Sean

Howling Dark takes a major step up from empire of silence in terms of the scope of the world and the relevance to the bigger story. The worlds they visit in this book are wonderfully weird, exploring what it even means to be human in the far future, while still working towards the goal of making contact with the Cielcin. When contact is made eventually, it feels like the true start of this series. The entire negotiation drives home the major differences between humans and Cielcin before culminating in an incredible battle scene that seems like it will have major impact going forward. The concept of The Quiet, this almost supernatural group of beings, is probably my most pressing question going into book 3. They’re clearly pulling some strings and have a vested interest in Hadrians success.

The main reason this book isn’t five stars for me is they skipped an entire book in between 1 and 2. The first 200 pages of Howling Dark are talking about this campaign they’d been on and all the crazy events that happened, but we don’t get to see any of it and so the first part of the book just doesn’t have the impact it should. He clearly wanted to emphasize the found family aspect of the Red Company but didn’t do enough to develop the side characters to make it hit hard. I really hope book 3 continues developing Valka well and adds some more interesting secondary parts.

When an author telegraphs the end of a series in the first chapter of book one, it feels like that ending will inevitably be disappointing. That was not true in this case. Ruocchio sticks the landing gracefully. Shadows Upon Time raised the stakes with every chapter. There was incredible action, political intrigue, and philosophical musings in nearly every chapter. Sun Eater is one of a kind. With this final book it has confirmed its spot in the very upper echelons of all the series I’ve ever read.

Shadows of Self felt a lot more like Mistborn Era 1 than Alloy of Law did, which makes me more excited about where this series is going. I enjoyed the larger scale of the conflict and its ramifications on the world. The characters also bring a more light hearted vibe than most of Sanderson’s books. It’s always a good time when Wayne narrates a chapter.

The Alloy of Law was a fun switch-up from Brando. There’s nothing happening on a universe-scale, or world shattering events going on in the background. It’s really just about meeting new characters, seeing how Scadrial has changed since era 1, and a little bit of cops and robbers action to keep things interesting. I liked the dynamic between the three main characters a lot and am excited to keep exploring their stories.

Cabin has instantly become one of my favorite books ever. It’s equal parts funny, inspirational, and emotional. I loved reading about Patrick growing as a craftsman in a way that shows me it might be possible for me to do something similar. Each chapter is its own cabin-related anecdote which combine to convey a deep sense of place and emotional connection to the tiny cabin at Wits End. Everyone would be lucky to find their own version of Patrick’s Cabin.

This was disappointing, considering how great the other two Priory books are. Samantha Shannon might not be cut out for the shorter format. When books are this short I expect every page to pack a punch and for it to have a defined goal. This did neither of those things. Rather, it was like a full-length novel packed into a quarter of the pages, with a quarter of the impact. It’s still worth the read if you loved Priory because it adds some context to what’s going on at that time, but is definitely the weakest of the bunch.

I was first gifted The Blade Itself about five years ago, but hadn’t picked it up until last week. Boy was I missing out. I can’t remember the last book that grabbed hold of me this quickly. This book has the most eclectic cast of characters. Each of them is extremely flawed, with colorful backgrounds that are revealed piece by piece through the book, and yet by the end of the book I couldn’t help but root for(or vehemently against) every one of them.

I only gave it 4.5⭐️ because this book, ultimately, felt like a long prologue without a true payoff. A lot of my favorite series also start that way, and the groundwork laid in The Blade Itself was spectacular, so I can’t wait to say Abercrombies second act.

Tress is a whimsical and lighthearted, joy of a read. There was nothing groundbreaking in here, and that’s ok. Sometimes it’s nice to read a story about (mostly) good people going on a quest and learning more about who they are.

Bonus: I love a good cosmere connection and this one had plenty of fun ones.