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ros_lanta 's review for:
The Light of All That Falls
by James Islington
The ending to the Licanius trilogy could have been a disaster. The first two books (and honestly much of the third) presented more questions than answers, especially with a main character having significant memory loss for much of the time, and time travel playing a key role in events, confusing the chronology. Thankfully though, The Light of All That Falls was the opposite of a disaster. Every question I had was answered (except for one which will apparently be picked up in a spinoff novel). Enough clues were left that I accurately guessed most of the ending, in a way that felt incredibly satisfying. It made me realise what a fantastic job the author has done in crafting his story.
The perfect conclusion to the story earned the book five stars, but I do have to note one problem I had with the book as a whole - that it almost completely ignores most of the secondary characters we came to know and care about in the first two books. Several character deaths are only discovered when the main characters hear about it, and are quickly moved on from because the characters don't have time to grieve. In a way that does add realism, but it means the reader also does not have a chance to mourn.
This is a trilogy with strong themes - religion, faith, morality, fate vs free will, and taking responsibility for your actions. They're really at the heart of the story, and one of its strengths is that people fighting on both sides of this war completely believe that they are doing the right thing.
I don't think the Licanius trilogy is for everyone. It's intricately plotted and often confusing, the time travel can be hard to get your head around, and there's so much going on that it can be hard to remember everything (I highly recommend not waiting long between books or you might struggle to recall things you really need to know - though the sequels do have quick recaps at the beginning).
As a whole, I give the trilogy 4.25 stars - I really enjoyed it but it did have some problems in books one and two, both of which I rated 4 stars. Book 3, however, was a big jump up in quality, and the way it ended was so satisfying that I highly recommend this series.
The perfect conclusion to the story earned the book five stars, but I do have to note one problem I had with the book as a whole - that it almost completely ignores most of the secondary characters we came to know and care about in the first two books. Several character deaths are only discovered when the main characters hear about it, and are quickly moved on from because the characters don't have time to grieve. In a way that does add realism, but it means the reader also does not have a chance to mourn.
This is a trilogy with strong themes - religion, faith, morality, fate vs free will, and taking responsibility for your actions. They're really at the heart of the story, and one of its strengths is that people fighting on both sides of this war completely believe that they are doing the right thing.
I don't think the Licanius trilogy is for everyone. It's intricately plotted and often confusing, the time travel can be hard to get your head around, and there's so much going on that it can be hard to remember everything (I highly recommend not waiting long between books or you might struggle to recall things you really need to know - though the sequels do have quick recaps at the beginning).
As a whole, I give the trilogy 4.25 stars - I really enjoyed it but it did have some problems in books one and two, both of which I rated 4 stars. Book 3, however, was a big jump up in quality, and the way it ended was so satisfying that I highly recommend this series.