The Sun Sword

I'm not going to lie: I couldn't get through this series the first time around. I stopped reading around the fourth book, for two reasons - one, I didn't know if I could stomach any more of the subtlety inherent in every single scene, and two, I was probably just too young. But now I'm glad I reread it all and reached, at long last, this final chapter in a really intense, emotion-filled epic.

In THE SUN SWORD all the characters are finally coming face-to-face and learning to deal with their greatest fears. Valedan kai di'Leonne must lead his followers into a civil war while Kialli demons endeavor to gain control of Annagar; Jewel ATerafin is finally called back home to face the rest of her House; and Serra Diora di'Marano, Flower of the show more Dominion, must learn to live up to the memory of her dead family and step forward in life. And of course, there is everyone else: Kiriel, Auralis, Ramiro, Mareo, Alfredo, Isladar, Telakar, Elena, Yollana... Everybody goes through some sort of test that will ultimately prove their worth.

What I love about Michelle West's writing is that she doesn't neglect to fill in any gaps about these characters. Sure, she leaves some things up to reader imagination - but none of this has anything to do with the characterization itself. In fact, once you've got that characterization down, you know the characters so well that you're able to read into their actions as much (or as little) as you like. It's all extremely well-done: these characters are as close to human beings as you will find in books. West does this with constant perspective-switching and tons of description - but it's description that's definitely worth it. In fact, I don't think she could have pulled off this series without all that serious attention paid to detail in her characters.

So what does this amount to? It gives readers a lot to read, for one thing, but I see this as a plus; if you know what you're getting yourself into when you start these books (and you probably do if you're reading the review for book six!), you'll understand that long chapters full of seemingly random events actually lend themselves very well to the series as a whole. In the end, all those pages of pondering and character interaction and small events add up to the really BIG events that make the books.

And boy, does West know how to write great "big events." Those long pages serve as wonderful lead-in to confrontations brimming with legend, symbolism, magic, and emotion. And I mean it: there is TONS of symbolism and metaphor in these books. Light versus darkness, cradle songs, rings, slavery, and family among others are all issues that are dealt with. West also delves into the pros and cons of power, lineages and meritocracies. I could write a research paper as long as at least one of her books about it all.

This whole series was just such a huge endeavor. It's not for the faint of heart, certainly, but it's so REAL and yet at the same time - the stuff of legends. I loved this, and I will strongly recommend all of Michelle West's works from here on out. One of my new favorite authors! show less

I found this book to be a disappointment as the final book in this exceedingly long series. Despite this volume being nearly 1000 pages long, a number of plot threads were left completely hanging- including at least two to which a considerable amount of the preceding 5 novels had been devoted. Perhaps West is planning sequels. In any case, while a couple of the major plot threads were indeed resolved, enough were not that I was left feeling like I had just finished the world's longest and most convoluted shaggy dog story.

I love Michelle West's books, and in particular, I love the world she has created in The Sun Sword and The House war books. Having said that much, I don't think this was her best work. West has a rather stately way of writing in The sun sword books, and in this book, it tends to bog down a bit.

Don't hope for an end to the entire series. The plotline of Jewel's den and House Terafin is blatantly dropped, presumably to be picked up in another book (or probably series). The story in the south does reach a satisfying conclusion, but it seems really awkward having the den left hanging in the "final" book considering how large a part of the story they are in the rest of the novels. The only conclusion I can draw is that this series got away from West.

Notes on rereread: One thing that's different about reading ebooks is that you aren't always faced with a sense of how far along you are, the way you are when you're holding a physical book. I got to the end of Jewel's part here, and happened to check where I was. Shocked to see that I was barely maybe a fifth of the way through. What could possibly follow that? Oh, right, the whole war thing, the sword, the girl, the end of the world.

*spoilernotspoiler* Falloran! Good dog!