Second series down! (8 out of 35)
When I first saw the cover and read the synopsis for Flamecaster, I was SO excited. The Seven Realms, even after ten years, is still one of my favorite series. To be gifted with a whole sequel series - to get even just a little more story about these characters I’ve grown to love, to get to meet their kids and get to explore the Realms more - I was elated!
Within the last year or two, I made the decision to not read a series before the last book was released. Flamecaster came out before I made that choice (and may have been one of the books to push me to it), so the first time I read it, I was sitting in the doctor’s office waiting to be seen. Three chapters in, and hit me right in the feels: major character death. I took a few days before diving back into the book, but once I did, I enjoyed it, and it made me look forward to the rest of the series.
Fast forward to 2020 (*makes sign of the cross*). I’m finally ready to read the whole series together. I reread TSR to re-familiarize myself with the story, loved it just as much as the first time around. When I was ready to pick up Flamecaster again, I was prepared to have my heart broken again. I was ready to git ‘er done!
So, Flamecaster, right? GOOD first book. A wizard healer who’s also an assassin? Oxymoronic, but I’m here for it. A rebellious young woman who likes to blow shit up, has a mysterious magemark on the back of her neck that gives her some cool powers, AND is fighting for her home against a tyrannical king? Tell me more! Bloodsucking, wizard-hunting priests? Gross, but intriguing. DRAGONS?!?! Honestly, could take them or leave them, but cool integration into the canon.
But as I got into the next books in the series, especially the last one, there were a lot of moments where I felt like I was just reading to get through the story, not really soaking anything in, not really enjoying the content. For example, Evan, the protagonist of Stormcaster, basically lives on a boat. Obviously, from his POV, gonna be a lot of boat stuff, but it felt kind of excessive at points. Like so much stuff about masts and riggings and sails and mizzens. I got lost a few times. Additionally, the overarching plotline revolves around a twenty-five-year long war, so there’s a lot of talk about battle strategies and tactics and stuff my brain just kinda glossed over.
Mostly though, I felt like there was a lot of exposition or build up that lead to one of the quickest resolutions I’ve ever encountered. This seemingly all-powerful antagonist introduced in book one is gone in a matter of seconds in the penultimate chapter of the last book and that’s it. No epic battle. No one fighting for their lives. Just here one second, gone the next. Arguably, could be comical but was more disappointing.
The Shattered Realms is beautifully written. Vivid imagery. Great example of world building. A variety of well-crafted characters. I’m always down for smart, strong, badass women, and Alyssa Gray is someone I should aspire to be. Again: dragons, named Splash and Slayer and Goat who were loyal and funny and taunting of 'puny humans'. There was espionage and deceit, wartime love and unlikely newfound friendships, family reunions and the loss of loved ones in more ways than one.
Overall, I’m glad I read it, and I did enjoy what I read. I’m glad I got to meet the kids and get conclusions to plot points left open in the first series. However, not sure if I’ll be picking it back up anytime soon. 3.5 out of 5.
