Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Spirit Ascendancy ( The Gateway Trilogy book 3) in Books
Nov 19, 2021
Kindle
Spirit Ascending ( The Gateway Trilogy book 3)
By E.E. Holmes
Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments
In the wake of their terrifying escape from Fairhaven Hall, sisters Jess and Hannah Ballard find themselves on the run, pursued by the two most powerful groups in the history of the spirit world.
On one side, the Durupinen, determined to capture the girls and prevent their role in an ancient prophecy that promises to destroy them and unleash the spirit hordes on the earth. On the other side, the Necromancers, ancient enemies of the Durupinen, hell-bent on bringing the same prophecy to fruition. When the girls are betrayed and one of them falls into the Necromancers' hands, both face decisions with cataclysmic consequences.
Will the lure of power prove too great to resist, or will the bond between the sisters survive this last, most crucial of tests?
This was possibly the hardest to get into and remember where that last one left off. But it was so good towards the end and definitely the ending it deserved. I’m looking forward to reading the following on series now too.
A good series for YA.
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The story itself seemed multi-layered and quite complex to begin with, and I have to admit to struggling with the amount of names I needed to remember (this is typical of me though, to be honest!), but once I had them all straight in my head after a couple of staves, I was able to enjoy it much more.
The story tied together really nicely towards the end - the seemingly different stories coming together and resolving - but it was left on a bit of a cliffhanger. And do you know? I think I would probably read another book set in this world of the UK Parliament. I liked the characters, and particularly the unlikeable characters intrigued me (I’m nothing if not predictable!). It’ll be interesting to see where another book takes us!
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole for serialising this, I really enjoyed it.
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Phil Leader (619 KP) rated Emperor of Thorns in Books
Nov 12, 2019
The story takes place a year after the second book, with Jorg on his way to the 4 yearly vote to see if a new emperor can be chosen. This time it is a vote he intends to win, whatever it takes. And with Jorg that doesn't rule out a lot of options. The reader would suspect from the first two books that he is entirely selfish in his ambitions. However we see in the now expected flashback sections that a lot more hangs in the balance than another 4 years of squabbling. Jorg is the only one aware of the peril that threatens the world, and is apparently the only one ruthless enough to avoid it.
There are plenty of set pieces and Jorg is as unpredictable, nasty and single minded as ever. There are a couple of excellent examples of Jorg style diplomacy - which naturally involves anybody disagreeing with him being efficiently killed. Somehow despite having got used to this character through the previous two novels, he still has the capacity to surprise and shock. Yes he has matured and Lawrence has done a sterling job to keep Jorg and the events he instigates fresh and interesting.
The main thread involves travelling across the Hundred Kingdoms, and is essentially one long protracted chase scene, culminating in the vote for emperor. There are some very tense scenes - it should be clear by now that anybody is expendable in Jorg's world and there is a real sense of danger in the encounters.
The 'flashback' thread occurs 5 years before and takes up the story from the flashback thread in King of Thorns. Jorg gets to see more of the world, and crucially to find out more about the mysterious Builders and their artefacts. Once again each thread unwinds and impacts on the other and each is a compelling tale in its own right.
The writing is clean and stylish, plenty of descriptions of both stunning scenery and brutal violence, each given their own space on the page without being overworked. The story moves on in both threads with real pace - there is a lot of ground to cover, both thematically and geographically but Lawrence doesn't put a foot (or word) wrong and there are the usual dashes of black humour throughout.
Overall a stunning (and perfect) end to the trilogy. It's rare to find a story that ties everything up so neatly, with threads from all three of the books coming into play. It's also refreshing to find an author who is not afraid to finish a story and not leave it open for more and more (potentially weaker) stories.
A five star end to a five star trilogy, highly recommended