Emperor of Thorns Was a Sharp One

*No spoilers!*

I’m an endings person. I’ve mentioned this before- I’ve always thought there’s no point starting well and ending badly. That cathartic chord of a well struck conclusion is where it’s at for me. And I’m not the only one that thinks this- series are often judged on their endings- so there was a lot of pressure for this book, the last in a so-far excellent series, to deliver that perfect final note.

And boy- what an ending this was! To say that the tempo was raised in this book would be an understatement. So far the journey had been mental, but even then there was no way to see where the road was heading. The direction it took was on another plain (quite literally- it is fantasy after all). With more than one twist of the knife, this story skewered my heart and dragged it up through my throat. Every wild turn gave me palpitations. Lawrence said in the afterword that he wanted to end this series on a high- and by god did he do that. (And by high I mean: mind-blowingly, soul-crushingly good)

As you all know by this stage, I love Jorgy. But what was a marvellous addition to this book was having sections dedicated to the villainous Chella. Yes, that’s right, this book has villains to offset its anti-heroes. It added another dimension to the book.

And like always, it was amazingly well written:

“The scars of the briar mark me, a calligraphy of violence a message blood-writ, requiring a lifetime to translate”

“Careless words scattered like broken glass for the Brettan to pick a path through. Chella came to Kai’s aid before he cut himself”

“I’m only an echo and I feel only an echo of the love he would have had for you. But it’s a very loud echo.”

I mean that just speaks for itself!!

Rating: 5/5 bananas

Do you like this series? Are you planning on picking it up? And which book do you reckon ended especially well? Let me know in the comments?

King of Thorns is Another Stinging Blow for Fantasy!

Well this was a show stopper make no mistake! Although I shouldn’t be surprised because this is what I’ve come to expect from a Mark Lawrence book! This book was absolutely chockablock with the non-stop excitement!

Jam packed with action, a great plot and character development, especially from Katherine, this was a wholly satisfying read. Also, while I’m on the subject of character, MORE JORG is always welcome in my life. And Lawrence doesn’t let up in his characterisation- I mean just look at this:

“Genealogy can work for me or I can cut down the family tree and make a battering ram”

How stonkingly good is that writing? How perfectly balanced is that double entendre? It’s a thing of beauty.

Like the first one, I thought it was excellently structured (which I somehow missed out in my review). I loved how it flicked between time periods and found the way the story folded in on itself. It was masterfully done.

And in terms of the construction of this book, I have to talk a moment about the world building. I’ve mentioned before how I love the ominously dystopic elements in this series- but the true magic and ingenuity is in the details like Fexler- no spoilers, but it’s awesome!

Rating: 4½/5 bananas

  

Have you read this series? Do you like it? Let me know in the comments!

Prince of Thorns Dug Its Claws Into Me

Well everyone has one of these once in a while- a chance to say “I was wrong”. And I am so happy to do that. Because this is one of those rare occasions when I gave a book another chance and ended up loving it. Despite having read the first chapter, though “nah this is not for me”, and given this up- thanks to Drew’s endless recommendations for this book and author, I decided to give it another go- and I am so glad I did!

I adored the tone of the book and the voice of the protagonist. In fact I especially liked the dark, twisted main character. Because if you like anti-heroes, then this is the perfect book for you- Jorg is definitely the mother of all anti-heroes.

Other than that, this book is fast paced and intense. The setting- a futuristic fantasy version of our world- is right up my street. I am so intrigued about where this series goes. And with such good plotting I feel very certain in the knowledge that the rest of this series is going to be one hell of a ride.

Rating: 4½/5 bananas

 

Have you read this? Did you like it? And what book did you end up loving after giving it a second chance? Let me know in the comments?