A bit of a slog in the middle but held up by the start and end.

Sacred Valley has been opened up so the team set out to explore the labyrinth while the battle of the Dreadgod cults and their allies against the other Monarchs kicks off. Offworld the battle between the Abidan and the Mad King also escalates which may mean that Cradle might not survive no matter what anyone does.

The start of this was great, a bit of downtime while everyone recovered from the battle at the end of the last book. I didn’t like what happened to Dross but everything else was great and I really enjoy these more character building scenes. However then they all enter the labyrinth and it basically just turned into a dungeon crawler with clues and crazy monsters constantly popping up. It wasn’t bad but it definitely wasn’t as engaging as the previous books.

There was also quite a lot of time spent on the battle with Suriel and the other Abidan against the Mad King and other allied forces. This all feels a little unreal with descriptions of entire star systems being wiped out by single swipes of swords and other very over the top descriptions. It creates a certain image alright but it’s so high level as to feel unreal even immersed in-world. There was also quite a lot of flashbacks to Ozriel interspersed throughout which I really enjoyed.

This was going to be a 4 star review but then that end happened, and it deserves the extra star just for that! I honestly did not see that coming at all. I do tend to miss stuff as I tend to enjoy a book in the moment and not dwell too much on them but still, that really caught me by surprise and it is so obvious in retrospect. Kudos to the author! I ordered the last two books in physical copies as I much prefer that medium so I have an impatient wait of a few weeks until they arrive. Such a great series.

5 stars

Still top quality but I didn’t enjoy quite as much as the previous book.

The Dreadgods have awoken and one is heading towards Sacred Valley. Lindon and company are in a race against time to get back and evacuate the inhabitants before they are all destroyed.

Well we finally get to the place in time where Lindon had his vision all the way back in book one, though the timeline in-world has been greatly accelerated. I had been looking forward to this for quite a long time, Lindon getting to meet his family and clan again and seeing how far he had come. But man, be careful for what you wish for. It is a testament to the author’s writing but I found his family (except for his sister) and the clan, and everyone in Sacred Valley, to be absolutely infuriating. I thought I had misremembered how petty and mean spirited everyone was but no, I had remembered correctly.

We did learn lots of interesting stuff, and the explanation for why everyone there is so weak compared to outside is finally explained. The gang are really one of the major factions in the world now and it is interesting to see this being explored going forward. The artificial weakness of being in Sacred Valley adds a bit of jeopardy but nothing serious until towards the end. Some of the reunions were worth the wait, especially Lindon with his sister and Jai Long and of course Orthos. Also when Lindon introduces Yerin to his family and they cop their relationship is hilarious. Another very enjoyable book and the quality of this series really is amazing. Roll on book ten.

4 stars

Another amazing end to a book in the series.

The second half of the Uncrowned tournament still needs to be completed by the eight remaining contestants but the hostilities between the Monarch factions that have been simmering for years are now about to erupt into outright fighting.

I didn’t really know what to expect from this book apart from finding out about the Uncrowned but I was surprised by how invested I was about all the storylines. The triangle of Lindon, Yerin and Ruby was very weird, I didn’t see it coming at all, and it was also amazing. I loved that the author is giving more space for the characters to breath as we go on and it’s not all constant action, though of course there is lots of that.

We’re also getting to spend lots more time with the really strong characters like the Sages, Heralds, and even the Monarch’s which is very interesting from a lore perspective. Lindon especially really benefits from this and has become quite a terrifying character if you step back a bit. The end absolutely blew me away, and I can’t wait to see where we will go from here.

Being so far into a series makes it hard to review so I’m keeping these light on details but I am really loving this series, I’m just finding it very interesting and refreshing and I haven’t felt this invested in a new series for quite a long time.

5 stars

An abrupt end but still a good read.

The Uncrowned competition is upon us. All the champions have been assembled representing their Monarchs in the distant city of the Ninecloud court. However Lindon will need to get over training with the Akura family first.

Honestly this was a really enjoyable book. Escalation levels are through the roof again and finally, finally, I understand the greater politics of the world as we see the Monarchs and their representatives meeting and interacting. It only took seven books but now at least I have a handle on the factions and what each are generally up to. Again the size of the world seems to be enlarged, and I really struggle to believe that the amount of people could actually be supported, but that is fairly minor quibble.

Lindon being an underdog still is a little disappointing, especially with the Akura family, but that part did end very satisfactorily. The tournament itself was very cool and I have to say I loved the last fight, for some reason I didn’t expect it. The end I suppose is the problem. There were a few bombshells dropped and then the book just ended, halfway through the tournament. Now it’s not really an issue with the next book already published but it was still annoying. Also the Abidan storyline and the Cradle one are finally integrating even though it’s only a little so far, but still pretty interesting. Roll on the second part of the tournament.

4 stars

Maybe not quite as good as the previous but still a great read.

I don’t want to go too much into the plot as we’re so deep into the series but basically the Blackflame empire is only a small part of the larger Akura empire which is run by the Monarch Akura Malice. The Uncrowned tournament has been announced which pits the greatest young sacred artists from each of the Monarchs against each other until only one is left. The Akura family are looking for their champions from their family and their subject empires to enter the tournament.

This book is basically that scene in the Dark Knight where the Joker breaks a pool cue in half and throws it in front of a couple of henchmen and says there is only one spot in his team. The henchmen in this case is the Blackflame empire and the rival Seishen kingdom. There are a load of goodies on offer in the Akura’s private ‘garden’ which will help the kingdoms level up so their young artists are at the level required to compete in the tournament. This of course brings out the competitive edge which soon turns deadly.

I’m still loving the dynamic between Lindon and Yerin, they’ve become a really well balanced team and there is even a little real jeopardy when Yerin gets a pretty serious injury. However what really makes it is the supporting characters. I love Eithan, Mercy, Dross and Akura Charity, the Sage of the Silver Heart, is introduced and though she doesn’t have a major part (yet), she’s pretty interesting. I’m also pretty awed by the size of this world as this book did show very well how small the Blackflame empire is and has so few really powerful sacred artists, considering only two books ago it seemed like the pinnacle of civilisation.

Anyway looking forward to the next book and the start of the Uncrowned tournament.

5 stars

This has been my favourite so far.

Lindon and Yerin are still with the Skysworn but they are called to investigate a kind of alternative world that one of the Monarch’s created, Northstrider, but he is currently presumed dead so it is up for grabs, or at least investigation. However they are not the only ones there and everyone wants any resources that can be found.

This is almost a standalone within the greater narrative. Lindon really grows here, both in advancement but also it his own personal growth and self value if that makes sense. Him and Orthos are finally standing as equals and I also love that his bond with Little Blue is growing so much, she’s really starting to feel like a full character in her own right. We are also introduced to Dross who I wasn’t sure about at all at the start but who grew on me.

Yerin doesn’t have a big part to play in the first half but she of course comes into her own in the second half. She is also having to deal with being alone again in some respects which I found interesting. Eithan only has a bit part in this one unfortunately.

Again I absolutely devoured this book over a very short period of time as I just wanted to know what happened next. It also introduces us to some characters that are going to have a bigger part to play down the line, Mercy especially gets fleshed out a lot. Really this was an incredibly enjoyable read and I am still surprised by how much I’m enjoying them considering I would not have thought they were my style.

5 stars

Another step up in quality and excitement.

The duel with Jai Long is fast approaching but Lindon has been arrested by the Skysworn due his starting to practice the Blackflame path. However one of the Dreadgods is stirring and soon all hands are going to be needed to counter its deadly threat.

I think it was this book that I started really liking Lindon and Yerin. They just felt more fleshed out here and felt like real characters rather than just a foil for the plot. I also finally have a handle on the system as I am not really a fan of anime or things like that, which this apparently is inspired by. It helped that the plot moved fast (in a good way this time) but that there was still time for meaningful character interaction.

We’re also gaining more of an idea of what the meta plot is with the Abidan. Honestly at this stage though, the two different plots are not really linked in my mind, and the Abidan one is so high level that there doesn’t feel like much of a stake in what I consider to be Lindon and his path of rapid advancement to save Sacred Valley. With that minor quibble aside, I flew through this book and I am totally hooked on this series so going straight into the next volume.

4.5 stars

A definite step up in scope and action.

Lindon has a year to prepare for his fight with Jai Long. In preparation for this, Eithan takes Lindon and Yerin to the Blackflame empire and works with Lindon in particular to introduce him to a new path, which he can use on one of his core’s. There is also the rising tension between Eithan’s family and the Jai clan.

We’re definitely starting to see the world of Cradle expand a bit (let alone the whole universe with the Abidan). The relationship between Lindon and Yerin gets a little more page time, there’s probably still a little too much action, but I like that they actually had time to talk and get to know each other better. I’m really starting to like Yerin more here as she was pretty one note up to now. We also get to meet Orthos, a dragon turtle! It was also quite cool to get more from Jai Long’s perspective and makes him a lot more sympathetic.

Things are still a bit random to me, with massive fights seeming to happen from nowhere with no purpose it seems other than to have an action scene. However there are signs of a more coherent and overarching plot which I’m really enjoying. I’m also starting to get an understanding of how the whole core/madra/advancement thing works which is definitely helpful. (An interesting sidenote: madra in Irish means dog so it’s taken me a couple of books to not see the characters keep talking about dogs all the time :)). Anyway, overall a very enjoyable book and looking forward to the next one.

4 stars