Amazing as always. ( )

4.25 stars

I cannot talk about this book without spoiler so herre's a warning : SPOILERS.

I cannot believe how dirty Sullivan has done suri - that kid has had to pay over and over again - its utter bullshit. She deserves better - She really should just fuck off to the glen and let them destroy themselves.

Never liked Raithe but what a crap way to go.

And Persephone was a total coward lying to him - she should have told him the truth and then said "but I will always put the clan first".

Nyphron can die a thousand deaths - and every one else who butchered those babies (for m=Moya's sake I'm hoping Tekchin wasn't there but if he was, he can burn too).

Arion was the biggest let down of the book - all that power and did fuck all.

Malcolm you dodgy bastard - who is you??? My bet is on the Old Wise One we heard about in book two.

Best part of this book was dragon Raithe - and Suri as always. ( )

All-Around Awesomeness: 4/5
Worldbuilding: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
Plot: 4/5
Continuity: 5/5
Writing Quality: 5/5
Recommend: Yes!

Not as good as the first two, but still pretty great. Much of the book was about... War (duh)! More characters get to prove themselves worthy of being a hero in this book and of course many at the cost of their own lives. The Fhrey still prove that they're ignorant and annoying AF, especially Mawyndulë, Lothian & Nyphron. Still trying to figure out Trilos & his stance on everything. And is Malcolm the new Tom Bombadil? ( )

Age of War is the third book of The Legends of the First Empire series and it is aptly titled, given how things are heating up again after the slight slowdown we experienced in the previous instalment. From my time with the Riyria Revelations, I’ve learned that Michael J. Sullivan is an author who likes to slowly and methodically build up a series arc. Age of War can be considered a pretty tame sequel up until the second half, when the plot starts ramping up towards the war. Since most of this book is a prelude to one huge battle, it does start somewhat slow, with a lot of diversions and choreographing, but once the players are all in place and the action is ready to begin, what we get is an intense drive to the finish. There were some pretty significant developments, including a couple of earth-shattering deaths.With three more books to go, I’m sure the best is yet to come, but Sullivan is doing an impressive job keeping up the momentum and excitement through the series’ middle stages, managing to skirt a common problem with a lot of epic fantasy. ( )

Description
The Fhrey rule the world as though they were gods; but now, human clans unite to defend themselves from these pseudo gods – so the war begins.

The humans have set aside their clan differences and join together in hopes of staving off a rumored Fhrey attack. Newly elected to lead the united clans, Persephone must make decisions without precedent.

Should she trust the few Fhrey who have joined with the humans, and lead an attack against a Fhrey stronghold? How can she prevent her people from devolving into clan disputes? And how can the young Mystic, growing ever stronger, help them in all of this?

Once as a clan leader, but more so now as Keenig of all the clans, Persephone finds herself making decisions based on one question, a question that controls her destiny more than she knows: what is best for my people?

Disclosure
I personally bought this book. There was no agreement with the author, publisher, or any third party that I would publish a review. The following review is unsolicited, unbiased, and all opinions are my own.

Review – Spoiler Free
The third of Sullivan’s The Legends of the First Empire series, Age of War dives into the beginning of the battle between Fhrey (elves) and men (read my review of book one on my blog). Where the second book, Age of Swords (read the review on my blog) was more slow paced, focusing on character development and setting, Age of War picks back up to the fast pace that I love in Sullivan’s books. There is still plenty of world building, and character development with both returning and new characters, but it is laced around more action.

There is also a little mystery woven into this story that is independent of the other books, while still building on aspects from them. This is something else that I love about Sullivan’s writing, he has so many different, interesting story lines that build into and strengthen each other.

I did have a hard time with the end of this book – but not because it was poorly written, quite the opposite. The characters and plot are set up in a way that the reader roots for certain things. When the possibility of some of those things is finally squashed, you appreciate that it made complete sense with the story lines and characters, but that doesn’t keep it from breaking your heart. Cue the good, sad cry.

Overall, I loved this book. As expected, it (and the series as a whole) is fun, well written, and definitely something that I would be happy to read again. ( )