Search

Search only in certain items:

40x40

Ross (3284 KP) rated Valour in Books

Dec 18, 2017  
Valour
Valour
John Gwynne | 2014 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
8
9.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
The second book in the Faithful and the Fallen series continues straight on from Malice, and follows several different groups as they re-group from the events at the end of Malice (the siege of Ardan and the assault on the giant stronghold to capture one of the 7 treasures).
From there on each group goes on its own journey, but at times I found it hard to remember where they were going or why. Most of the original PoV characters return with some extras.
Maquin was a good addition as he tries to cope with losing his lord in the depths of the giant stronghold and battles on without a purpose, and ends up going on a really exciting journey.
Having Veradis no longer following Nathair, acting both as his first-sword and also as his conscience, was a bit of a challenge for me. I love the character of Veradis, and the shield wall method of battle he has developed, but struggle to see the point in him away from Nathair. At times it felt like there were events happening elsewhere in the world and one of the PoV characters had to witness them so he drew the short straw.
The focus of this book shifts away from Corban quite a bit: where Malice devoted almost every other chapter to his development and growth, here he becomes part of the richer story.
At times the events felt a little unbelievable - groups arriving at the same place at the right time, people just chancing upon others in a random clearing in the forest etc - and I found it a little jarring.
I found the characters a bit more well-defined than in the first book, but that could just be because some of the ones which were similar to others have now died. A number of the less pleasant characters though are still hard to distinguish - Jael, Rafe, Quinn, Morcant - all seem pretty interchangeable.
The story has moved along a bit but I feel the overall storyline is a little undefined as yet - it isn't clear what the end game is - there will be a battle between good and evil but there doesn't seem to be anything to do until then, other than try to stop it happening (but as the book itself says "it is prophesied so it will happen"), so the purpose seems to be damage limitation.
A good read and an improvement over Malice, but I still struggle to remember what each group is doing for the first page or so of their chapters.
  
    New Scientist

    New Scientist

    News and Magazines & Newspapers

    (0 Ratings) Rate It

    App

    New Scientist is the world's number one science and technology magazine, and online we are the go-to...

    New Scientist International

    New Scientist International

    News and Magazines & Newspapers

    (0 Ratings) Rate It

    App

    New Scientist is the world's number one science and technology magazine, and online we are the go-to...

    A2A Global Network

    A2A Global Network

    Shopping and Lifestyle

    (0 Ratings) Rate It

    App

    The world has gone mobile! Most of us are in possession of a smartphone, but seldom are we aware of...

    AMERICA IN WWII magazine

    AMERICA IN WWII magazine

    Book and Magazines & Newspapers

    (0 Ratings) Rate It

    App

    Face World War II beside the Greatest Generation—in AMERICA IN WWII. Discover battles of air, land...

Hunter's War (The Wolfborne Saga #6)
Hunter's War (The Wolfborne Saga #6)
Cheree Alsop | 2020 | Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult (YA)
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
And here we have it. Hunter's War is the final book in The Wolfborne Saga and we come to the end of Zev's story. Fray is still in danger and Zev is determined to dive headlong into saving her. It doesn't matter if he is at risk so long as she is safe.

I've got to admit, I don't think I've ever read any other story where the hero has so little regard to his own life/safety but it fitted here, it really did. Zev manages to find a way to bring both parts of his life together, and it couldn't be more perfect. I adored the ending, although I always want that little bit more. It was perfect for an epilogue but I never got one (poor me!). That also means it's ripe for the story to continue so who knows?

Obviously, this book doesn't end on a cliffhanger but all the other parts are still there. Fantastic characters, brilliant world-building, and perfect pacing throughout. I really don't feel ready to say goodbye to this series but I've come to an end so I guess that's that... unless I re-read đŸ˜‰

This series started off as 4-stars and has finished with 5, so if you are on the lookout for a clean paranormal story/series that just gets better and better, then why not take a chance on this one!

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
  
Now I am normally not a big fan of "self help" books so I wasn't sure what to expect with this one. With that being said this is not the typical book you think of when you hear self help. The book is a combination fairy tale & self help book.
It tells the story of Morgan who has a complete break down in her faith of herself. That break down climaxes with her artist boyfriend tossing her designer duds out the window of their apartment onto a rain soaked street. This causes Morgan to take a step back and analyze the way she was presenting herself to the world.
The story of itself was okay. Morgan was an interesting character that had many layers to her. However, I found it fairly predictable which surprised me. I expected to enjoy the story more than the self help suggsestions at the end of each chapter, however I found myself more engrossed in them than the story itself.
This was an okay read. It put many interesting points out there for you to consider and look at in your own life. The writing left something to be desired however. If I took one thing from it, it is a renewed passion for journaling. I'd done it in the past but kind of let it fall by the wayside. This book makes me want to pull it back out & use it to help me sort through my own life.