This is yet another step up.
While I had a few niggles with book one, and a few less with book two, despite really enjoying them, book three felt really smooth to me.
The characters have grown so much, and are now fully fleshed out, the dimensional people. There is no perfect one, they all have their flaws and strengths.
My favourite bit of the book is the back and forth in my own mind, about who I actually want to see win, or not. Because some of the “heroes” go the wrong way, while some of the villains might not be so bad after all. Or are they? They are written in a way to allow the reader to step into their shoes, and understand their motivations, even if they don’t agree with them.
And then, we finally got to meet one of my favourite characters, who is also the main character in a so far unpublished novella. Greton is autistic, and a joy to see striving and struggling in a big epic world. He can be quite a lot at times, but he’s amazing exactly for who he is. We need more autistic representation, and this one is fine very well. Not surprising, as the author is autistic himself.
Outside of these fantastic characters, I also loved the unexpected direction the series has taken. So often books are way too predictable, if you read a lot in a genre. Here I was surprised a few times, which is always a big plus.
The world is still growing, and getting more epic by the book. I can’t wait to learn more about it all! I find the cultures as fascinating as the magic.
The action scenes had me hooked, and I liked how fighting and war aren’t made into something glorious and full of Honor. No, it’s dirty and awful, and horrendous for those standing in mud and blood.
I can’t wait to get to book 4 and see where this all ends!
