bookmeanderings's reviews
339 reviews

I really enjoyed this. It is a short story so I didnt expect depth of plot or much character development. It was a fun ride and had an unexpected twist at the end.

Really fun short story. The humor brought me back to Lies of Locke Lamora. Definitely recommend.

Okay. So for the non spoiler part of this review. I really enjoyed this number 2 book in The Faithful and the Fallen series. John Gwynne has a writing style that is easy to read. The battle scenes are, as always, phenomenal. I gave Malice 5 stars before this and I really wanted to give Valour the same, but it just didnt resonate with me as much as Malice did.

*Spoilers*

However,....The battles, the giants, the Wyrms, oh my! What a ride at times. The final climatic battle at the end for the cauldron and rescuing Cywen was especially fun/tense/emotional. Not gonna lie, I shed a few tears when Corban's mam died. Not only her, but both Dath and Farrell's dad also died. And Marrock! The deaths keep piling up and the stakes keep getting higher. Demon possessed Jehar?! Who the heck would want to go up against that! Overall John Gwynne, well done. I am starting Ruin today and excited to see where this journey takes Corban and his friends.

These books are just so fun

Spoiler Free to start off:

An absolutely perfect ending. And I don't mean everything was packed up and sealed with a bow kind of perfect. This story, these characters, the incredible saga that is the Faithful and the Fallen had the best ending of a book in my recent memory. So realistic, incredibly well thought out, and executed.

I loved the characters. They were incredible and there was a TON of character development throughout this series. This particular book did not have as much, but ultimately I did not expect as much as the characters had already been developed quite a bit throughout the first 3 books.

This was an action packed, intense, apocalyptic plot that still made time for the intimate moments that make characters matter and the stakes seem even higher.

****MAJOR SPOILERS***



Totally called the Jotun Giants coming in and saving the day....just sayin.

Storm...and her cubs, were amazing. Every time Storm howled I got goosebumps and shivered because it was about to go down! I've never been so attached to an animal in a story before.

Coralen and Cywen were amazing and BA as usual.

Gar.....you're the man. Rest in peace.

Maquin I would say had the best character arc besides Corban and definitely the most shocking character arc. The very definition of beastmode.

I was so, so happy when Lykos died. Like more than any other death. Calidus' death was also fitting and very satisfying, but man did I hate Lykos.

Corban. What a story. What a beautiful, inspiring tale of a boy who was forced into a role of authority he did not want and became the man that the world needed him to be. I love the intimate friendships that Corban has with his friends, his mentors, and his brothers in arms. Also, that speech before the Battle of Drassil, killing Sumur and Calidus, and then freaking dragging Calidus to the soul eater in the Otherworld. Utter perfection.

This was the best book of the series. It had a few minor imperfections. I was not a big fan of Haelen's POV(kinda boring) and Rafe's POV(just didnt care about him, wish he would have died in the first or 2nd book because he was not a good villain, just a childish bully that had no character arc), but the other POV's more than made up for them. The plot was still slightly predictable (though not as much as the other books in the series) and it took some twists and turns that I didnt see coming.

It was an incredibly well balanced, perfect paced book. It kept me turning the pages until the very end. Well done John Gwynne. I look forward to returning to the Banished Lands with "Of Blood and Bone."

"TRUTH AND COURAGE!!!"

I really enjoyed this book. It was so nice to get back into the world of Ender's Game and see everything from Bean's perspective. Ender's Game is my favorite book because of Ender Wiggin, but I think next time I re-read it I will like it even more because I know so much more of the parallel story. The snippets we get of Graff and the teachers are some of my favorite parts and Graff adds a bit of humor to an otherwise serious story. This outside perspective was fun, heart wrenching/warming, and a worthy addition to the Ender Universe.

3.5 stars. It was nice to get back into this world and there were parts of this novella that I really enjoyed. It was cool to see Kelsier again and follow him through the "Cognitive Realm." Fun to see a bit of Vin, Elend, Spook, and Sazed and the way Kelsier helped them from the realm of the dead. I haven't read Mistborn Era 1 in a while so it was hard for me to get back into this. Honestly, I think I might just not be a Novella kinda guy. Overall, I love this world and it was fun to get back into it. Solid read.

I finally feel invested in the characters! The ending especially got me. The action and plot were, as always, superb Mr. Sanderson. I'm excited to read Bands of Mourning and finish out the series!

Going back and re-reviewing these books. I know there are many that really enjoy this series, but it ended up not being for me after the first book. I wanted to love this book since I loved the first book so much and that's why I had previously given it 4 stars. But looking back I had to lower it to 3 and was close to saying 2.5. I was so bored most of the time. The present day story was nearly as fun, exciting, and intense as the first book, but my biggest issue came with the flashback chapters. They just took me right out of the story and it was jarring. I just felt they were unnecessary and even detrimental to the present day story that was happening. I honestly didn't care about how Jardir grew up or how he came to power. It was kind of cool to see their culture more in depth, but to be honest I just didn't care. Maybe this was because I was so enthralled by both Arlen's and Leesha's chapters that I didnt want to be pulled away. I'm not sure. This series might be the most disappointing, after a VERY promising first book, that I have ever read. Sad day.