Fury of a Demon

Please note this review may contain mild spoilers for Blood of an Exile and Sorcery of a Queen.<br /><br />The power has shifted and as Empress Kira lay comatosed, closely watched over by Osyrus Ward, and Queen Ashlyn is believed dead, Ward seizes the opportunity to place his soldiers throughout Almira and rule over all or annihilate those who oppose him. The lands of Terra are now inhabited with skyships, acolytes and other monstrosities cooked up by the madman himself. Yet Ashlyn is far from dead, and neither is our beloved Dragonslayer, Bershad. Deep in the Dainwood forest, Bershad, Simeon, Oromir and the remnants of the Jaguar Army lead the resistance against Ward’s soldiers but it is an ongoing battle where they are losing ground. Meanwhile the Witch Queen Ashlyn and alchemist Jolan desperately try to unlock the secrets behind Osyrus Wards’ creations in the hopes of bringing them down once and for all.<br /><br />Fury of a Demon by Brian Naslund is the outstanding conclusion in the Dragons of Terra trilogy. Naslund aptly weaves all the threads from the first two books into one thrilling, heart-pounding finale. A mad scientist is set loose, monstrous creations are destroying humanity piece by piece, and it all ends in one high-stakes battle. I was initially drawn to these books for the dragons, but I stayed for the great friendships that formed and cemented between the characters, the hilarious banter among them, and the fact that this was a world which showed us the need to respect and find a balance in nature. <br /><br />Throughout the trilogy as we watch the world fill with progression and technological advance, it becomes quickly apparent that this is not to the betterment of the people. Whilst the majority starve, fall into poverty and illness, Ward cares nothing but to fulfil his ideological vision of a ‘better’ world, the perfect ’soldier’. In Sorcery of a Queen we glimpse into his horrific plans for the future of Terra, but in Fury of a Demon we watch them play out and become fully realised. The acolytes are monstrosities made from dying soldiers fused with dragon bones, sometimes parts of other animals, metals and alchemy. Osyrus Ward essentially becomes the scientist Frankenstein from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. To Naslund’s credit he creates an absolutely fantastic villain here, one who you loathe, and also makes your skin crawl.<br /><br />With two new additional POV, Naslund effectively shows us the consequences of warfare, the true consequences of Ward’s vision. Nola, a young teenager, left orphaned after her parents and older brothers die fighting in the Jaguar Army, is the sole guardian of her younger sister Grittle. She runs a tavern on very little just to get by, until soldiers destroy that too. Nola was a character who quickly made my eyes blurry with tears as she desperately fights to protect her sister but faces horror after horror. Then there was acolyte seven-nine-nine, once a soldier simply following orders and now conditioned into a mindless killing machine, except there’s a glitch where he does retain some of his former memories. If you’ve ever seen the film Robocop, this is what he reminded me of. Through Acolyte seven-nine-nine we learn the true abhorrent methods Osyrus uses upon the soldiers he experiments on, the pain endured whilst he conditions them.<br /><br />“Nola had always been realistic about this world. She’d done what needed doing to survive. But it wasn’t until now-stuck in this pen–that she realized the hidden truth of humanity: they were all just animals who stayed civil and kind because there was food in their bellies and a roof over their heads at night. Take those things away, and the goodness of people got taken away with it.”<br /><br />Who better than to fight against Ward than the deemed witch Ashlyn Malgrave. She begins her journey in Blood of an Exile wanting to uncover the secrets behind the dragons, to find a way to preserve them but also keep people safe from their attacks. Throughout Sorcery of a Queen her fight for the dragons also becomes a journey to seek knowledge of how to stop Ward and save those she loves. In this last instalment Ashlyn really grows in her abilities, whether they’re part sorcery or part science, experiment after experiment she begins to master the use of lodestones in fantastic ways. I loved that Ashlyn above all respected the laws of nature, the right for animals to have a place in this world too, yet she also respected her immense powers. She knew one person alone should ever keep this much power in their grasp, and although she uses her powers to destroy the enemy, she knows ultimately when to stop.<br /><br />“The heads of the six acolytes were floating above her, neck stumps dripping black liquid across the dry grass. Her armbands were churning and steam was rising off her sweat-slick skin. Jolan knew that she probably couldn’t keep that up for more than a minute or two, but in that moment, she looked downright terrifying. A true witch queen.”<br /><br />Then there was Bershad, our hero who fights with the fury of a demon. Wow, Naslund really puts Bershad through a lot in this instalment, he pushes this character to his maximum endurance. Bershad’s recklessness reaches new heights, which makes for some heartstopping moments. Bershad knew he was fighting against the clock, his transformation was looming ever closer, and if his last deeds were to free the people of Almira, particularly those in the Dainwood forest, and finally settle an old score with Vallen Vergun, then he would fight tooth and claw to succeed. This is a character who I have become deeply fond of for many reasons, but in this book I adored his bond with the Nomad dragon, affectionately called ‘Smokey’. Together they make for an incredible team.<br /><br />At the heart of this whole trilogy Naslund focuses on the bonds the characters make, the friendships, the bromances, the loyalty and comradeship, the people they would die for. It’s always important to me that I feel an emotional attachment to the characters, that I care for their plights, and here I fell hard for all of them. Well, obviously not for Ward or Vergun! However, Bershad and Felgor’s friendship and banter was top-notch, Simeon and Cabbage made such a comical duo, my heart broke for Oromir and Jolan, and Vera’s determination to save Kira was truly endearing. No matter the dangers these characters all faced, they faced them together.<br /><br />“You know what nickname I would have given you, if you didn’t already have so many when we met?” he asked.<br />“Don’t care.”<br />Felgor pinched an ant off his neck and flicked it away. “Sunshine. On account of your pleasant disposition.”<br />Bershad grunted. “I hate it.”<br />“That’s the point.”<br /><br />Naslund also presented us with many tender, quiet moments, which balanced out the grim reality the people of Almira faced. Nola tells her sister Grittle bedtime stories of their brother’s before they died in the war. Cabbage takes food to Jovita’s hut, a woman he quickly becomes attracted to, having hopes of spending time with her one the fight is over. Bershad and Ashlyn save each other time and time again, they cannot bear the thought of losing each other.<br /><br />Together this band of characters all played their part in the final battle, a battle which kept my pulse racing and eyes always on the edge of tears.<br /><br />“If I wind up down the river ahead of you, I’ll try to find a decent spot for us in the afterlife. And if you go first . . ” He trailed off. Swallowed. “Well, I don’t see much point in staying around in this mess without you. So I’ll be following right behind. I promise.”<br /><br />Naslund is the kind of author who takes your heart strings and pulls them in devious but enticing ways. It’s rare a grimdark book makes me cry out of happiness and sadness all at the same time, but this did. The Dragons of Terra is a trilogy I hope will find itself in the hands of many more readers.<br /><br /> <br /><br />Review copy provided by Jamie at Tor UK. Thank you! Fury of a Demon is out now.

Vale 5 stelle? Assolutamente no, ma devo dire di essermi proprio affezionato a questi personaggi. <br />Non sarà certo la trilogia del secolo, ma mi ha proprio divertito ed emozionato. E questo terzo volume si merita la valutazione massima proprio per questo. <br /><br />Best character che vale tutte le stelle da solo: Jolan. Meraviglioso ✨?

Degna conclusione della trilogia, ma al di sotto dei due precedenti... Ricco di azione e avventura, si giunge all epilogo della trama principale e delle varie sottotrame che si creano nelle oltre 600 pagine.. la cosa che non me l'ha fatto gustare appieno, è che qui la "tecnologia" è davvero troppo abusata.. più volte ripete che non c'entra nulla con la magia ma che è tecnologia, ma non è coerente con mondo creato.. con ossa di drago e calamite non puoi creare una TV, un computer, o simili... Diventa talmente incoerente e assurdo che mi ha un po' infastidito.. Tolto questo, tutto il resto mi ha divertito e appassionato al solito, infatti divorato in tre giorni!

I loved this series - it’s sad that it’s over. So many good characters ?<br />The best bit? Donkey revenge ?

Full review on The Quill to Live: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="https://thequilltolive.com/2021/08/19/fury-of-a-demon-angry-that-you-havent-read-it/">https://thequilltolive.com/2021/08/19...</a><br /><br />The best part about being a book reviewer is when you find an underappreciated gem that you get to psychotically rant about to all your friends, family, and readers. I have now purchased 4 copies of Blood of an Exile for friends because I think The Dragons of Terra series by Brian Naslund is one of the best new series I have read. The final book in the trilogy, Fury of a Demon, comes out on August 31, 2021, and I got a sneak peek at the climactic finale. The third book continues Naslund’s streak of excellence – but it falls slightly short of the incredibly high bar set by the second book, Sorcery of a Queen.<br /><br />If you are looking for the plot of the books, check out the earlier reviews linked above. In general, the story follows a diverse cast of individuals as they try to combine magic and science to protect the natural world from being abused by antagonists of all kinds. As I mentioned in my Sorcery review, these books are so good because they excel in so many different areas simultaneously that it’s hard to believe that this is Naslund’s first series. They have incredible characters, exciting action, deep and original worldbuilding, a gripping plot, a compelling antagonist, great themes, excellent pacing, strong character growth, and a level of polish and inclusivity that made me positively vibrate with happiness. However, Fury of a Demon takes some new directions that differentiate it to from its predecessors.<br /><br />What sets Fury of a Demon apart from the two previous books in the series is really how the magic system starts to migrate into science fantasy. There is pseudo magical hacking in the third book that becomes a major part of what the plot revolves around and it makes the series feel like it starts to edge into the science fantasy genre. Personally, I loved this. It gave the book and series a lot of unique flairs and it had my wife (who I immediately gave my ARC after finishing it, thank you Tor) and me talking about the implications and possibilities for hours after we both finished. The conclusion is extremely explosive and fun, and it feels like a great culmination of the conflict. The final antagonist is a wonderful reflection of the conflicting ideals of the characters and the final fights felt satisfying on a number of levels. But, unlike the previous two novels (which I thought were perfect) I had a couple of issues with Fury of a Demon.<br /><br />One of the strongest elements of the first two books is how organic the character growth felt. Everyone is changing constantly (a theme of the book) but Naslund goes through painstaking work to show you how and why. Demon’s character development is in no way bad, but it felt like it lacked the polish that the first two books had. In particular, the characters Vera, Kira, and Garrett all had major growth and change that seemed to happen off-page and were a little hard to follow. That being said, I will fight you IRL if you try to disparage Jolan or Felgor – they are angels that need to be protected.<br /><br />In addition, the plot of Demon felt slightly less directed. Normally I wouldn’t have a problem with this, but one of my favorite parts of Queen is how every single set piece seemed to seamlessly flow into the next creating this unbroken stream of wonder that enraptured me from start to finish. There were a few new subplots in Demon that I understand the purpose of, but they could have been blended more seamlessly into the main story.<br /><br />Back to the specific positives of Demon, it is definitely the book with the most imagination out of the three. Naslund has this brilliant cleverness in how he conveys the power and smarts of his characters that many fantasy and sci-fi writers will envy. Silas and Ashlyn in particular are absolutely terrifying in their power and majesty and Naslund accomplishes this through keen observation and context in a way that is subtle and smart. I found myself constantly thinking about what it would be like to be a peon standing against one of these protagonists and just feeling pants-shitting fear. They were awesome.<br /><br />In sum, don’t sleep on The Dragons of Terra. Fury of a Demon will be one of my top books of 2021, and the other two books also made huge splashes with me when they came out. This has rapidly become my go-to ace in the sleeve recommendation to give well-read fantasy readers something new and delightful. I literally cannot wait to see what Naslund does next. He is a wildly talented new writer, and I hope he continues making new stories for years to come.<br /><br />Rating:<br />Fury of a Demon – 9.0/10<br />The Dragons of Terra – 9.5/10

I loved this book so much. I laughed and I cried. Especially at the very end.<br />I was just as bloodthirsty for revenge against some villains as I was anxious for the survival many favorite persons. <br /><br />Bershad and Felgor have a love-hate relationship and their banter is so funny.<br />“When are you gonna get yourself a stronger stomach?” Bershad asked him. “Well, I can’t grow new ones like you, so I’m stuck with what I got.” “Just try not to do it again. It upsets the donkeys.” “Pretty sure the trek through a dragon-infested wilderness is the primary cause of their agitation.”<br /><br />But I’m still a little conflicted about my feelings for Felgor. But he seems to be a better person by the end.<br />Many characters really evolve and change in this book. It’s a wonderful thing to watch Cabbage and Jolan step up to the plate and make a huge impact on events around them.<br /><br />There are some grisly scenes, which you don’t want to be eating anything while reading these. As so many people are killed and consumed by Vergun - yes, consumed-, Nola observes: “Nola had always been realistic about this world. She’d done what needed doing to survive. But it wasn’t until now - stuck in this pen - that she realized the hidden truth of humanity: they were all just animals who stayed civil and kind because there was food in their bellies and a roof over their heads at night. Take those things away, and the goodness of people got taken away with it.” Oh, that Vallen Vergun! Hopes he gets his comeuppance with style! Along with a few other awful ones.<br />You don’t know which people are safe. There are some very heroic deaths which provide a very satisfying end. <br /><br />Beside the great characters and fast-paced plot, the scientific inventions created by Ward and Ashlyn are just amazing. This fantasy element brings a whole different layer to the genre. The cloak that Vera eventually wears and utilizes is just a wonder. What a creative mind Brian Naslund has!<br /><br />Although dragons are quite secondary actors in this story, Smokey the Nomad is front and center. A very important companion for Silas.<br /><br />The very, very last line brought me to tears immediately and I felt such a loss<br />again. Maybe this won’t be the end of Bershad and company? <br />Highly, highly recommend this trilogy!

Having read the first two books in the DRAGONS OF TERRA series (BLOOD OF AN EXILE and SORCERY OF A QUEEN), I could not wait to get to the finale. I was hoping for something that would knock my socks off, and boy, did FURY OF A DEMON deliver.<br /><br />SORCERY OF A QUEEN turned out to be a quite a chaotic book full of crazy happenings while the author jumped the characters many levels and put them through all kinds of perilous situations. FURY OF A DEMON brought a lot of that same chaos to the finale of the story, which I found to be quite thrilling. The stakes are super high, and Bershad and friends are risking it all to defeat the bad guys. My heart was constantly racing, and I was on the edge of my seat.<br /><br />FURY OF A DEMON is the incredibly satisfying ending to what is now one of my favorite fantasy series of all time. It is absolutely phenomenal.

That feeling you get when you have such high expectations for something and it absolutely delivers!<br /><br />I’m currently riding on that slowly descending wave of bittersweet contentment in having finished this trilogy, and the excellent Fury of a Demon to close it off.<br /><br />Anything Brian Naslund writes in the future is an instant-buy from me and I have to say until now I never understood why someone would want to re-read a series when there are new books to start on. Now I do. I am utterly convinced this is a trilogy I will revisit again and again.<br /><br />So, why do I love it so much and why did Fury of a Demon solidify my feelings about this series and about Brian Naslund’s ability?<br /><br />I’ve spoken many times about the initial and continued appeal – the exciting characters, the mix of old world fantasy with inventive technology, the use of dragons in a real ecosystem, the care painted into the brush strokes of the created world.<br /><br />I’ll start on characters. I’m not someone who goes crazy for characters unless they really stand out – I’m someone who shamefully forgets the characters’ names in alot of books and cares more for the world and the plot. Naslund is just such an expert at making you remember, making you care.<br /><br />Osyrus Ward and Vergun are just delightfully bad again here and you really do love to hate them – Ward for his cold and calculated, Thanos-like outlook – his own power and idealism above all, no matter the consequence; Vergun for his pure malice and unapologetic evil.<br /><br />A theme running through the series but particularly prevalent here is revenge – there are grudges everywhere which makes so many of the character interactions so exciting. There are plenty of palm rubbing moments as the fates of various characters take them across their enemy’s paths, intentionally or not.<br /><br />Of course, Bershad really lives up to his titular description and continues his upward trajectory of a great killer to an almost unstoppable one. What I love about this though is that in almost a video game way, as Bershad gets stronger, Ward continues getting sharper. Those war acolytes are pretty brutal, too! With each conflict you don’t know whether he or Bershad and his allies will come out on top and that’s particularly exciting.<br /><br />Bershad hogs some of the limelight, and rightfully so because he’s such a brilliant character, but Ashlyn isn’t going to let him take all the badass moments. I like that through much of the book she’s still coming to terms with and learning from the past, while trying to gauge her own power and how it can be used in the right way. Often this culminates in utter bone shattering destruction. For me, it feels more of a battle of Osyrus Ward Vs Ashlyn Malgrave for much of the story, not Silas Bershad – even if they aren’t directly facing off all the time.<br /><br />To be honest, there are a number of characters who take up prominent roles in the story you could argue are main characters – returning favourites and new characters too. Nora’s chapters were fantastic, for example.<br /><br />Something that struck me while going through my thoughts at the end of the book: I never once thought, “yawn, it’s such and such a character’s chapter” – I was equally interested in all of them and that’s something the author is really successful in doing, not only making you care but making everyone have an equally interesting and personal story to tell, whilst the storylines converge with one another.<br /><br />Or course, dragons play a big role in the story again and I love Bershad’s telepathic sort of relationship with ‘Smokey’ – not named by him, of course. There are dragons, but there are skyships. There are swords and longbows, and there are diagnostic machines and mechanical inventions. The contrast of old school fantasy with sci-fi elements really kicks on here and it’s one that felt really polished. The book always felt like a fantasy book to me, but it felt like there were blends of different sub genres and as mentioned, bordering in places on sci-fi with technology we don’t yet possess.<br /><br />I think what keeps this grounded in fantasy is that the technology is often powered somewhat by magic – or what we would class as magic based on the lack of the raw materials available in our world to create these inventions.<br /><br />On science, the ecosystem again plays a part and there were parallels with the Vietnam war – the Balarian invaders succumbing to the conditions of the Dainwood whilst struggling to deal with the guerilla warfare of the Jaguar Wardens. Tactics play a big role and it’s fascinating to watch play out as Ward begins to lose patience, attempting a more provocative route to victory.<br /><br />It goes without saying that Naslund’s smooth, immersive writing style is as strong as ever. His books have that quality rarely felt, where your brain tells you to turn the pages on autopilot and you forget you’re actually reading a book. The dialogue is spot on and you really get a feel for the characters’ distinct individual voices, even characters introduced and killed off soon after. It makes it a joy to meet any character in the book because they’re all unique and well written.<br /><br />As well as this, I really like how sometimes the POV shifts with chapters taking place within the same event, with varying degrees of length. Sometimes short chapters are effective, sometimes longer ones work best and Naslund always makes the right decision, both in deciding which POV to show us, and how much of it we see through their eyes at any given moment.<br /><br />I’m delighted that a series I love so much continued the top class story, character work and fantastic feeling of overall quality until the very end and never once let me down.<br /><br />I’m genuinely gutted it’s over as I’m going to be bold enough to say… I think this might be my favourite series. I really do.<br /><br />Every single page has been a pleasure, and I read two of these books at a time I needed an escape to an exciting new world and a bit of a pick-me-up, which they duly delivered. This trilogy really needs to be widely read and become a success, because it’s so brilliant, the author deserves recognition. And secondly, because we need more books by Brian Naslund.<br /><br />Blood of an Exile had the originality factor, a book that made me sit back and say ‘wow!’ – a really exciting fantasy book.<br /><br />Sorcery of a Queen raised the stakes while adding more of the wacky alchemy and inventions that gives the series a distinctive comic book quality to layer over the heroic fantasy at its heart.<br /><br />Fury of a Demon keeps all of the good bits of the other two and gives the reader everything they could possibly want – namely a polished and expertly written story that feels like a fitting conclusion to a trilogy that is heartfelt, action packed, colourful and full of personality.

I have been highly anticipating this finale for a long time but I still kept putting it off because I’m always too anxious to read books in my favorite series. And I wasn’t entirely wrong coz this one gave me chills all through. I will try to be as spoiler free as possible but I also have lots of thoughts, so I apologize in advance. <br /><br />Brian’s main strength I have found across this trilogy is keeping the writing simple but very meaningful, creating tension that keeps us on the edge of our seat for most of the book, and amidst all this “will they live or die” situations, he manages to write humorous dialogue that gives us some respite. The plot changes between many perspectives but it’s to the author’s credit that we never feel lost and also never get bored of any POV, whether it’s a main character or just some small player in the grand scheme of things. The pacing is breakneck with hardly any breather and I couldn’t keep the book down even for a second because I just wanted to know what was gonna happen next. The fights and war sequences are elaborate and thrilling and I also found them to be very visual that I could imagine it all happening in my head. It’s all masterful storytelling at its best and I just felt glad for the day I decided to trust a couple of my favorite reviewers and read the first book in this amazing trilogy. <br /><br />While the writing and plot are wonderful, it’s definitely the ensemble cast that makes this series special. Silas is probably one of my top favorite male protagonists ever because he is both an extremely strong fighter who can kill number of people at once, but at the same time is also full of love and compassion and would do anything to end the mindless killing of humans and dragons, so that everyone could live peacefully. He is always on the verge of his transformation but is too selfless to think about his fate when there are many people to save. And I absolutely loved his dynamic with his dragon - it’s sweet and witty, with always some sort of bickering going on, but the love for each other is undeniable. <br /><br />Ashlynn hardly feels like the Queen of Almira anymore this time. She is first and foremost a scientist who spends most of the book figuring out ways to control Ward’s creations and end the war. She encounters blocks and disappointments and failures, but giving up is not her thing and she only moves forward with renewed determination, at the risk of her own health and safety. She is brave and responsible and makes a perfect complement to Silas. They are one of the best couples I’ve encountered in fantasy for a while who would sacrifice themselves to save the world even if it would mean separating from each other. The book has some beautiful lines between them and I’m so happy I got to read their story. <br /><br />Jolan is a perfect assistant to Ashlynn. He has come a long way from being an alchemist’s apprentice to someone who can help challenge Osyrus Ward but despite his knowledge being one of the main reasons Ashlynn is able to progress in a safe manner, he still wishes he could be the innocent person he was before it all went to hell. Even after watching all the unfolding horrors, he never completely loses his gentle nature and that was nice to see. <br /><br />We also get perspectives from unexpected characters from both sides of the war. Vera is present as always, the brave woman who will do absolutely anything to save her Queen, even if it means serving the enemy. Cabbage is this slightly timid person who probably doesn’t want to be fighting but will also never abandon his friends, ably protected by the very reckless Simeon who joins every fight like it’s his last time. We also get glimpses into Garret and Castor’s characters who are themselves unsure why they are fighting this war and keep trying to come up with justifications for their choices and actions. <br /><br />And how can I forget the villains. While Vergun can be considered a stereotypical evil cannibalistic person, the joy he finds in terrorizing people is still very hard to digest and everytime he appeared on the page, I was scared for all of my favorite characters. Osyrus on the other hand gives off the mad scientist vibes, who truly believes all his delusional thoughts about creating a better world and treats everyone and everything in it like a specimen to be experimented on. He is a chilling presence and I was always haunted by the prospect of how our heroes would fight him and his monstrous creations in the end. But what I loved about the ultimate showdowns that we get between Vergun and Silas, as well as Osyrus Ward and Ashlynn is that the author ensures we understand that our heroes aren’t actually invincible and they can’t save the world just by themselves. They were powerful scenes and I couldn’t ask for anything better. <br /><br />To end my review, I have to say that I knew this finale was gonna be too good because the author hasn’t let me down before but it still exceeded my expectations. This is epic fantasy at its best with its huge world full of kingdoms and cultures and rulers, loads of beautiful and majestic dragons who form a core part of the world’s ecosystem, advanced technology that almost feels demonic and which can rival any top SFF movie, chapters full of thrilling plot and unbelievable cliffhangers which won’t allow you to put the book down, and out of the world fight sequences that will wow you. But despite it all, what you will most remember after you are done with the trilogy are the amazing characters who have burrowed their way into your heart. And those absolutely heart touching last two lines… I teared up immediately because it was such a beautiful and perfect ending.

This was an epic tale from start to finish, involving clocks and brasswork, elements of steampunk with a lot of blood and gore, to finish nicely with characters that were fantastic and whose arcs had some powerful motivations. No wonder this is a world of chaos and Osyrus Ward, now ruling over Balaria, is doing his absolute best as a mad scientist to shape the world in his fashion. Because as a mad scientist that has gone drunk from power, who sees royalty as little more than mere specks of dust, sacrifice the lives of thousands of Ghalmarians and Balarians in the Jungles of Almira mean nothing to him. Never mind if a few dragons here and there snatch up Balarian soldiers, never mind if Simeon comes throughout the world rampaging and squashing men as if they were nothing more than putrid flesh and bone. Osyrus Ward is a man of rational emotion and logic. He will do everything possible to get rid of the Flawless Bershard and the Witch Queen.<br /><br />A fascinating story that has elements of brutal gore that sometimes will make you want to wretch. And I mean that in every sense when you encounter Commander Vergun. For he, dear reader, is the true epitome of what evil is. When you see what he does, and how he does it, you wish that justice and karma deliver a ton upon him. Meanwhile, the Flawless Bershard is running a rebellion against the Balarian invasion, along with Felgor, Willem, Jolan, the Witch Queen and many other characters, including Kerrigan and Cabbage. I loved all their character arcs and you know what’s so good about this series? That I ended up caring for all the characters despite the multiple viewpoints, which are many. I ended up loving Felgor often, and he was a good comic relief. The other amazing thing about this book is that the characters didn’t feel wasted. Each had its conclusion, some bad, some good. I especially liked Captain Brutus, but I wonder what happened to him. I’d love to see him in a future spin-off series.<br /><br />The writing was amazing, and each time I felt something new was going to happen, it did. This novel is not predictable, and that’s a good thing. There’s always something new happening, and I cannot wait to see what happens when Vera and the group travel to see the lands beyond Taggerstan. There’s so much story brimming here, and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the entire series here. I enjoyed this amazing writing and enjoyable characters with dragons and jungles and steampunk elements. It’s a great fantasy novel, and I loved it! A fantastic ending to a great trilogy!