book 4. As much as I love Calen and Valerys and how much they have grown into such an incredible man and wonderous dragon, to Dahlen’s evolution as a character, the incredible Ella & Faenir, my undeniable favorites, Dayne and Belina, who shine every moment they get and the multitude of other characters in the world. Yet, I couldn’t help but think about Dann the most, I’ve always enjoyed him, but Of Empires and Dust made it clear that he’s not just comedic relief, he is the glue binding them all together.
The relationships he forges with each character, the love and trauma that they go through that helps peel back layers to expose their true-self, it makes you feel that much more intensely, it makes you want to root for or against them harder. Cahill also excels at showing POV’s from both sides of the battle blurring the lines between good and bad. The “bad guys” believe themselves in the right thing, even when the other side sees them the opposite. It starts to make you ask different questions about who’s actually loyal to whom. As questions are answered, new ones arise, and as the threads converge, one thing is for certain, Of Gods and Ashes promises a climax that’ll rip Epheria to its core.
Wolfmantula.com 
1 Comment