Synopsis:
The Three Nations are crumbling. Darkness is gathering. Only one remains to stand against it. Eric stumbles through the wilderness, searching, hunting – desperate for sign of his sister. But the girl is gone, stolen away by the power of the Soul Blade. With each passing hour its hold on her tightens, her spirit fading before the onslaught of its magic.If he cannot save her soon, it will claim her soul. And he will have to kill her.
Meanwhile, Gabriel is lost in the darkness. It is his whole world now, its presence absolute, suffocating. Time, hope, sanity, all have long since slipped beneath the waves of his despair. Only it remains – the unrelenting voice of the demon. It haunts the darkness, mocking him with false promises of freedom.
How long can he resist its call?
Audiobook Review
Having the world and all the heroes pitted in such a thick cloud of darkness and doubt for the final chapter of this trilogy made this audiobook really enjoyable. Characters/heroes are only as good as how they react under such disparaging circumstances. I found that Eric’s character really seemed to come full circle in this last book as he and Anala find their way back to each other and the rest of their group while doing all that they can to learn to control the strength and weakness within their magic.
Though I was still not a fan of Eric and Inka’s relationship (that has always felt more like a siblings/close friend relationship) I do contribute a lot of his character growth to the support she’s given him throughout this series. With high fantasy/adventure stories like The Sword Of Light Trilogy I think it can be hard to really immerse yourself within these stories if the narrator does not bring a sense of animation and layer personality to the story.
With the first book in this series, I read through the book on my own but since listening to the last two installments via audio, I’ve gained a greater level of appreciation for the evil and darkness that’s spread out across the three nations. David Stifel really makes Archon and his demons a fearsome prescience in this series and he brings a level of true remorse and torment to Gabriel’s character that I think readers vs listeners may not always feel.
(As I mentioned before) I was not originally a fan of Gabriel’s character in the beginning, but I found myself warming up to him as the series progressed and the listener (reader) discovers his true role and connection to Eric, Anala and the sword of light. Without giving too much away with what is reviled in the final book, I must admit that I liked that the author finally brings Archon out of the shadows (sort of speak) and gives the listener (reader) the opportunity to not only see his perspective on the the war but also hear more about the past and chain of events that set the war and his revenge on the gods and the three nations into motion.
I gave this book 3 stars because I found book two was a bit quicker in pace and had a bit more action. Book three has it’s own level of magic and fight scenes, but there was a greater level of explaining and tying up loose ends in the narrative that did not excite me as much as the previous book. Overall, this was a pretty strong YA fantasy/adventure series with a great balance of good and dark magic.
I am finally over my cold and have reorganized my posting schedule, so watch this space :).
Until the next post,
Gia.
G. Jacks Writes (About Everything) 