Ruin

The Faithful and the Fallen #3

by John Gwynne

The Banished Lands are engulfed in war and chaos. The cunning Queen Rhin has conquered the west and High King Nathair has the cauldron, most powerful of the seven treasures. At his back stands the scheming Calidus and a warband of the Kadoshim, dread demons of the Otherworld. They plan to bring Asroth and his host of the Fallen into the world of flesh, but to do so they need the seven treasures. Nathair has been deceived but now he knows the truth. He has choices to make, choices that will determine the fate of the Banished Lands.

Elsewhere the flame of resistance is growing - Queen Edana finds allies in the swamps of Ardan. Maquin is loose in Tenebral, hunted by Lykos and his corsairs. Here he will witness the birth of a rebellion in Nathair's own realm.

Corban has been swept along by the tide of war. He has suffered, lost loved ones, sought only safety from the darkness. But he will run no more. He has seen the face of evil and he has set his will to fight it. The question is, how? With a disparate band gathered about him - his family, friends, giants, fanatical warriors, an angel and a talking crow he begins the journey to Drassil, the fabled fortress hidden deep in the heart of Forn Forest. For in Drassil lies the spear of Skald, one of the seven treasures, and here it is prophesied that the Bright Star will stand against the Black Sun.

Genres: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Fiction, High Fantasy, Audiobook, Adult, Magic

808 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 16, 2015

About the author

I am the author of epic fantasy series The Faithful and the Fallen, Of Blood and Bone and The Bloodsworn Saga. I'm also a Viking re-enactor and enjoy nothing more than standing in the shield wall with my three sons, who are as passionate about swords and axes as I am (when I'm not stuck in my coat of mail; it's harder than it looks).
I live on the south coast of the UK with my beautiful wife, three sons and my daughter, and an assortment of animals (at the moment three dogs, a horse and a lamb who thinks she's a dog).
My dogs think I am their slave.

Malice, my debut novel, was published by Pan Macmillan in 2012 and went on to win the David Gemmell Morningstar Award for Best Fantasy Debut of 2012. That was a truly wonderful moment, as David Gemmell is a hero of mine and one of the reasons I write.

The following three books in the series - Valour, Ruin and Wrath, were all shortlisted for the David Gemmell Legend Award for Best Fantasy Novels of 2014, 2015 and 2016, with Wrath winning the 2017 BookNest Awards for Best Traditionally Published Novel.

My second series, of Blood and Bone, is set in the Banished Lands, the same world as the first series. Book 1, A Time of Dread, begins 130 years after the events of the first series. A Time of Courage, book 3 Of Blood and Bone, made the Spiegel Bestseller's List in Germany.

My latest book, The Shadow of the Gods, book 1 of the Bloodsworn Saga, will be published in May 2021. It is inspired by Norse mythology, Beowulf and Ragnarök.

I am represented by Julie Crisp.

Reviews

[Petrik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intense, brutal, gory, poignant, epic, and filled with love and vengeance; John Gwynne simply can do no wrong

"Two for vengeance. One for Love."

Ruin, the third book in The Faithful and the Fallen series is a great example of how a penultimate epic fantasy installment ought to be written. This was even better than its predecessors; making this the best book in the series so far.

The plot continued immediately from where Valor left off. This time, following a whopping multi-perspective narrative of twelve characters, the scope of the story gets bigger and darker than before; the threat is higher, the God-War is here, and The Banished Lands are engulfed in chaos and war. In terms of plot progression and quality, John Gwynne did a really fantastic job with Ruin; a huge amount of development was implemented, the deceptions and manipulations planted since Malice have been unmasked. Betrayals and heartbreaks were everywhere in the story and this inflicted a gigantic sense of anxiety for the readers. I probably shouldn’t recommend this book to anyone with any history of heart attacks. I was so anxious that my perfectly condition heart beat way too fast at a lot of points. I seriously think participating in a 5 km run is easier for the toll this book put on my heart but guess what? I love this kind of thrilling reading experience.

Finishing Ruin means that I've read more than 2000 pages of this series; I've invested a lot of hours into The Faithful and the Fallen. The amount of time I spent reading the series so far and John Gwynne's impeccable capability in writing compelling characters made me feel attached to every one of them; I’m genuinely concerned about their fate. This was also possible because as bleak as the story goes, the book never forgets to remind you time and time again how important the bonds you share with everyone is.

“Family. Friendship. Loyalty. These things have been my guiding stars, my light in these dark times.”

As I mentioned before in my Valor review, I won't be mentioning any of the character's names in my reviews for this series. The reason is this: The Faithful and the Fallen is an adult epic fantasy series that have a lot of similarity to A Song of Ice and Fire, featuring a lot of heart-wrenching moments and unpredictable events; even more so on this book. If I mention any of the character’s names, you’ll find out that the particular character survived the previous ordeals and I simply don’t want that. I’ve seen a lot of reviews did this and to me who’s super sensitive about spoilers, I count this kind of situation a spoiler for the series. I want you to feel the anxiety and tensions I felt while reading this book, to not know about the character’s fate and feel concern for their safety as you flip the pages. To say that this book was an emotional roller-coaster is probably a huge understatement because Ruin ended up being a very apt title for the book. There was a lot of up and down moments for the characters, especially during the fantastic action scenes and war sequences which consisted of numerous perspectives shifting between the hunter and the hunted.

There was a duel scene in this book and I can’t stress highly enough how amazing and epic it was. John Gwynne’s knowledge of close-quarter combat really shine in this series and this particular duel scene seemed like a culmination of his battle scene writing’s capability so far. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still hopeful for a greater duel in the last book of the series but it will be difficult for Gwynne to surpass this one. It’s easily one of the best duel scenes I've ever read in a novel so far, superbly written, build-up phenomenally, and executed with great finesse. Safe to say that it gave me goose bump. This doesn’t mean that I'm saying all the other action sequences paled in comparison, it’s just that this specific duel triumphed over the other incredible action sequences.

Ruin filled me with grief and joy like an unrequited love. Even though a lot of events transpired in this book made me really anxious, I can’t help but give my love towards this book for its epic scenes and heartwarming moments. I’m left speechless by the quality progression that this series has and I’m honestly baffled why this series isn't famous yet. It’s seriously one of the best series I have ever read and I’m not even finished with it yet. One more book it is. Wrath is next, and I’m going to embrace it with my whole heart. Now.

Speaking truthfully, I've read more thirty pages of Wrath before writing this because the story ended on one hell of a massive cliffhanger. I salute everyone who survived the wait for Wrath to come out. Again, I absolutely recommend this series for lover of epic fantasy.

You can order the book from: Book Depository (Free shipping)

You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions

[Matt's Fantasy Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

An unimaginably magnificent book that somehow is better than the first two in the series

WOW. I simply can't get over how amazing Ruin was. My expectations of it were sky high, and it's even better than I ever imagined it would be. The first two books in this series were easy 5/5s for me, but if 6/5 were a rating that is what I would give this book. There were a couple minor faults, but they were extremely minor and are barely even worth mentioning.

I want to be very careful not to spoil anything here so I will keep my review vague. But here are some of the reasons I fell absolutely in love with this book.

I usually always have some pretty heavy criticisms for the "2nd to last" book in a series. It's hard in a fantasy book to achieve greatness when you are close to the end, but can't yet finish out the story. But that's not the case here. This book arguably has the most action packed sequences and ending out of any of the books in the series thus far.

I've never been one to deeply care for animals in books very much. Even in books like Realm of the Elderlings where it seems everyone is in love with the animals, I just couldn't connect with them very well. But in this book, there is a whole host of animal characters that I absolutely adore. It's extremely well done, and I can't praise it enough.

I'm also not someone who usually cares too much for battle sequences. I tend to skim through them and am more interested in the resolution to the battle than the battle itself. But this book knocks them out of the park and had me glued to the pages while reading. There is one battle in particular towards the end of the book that I won't spoil, but is one of the top battle sequences I've ever read.

In the first book, I praised the usage of giants in this book, and wondered why more fantasy books don't utilize them because let's be honest here; giants are awesome. But there is a lot of action in this book with giants riding bears -- and the imagery here is just fantastic and really elevates them as awesome characters. Fantasy book writers: please give me more giants riding bears.

The ability of the author to strategically switch POVs at the right moments is particularly well done. I've had a lot of gripes for how fantasy writers utilize POV switches in chapters and think some of them really miss the mark. Someone like Robert Jordan would focus on a particular POV for overly long to the point where you are forgetting what some of the other POV characters are doing. And someone like George R.R. Martin switches them up too often to the point where it's intentionally causing too many cliffhangers. But John Gwynne is the master at finding the right balance here. He also does a very cool trick where he switches the POV at pivotal moments to someone else that is going through that event. I love it.

I also really appreciate the way time flows in this book. Too many fantasy books have events happening over too small of a timeframe, but Gwynne does a great job at allowing months/years to pass in a way that doesn't feel like major time jumps. They just feel natural. He will frequently explain that a month has passed, which allows characters to travel from Point A to Point B, while also advancing their character arc in a realistic way.

There were a couple minor things I didn't love in this book. First, I can't even count the amount of times that a main character is about to be killed, and at the very last second they see their enemy get a sword/arrow/spear/etc. stab them through the back. I can appreciate it happening a couple times, but it's extremely frequent in this book. I also don't love that the world outside of this conflict doesn't feel well fleshed out. Every character you meet in this book is involved in the conflict at hand, you don't get the feel for any sort of village life of people who are just trying to live their lives. But as I mentioned above, these criticism are very minor.

I cannot wait to start the final book in this series, because if it delivers like the previous entries have, it will go down as one of my top few book series of all time.

Check out my new youtube channel where I show my instant reactions to reading fantasy books seconds after I finish the book.

[Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Damn it all to hell! I knew that ending was going to happen and I am not happy one freaking bit!

You know where that ending can go? ↓



I don't even know what to say in this review! Probably not much. Everyone you love dies! Everything you love dies! THE END!

Why do I torture myself with books like this and Game of Thrones when I know they are going to kill everything you love 50 billion times! I guess because they are so well written. Damn it!



Don't even talk to me right now! I'm soooooo mad. At least I didn't cry! I always cry in books as all of my friends that read my reviews know. I'm in too much of a bad mood to cry! I want to set all of these books on fire, but then I will kill everyone and everything that I love all over again! And of course I will read them again some day because when you read stuff again you catch more than you did the first time around. I do that with movies too. Maybe I'm just not that bright. And I can't do that to a book, I love my books too much for them to get hurt =)

I'm hoping something good is going to happen when my paperback, pre-ordered copy of the final book gets here on December 6th, but I highly doubt it!



One star removed from what would have been a five star review for one particular death, or what seems to be a death.

FIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

MY BLOG: Melissa Martin's Reading List

[James Tivendale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ruin is Gwynne's third novel in his stunning epic fantasy saga, The Faithful and the Fallen. The fabled God-War is no longer a mythical looming prophecy; it is very real and the events unfolding within The Banished Lands are presented to us by a plethora of vivid and dramatic characters. The perspectives we follow are the previous characters whose minds we have been flaunting through for the last 1500 or so pages in this series. Corban, Maquin, Envis, Cywen, Camlin etc... We have a few new additions to the point of views including King Jael's war captain Ulfilas and the youthful rightful heir to Isiltir's throne, Haelan. These new characters, although vital to the progression and telling of the narrative did not seem as interesting to me as the existing cast many readers already love. These additions seemed more of a device for explaining events so that we get views and opinions of the ongoing action from both sides of the God wars alliances.

Haunting this tale are huge battle scenes, epic sieges and legendary warrior showdowns and the way Gwynne writes makes the narrative extravagantly awesome. How ingenious his knowledge of the mechanics and how well written the battles scenes are, I think that if there happened to be a medieval war these days (it is an interesting thought), I would want Gwynne and his magnificent war mind on my alliances team, sitting next to me in the strategy tent, perhaps having a sip of mead wine before the morrow's engagement.

A lot of the point of views overlap and it keeps the action flowing at a frighteningly exhilarating pace with the events for example, in simplified form; three chapters could be summarised being similar to the below:

1) View from Warrior 1 as he fights in an unbelievable breathtaking duel.
2) View from Warrior 2, who is a member of the other army who watches and fathoms his views of the portrayed action in his mind - "The greatest dual between two men that I have ever seen" then decides how his army will respond.
3) View from a young member of Warrior 1's side who sees the events unfolding and we then hear his thoughts and views and observe the consequential acts in a way that progresses the narrative.

Quite often in fantasy, when a point of view perspective is concluded at the end of a chapter; then the writer moves on to an unrelated event perhaps thousands of miles away. Gwynne, with the overlapping character perspective chapters, makes us feel like we are truly privy to all that is taking place. Almost like we are there. I felt emotions whilst reading this book that I have only been given by a handful of stories. Where not only are my eyes and my mind affected by what is happening in the pages, but my whole body is shaken, nervous, in awe and whatever emotion Gwynne wishes to put across he does it admirably. *Raises a glass* There are 100's of characters throughout this tale and when we do metaphorically vault 1000's of miles across the world to see happenings elsewhere, without dumbing it down, as fantasy readers are known for their intelligence, Gwynne will ingeniously give brief updates from previous happenings. This is not intimidating in a "hold-your-hand whilst I tell you my tale" way. Just a few quick points, character thoughts predominantly that make the reader go, "oh yeah I remember", then back to the tale.

Whereas Valour followed three main battles, mostly in the West of this amazing fictional word, Ruin seems like it adheres to present and cover the majority of this huge fantastical landscape that Gwynne has created. When the tales progression places the characters and numerous factions to familiar, known territory where they frequented prior, what must seem to them, after the suffering dealt, perhaps witnessed or received, many years ago, we remember what happened to them in these areas previously, overtly sympathising following past hardships, or the opposite depending on who we are following, and it helps the development of the characters. Without us necessarily acknowledging, in our sub-conscious (going scientific now!) Gwynne makes us remember what happened and that aids the characters progression arcs' by clever reminders of what happened earlier in the story. So many of the characters have grown and some have fallen following the proposed presented progression of this epic tale. Not that you would, but if you read this book first - you would not recognise most of the characters when reading Malice.

This time, the history of the world seems deeper and completely focused. Well presented, with enough knowledgeable characters still frequenting the tale from the times of the created prophecies, to bring the mythical knowledge to fruition in the present. Many scenes made me go, Wow! from the mere scope of the history. One example was when a legendary warrior returns to the mythical, giant-erected forest bound city of Drassil (which we visit for the first time in this story) and stands before a throne where a corpse sits holding aloft a spear and he reflects on his actions in a past conflict, perhaps 1000's of years earlier. Truly engrossing. Perhaps the history seems deeper and more intense now because the myths and fables we have heard so much about are closer to the reality and current situation. I guess it seems more real now to all involved and to us?

I will conclude this review with a few points that I think are worth mentioning.

In this story, you will be frequenting fights in the "court of swords." This is The Banished Lands equivalent of a rap battle, but with swords. Although a medieval rap-battle might be quite cool. Gwynne, when you release your new series, starting with DREAD, set 130 or so years after the concluding events of Wrath, I think the players would have learned how to rap. A medieval influenced fantasy rap musical could be the next Hamilton.

The undertones are much darker this time. The Otherworld which is Pandæmonium-esque, (the capital of Hell in Milton's Paradise Lost,) is featured a lot more here than previously. Certain characters destinies align so that they can walk this world in what seems like dreams or with magical influence. Homage to Milton's poem is very present. Corban faces one of Asroths' captain's known as Belial and the fact that the Ben-Elim and the Kardoshim are very reminiscent in the description of the Angel's in the great uprising and battle in The Book of Revelation.

I haven't talked too much about the story this time and you will thank me. I will say, there is an amazing scene where Naithair is reunited with and opens up to Veradis. Another character favourite is an inch from death at one point, floating on the bridge of swords and is given a chance to live or rejoin his friends and family with death. The rivalry and respect of Braith and Camlin is present here too. If you have not read the first two books, these sentences will not mean much, so - go and buy Malice.

There are still quite a few errors here like the first two books. Speech-marks, once again are not inputted where they should be also, I googled it, and "zhere" is not a word and "now. am the last" is not a sentence. This is a shame because I cannot rate this as high as the story telling deserves.

I would, however, say that; this is one of the top 15 books I have ever read. It did everything that an author should aspire to present to a reader. Mythical, magical, intense, brutal, poignant. If you are reading this and have not started The Faithful and the Fallen, stop being silly. Look on Goodreads at his ratings, apart from Malazan and The Stormlight Archive, very few series have ratings this high. That must count for something. I thought it was utterly brilliant and ends on a cliffhanger so I can't even relax over Christmas, I NEED to find out what happens to Corban, Storm, friends and enemies.

James x www.youandibooks.wordpress.com

[Jay H (Hiatus) · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars✨

TRUTH AND COURAGE

I am sooo glad i ended this year with this AMAZING book!!! This series has completely taken over my life and I’m so glad I started this during the winter break because let’s be real I would’ve 100% skipped classes just to keep reading. It’s that good.

The way Gwynne weaves political intrigue, ever-shifting alliances, and the constant chaos of war is just so clever and addictive. Every side has its own game plan and the twists are endless. You never really know who to trust and honestly that’s half the fun.

The tone has definitely gotten darker and more tragic with each book, but there’s still this faint spark of hope that keeps you going, no matter how brutal it gets.

Nathair’s role is way smaller than I expected, but it actually makes sense given how he’s basically just Calidus’ figurehead now. Still, I kind of expected more from him.

I think only one of the main villains has died so far and I cannot wait to dive into Wrath so I can watch the rest of them meet their painful well-deserved deaths. The HATRED I have for some of these characters is genuinely concerning. (Looking at you, Lykos 👀)

And that ending??? Absolutely wild. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time, but those final chapters??? My jaw was on the floor.

This book was intense heartbreaking and everything I love about fantasy. I’ll be writing a full series review when I’m done with Wrath but for now, highly recommend if you want your life consumed by epic chaos.




Malice ⇨ 4.0 Stars✨
Valor ⇨ 4.5 Stars✨
Ruin ⇨ 4.5 Stars✨
Wrath ⇨ 5.0 Stars✨




__________________
Pre-Read:

I have a feeling this book is about to EAT DOWNNN!!!🤭I am so not ready for the chaos that’s about to go down

[Bentley ★ Bookbastion.net · Rating 5 out of 5]

See this review and more like it on www.bookbastion.net!
_________

John Gwynne, how could you hurt me like this?


I'm going to need some time to heal after this one. Engaging, fast-paced, and thoroughly brutal, I feel like Ruin certainly lived up to its name, because that's what it tried to do to my heart a few times over.

One of my favorite aspects of this series since the beginning has been the characters. John Gwynne has an exceptional ability to craft distinct and diverse characters that feel real and grow with each turn of events. Comparing the characters who have managed to survive the dangers and betrayals that are so rife in their world, to the people they were in book 1 is like night and day. It’s been like watching my own little book babies grow up, from naïve children, to driven and oftentimes dangerous adult characters who will do whatever it takes to survive another day as their entire political system descends into the chaos of war. Regardless of what side the characters fall on, they are deeply layered and richly drawn. They all feel real.

I’m trying to shy away from actually naming names here, because I don’t want to spoil who lives and who dies, but I do want to give a shoutout to my particular faves, Maquin and Fidele. For two side characters that I didn’t expect much of after the first book in the series, both have come so far and quickly risen the ranks in terms of likability. This is a prime example of why I love this series so much. Not many authors are skilled enough to take side characters and build them up so well that you come to root for them as though they are minor protagonists themselves. John Gwynne is exceptional at cranking out those finer details in the characters’ lives and interpersonal relationships that makes it so easy to connect with them and come to care about them, as well as to understand where they’re coming from in their motives too.


I fully believe that as this series continues to find its audience over the years, John Gwynne will build a lasting reputation in fantasy that could easily stand beside the likes of George R.R. Martin. His storytelling skills rival Martin’s in terms of scale and scope of the story, as well as the sheer brutality he unflinchingly forces on the characters again and again over the extent of the series. Each time I pick up one of these books I try to remind myself not to get too attached to anyone, because they’re all vulnerable and they’re all at risk. Of course, I’m terrible at actually putting that into practice, which makes for some extremely tense reading! Make no mistake, the stakes in this world are incredibly high. Life and death hang in the balance of every decision made. I actually found myself getting a little bit heated when my favorites were placed into dangerous situations, or when the bad guys would manage to pull off some sort of nefarious scheme.

If I had any complaint about this series at all it’s probably connected to the last paragraph - in that at times the sheer despair the characters face seems a bit too high. There were moments here that I actually found myself wishing the series had been 3 books instead of 4, because it’s become a bit difficult to continue watching the bad guys win and the good guys suffer at their hands. I’m very hopeful that we’re going to see them all get their comeuppance in the final entry to the series though, so I have heart John Gwynne knows what he’s doing here and is planning on making it worth it in the end.

At times it feels a bit masochistic to continue watching my favorites subjected to terrible horrors, but on the other hand, this is how this series has developed so many great, strong and memorable characters. So it’s a bit of a toss-up. Those of you who know you like that aspect of Game of Thrones would probably find a lot to love in this series. Honestly, I could see this being adapted to a television series one day and becoming quite successful on its own in a similar way to Martin’s series. That’s how epic the story continues to be.

Gwynne’s writing style is continuing to refine itself as well, and I feel like he’s done well at adapting a style that both flows, and befits the pace of fantasy on this epic a scale. The prose takes the time to describe the necessary things that set each scene, but the action flows at you in ever increasing pace until that final confrontation scene which I felt was much more intense than anything Gwynne has written thus far.


This remains an epic and truly enjoyable journey. I’m shocked that more people haven’t read and reviewed this series yet.

If you’ve noticed a lot of your friends proclaiming that this series is awesome, there is a definite reason for it. If you like well-developed characters, fully realized plot and action sequences, and some bomb fantasy creatures, this series is one for you!


Onwards to book 4!

★★★★★ = 5 out of 5 stars!
________
Related Reviews:
Book I: Malice ★★★★★
Book II: Valour★★★★★

[Eon Windrunner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Third reread done. Wonderful and yet, still traumatic. I want to say that the ending kills me, but it doesn't. It tortures to the point of death, but never gives any respite, no relief. The pain won't stop. It truly is heart-wrenching and makes the ending of Golden Son look like puppies chasing butterflies whilst running through flowery meadows. I guess I should have expected this from a book called Ruin.

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Book 1 review
Book 2 review

War eternal between the Faithful and the Fallen,
infinite wrath come to the world of men.
Lightbearer seeking flesh from the cauldron,
to break his chains and wage the war again.
Two born of blood, dust and ashes shall champion the Choices
the Darkness and Light.
 
Black Sun will drown the earth in bloodshed,
Bright Star with the Treasures must unite.
By their names you shall know them –
Kin-Slayer, Kin-Avenger, Giant-Friend, Draig-Rider,
Dark Power ’gainst Lightbringer.
One shall be the Tide, one the Rock in the swirling sea.

Before one, storm and shield shall stand,
before the other, True-Heart and Black-Heart.
Beside one rides the Beloved, beside the other, the Avenging Hand.
Behind one, the Sons of the Mighty, the fair Ben-Elim, gathered ’neath the Great Tree.
Behind the other, the Unholy, dread Kadoshim, who seek to cross the bridge,
force the world to bended knee.

Look for them when the high king calls, when the shadow warriors ride forth,
when white-walled Telassar is emptied, when the book is found in the north.
When the white wyrms spread from their nest,
when the Firstborn take back what was lost, and the Treasures stir from their rest.
Both earth and sky shall cry warning, shall herald this War of Sorrows.
Tears of blood spilt from the earth’s bones, and at Midwinter’s height, bright day shall become full night.


It is easy to see why the first book in this series was the Winner of the 2013 David Gemmell Morningstar Award.
John Gwynne stormed onto the fantasy scene with that epic effort and he continues to show why he is one of the best new fantasy authors out there today.

Ruin is the third book in John Gwynne’s The Faithful and the Fallen series and as such it has to set the field for the final book in the series and it does. There is so much happening and as with the previous books there are quite a few POV’s, so I do recommend that you re-read the series if you have the time in order to get the full enjoyment from it.

As for the story, you will know everything that is at stake if you have been reading this series, with both the Black Sun & the Bright Star gathering their armies and marching towards their inevitable meeting. Speaking of, there are some magnificently detailed battle scenes and the fighting (THAT DUEL!) is beautifully written. The characters as before are wonderful. We get to see all of them during the course of this book, and sadly we also take leave of a few as they make the journey across the bridge of swords. Yes, stuff happens. I don’t know what to say about it. I was sad. Then I was happy. Then I was anguished. Then I was overjoyed. Then I was devastated. Then I was furious. If you saw my status updates you will know that I totally flipped out. This did not happen once. This happened three times. THREE TIMES. Luckily I have calmed down since, and I have faith that everything will turn out fine. * Breathes in and out slowly... Kudos to the author for making me care so much.

Oh, and there is a reveal in the book that changes EVERYTHING. O_O

Epic fantasy at its finest.

[Choko · Rating 5 out of 5]

*** 5 +++++ ***

A buddy read with my Fantasy brethren at BB&B - we have to get our beheadings on!!!!

I need to start the way any one of the reviews for this series should start - with the Prophecy that started the whole thing going... :

" ... War eternal between the Faithful and the Fallen,
infinite wrath come to the world of men.
Lightbearer seeking flesh from the cauldron,
to break his chains and wage the war again.
Two born of blood, dust and ashes shall champion the Choices
the Darkness and Light.

Black Sun will drown the earth in bloodshed,
Bright Star with the Treasures must unite.
By their names you shall know them –
Kin-Slayer, Kin-Avenger, Giant-Friend, Draig-Rider,
Dark Power ’gainst Lightbringer.
One shall be the Tide, one the Rock in the swirling sea.

Before one, storm and shield shall stand,
before the other, True-Heart and Black-Heart.
Beside one rides the Beloved, beside the other, the Avenging Hand.
Behind one, the Sons of the Mighty, the fair Ben-Elim, gathered ’neath the Great Tree.
Behind the other, the Unholy, dread Kadoshim, who seek to cross the bridge,
force the world to bended knee.

Look for them when the high king calls, when the shadow warriors ride forth,
when white-walled Telassar is emptied, when the book is found in the north.
When the white wyrms spread from their nest,
when the Firstborn take back what was lost, and the Treasures stir from their rest.
Both earth and sky shall cry warning, shall herald this War of Sorrows.
Tears of blood spilt from the earth’s bones, and at Midwinter’s height, bright day shall become full night....


It is just the regular type of Fantasy prophecy which puts the followers of the Light against the followers of the Darkness. It gives us the setting for the Champion of the Sleeping G-d and the Champion of Asroth – Demon-Lord of the Fallen, to grow up, get discovered, given the right incentive to go one way or the other, and finally gather a following and proceed to the final conflict, one battle at a time, one loss at a time, one step after another... Thus we have the Black Sun - Nathair, and the Bright Star - Corban, both young and charismatic in their own ways, but with very different beliefs of how to achieve their goals and what their central creed and values are. We get to hear a lot of "For The Greater Good" rhetoric on both sides, but I think we can all discern the flaws and strengths in either side and hopefully choose the right one to root for... Do I sound a bit dubious as to which side is good??? - Well, don't blame me! I live in America and we have a presidential election going on, which would make any sane person start to wander, if there is any definition to good and bad left out there... And also the author is doing a great job examining the debt of characters on both sides, what drives them and what keeps them going when the going gets very, very tough and the light at the end of the tunnel completely fades out of view...

I am amazed that I have the self-control to be able to sound so sane and organized up to here, when inside my soul is screaming in pain and questioning WHY? WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS TO US, JOHN GWYNNE???? How could you? Have you no thought for my emotional health? Do you think that ending a book with such great writing and promise for good things to come in this manner, can be anything but absolutely DEVASTATING to us, the readers who by this third volume of the series have chosen sides, given our hearts to the characters, and are 100% invested in the story and the faiths of our beloved heroes, be it human or otherwise???? I finished reading the book at 3 am. this morning and I could not sleep, misery and heartbreak overwhelming the hours of dawn, cold desolation permeating my cells, and my soul kept quietly weeping... And the words still running over and over in my minds eye.... " ... Then she did it again, and again, dragging herself towards him. That was how they met, both battered, bloody, bones broken, upon a grassy ridge above a white-flowing river...." ,/i> ... *sobs*

*taking deep calming breaths and counting to ten....*

Nope, I am not crying, I am just... It must be an allergy or something... Not tears of a soul broken in small, dismal, pathetic shards.... I will be OK in a minute, or decade or sometime in the future anyway ....

" ... 'TRUTH AND COURAGE!'..."

If I have sounded bipolar and unclear, let me assure you - this series, this book included, is AMAZING!!! The writing is beyond good, the characters - real and multilayered., the world building flawless, and the dreaded balance between action and description - just perfect!!! Only such a masterful storytelling can make me as invested in the faith of the characters, all of them, from the least mentioned one to the main players and action dealers. I have not made it a secret, I am most invested in Brina, the old healer with her talking bird Craf, Corban's sister Cywen, as well as the wolfling Storm and the young Giantess Laith. Any and every harm done to either of them and I will be in a complete meltdown mode!!! This does not mean that I would be able to endure anything horrible happening to any of the rest of the protagonists... And I am not willing to get into the wishes and desires I have for things to happen to some of the antagonist either... Calidus and Nathair, I am looking at you, dudes!!! As I said, with brilliant writing and character crafting comes the difficulty of choosing only a few characters to root for... :):):) A good thing in my book!

So, back to the prophesy... They are usually so helpful in telling us how things might proceed, so helpful in identifying the good side and the bad, so very useful for each side to know what follows, what should happen, what the outcome could possibly be.... Ultimately, the Prophecy defines the perimeters and rules of the game, gives the players the confidence to know which side they are standing on.... But what happens if the certainty of the prophesy is questioned??? Where do our main players get their ques from, how do they build their sense of self, since the one they thought was them has been undermined??? Now this is something I really, really hope John will answer for us by the end of the series!!! We are your captive audience, John, PLEASE HAVE PITY ON OUR ALREADY BROKEN AND BRUISED HEARTS!!!!

I will strongly, STRONGLY recommend this series to all Fantasy fans, but also to all who love good drama, war, amazing duels and battles, heart-wrenching interpersonal relationships, and in the heart of it, the ability of people to relate to themselves, each-other, and the core of humanity... READ IT! I DARE YOU!!! Should be read in order, not a stand-alone material at all...

I wish you all Happy Reading and may every book you read awaken the best in you!!!!

[Luna. ✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5

This just in Folks... The title is very accurate and this book will RUIN you.
You have been warned.

'Two for vengeance. One for love.’

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This part of the review does not contain *spoilers* but could have some cussing

This series really means a lot to me, I literally love so many things about it. This book was definitely my favorite out of the three but I do need to mention that I hated that ending. It honestly came close to ruining the ending for me and this series but I will not be stubborn just because of my broken heart and will continue reading books by this author plus the rest of this book was awesome. I loved the character development and adored the world building I must say after the last book I will definitely miss The banished lands and our friends from there.. I am upset at the author for that ending and a few other things but I am willing to forgive him for letting most of my other favorite characters survive. I swear I will die a little inside if any more of my faves die.



Ruin was a brilliant book that I really enjoyed :D it was filled with pure badassery and a lot of EPIC battles. This book actually has some of my favorite battles. Seriously some of the battles are so detailed and good I felt myself squirming just by reading them. This book was mind blowing, fantastic, epic and just simply a great read. Dammit now I have to wait for the next book !!

"Corban, I’m scared," Cywen said. He gripped her hand and squeezed. "So am I,"
he replied.

This is exactly how I felt while reading Ruin.. I was scared. I was scared and nervous because I know the author doesn't mind killing off his characters - this is the thing that makes me most nervous.. After reading two HUGE books that are both 700 plus words, it makes it hard to lose the characters you have grown to love. John Gywnne does a phenomenal job of making you have a lot of feelings about his characters, even makes you feel sympathy for the bad guys at times because his characters are so deep and well written. Most characters I love and by love I mean can't cope if anything bad happens to them, and everything bad happens to the characters I love so the whole book I pretty much couldn't cope and was close to hyperventilating. John Gywnne definitely does not go easy on his characters.. They always seem to die in the most horrible way possible, which is terrifying if you are an emotional reader like me lol. I felt like I was unable to devour this book due to being terrified of its brutalness towards my babies, sometimes I was actually nervous to continue lol.

‘It is a serious thing,’ Laith said, ‘taking a life. A sad thing, I think, though better to take another’s than to lose your own. Many of my kin consider the thorns a badge of honour. I suppose it is that as well.’ ‘It is,’ Cywen said. ‘But something can be many things, or can mean many things, not just be confined to the one. Like us.’ Laith looked at her intently

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****WARNING!! The rest of the review CONTAINS *SPOILERS FOR BOOK 1, 2 & 3 SO BEWARE* so only read if you have read the books or do not plan to read the books ever.. Please don't say I spoiled you, you have been warned :)

I actually expected the second half of the book to go the complete opposite way to what it actually did it has really shocked me. It all started going sour for me when Jaels warband reached Gramms hold. I knew it was going to be bad but I didn't think it could have been as bad as it was.. I didn't expect a man to be impaled on a wall with a knife through his wrists then have his belly eaten by a bear while he was still alive, WHILE HIS SON WATCHED. Now don't get me wrong I love sick shit, i thought Ramsay Bolton was a bad guy but honestly he doesn't have shit on the characters in this book.. Flaying & castrating.. Pfft that's child's play compared to the torture scenes in this book. This book actually gave me chills at times I was CRINGING through most of it, but in saying that I loved it haha.

Corban was like a different person in this book, his character development over the series has really impressed me. Like I have said in previous reviews he has gone from crybaby who needed his sister to bash his bullies to bad ass warrior but now he has turned into something completely different.. He is now a worthy leader in my opinion he is still my cinnamon roll but he has balls now and is a great leader to the people who are following him. At the start of this book I found him annoying now I think he is brave and definitely the best character in this series now. The twist that Meical reveal towards the end was huge and I really don't know how this character will come back from it so I certainly look forward to this particular character in the next book. I'm also excited to see how Corban & Coralen interact in the next book. I feel like they would make a great couple and I would adore them together.



There was a part in this book were Coralen was mad at Corban for not acknowledging her kiss, her anger made the relationship feel real to me.

‘I am not your enemy,’ he repeated, ‘and I do not wish to die whilst training on the weapons court.’ ‘Sorry,’ she muttered. She’d been first on the weapons court this morning, expecting to see Corban, fully intending to give him as many bruises as was physically possible during a morning’s training. When he had not turned up it made her angrier, her only option to take it as a personal insult. He is avoiding me. Akar had been the first unfortunate man who had asked her if she wished to spar with him. This is not working. I need to see Corban and tell him what I think of him. What I think of a man who gets kissed by a woman and then avoids that woman for a ten-night. And especially when that woman is me. Me, who’s punched and kicked and bitten a score of men that tried to kiss me, and now . . . She screamed internally. Coralen strode from the court, slamming her practice blade into a wicker barrel as she left.


Coralen is another favorite of mine. She is fierce, passionate, sassy and a weapon in herself. She would have to be one of the most skilled characters in the book and she is female.. Yay ! She has impressed me from the start and continues to do so. She has certainly claimed Corban as her own lol.
The new friendship being forged between Cywen and Coralen is amazing, it feels real & genuine and I love it.

‘What would you like in return?’ Coralen asked her. ‘A trade.’ ‘Teach me how to use that,’ Cywen said, pointing to Coralen’s sword. ‘All right then,’ Coralen said and held her arm out. They gripped and shook forearms. I like her a bit more, already.

Every Time I think of Cywen I smile, I love her! She is my favorite character in the whole series, she has been from book one and will continue to stay that way. Her character growth has impressed me so much and I am so proud of the resilient woman she has become. I totally felt for Cywen through the whole book, her feeling not included made me sad. I really appreciated what Brina did for Cywen making her feel needed and thought the growth between their relationship was beautiful :')

I feel like nothing would go smoothly without Brina lol, Brina intrigues me, I love her but feel there is more to Brina then we know so far. This is another character I'm excited to see in the next installment. I'm so glad Craf has survived as long as he has he is the funniest thing in this book, hands down, he amuses me so much.

Veradis has completely changed my mind on him again. I hated him through most of the book, again. But loved him the last half. He has definitely become a character I have a lot of feels for. I would be shattered if anything was to happen to him in the next book.

Camlin went through hell in this book, I felt so sorry for him but it made me love him even more. I really enjoy camlin's character throughout this book he has been amazing from the first book and is even better now. He has become so loyal, his loyalty to Edana is swoon worthy. I think they have feelings for each other and would love to see a relationship between the two.
Edana is another character I have started to really love, she has developed into a strong honorable leader, she is also turning into a fantastic warrior which I love ! She's not weak anymore, yay !

Maquin is my guy. I love this character so much. He melts my heart.. Seriously! He gives me the feels and he is so special he needs one thousand and two cuddles, John Gywnne has been cruel to my precious & it has killed me :'(

'In the Pit I was called old wolf, the only name I've gone by for a good long while. I am a trained killer. Have become that which I hate

I still don't really have words to describe I feel about what this character has gone through. It makes me cringe & gives me anxiety everytime I read a page of his POV. I was close to hyperventilating and on the verge of ugly crying through this whole entire part in the book. I swear there was one part where I held my breath and I couldn't even keep reading but couldn't stop, lol.
I was so glad for the romance in this book (even tho it didn't last many chapters, it was still so good) it melted my heart and gave me the feels big time.

She has reminded me what it is like to be a man, not just a trained killer. That feels good, too



Fidele & Maquin are my ship and will forever be my ship. I fell inlove with the both of them while they did, it really felt like a real relationship to me not forced and I absolutely adored them together.

I’ll not give you up,’ she said fiercely. ‘I returned from death to life for you. Rumours aren’t going to scare me' Maquin grinned.

I will never ever forget my queen and my pit fighter these two will go down as two of my favorite characters ever. In the first book I didn't even notice either of them and now I'm saying this. LOL !
I'm so nervous for the next book if anything happens to my ship I will probably sink with it.



I feel like I don't hate Nathair as much as I did considering what happen to him in this book, I feel like he is just another pawn in the game to the g-ds. But in saying that I can't wait to see him die.
Calidus is the reason for all my hate now. I hate him more then anything, he is literally a demon in every possible way. What happened in this book with him mortified me and I can't wait to read what happens next lol. I did feel sorry for Nathair whenCalidus and uthas cutting the lock from nathairs head to control him. My sympathy for nathair has risen and now I actually feel sorry for him, he honestly thought he was the bright star & now he is not. I also think calidus has just taken over everything even with Nathair still controlling himself he is scared of calidus now, I can't believe some of the choices he has made by himself and the ones with calidus controlling him.

A few likes/dislikes:
°what happen to alycon was not ok. But it was a great twist in the story, I knew they were controlling him somehow.
°the duel ch 80 - was so epic, one of the best story battles ever in my opinion! I was on the edge of my seat.
°when the giant do the thorn tattoo everytime they take a life.
°storm and buddais Cubs are so cute
°what happen to storm is NOT OK
°that ending tore my heart out, I hated it so much! What the fuck!

I have a lot of others things to talk about so might add more to my review later, would love to hear everyone else's thoughts :)

[Anna [Bran. San. Stan] · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is killing me. I’ve had this giant ball of anxiety in the pit of my stomach for most of this book and, as a result, I’m a complete mess. And don’t get me started on that ending: one of the worst cliffhangers ever. What an aptly titled novel; and yes I’m going there: this book Ruined me. I’ll be continuing with the final installment of this series ASAP and it will feel my Wrath if Storm dies – I have a thing for wolf companions. Just putting that out there.

This book is once again action-packed, leaving all our main players in mortal danger at some point. Stressful, yes, but the worst part was the sense of injustice and unfairness that drove the plot at times; that was just hard to bear. Bad guys pretending to be good and, worst of all, those same bad guys laying all they have done at the feet of our heroes just made my blood boil. But not everything was painful, there were moments which were highly satisfying; moments when our heroes triumphed or shone. And, incredibly, some adversaries I really wanted to see die actually did meet their end. Huzzah!

I am so glad I powered through Malice (the first book) despite my immersion problems! This series is incredible and, from what I've heard, the final fourth installment doesn't fall short.
____________
Spoilers below!




After Nathair is finally confronted with the fact that he is not the Seren Disglair in Valour, I was most curious to find out how he’d react now that he knows the truth. I guess I should have seen it coming; silver-tongued Calidus twisting that truth to the point of unrecognizability, turning Nathair irrevocably to his cause. I guess it had to be this way as there seemed no way back for him, but to see him accept Asroth so readily as his master was painful.

But it’s not only Nathair who has to face some harsh truths; Corban does too. I really appreciated the symmetry here: Nathair realizes he is not what he thought he was at the beginning and Corban realizes he is not what he thought he was at the end of the book. In fact, Nathair is not the prophesied hero of the story but its villain (though he tries to sugarcoat it); Corban is not the prophesied hero but merely a young man, seemingly picked at random. What hurts most of all, though, is that there is no such thing as a prophecy, that it’s all been a lie; ultimately, Nathair is not even the Black Sun and Corban is not the Seren Disglair. As devastating as that is for Corban, I appreciated that spin on the “chosen one” trope and felt it gave the narrative some extra weight. And yet, the story probably plays out as if they were what they thought they were, as assigned by both their own actions and by other people’s beliefs.

So here we are, Corban captured, Cywen and Coralen captive as well, Camlin on the run, Maquin, Krelis, and Fidele also on the run, and Veradis’s fate after failing to kill Calidus unknown. And let’s not forget Storm, injured and alone. I really need to find out what’s next.

Onward!

[Haïfa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reread - which was even better than my first read!
Full spoiler-free review

5 "this-series-will-be-the-death-of-me" stars

You are a testament to the power of belief. To what can be achieved through combining belief with will.

This book (and the series so far) gripped me in a tight emotional fist. The first emotion that comes to mind is anxiety to be honest. Raw, constant and terrible anxiety. For the characters (will he survive? How will she overcome that? Will they be safe?) and for the story (will things be okay after this? Where are we even going after THIS or THAT?) Reading is supposed to be relaxing, no? Well of course, whenever the mood and the spirit require it. But reading can also make us dream, make us reason, question and thirst to know, and more importantly make us vibrate, care and feel more than what reality can provide. Well, M. Gwynne delivered, masterfully, on all fronts.

To go straight to the point, this book, and the series as a whole are definitely for you, if :

⚔⚔ you seek larger than life duel and battle scenes in your Fantasy,

⚞⚟ you look for ever expanding worldbuilding (without overly detailed or unnecessary descriptions),

☠☠ you're not afraid of extremely realistic and gory scenes,

♡♡ you're looking for strong emotions ! This book is in turns thrilling, epic, stressful, heart-wrenching and heart-warming. I cried a lot (especially while taking the metro, people must have taken me for a lunatic) and I laughed too (Gwynne managed to include some humorous relief. Which was much appreciated. And here I am, thanking my torturer for a few moments to catch my breath...),

I think you’re worth dying for.

♘♞ you love to read about strong and unbreakable human-animal links.

☺☻ you need your characters to be compelling, flawed, well fleshed out, ever-growing and unique. Whether they are good or evil or hovering in between, all the characters will have their moments in the spotlight. You will either love them and fear for them as if they where family, or you will hate them with a passion and wish to be transported to the Banished Lands to put a sword through their hearts. Either way, you won't be neutral.

‘He’s the best of us. [...] Honest, brave, fair. Loyal. I’d follow him into any fight.’

☯☯☯ you love to read about the Good vs. Evil trope. In Ruin, the theme of "things done for the greater good" is continued to be explored, twisted and used to serve personal ambitions, to justify wrong choices or misguided notions of honor and greatness. Such a simple phrase, and yet one that contains an unlimited power of destruction. This is a theme that really appeals to me and I really wasn't disappointed as it is masterfully developed in this series.

If I had to complain about something though, I would say that the pacing was less even than in Valour. There were lulls and lengthy parts in the middle of Ruin, that could have ruined dampened my enjoyment of the book if not for my full investment and all the exciting fights and unexpected twists and surprises and multitude of climaxes in the story. The lack of detailed dialogues in some chapters was a bit unfortunate. I would have loved more verbal exchanges (as in Malice where the relationships and dialogues between the characters were one of the strongest assets of the book). Luckily, the interactions between the characters were still a central part of the narrative and manifested in their actions and in observing those surrounding them.

“Family. Friendship. Loyalty. These things have been my guiding stars, my light in these dark times.”

Conclusion
If you're a Fantasy lover, you're in for an epic, emotional and gripping treat. You don't want to miss this unique and heartfelt story!

[Paul O’Neill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I just read the best fantasy book I’ve ever read.

Read all my blogs and reviews here.

This series has it all, great characters, immersive world, action scenes to die for (literally sometimes) and some amazing twists and turns in terms of plot.

You know a series does well when you want to go back and reread the rest of the series. It feels a bit like, dare I say, A Song of Ice and Fire in that regard. There are also many “Nooooooooooo!!!!!” moments just like George R.R. Martin’s masterpiece.

Characters

There are a large amount of characters to follow and sometimes I did get a bit confused. What really helped me was the list of characters at the start of this book, all of which had a mini-recap of where they are in the story. Super helpful and something I wish every epic fantasy series did.

My favourite character has to be Veradis. I love how Gwynne has created a cast of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ characters but they don’t know which side they find themselves on. We have ‘bad’ guys who think they are the good guys and vice versa. The motivations for both sides come across as relatable as a result.

I loved how the Giants aren’t just scary big monsters out to kill anything they stumble across. There are many clans and characters, all with their own motivations and back story. It makes them more relatable and has to be the best use of giants I’ve seen in fantasy.

Great human and giant characters not enough for you? How about huge wolves, honourable horses and draigs? Also, an angel and demon war for ownership of the seven starstone treasures (one of them is the spear on the front cover)?

Writing

I managed to fly through this book quicker than a book this size would normally take. It took me three days (with one day off in between). Gwynne’s writing is the reason why. It’s sharp, concise and keeps it simple enough. Gwynne doesn’t waste a sentence. As a result, soooo much happens in this book.

Gwynne creates depth of character and imagery. Here are just some of my favourite examples:

His voice sounded like gravel sliding over stone

’They call Corban the Seven Disgraces, or something like that…’

The lake was a forest of masts and black sails, a Vin Thalun fleet settled on it like crows upon a field of corpses.

The wise man lives a long life, the fool dies a thousand deaths

I have grown up, learned many lessons. The main lesson I learned is that I think I have many more lessons yet to come.

The chapters get shorter and shorter closer to the end which creates a real sense of pace.

Final thought

I’ve no idea why this isn’t up there with the best-selling fantasy books of recent times. It clearly missed the hype train although it deserves all the hype in the world, ever. The one thing I’ve seen said about the series which might have detracted a little is that this is ‘old-fashioned fantasy’. It’s not. I can’t say anything else without spoiling it. Simply put, if you’re a fantasy fan, you must read this series. I cannot recommend it highly enough and Wrath will be getting devoured post-haste!

Just don’t ask me about that ending, I’m not ready to talk about it yet…

TRUTH AND COURAGE!

[Ginger · Rating 5 out of 5]

All the Stars!!!!
I feel like I’m going to puke! I’m a hot mess of tears and f’ing misery after that cliffhanger.
(This is how I felt a few days ago.)

Now that I'm more centered and the shock has subsided, I'm going to do a review on Ruin, the third book in The Faithful and the Fallen series.

Ruin is an appropriate name for this book.
It ruined me by breaking my heart.
It ruined me with the shocking reveals that came forth.
It ruined me with the great battles and fights that I will now compare all other fantasy books too.
It ruined me with how much I care for these characters and how each death feels brutal.

This series, The Faithful and the Fallen continues to surprise and amaze me with how great this epic fantasy journey has turned out to be.

When I first read Malice years ago, I did not come to realize how important all of the world building was going to be in this first book and how it would pave the way to an emotional journey.

This journey has introduced me to characters that I love and HATE.
And now Ruin has just introduced me to a epic fight between two characters at the end of this book.
This battle will be hard to top when I read other fantasy fights to come in other books. The movements, courage, skill and moments in this fight were just AWESOME. I'm not sure how else to describe it and it doesn't get much better then that folks!

So, I'm going to end with this.

Do you love epic fantasy series with great world building, flawed and lovable characters, amazing battles, dragons, giants, wolves, talking birds, earth magic, etc?

Then look no further then picking up this great series!!
TRUTH AND COURAGE!

[Orient · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow,what a read, I'm a ruin after "Ruin". But a mind-blown ruin :) After loving book 2, I was so eager to start book 3 and wasn't disappointed....well, for the biggest part as "Ruin" has a treat for fantasy fans. An epic story, great fleshed out characters, magical creatures, cool action scenes, plotting and so on. I really liked it :)

I'm probably too spoiled but I was a bit annoyed with some stuff I found in "Ruin". It was great meeting my fave characters and of course the baddies. I was curious how will Mr. Gwynne handle them, make their personalities stronger or change them and it was done smoothly. I have only one complaint about one of the characters. It's Nate, he's such a sissy, almost a tiring character and he annoyed me with his POV. Maybe he should grow some balls at last, duh? O.o Also, it felt peculiar as the author used two same intense points in "Ruin" as I read in "Valour", I mean Maquin was enslaved AGAIN and Ban fell into kidnap trap, AGAIN, it almost felt like a remake a bit.

But



Despite these little flaws I found the story engaging and the action and revelations really kept me on the edge of the seat. The story ended with such a cliffhanger! I've kept everything crossed for one of my faves to make it through, it's highly unlikely and despite the great joyous scenes (aww, just look at them <33333 ), it made me a ruin.

The story you know from first two books will shatter to dust and everything which was solid and unmovable will be ripped apart....... Can't wait for tomorrow to come to start "Wrath"!

[Hamad · Rating 5 out of 5]

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“He does not want to lead, and that is a good start. Only the vain and foolish crave such a responsibility.”

Malice ★★★★ 1/4
Valour ★★★★ 3/4
Ruin ★★★★★

Ruin was another entry in The Faithful and The Fallen Series, just when you think things can not get better, Gwynne keeps outdoing himself and improving the series, if book 4 ends up as good as the rest of the series, then this will become my most favorite Quartet of all time! I always had a bad luck with 4-book series so I hope this breaks the curse.

I don’t want to get into the plot because it is a third book and a lot has happened in the first two books. The book’s events take place after the events of book 2 and the adventure between the good and evil continues with it too. There is a lot of action, betrayals, and emotions in this book. Make sure to bring some tissues with you because there are good chances you will be crying at the end of this one.

The characters are as good as ever, even better than they were because the characters whether they are “good” or “bad” are very well written and you can not help but to care about them, this book made more emphasis on the “Gray” characters and those are the best kind of characters. I have to award this book with the award of best animal companions in a book award. This quote kind of explains my experience reading this book:

“The blow that ends the fight is the one your opponent doesn’t see coming. Make them look somewhere else, then make your move.”

I had a bit of a rough start when reading book 2 but I already know the characters well here and the glossary and map at the beginning are real life savers! There is always a huge book hangover after finishing a book in this series now and I can’t wait to read all of Gwynne’s books because I love this world so much already. I love the world-building which is not very complex but is very rich and satisfying!

The books are huge but I don’t feel a moment of dullness while reading them and I don’t think there are extra pages because I always want more. I wanted to jump into book 4 already but I needed some time to recover from this one and I will read book 4 very soon.

“Two for vengeance. One for love.”

Summary: This is a very great entry in the series that just improves the characters, world-building and it exceeds the expectations I had. I am dying to book 4 already!

[Edward Gwynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still, after reading this ten or so times, the final page breaks me. Papa Gwynne is far too cruel. Ruin has the sweetest character moments, the best duel I've read and has far too many scenes that make me cry for my own liking.

[Deborah Obida · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spoiler free review, just a few mentions of things that happened in the previous books, no worries I won’t mention characters that died, I only talk of my favourites and the ones I loathe

May our hearts stay pure and our swords sharp.

This series just gets better with each book, how is that even possible, I was a bit scared it won’t be as good as the previous books but I was so wrong, they were so many battle scenes that I even thought why is this one not titled Valour, as expected people died, lots and lots of people, some I really like and respect and the ones I hate just refused to die, how is that possible that good people die more than the bad ones, not fair. Finally we have ships, sailing ones and am excited, just have a feeling not all might make it in the next and final book in the series. The revelations are mind blowing, and the betrayals is not as much as before for that am thankful.

There is also one amazing duel in this, I love perfectly depicted duels and the author did an amazing job, the duel was told in three characters POV, so we got to read it from three different opinions and it was epic!

World building and Writing
We have lots of amazing perfectly depicted new locations, also some major improvements in the world building, John Gwynne is now one of my favourite authors, the way he describes his world is amazing. Just like the others this is also written in third person multiple POVs of the surviving characters and two new ones, one I like the other I loathe.

Characters
Haelen is a new character which was introduced in the previous book but now has a POV, He is the legitimate heir to the Isiltir throne and Jael killed his parents. He is just 11 years old but even at that his POV is not boring, I adore his internal monologue and the way he is adjusting to things. His relationships with the other characters is so admirable, and with the way he is going he will be as loyal as Corban.

Meg is also another new young character, she is 8, does not have a POV but I always look forward to when she is mentioned, she is just so adorable and cool.

Corban is growing up into an amazing young man and a great leader, I admire his relationships and loyalty to his family and friends, no wonder they follow him. He always manages to make good decisions during tough times.

Nathair finally recovered from his shock of the revelation in the previous book, I felt bad for him at first but now that I’ve thought more on it, I actually don’t he went too far, right from the first book.

Veradis is back in my good graces, we had a few issues which is now resolved, he is such a good man and his loyalty is worse than that of Corban, where can I find someone like him.

Cywen and Coralen, the badass girls in this, I love them so much, also love their friendship and the new addition to them, Laith( a mystery that I won’t talk much about cause of spoilers).

Farrell and Dath, I just need friends like them, these two are everything you could ask for in friends, loyal AF and they all love each other, I always look forward to their conversations.

‘Is it just me, or is there a lot of waiting in war?’ Dath muttered.
‘Aye, you’re right,’ Farrell replied. ‘Usually followed by a lot of dying.’
Dath took a deep breath.
‘That’s comforting.’
‘Here to help,’ Farrell muttered.

Camlin just gets better, and his relationship with the Ardan members is admirable, his internal monologue is also the best in the book.
Other characters that I love include Storm, Gar,Kulla, Brina, Craf, Tukul, Meical,Tahir, Halion, Conall, Edana, Vonn, Alcyon, Maquin, Fidele and Krelis, I know is petty but I refuse to mention those I hate, I’ll just wait patiently for their deaths along with that of the Kadoshims.

[Liam · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Family. Friendship. Loyalty. These things have been my guiding stars, my light in these dark times.”

A Full Five Stars: ✰✰✰✰✰

Full review is up =]. Sorry if it's long... I tend to ramble when it's a book I love ;].

Either somebody is not marketing these books correctly, or 99% of the world has horrible taste in books. These books NEED to be read by more people haha.

As I'm writing this review, I literally can't help but wonder how it's possible that these books aren't more outrageously popular than they are, especially in comparison with the normal Fantasy-fare that is so common these days. I was fortunate enough to be in circles where these books gained traction, but mention these to the average fantasy reader, and they won't know what you're talking about. If you look up "Ruin" in the Goodreads search engine, this book doesn't even come up until the fourth page. Not the fourth result.... The fourth PAGE. The first three pages are occupied almost entirely by cheap romance novels, as well as some YA Fantasies that have gained popularity.

This bothers me a lot. It doesn't bother me because these books are just "good". It's not even that they're "great". It bothers be because they are among the best books I have ever read (if you've followed me for awhile, I do NOT say that lightly. And I don't give out five star ratings lightly, either). While these books have a relatively small following, other books that are quite literally trash will keep flying off the shelves. I'm literally going to beat everybody I know over the head with these books until they read them haha.

If you want to hear other specifics about why I have personally loved these books, feel free to check out my reviews of Malice and Valor. Everything I said on those reviews I could repeat in this one, because Gwynne's writing has been super consistent throughout. However, there are a few things worth noting about this book in particular.

The POVs:

Often in a book with a huge cast of characters like this one, two things tend to happen. Either the characters lose their individuality, and blend together due to poor personality development. Or else the characters lack any dynamic qualities and never change in spite of the story that is being told.

Something that makes this series so good (and this book did an exceptionally good job in this regard) is that each character is not only fully developed in the sense of their own stories and personalities, but they also have drastically changed with each installment. I don't even want to mention names, because A LOT of people die in this series, and even mentioning a name can be a spoiler ;]. But two characters in particular [Maquin and Camlin] have such unique story arcs in that by the end of this book, they are literally completely different people from the ones we met in book one. Good guys at the start of the series have become bad guys. Some of the bad guys have become good guys. Some of the characters who were just "in between" have had their lives shaped to become truly loyal people.

To do this successful is both VERY rare and VERY difficult. We've all watched a Disney movie where a character has a complete spontaneous "change of heart", and unless you're five years old, you know that just doesn't happen. Gwynne takes his time and gradually lays out these events, giving us characters who are as real as they get.

The Story:

This series is definitely magic-light, and the world-building is of a more simple variety. At first glance, even the story might seem like something you've read before, but I promise you that there is much more than meets the eye.

This book in particular had some HUGE developments that more than sold me on John Gwynne's skill as a writer and a storyteller, because he doesn't just write one story. Really, he actually writes six or seven stories, from all different perspectives, and then bridges the gaps and connects them in a way that they all contribute towards the much larger story of the God-War. It's quite good. This book left me moving back and forth between elation, shock, sadness, and even disgust, as some elements of Gwynne's writing are definitely not for the faint of heart.

Overall:

I have more to say, but I'll save it for when I finish Wrath =]. One thing that is worth mentioning though is that these books might not suit everybody's tastes. It was perfect for me, but everybody is different, and sometimes even the mood that we're in can affect our opinion on a book. If you aren't sure, I highly recommend giving Malice a shot. Be patient with it, and read it through to the end. If you enjoy that book, I promise that there are only better things to come in this series, as each installment has only gotten better. I can't wait to finish Wrath!

Happy reading =].

*********************************************************************
Don't have time to post a full review right now, but basically my experience with the book went like this:

0-25%:


25-50%:


50-75%:


75-100%:


This series will take you on a ride like you've never had before. Seriously an amazing third installment, and a perfect conclusion to my 2017 Reading Year. A more cohesive and thought-out review will come by Tuesday =].

[Krysta ꕤ · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Two for vengeance. One for love.”

i’m finally at the point in the series where im not getting confused by all the characters anymore and can say im fully invested. this third book was so action packed and felt the most cohesive, in terms of the way it flowed. there were some interesting revelations about the prophecy that i didn’t see coming, now im just wondering how this will affect what’s been going on this whole time. idk if im prepared for the finale up next.

“He does not want to lead, and that is a good start. Only the vain and foolish crave such a responsibility.”

for once, i liked all the different pov chapters and my fav characters are still pretty much the same people as before. i will say that i full on can’t stand Callidus now though, i thought Nathair would piss me off the most but Callidus is actually worse. i said it before when i read Gwynne’s Bloodsworn Saga, and I’ll say it again here: he writes some of my favorite action sequences in fantasy. im keeping this review short to not give too much away or accidentally spoil, this one is definitely my new fav in the series but I’ve enjoyed all three books.

[William Gwynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even though I have read this so many times... that ending still ruins me!

Listened to this in audiobook format for the first time, and it was unsurprisingly absolutely awesome. Possibly my favourite instalment of The Faithful and the Fallen! Greatest duel of all time, with so many satisfying moments that we have been building towards for so long.

The character growth of our key characters is just so good, and I love how my favourite characters (who shall remain nameless due to spoilers) each have so many moments to shine.

I may be considered biased, but read this book!

5/5 STARS

[Lema · Rating 5 out of 5]

"TRUTH AND COURAGE!"



This book was everything an epic fantasy book should ever be... Fast-paced, gritty, gory like woah!, full of epic battle scenes, plot twists to keep you on tenterhooks, emotional roller coasters for days, love, loyalty, friendship and everything that'll restore your faith in humankind and finally that "I'll rip your heart out and throw it in a volcano" cliffhanger of an ending. (though to be honest Valor hit my feels pump much harder).

I really don't know how to seperately review Ruin aka "How to murder your readers with arrhythmias and heart attacks and not get arrested", since the books has started to mesh together in my brain, except that John Gwynne continues with the same wondrous quality of Valor, adding many more interesting elements such as new POVs, new wonderful characters and fabulous new interactions and relationships between our old beloved characters, not to mention the amazing world building! I loved Drassil and the marshes of Dun Crin, just enough description to bring these places in full vivid colors to life in my mind.




It's no secret that once I'm in love with a book, I actually take time to decorate my reviews with as much pictures as possible :P
SO BEWARE THE VISUALS ARE COMING! NOTHING IS TOO SPOILERY BUT SOME MIGHT BE MORE OF A TEASE FOR WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THIS BOOK, THE MORE SUGGESTIVE ONES I'LL LEAVE TILL THE END..SO PROCEED WITH CAUTION!

Now, where were we?
Ah yes, so I'm not going to put pictures of every single character as I imagined them because that would be impossible, but I stumbled among many great fanarts on the internet that I had to share with you, I'll credit the artists when possible.
I think this one is self-explanatory... Corban's character development has been phenomenal , and if I had been part of his company, I'd definitely would have found him a leader worthy of devotion and might have a bit of a crush on him too. (by: Michael Komarck)


I was also enchanted by the rivalery and its progression towards grudging respect between Cywen and Coralen, I want more of these two! (by: I-GUYJIN-I)


I found this concept art of Jean Reno exactly as I imagined Gar would be like mid-sword dance (he might need darker skin though, and look a bit more medieval).


The three Ripa brothers... Veradis also one of my favorite characters is finally rising to his full potential.


As for the evil characters, I can tell that John Gwynne has gone to town on them..the amount of evil I've seen in this book.. pure. psychotic. evil!! (Rhin by Charlie Bowater)


Of course, my mind can't be all eloquence and poise, it had to go full derp once we got a description of Azroth... Sadly for you, my photoshop skills had to interfere to give you my mind's image of him full galore :'D BEHOLD THE MIGHTY FEARSOME DEMON KING!


Finally I had to mention my darling Brina, she's hilarious, she's fearless, and she kicks butts like nobody's business.. Whenever we see her with her book, McGonagall jumps to my mind!


And these two, preserved for last, because their arc was definitely the best thing to happen in Ruin :')

[Alex Nieves · Rating 5 out of 5]

I need a minute.

[Samir · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great installment in the series. Absolutely loved it! Can't wait to start Wrath!

[Jade Ratley · Rating 4 out of 5]

8.43 on CAWPILE

Took me a while to get into this one... but by the end, I was sobbing.

[Celeste · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full review now posted!

Forgive the pun, but this book RUIN-ed me.

It’s so difficult to review the third book of a series without spoiling anything from the previous books, but I’m going to do my best. Ruin is the penultimate installment of John Gwynne’s amazing series, The Faithful and the Fallen. Each book in the series picks up pretty much exactly where its predecessor left off, making for a series that feels like one giant novel split into four parts, which I enjoy immensely. This is a tale of good versus evil, of light battling darkness, and of love binding unlikely people together. So much of modern fantasy takes place within shades of gray, and it’s refreshing to have a bit more clearcut black and white in a story. Not that gray isn’t present, but it’s not the main moral coloring in the series by a long shot. Honor and valor, love and loyalty are attributes too selfless to reside within shadows.

“Family. Friendship. Loyalty. These things have been my guiding stars, my light in these dark times.”

I began reading Malice, Gwynne’s debut and the introduction to this series, in February. It took me a bit to get into the story, but I ended up loving the book. I read the second installment in April, and loved it even more. It’s now nearing the end of September, and I just finally finished Ruin. If I loved the series so much, you might be wondering why I waited so long between installments. Five months in a pretty long span of time. Sometimes, if I really love a series and I’m reading it for the first time, I stretch out my experience between books to make my enjoyment last longer. So my wait between books actually speaks highly of the series. When I decide to reread (and I will) I will do so much more quickly than I read them the first time. Now that I’ve explained myself, back to the book!

This is the longest installment of the series, but it didn’t feel long. I was so caught up in the action and the way the plot is progressing that I flew through the pages any time I had a chance to read. As no character is safe from destruction, I will refrain from using names in this review. But those who are on the side of good shine brightly in this series, but do so in this book especially. Friendship and loyalty and the love that binds people together are all so central to the theme here, and there were two scenes in particular where a group’s love for their leader and friend and their expression of that love had me reading through tears. There was also a good deal of romance in this book; one couple in particular actually did make me shed a few tears when their love was declared.

“Two for vengeance. One for love.”

But this is war, so not all love stories are going to have a happy ending, be they romantic love or brotherly love. Because in war, there is death. There is loss. Loyalties are tested, and bonds are sometimes stretched too far and broken beyond repair. There is betrayal, be it intentional or past good intentions that were misplaced coming to light. There is heartbreak, some of which might never heal. Where there is light, there is a shadow cast, and within the darkness of that shadow lays destruction, biding its time and itching to make its move.

Something that I deeply appreciate in Gwynne’s Banished Lands is the plethora of different people groups, be they giant or human, and how those groups interact with one another and band together in spite of their differences when they have a common goal. I also love Gwynne’s animals; they are always characters in their own rights, with personalities and fallibilities and death hovering just as near to them as to their human counterparts. Animals are no more safe from the arms of death than men or women or giants, but they live to the fullest in the time they have. The relationships that Gwynne breeds between animals and the people they have attached themselves to are some of the best I’ve read in any book or series in my life, and I’ve read a lot of books.

Finally, my very favorite part of this series is the religion and philosophy behind the God-War. I’m a sucker for philosophical books, and this series checks that box for me. I love the Judeo-Christian influence behind the doctrine in The Faithful and the Fallen, but I love even more the differences that Gwynne included, and how the faith he has created is the backbone of men and the war they wage. And when that faith is tested, I’m moved by the characters’ responses.

The Faithful and the Fallen is shaping up to be one of my favorite fantasy series of all time. I’m definitely not going to be able to wait five months between this book and Wrath, the final installment in the series. I heartily recommend this series to fantasy fans, historical fiction fans, religious fiction fans, war fiction fans, and anyone who likes their fiction with just a tinge of Scottish influence. Basically, I recommend this series to anyone and everyone who reads. It’s vibrant and wild and it moves me, and I have no doubt that the majority of those who decide to pick up the first book will feel the same by the series’ end.

“Truth and Courage!”

My wonderful friend Petrik gifted me this book for my birthday. Sorry it took me so long to get to it, darling, but what a gift!

Original review can be found at Booknest.

[Lau ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Note: I tried to write a proper review and it ended up being an ode...

I’ve never read a book with a most fitting title. This story has inserted itself in my heart and ruined it forever. From the romance to the action, passing through the brilliant set of characters I love as dearly as my closest friends, it was perfect.

Every chapter, still short and full of events, finished with either a promise, a danger or a cliffhanger, coercing you to keep reading only to find another different POV that ended the same way. Soon you’ll be slave of this circle, your heart beating fast full of worry and excitment, your eyes struggling to absorb everything, no time to blink. There is an epic love story that doesn’t feel rushed, it’s just right. There is a blindfold finally falling to the floor, plot twists that’ll make your jaw drop. There is the ideal amount of action and character’s struggles, making you feel then more, but also more scared for their fate.

It was so good I hugged it hard when I finished, disoriented, hungry for the next yet destroyed because there was only one left. I’ve found a new favorite author, a new favorite book and a new family to come back to. If there is room in your heart for a fantasy epic story, addicting, action-packed and full of characters that will steal every free space, I truly recommend giving this series a try.


↬Series:
1. Malice: 4.25 stars
2. Valour: 4.25 stars
3. Ruin: 5 stars
4. Wrath: 5 stars

↬ Of Blood and Bone (sequel of TFATF):
1. A Time of Dread: 4.5 stars
2. A Time of Blood: 3.5 stars
3. A Time of Courage: 3.75 stars

[TS Chan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seriously, this series keep getting better and better from one book to the next. This penultimate instalment was such an emotional roller-coaster ride. Too many times I caught myself putting down the book - not because I was bored or didn't like what I was reading - but because I was too anxious and worried with what might happen to the main characters which I loved.

Ruin was titled most appropriately for how I felt after I've finished it. This book was unrelenting in the level of action and crucial events which lead into the finale - with both the Bright Star and Black Sun gathering their entourage and coming to a head with cliffhanger ending that absolutely broke my heart. Some of the action sequences in this book were stunning! There's a mind-blowing duel towards the end of the book of such magnificence that I was getting goosebumps while reading and trying to picture it in my mind's eye.

For those who have read the book and wondered, my favourite character of all is Camlin, the ex-brigand with a big heart and awesome huntsman skills. Having said that, all the protagonists are extremely likeable and my emotional investment extends to even those who do not have their own POV. This is testament to John Gwynne's ability to develop amazing characters which to me is the cornerstone of a compelling and engaging story.

The anticipation for the release of Wrath in December is sweet torture.

[Michael Britt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I need more stars.

Buddy read with Craig. Sorry, still can't figure out how to tag a profile.



TRUTH AND COURAGE!!!

My God this series doesn't let up. Gwynne has taken everything I loved about the first 2 books and made them better. I also can't think of a single problem I had with this book. There's not really much I can say about the plot without major spoilers. But it basically picks back up right where we left off in Valor. Somehow it seems like Gwynne has improved on the prose even more than the last 2. It just flows so well that I was able to read at about double the speed I usually read without once having to go back due to accidentally skipping over an important plot point. The pacing of the plot was, by far, my favorite of the first 3. There wasn't a single POV that I wasn't excited to read about here, which is rare for me since I'm kind of picky about my characters.

Which brings me to my favorite thing to talk about when reviewing a book: the characters. As I've said in many of my reviews, characters can make or break a book for me more than anything else. Give me a decent plot with well written characters and I'll be happy. Luckily we get both here. I've yet to come across a series with this strong of a cast. There might be a few series where I have a character or 2 that I like more than a character from this series, but I don't know of a series that has as many quality characters as Faithful and the Fallen. Even the birds have some amazing development! That's another thing that he's done that has impressed me. He writes his animals so well that you feel just as strong of a connection to them as you do to the characters. I wish I could go into more details, but spoilers.

The fight scenes in this book deserves it own section. My God Gwynne can write some top notch duels and battle scenes!! There was a duel near the end that had me so enthralled that I felt like I was actually there watching it. He's able to write extremely vivid scenes, as it is, and his battles/duels are above and beyond. There's no fluff to it, just the nitty gritty, and he holds nothing back.

I really wish I could write the review that this book and series deserves. But I'm not nearly eloquent enough to pull that off. Even after decided to be a bit more "harsh" with my ratings and reviews, there's no doubting that this is a 5 star book. It's damn near perfect!

[Joshita ❤ · Rating 4 out of 5]

ok wait, THAT was unexpected ksjksksksks

[ChopinFC · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars (Incredible)

TRUTH AND COURAGE!!

I’m completely blown away by the The Faithful and the Fallen series! This review will be my combined thoughts on both ‘Ruin’(3rd book) and the final and immeasurable conclusion ‘Wrath’. No worries there are zero spoilers. I was so enthralled and mesmerized in the these last 3 months that I’ve barely had a chance to write my review of Ruin! I decided last year that it was time to finish the series but do it consecutively and without stopping. So I’ve re-listened to the 1st book and went full steam into the remainder of the series. I’m in awe, and yes it was incredible!! I know for sure I will have one bad case of Banished lands hangover immediately after this..but it was all worth it.


In the last few years that I’ve become addicted to fantasy genre, I’ve read a few amazing high fantasy series that have blown me away. The top echelon and winner is undoubtedly Sanderson’s ‘Stormlight series’ which for me has become the benchmark for high epic fantasy genre. It’s only drawback is that it’s been 10 years and we’re yet to get a 4th out of 10 books. Other honorable mentions include GOT, Kingkiller chronicle (Rothfuss sucks) and the First Law trilogy. But here it ladies and gents:

The Faithful and the Fallen has been my favorite complete fantasy series of all times!! As of this last book, ‘Wrath' the series sits in the same top echelon as the Stormlight series!



Corban and Storm in action



Why is the Faithful and the Fallen so incredible?

* Amazing unforgettable characters, and incredible development along their journey in the 4 books

* Riveting and unrelenting action scenes that will blow you away and leave your heart racing and likely asking for more

* A compelling and ingenious magic system that is not too outlandish and well integrated in the plotline

* A classic good vs evil story that does not always bode well for the good guys! One amazing thing about Gwynne, is his absolute honesty to his craft.

* At time the books can be quite brutal as some of your favorite and most endearing characters perish- yet it all adds to the narrative and the vision of John Gwynne.

* Nearly every character is unique and shines in his/her own merit!

* An addictive coming of age story about Corban, who transforms himself from blacksmith’s son into the ‘Bright Star’. He's affable, courageous, respectful but won't take any shit from bullies and enemies!

* A supporting cast of Corban’s friends that are rich and unique in each way. From Coralen, to Gar, Brian, Dath, Edana , Farrell...should I keep going?

* And finally, some of the best depiction and integration of animals I’ve seen in any fantasy book...ever. Wolvens, crows, bears, Draigs, ravens. This book blends it all so intricately in the story- that they become almost central to every important scene!




Corban and Storm and Craf


“Family. Friendship. Loyalty. These things have been my guiding stars, my light in these dark times.”
― John Gwynne, Ruin


“To my thinking, though, it's what happens before death that's important. All of us die. How many really live?”
― John Gwynne, Wrath


Some final thoughts must include the way Gwynne has crafted this story out of pure love! He has spent the last 16 years masterminding the world of the Banished lands, and all the wonderfully good and evil characters in it. His tempo and writing is solid and fluent. Words are never used excessively, and especially the fight scenes have a built up crescendo that always raises one’s blood pressure. The fights between humans, between giants, between Corban’s wonderful woven ‘Storm’ and his enemies, the massive battles and the sheer scope of the last war- nearly had me breathless. Gwynne switches often from the third POV to the first POV- making the thoughts of each character in ‘ italic ’- almost as their inner demons. This is just brilliant, and makes the characterization much more convincing and effective.

I will miss my friends and warrior of the Banished lands dearly. Even from the most nefarious villains such as ‘Calidus’ and ‘Rafe’ to beloved Corban, Gar and Camlin. I will miss the gang fighting demons, monsters and occult magic against overwhelming odds. I will miss the sword dance, and how Corban grew not only as a warrior but also as a human being. The series had a true imprint on me- just like Stormlight a few years back. Guess that’s why reading is so much fun and immersive of an experience.

The Faithful and the Fallenis an absolutely mesmerizing and epic high-fantasy series which delivers in every front! The end chapter brings a bittersweet conclusion to the saga, and leaves the reader wanting more. I can’t believe the journey is over, yet the background of the ‘Banished lands’ is the perfect compliment for the beginning of new adventures in ‘Of Blood and Bone’

Epic 5 Stars