***Launch Special- 50 PERCENT OFF for a limited time!***
Two great generals clash in a battle that will change the fate of a continent.
Only one will survive the encounter.
Years of fighting the Empire have left King Lennart drained and weary. Despite his victories, Teodora remains, her dark magic leaving her stronger than ever, even as it drives her deeper into madness. Now his family is in danger, and Lennart will put everything he’s fought for at risk to save them.
From all corners of the continent, the players gather for the battle that may well end the war …
Elektra plays the dutiful daughter even as she’s horrified by her mother’s transformation. But when her plans go awry, she is forced into an unthinkable alliance.
Braeden has had enough of fighting, but fate has other plans for him, forcing him to orchestrate a risky betrayal that could change the course of the war.
Reeling from her latest defeat, Gwynneth struggles to find purpose while the tide of war sweeps her relentlessly in its path.
Princess Maryna endures endless dangers as she fights to take her place as ruler of Terragand. Shared hardship has drawn Anton close to her, even though they both realize they can never act on their feelings.
Desperate to return to Terragand and the war, Trystan faces unforeseen dangers in a strange land. Will his ambition exact the ultimate price?
The stakes rise and culminate in a vast battle with a faith-shattering outcome in Book Five of the Desolate Empire Series.
Not as much fighting as I'd like though. It seemed more of a "build up" book. A build up to what I expect to be an awesome sequel to come.
The writing is excellent. The author's style is perfect for me. She writes in a "less is more" way. There is just enough detail and description to paint a solid world and three dimensional characters without being repettitive and long winded.
The pace is perfect, carrying the reader through every chapter wanting to know what is going to happen next.
I did feel less emotional about the characters though. But it is just me, and not due to the writing.
I look forward to the next book and hope it is not too long in coming.
Disclaimer: I received a reviewer's copy of the novel from the author.
If you've read my other reviews on Christina Ochs's Desolate Empire series, you know I'm prone to rambling. So for your benefit (and to save myself looking like a complete fan girl), I'm going to try to keep it short(er) for once.
The Desolate Empire is one of my favorite series of all time. And Fall of the Titan makes yet another brilliant addition to the world Ochs has created. All the characters readers love (and love to hate) are back for the next installment of this brutal war. Each character has a vital role to play and continues to grow as an individual, while also developing more complex relationships with the other characters. I can't wait to see how their journeys continue -- that is, for the ones who made it through (get the tissues ready).
As always, the novel is wonderfully written. Though long, the book reads very quickly and wastes no words on flowery language or unnecessary narrative descriptions. Each chapter is short, dives right into the action, and ends on a cliffhanger that will have you reading on to get back to that character (though, trust me, it won't be a chore to read about the others in the meantime!).
On a broader level, Fall of the Titan (and the series as a whole) has something for everyone. Battle scenes, political intrigue, dark magic, a hint of romance -- whatever enthralls you, you'll find it here. I've said it before, but it needs repeating: The Desolate Empire series is like a clean version of Game of the Thrones and should definitely be on all GoT fans' to-read list.
I received an advanced copy of this book to review before it's release.
This really has been a fantastic journey in these books and it has been such a joy to be there in that journey (it really does feel as though you are part if it and I love that)
The world building is perfect and sets such a wonderful backdrop to the story. It has a real medieval/renaissance feel which is very vivid. There are a lot of countries, cities, towns to keep track of (not to mention the plot and characters) but the author cleverly uses the setting to help remind you what is happening. All the elements work together to bind the story together.
The characters are brilliant and really do help drive the story. A lot of them seem to get extra depth in this one which was really good. There are good, bad, ugly, and lots of grey characters which make the story intetesting. Trystan really develops in this one which I liked as do many of the others as well (Anton too is one of my favourites)
The story has plenty of twists, turns, surprises, shocks and lots of action. The battle scenes are always good in this series but it has been taken up a notch in this one.
I have really loved all the books in this series. Perfect for fantasy and historical readers alike. Highly recommended.
Events are getting down to the wire in this historic, engaging, and unpredictable series! I've missed all theses characters (especially you, Braeden!), and was thrilled to dive back into their world and watch them all interact with the stakes of an upcoming battle against a formidable opponent. The story was very good, filled with more plotting and intrigue than flat out action. Yet, as always, it was the characters who really draw me into this series. Braeden is and always will be my favourite, but I really enjoyed Trystan's point of views, as well as Marnya's especially when her relationship with Anton came into the picture. Elektra continues to be a very engaging and unique character, and while I can't strictly sympathize with her, Teodora's situation is becoming even more insane. Of course, there was plenty of tragedy (I don't know how much more I can take!) and the epilogue left me biting my nails by the last few paragraphs. I love these books and can't recommend them enough. More please!
Once again, Ochs provides a jam-packed novel with a ton going on. The pace is still very steady and controlled just like her past novels. You'll feel like you're in the book forever but there's always something going on. Someone is captured by the other side, someone makes a sudden change of plans and you wait for the other side to find out.
Because there is so much going on with each chapter, Ochs deserves praise for keeping things in check by offering simple reminders of things like where people are located, which side the secondary characters are on, and especially how old each character is. For example, Anton and Maryna are just growing up right before your eyes and it helps to know their ages at times.
I read this book like it was going to be the last one—just like I have been doing for book three and four! I keep thinking there's no way this war can keep going, but Ochs keeps all her plates spinning. You just have to invite yourself in to watch how things continue to get complicated and how decision from each and every novel come back to bite these characters.
You're killin' me, Christina! You hold closure just beyond my nose with each book. Now I wait patiently for book six so I can figure out what happens to everyone, especially Gwynneth. I've been rooting for her since day one.
Fall of the Titan was amazing. I admit I was a bit worried that the plot would become repetitive, considering how long the series has gotten, and while there are some aspects that are somewhat similar to the other books, I was still hooked. Fall of the Titan, just like the rest of the Desolate Empire books, was difficult to put down. Aside from a handful of typos that I noticed, it was perfect.
Disclaimer: I received a free ebook version of this book in exchange for an honest review.