This review is for the complete Raven's Shadow trilogy , by Anthony Ryan (Blood Song; Tower Lord; Queen of Fire).

I enjoyed it a lot...

The first book is a coming of age story told from the point of view of Vaelin al Sorna, as he grows up as a brother of the Sixth Order. That's an order of warriors monks who serve the Faith and the Realm, in that order. It's a training novel, and the training is absolutely brutal, resulting in the death of a good number of the young trainees. Vaelin himself grows up to be an extraordinary warrior with a mystical ability. You have to understand that this is a heroic story, and the main characters are extremely skilled. However, he does not seem overpowered because the challenges he faces always keep him as the underdog. the novel is very readable and the supernatural elements are intriguing and original.

Then, in the second and third books, the style changes to multiple points of view. Three new point of view characters are introduced, with the story told from the perspective of one of them in each chapter. I have seen that the reviews are mixed for these books. The first one met with almost universal acclaim, while the second and particularly the third got mixed reviews. I think that this is somewhat unfair. People liked Vaelin and wanted more of him, but the storylines of the other three point of view characters are quite interesting too. But it's true that some of the style and personality of the first book gets diluted into a more generic epic fantasy. I think that many readers found the sudden change from single to multiple points of view a bit jarring. Also, the author makes the choice to keep Vaelin away from many of the greatest battles. In a story like this, we want our greatest hero kicking ass, but a lot of the time, particularly in the third book, Vaelin is involved in a quest that is equally important but removes him from the war.

Anyway, the supernatural enemies are original and menacing, and the story is epic, even if the final war in the third book is sometimes anticlimactic. ( )

602pg
Invasione Volariana. Tutto il mondo in guerra.
Vaelin insieme a sua sorella Alornis e Dharena raduna Nortah e altri magici oltre a Eorhil Sil e i Seorda Sil infine anche Caenis con quel che resta della Guardia del Regno
Regina Lyrna gravemente ustionata dopo la pace con i Lonak arriva con rinforzi Maldeani tra cui Lo Scudo
Tutti giungono a Cumbrael x salvare Alltor,la città di Reva, tranne Frentis, Dakova e Maestro Sollis che sono rimasti indietro ( )

REREAD 2016: Loved it just as much as the 1st time. I want more from Mr Ryan.


ORIGINAL REVIEW: Loved, loved, loved--and shocked that I did. Very much looking forward to the next book in the (what I hope is) a trilogy.

The narrator was quite good--I'll be picking up the print version as well because these books will be on my 'Will Re-read' list. ( )

It took me a lot longer to get through Tower Lord than Blood Song. I liked the first better, but still enjoyed this book. ( )

Really loved this follow-up to Blood Song. Ryan did a lot of work to round out character building with world building and every chapter was entertaining! The addition of new characters like Reva filled some of what I was lacking from the first installment and the build-up to a final war was done in a way that didn't make it feel tired. Can't wait to dive into book three!

If you haven't read this series yet - you're really missing out! ( )