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Enduring Flame #3
The Phoenix Transformed
In the Enduring Flame Trilogy, Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory have given audiences a new view of the complex and fascinating world they originally created for the Obsidian Trilogy. Jumping ahead one thousand years in time, Lackey and Mallory have told the compelling story of Harrier Gillain, the first Knight-Mage in a thousand years; Tiercel Rolfort, the first High Mage in hundreds of years; and Shaiara, the young leader of a desert tribe who takes both boys under her wing but has a special affection for Harrier.
These three young people are their world's main defense against the evil called up by the rogue Wild Mage Bisochim. Bisochim's conviction that he was restoring the balance was shattered the moment Ahairan took her first breath. Now, in The Phoenix Transformed, Bisochim joins forces with Harrier and Tiercel, and the three mages search desperately for a way to destroy Ahairan as she sends her magical forces against them and the desert nomads under their protection.
These three young people are their world's main defense against the evil called up by the rogue Wild Mage Bisochim. Bisochim's conviction that he was restoring the balance was shattered the moment Ahairan took her first breath. Now, in The Phoenix Transformed, Bisochim joins forces with Harrier and Tiercel, and the three mages search desperately for a way to destroy Ahairan as she sends her magical forces against them and the desert nomads under their protection.
511 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2008
66 people are currently reading
1742 people want to read
About the author
Mercedes Lackey
441 books9,527 followersMercedes entered this world on June 24, 1950, in Chicago, had a normal childhood and graduated from Purdue University in 1972. During the late 70's she worked as an artist's model and then went into the computer programming field, ending up with American Airlines in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In addition to her fantasy writing, she has written lyrics for and recorded nearly fifty songs for Firebird Arts & Music, a small recording company specializing in science fiction folk music.
"I'm a storyteller; that's what I see as 'my job'. My stories come out of my characters; how those characters would react to the given situation. Maybe that's why I get letters from readers as young as thirteen and as old as sixty-odd. One of the reasons I write song lyrics is because I see songs as a kind of 'story pill' -- they reduce a story to the barest essentials or encapsulate a particular crucial moment in time. I frequently will write a lyric when I am attempting to get to the heart of a crucial scene; I find that when I have done so, the scene has become absolutely clear in my mind, and I can write exactly what I wanted to say. Another reason is because of the kind of novels I am writing: that is, fantasy, set in an other-world semi-medieval atmosphere. Music is very important to medieval peoples; bards are the chief newsbringers. When I write the 'folk music' of these peoples, I am enriching my whole world, whether I actually use the song in the text or not.
"I began writing out of boredom; I continue out of addiction. I can't 'not' write, and as a result I have no social life! I began writing fantasy because I love it, but I try to construct my fantasy worlds with all the care of a 'high-tech' science fiction writer. I apply the principle of TANSTAAFL ['There ain't no such thing as free lunch', credited to Robert Heinlein) to magic, for instance; in my worlds, magic is paid for, and the cost to the magician is frequently a high one. I try to keep my world as solid and real as possible; people deal with stubborn pumps, bugs in the porridge, and love-lives that refuse to become untangled, right along with invading armies and evil magicians. And I try to make all of my characters, even the 'evil magicians,' something more than flat stereotypes. Even evil magicians get up in the night and look for cookies, sometimes.
"I suppose that in everything I write I try to expound the creed I gave my character Diana Tregarde in Burning Water:
"There's no such thing as 'one, true way'; the only answers worth having are the ones you find for yourself; leave the world better than you found it. Love, freedom, and the chance to do some good -- they're the things worth living and dying for, and if you aren't willing to die for the things worth living for, you might as well turn in your membership in the human race."
Also writes as Misty Lackey
Author's website
"I'm a storyteller; that's what I see as 'my job'. My stories come out of my characters; how those characters would react to the given situation. Maybe that's why I get letters from readers as young as thirteen and as old as sixty-odd. One of the reasons I write song lyrics is because I see songs as a kind of 'story pill' -- they reduce a story to the barest essentials or encapsulate a particular crucial moment in time. I frequently will write a lyric when I am attempting to get to the heart of a crucial scene; I find that when I have done so, the scene has become absolutely clear in my mind, and I can write exactly what I wanted to say. Another reason is because of the kind of novels I am writing: that is, fantasy, set in an other-world semi-medieval atmosphere. Music is very important to medieval peoples; bards are the chief newsbringers. When I write the 'folk music' of these peoples, I am enriching my whole world, whether I actually use the song in the text or not.
"I began writing out of boredom; I continue out of addiction. I can't 'not' write, and as a result I have no social life! I began writing fantasy because I love it, but I try to construct my fantasy worlds with all the care of a 'high-tech' science fiction writer. I apply the principle of TANSTAAFL ['There ain't no such thing as free lunch', credited to Robert Heinlein) to magic, for instance; in my worlds, magic is paid for, and the cost to the magician is frequently a high one. I try to keep my world as solid and real as possible; people deal with stubborn pumps, bugs in the porridge, and love-lives that refuse to become untangled, right along with invading armies and evil magicians. And I try to make all of my characters, even the 'evil magicians,' something more than flat stereotypes. Even evil magicians get up in the night and look for cookies, sometimes.
"I suppose that in everything I write I try to expound the creed I gave my character Diana Tregarde in Burning Water:
"There's no such thing as 'one, true way'; the only answers worth having are the ones you find for yourself; leave the world better than you found it. Love, freedom, and the chance to do some good -- they're the things worth living and dying for, and if you aren't willing to die for the things worth living for, you might as well turn in your membership in the human race."
Also writes as Misty Lackey
Author's website
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 125 reviews
December 7, 2010
Two Stars seems generous right about now.
In all fairness let’s say this book started out with 5 stars (this would be before I even opened it). Now there were Five major issues I had with this book that slowly but surely brought it down to the stars you now see on this rating.
1)The length. This book is longer than the previous two combined and fucking nothing happens! I couldn’t believe it. 700 pages of the book can be summed up as a prologue instead of Seven. Hundred. Pages. Basically they wander the desert and fight and it's hot and they get attacked and it's sad even though the people who die don't really matter and they brood about their failings. Seven hundred pages of this people! Seven Hundred! And if that wasn’t bad enough the book doesn’t really stop where it should but wears on some more. (Negative one star)
2)The talking. By the end all anyone did was bitch and think about their problems and bitch some more. It seemed like every conversation they had went around in circles. If you just cut out all of their pointless talking then maybe something would’ve gotten done, the book would’ve been a shorter, more fun-filled read. Instead we read over and over and over about how Tyr has failed, how they’re mad at each other, how they hate the desert and walking and fighting and killing and blah blah blah. (Negative half a star)
3)The plot. It was weak to be honest. Dark comes back, Kids have to save world. It would’ve been ok if it hadn’t been so dragged out that I ended up getting frustrated with it. But for a pretty weak plot with weak writing and then endless padding it just flopped. (Negative half a star)
4)Desert terms. I can never understand why authors feel this need to complicated things when they move their books into the desert. They can’t be camels anymore they have to have a new name! Like Shotors. And it always has to be italicized. Horses are still horses aren’t they? Not only that but half the time they have these new desert names in italics and then don’t tell you what they actually are. It took me a bit to realize that a jarrari was a scorpion. They also never mention what atish’ban really means. It could mean Tainted or Sparkling. It could mean Dark-touched or Mutant or even Zombie. It could mean shit-for-brains. It’s helpful when you actually know the lingo because the authors were nice enough to fill you in on it. No I got the general idea of atish’ban, it just annoyed me. (Negative a quarter star)
5)The ending. It blew. It left me thinking “Wow… that was lame.” It might have been better if something else other than the ending had actually happened! But it didn’t so the highlight of the book was … what 60 pages? Out of 788? And I had to wade through 700 pages for it to even start happening? (Negative three quarters of a star)
Which brings the total to 2 stars. See it makes sense. It’s sad though because the first series (the Obsidian Trilogy) was actually a good one. So pass these books and read those ones instead. If you’ve read the Obsidian Trilogy already just pass these ones up. There are much better books out there to read than these three were.
In all fairness let’s say this book started out with 5 stars (this would be before I even opened it). Now there were Five major issues I had with this book that slowly but surely brought it down to the stars you now see on this rating.
1)The length. This book is longer than the previous two combined and fucking nothing happens! I couldn’t believe it. 700 pages of the book can be summed up as a prologue instead of Seven. Hundred. Pages. Basically they wander the desert and fight and it's hot and they get attacked and it's sad even though the people who die don't really matter and they brood about their failings. Seven hundred pages of this people! Seven Hundred! And if that wasn’t bad enough the book doesn’t really stop where it should but wears on some more. (Negative one star)
2)The talking. By the end all anyone did was bitch and think about their problems and bitch some more. It seemed like every conversation they had went around in circles. If you just cut out all of their pointless talking then maybe something would’ve gotten done, the book would’ve been a shorter, more fun-filled read. Instead we read over and over and over about how Tyr has failed, how they’re mad at each other, how they hate the desert and walking and fighting and killing and blah blah blah. (Negative half a star)
3)The plot. It was weak to be honest. Dark comes back, Kids have to save world. It would’ve been ok if it hadn’t been so dragged out that I ended up getting frustrated with it. But for a pretty weak plot with weak writing and then endless padding it just flopped. (Negative half a star)
4)Desert terms. I can never understand why authors feel this need to complicated things when they move their books into the desert. They can’t be camels anymore they have to have a new name! Like Shotors. And it always has to be italicized. Horses are still horses aren’t they? Not only that but half the time they have these new desert names in italics and then don’t tell you what they actually are. It took me a bit to realize that a jarrari was a scorpion. They also never mention what atish’ban really means. It could mean Tainted or Sparkling. It could mean Dark-touched or Mutant or even Zombie. It could mean shit-for-brains. It’s helpful when you actually know the lingo because the authors were nice enough to fill you in on it. No I got the general idea of atish’ban, it just annoyed me. (Negative a quarter star)
5)The ending. It blew. It left me thinking “Wow… that was lame.” It might have been better if something else other than the ending had actually happened! But it didn’t so the highlight of the book was … what 60 pages? Out of 788? And I had to wade through 700 pages for it to even start happening? (Negative three quarters of a star)
Which brings the total to 2 stars. See it makes sense. It’s sad though because the first series (the Obsidian Trilogy) was actually a good one. So pass these books and read those ones instead. If you’ve read the Obsidian Trilogy already just pass these ones up. There are much better books out there to read than these three were.
April 23, 2012
I didn't even bother reviewing the first two installments of the Phoenix trilogy. If it wasn't for this trilogy being in the same universe as Obsidian trilogy, I would've stopped reading it after first book. But now, I'm kind of glad - the third book is quite good.
Harrier and Tiercel are trying to lead and keep alive thousands of tribesmen across the desert, while Ahairan is throwing everything at them, killing them little by little. While they're at it, they're trying to think of some way to kill or lock demon, or even just hold her attention long enough to someone outside the desert notice that the Forth endarkened war has already begun.
Main characters - Harrier and Tiercel - finally are becoming something more then very annoying kids running around doing nothing in annoying ways and complaining all the way, and are more likable - Harrier starts to act like Knight-Mage, leading the army (well, more like exodus) and comes to terms with wildmagic and paying the mageprice (though, he complains all the way in quite an amusing fashion), and Tiercel acquires a bit more sense of realism and eases on the horrified monologues about how Harrier has changed (like stopped being pampered city-dweller who could afford to go easy on people that try to sabotage him at every step, like it's a bad thing).
Story slowly unfolds, which I personally like very much, because it gives me the chance to get to know people in the book through more then battles and heroics, and I really liked following ragged bunch of tribesmen on their long journey as they learned to defend themselves against Ahairan, find water and food in newly sterile desert, use magic to its maximum to survive, and I liked following Harrier as he learned to care for them and learned to bear the burden of responsibility of being their commander.
All in all, this is nice book, and I'd recommend it if you have time to slog through the first two, which are of much less quality.
Harrier and Tiercel are trying to lead and keep alive thousands of tribesmen across the desert, while Ahairan is throwing everything at them, killing them little by little. While they're at it, they're trying to think of some way to kill or lock demon, or even just hold her attention long enough to someone outside the desert notice that the Forth endarkened war has already begun.
Main characters - Harrier and Tiercel - finally are becoming something more then very annoying kids running around doing nothing in annoying ways and complaining all the way, and are more likable - Harrier starts to act like Knight-Mage, leading the army (well, more like exodus) and comes to terms with wildmagic and paying the mageprice (though, he complains all the way in quite an amusing fashion), and Tiercel acquires a bit more sense of realism and eases on the horrified monologues about how Harrier has changed (like stopped being pampered city-dweller who could afford to go easy on people that try to sabotage him at every step, like it's a bad thing).
Story slowly unfolds, which I personally like very much, because it gives me the chance to get to know people in the book through more then battles and heroics, and I really liked following ragged bunch of tribesmen on their long journey as they learned to defend themselves against Ahairan, find water and food in newly sterile desert, use magic to its maximum to survive, and I liked following Harrier as he learned to care for them and learned to bear the burden of responsibility of being their commander.
All in all, this is nice book, and I'd recommend it if you have time to slog through the first two, which are of much less quality.
August 2, 2010
This was actually a fairly decent story. The problem is that it was diluted over three books, so it came off as three weak books. This one seemed to be the worst of the three with everyone spending an interminable time wandering around in the desert, for no discernible reason. About 400 pages of the book could be summed up, "They traveled through the desert. It was hard, things attacked them, people died, and everyone argued." Then we could have moved ahead to the actual plot. Not a book I'd recommend.
November 9, 2014
The following is as much rant as review, and contains SPOILERS, so continue at your own risk!
While the proceeding two novels were far from the greatest books I've ever read, they were pretty good. The plot moved along briskly (and interestingly) enough to keep me intrigued, and the rules of magic that were established and sense of oncoming danger were nice.
Unfortunately, however, the third book really drops the ball. Lackluster characters, a tedious and over long journey, and an ending that was both abrupt and unpleasant left me feeling quite unsatisfied once it was done.
1. The Characters
The characters could have stood a good bit more developing than they got. Tiercel really didn't show much in the way of growth, and, in fact, seemed to wallow even more in self-loathing than he had in both novels prior. Harrier moved along quite a bit, but was still pretty tactless and gruff throughout, and his behavior at the end of the novel made me question if he'd really made that much progression at all (will talk about this more in the 'end' section).
The demon, while clearly shown as being evil and nasty, lacked any sort of personal charisma. She was also rather irredeemably STUPID. She continues to fixate on gaining the three mages in the desert--and the Firecrown--when going north and hunting down a wildmage probably would've been more productive, hidden though they might be. Her chance to torture a bunch of people to death in front of Bisochim and friends' noses is presented to her time and time again, and she squanders it. First when she takes over the Isvaeni immediately after being summoned, only to flee into the desert. Secondly when she discovers where all the Isvaeni children are conveniently gathered and decides to ignore them until the end. Last but not least, at the very end at the volcano. She finally has everyone in her grasp (again!), yet chooses to stand there chortling instead of doing anything productive, even letting the heroes wander up to the top of the volcano (seriously, did she think they were going up there to do anything she'd LIKE?) and not bothering to interfere until she realizes Bisochim's about to sacrifice himself. Even with the weak explanations offered by the story for her actions, I fail to see how keeping the hostages she already had--or walking up and grabbing those she didn't from under the heroes' noses--and deliberately torturing them to death one by one in front of the mages wouldn't have gotten her what she wanted. Or, well, it probably still wouldn't have gotten her what she wanted--but it would have at least confirmed the heroes would never bow to her, and thus convinced her to kill them once and for all and go seek out more pliable wildmages in the north.
The story also, by way of lack of use, makes characters from previous novels seem useless. The Telchi's training never does a whole lot for Harrier--about the most spectacular thing he does with his swords is kill a few Isvaeni (which doesn't do him a lot of good) and a few Black Dogs, neither of which seem to justify introducing that plot point, or making him a knight-mage in general. The Firecrown, despite being one of the more interesting characters, is so neutral and hard to puzzle out that it's hard to see what he contributed to the novel either (useless tests for Tyr? prophecies that he gave equally to both sides? inducing pointless deaths?). Both these characters (and others) bring things to the table, but I'm left feeling like they had only minor impacts rather than a cohesive effect on the story as a whole.
Then there were the other characters within the book. First there was the 'romance' that was never properly introduced or developed. I'm not sure why it was added at all, except to perhaps make Harrier worry his love would die to pay his MagePrice. Then there was the lack of real development of anyone else. The gang spends over half a year travelling with all the desert folks, but with the focus always on the main characters, most of the desert dwellers only got brief bouts of characterization--which made it hard to care about most of the thousands of deaths that went down.
About the only characters I did find myself attached to were Bisochim and Saravasse; giving a former villain such a long and prominent road to redemption and healing is something I haven't seen often, and I enjoyed watching both his quiet struggle with it and his reaffirmed relationship with Saravasse. Unfortunately, he's kept mute and sidelined for most of the story, which left a lot unsaid that I would like to have seen (some more of how he and Saravasse worked to heal the wounds between them would have been nice).
2. The Travelling
Journeys through the desert can work. Long journeys can work. Fights with monsters can work. Yet when all of these are done in repetitive fashion for countless hundreds of pages, it gets tiresome really fast. I was interested in the story up until about 200 pages in (my version of the book has about 500 pages), and then the rest dragged and dragged. I spent eight hours slogging through the rest and felt nothing of worth happened in that entire time. The fights never show any developed strategy or revelations--it's sandwind, swords, and repeat--the lack of a clear destination or plan on Harrier's part other than "distract the demon" made it hard to feel enthusiastic, and the magic felt quite underused. Bisochim did a little, but it felt like nothing given how much he'd done while he was still summoning Ahairan (creating servants, crafting whole castles, and so on and so forth)--some more destructive (and creative) efforts would have been nice, as would seeing more of Saravasse smashing and burning stuff. Harrier did even less, and Tiercel did almost nothing. He can cast fire without cost, but I don't recall him ever really using the ability during the fights.
The discovery of the Armethelians only made an already long and tedious journey even more so; I have trouble believing anyone just saved from a three month long zombie march would have enough energy or ego left to be that rude and belligerent.
3. The Ending
While something actually HAPPENED at the ending--a nice change from most of the several hundred pages that proceeded it--it was so swift and so downright unsettling that it was hard to appreciate it. At the end of a story, you want to feel something has really changed, that something has been accomplished, that everything the characters did was WORTH something, but the main impression I got was that the Wild Magic is a jerk who goes about using the ends to justify the means. Demons weren't defeated here; they were sealed away, exactly as they were before. The real 'triumph' was forming the triple Dragonbond, which could have been done much more simply by pairing Tiercel up with a Wildmage who actually would have appreciated it way back at the start. Instead, the Wild Magic decided allowing a war to happen and chaining Tiercel to someone who absolutely wants no part of it is the best solution to fixing all problems dragon. It's hard to find the conclusion satisfying when Harrier seems so annoyed with it, and when you realize from now on dragons are going to have to keep forming these awkward three way bonds as their 'fix.' Why couldn't mages just find another potential bonded for their dragon and pass the bond along shortly before they died, just as the ancient elves did? That seems a lot more satisfying and less uncomfortable, and the book also seems to establish it as possible--Ahairan was worried that killing Bisochim would allow him to unleash a last powerful spell, just as the elves do, so humans seem to have a great spell allowed to them as well--which is exactly what they need for passing on the bond. So, yes, it's hard to feel all too happy with the Wild Magic. Everything it did 'for a reason' was because it let something else bad happen that required that reason. For example, having Bisochim kill all the Isvaeni Wildmages to keep Ahairan from getting them, when Bisochim could simply have been steered away from releasing her to begin with. All of this makes the trilogy feel like it was just a compilation of pointless suffering, rather than suffering that really couldn't have been avoided either way. Thanks for nothin', Wild Magic!
Then, on top of that, there was Bisochim's death.
As mentioned, he and Saravasse were my favorite characters--so having him die only to find out his death /wasn't really required/ by the Firecrown was agonizing. Yes, it made Saravasse available for Harrier to try to bond with... but his MagePrice demanded he bond with a dragon even if she WEREN'T available. Which would have still left Tiercel to have him bond with Ancaladar. After which they could have healed Saravasse's wing and fought Ahairan as per the story. Again, it just felt like there had been suffering for no good purpose. While Bisochim did need redemption, there were better ways to do it. The novel was willing to let Zanattar off the hook, without ever having him show much remorse--Zanattar, who directly killed tens of thousands of people, children included, due to blindly following others, and never did much good after except for some minor monster fighting--while Bisochim, who only directly killed the Wildmages due to thinking the Balance required it, and then went on to deeply regret his actions and save countless lives (he saved the entire Isvaeni population from being thrown in the volcano!), got the short end of the stick. The Wild Magic had informed him that there was a great imbalance to be fixed (the flawed nature of dragonbonds), so I would dearly have loved to see him find redemption by fixing the problem the Wild Magic had so long ushered him towards rather than pointlessly roasting himself alive.
And as if that wasn't bad enough? In the most bitter twist of irony, Saravasse lives when he dies--and wants none of it. Hissing, snarling, hating being healed, mourning her Bonded--it feels like death would have been a kinder fate for her than continuing (which is ironic, as the whole 'point' of the story was to save dragons from dying--forcing them to lose people they love over and over and over again with each new bond...). But does anyone care about this or try to comfort her? No. Tiercel says nothing to her. But worse, far worse, is that Harrier actively mocks her--joking about his girlfriend bonding with her, about her pushing him into the volcano. Seriously, the novel ends with him making fun at the expense of someone who just lost the person she loved most in the entire world (something Harrier should now understand, being BONDED), for a reason she just found out was pointless, and he ends by making. Fun. Of her. It made me feel sick.
And then the novel just ENDS. So much for closure, regarding either Saravasse, Tiercel, stupid Harrier's awkward romance story, the Firecrown, whether more High Mages will be born and trained... everything, really.
With that, I conclude my rant--err, review--regarding the book. The series as a whole held so much promise, but just failed to deliver, especially here. Kind of like the title; I guess the Phoenix was meant to be a metaphor, but even then I'm still not sure for who or what.
While the proceeding two novels were far from the greatest books I've ever read, they were pretty good. The plot moved along briskly (and interestingly) enough to keep me intrigued, and the rules of magic that were established and sense of oncoming danger were nice.
Unfortunately, however, the third book really drops the ball. Lackluster characters, a tedious and over long journey, and an ending that was both abrupt and unpleasant left me feeling quite unsatisfied once it was done.
1. The Characters
The characters could have stood a good bit more developing than they got. Tiercel really didn't show much in the way of growth, and, in fact, seemed to wallow even more in self-loathing than he had in both novels prior. Harrier moved along quite a bit, but was still pretty tactless and gruff throughout, and his behavior at the end of the novel made me question if he'd really made that much progression at all (will talk about this more in the 'end' section).
The demon, while clearly shown as being evil and nasty, lacked any sort of personal charisma. She was also rather irredeemably STUPID. She continues to fixate on gaining the three mages in the desert--and the Firecrown--when going north and hunting down a wildmage probably would've been more productive, hidden though they might be. Her chance to torture a bunch of people to death in front of Bisochim and friends' noses is presented to her time and time again, and she squanders it. First when she takes over the Isvaeni immediately after being summoned, only to flee into the desert. Secondly when she discovers where all the Isvaeni children are conveniently gathered and decides to ignore them until the end. Last but not least, at the very end at the volcano. She finally has everyone in her grasp (again!), yet chooses to stand there chortling instead of doing anything productive, even letting the heroes wander up to the top of the volcano (seriously, did she think they were going up there to do anything she'd LIKE?) and not bothering to interfere until she realizes Bisochim's about to sacrifice himself. Even with the weak explanations offered by the story for her actions, I fail to see how keeping the hostages she already had--or walking up and grabbing those she didn't from under the heroes' noses--and deliberately torturing them to death one by one in front of the mages wouldn't have gotten her what she wanted. Or, well, it probably still wouldn't have gotten her what she wanted--but it would have at least confirmed the heroes would never bow to her, and thus convinced her to kill them once and for all and go seek out more pliable wildmages in the north.
The story also, by way of lack of use, makes characters from previous novels seem useless. The Telchi's training never does a whole lot for Harrier--about the most spectacular thing he does with his swords is kill a few Isvaeni (which doesn't do him a lot of good) and a few Black Dogs, neither of which seem to justify introducing that plot point, or making him a knight-mage in general. The Firecrown, despite being one of the more interesting characters, is so neutral and hard to puzzle out that it's hard to see what he contributed to the novel either (useless tests for Tyr? prophecies that he gave equally to both sides? inducing pointless deaths?). Both these characters (and others) bring things to the table, but I'm left feeling like they had only minor impacts rather than a cohesive effect on the story as a whole.
Then there were the other characters within the book. First there was the 'romance' that was never properly introduced or developed. I'm not sure why it was added at all, except to perhaps make Harrier worry his love would die to pay his MagePrice. Then there was the lack of real development of anyone else. The gang spends over half a year travelling with all the desert folks, but with the focus always on the main characters, most of the desert dwellers only got brief bouts of characterization--which made it hard to care about most of the thousands of deaths that went down.
About the only characters I did find myself attached to were Bisochim and Saravasse; giving a former villain such a long and prominent road to redemption and healing is something I haven't seen often, and I enjoyed watching both his quiet struggle with it and his reaffirmed relationship with Saravasse. Unfortunately, he's kept mute and sidelined for most of the story, which left a lot unsaid that I would like to have seen (some more of how he and Saravasse worked to heal the wounds between them would have been nice).
2. The Travelling
Journeys through the desert can work. Long journeys can work. Fights with monsters can work. Yet when all of these are done in repetitive fashion for countless hundreds of pages, it gets tiresome really fast. I was interested in the story up until about 200 pages in (my version of the book has about 500 pages), and then the rest dragged and dragged. I spent eight hours slogging through the rest and felt nothing of worth happened in that entire time. The fights never show any developed strategy or revelations--it's sandwind, swords, and repeat--the lack of a clear destination or plan on Harrier's part other than "distract the demon" made it hard to feel enthusiastic, and the magic felt quite underused. Bisochim did a little, but it felt like nothing given how much he'd done while he was still summoning Ahairan (creating servants, crafting whole castles, and so on and so forth)--some more destructive (and creative) efforts would have been nice, as would seeing more of Saravasse smashing and burning stuff. Harrier did even less, and Tiercel did almost nothing. He can cast fire without cost, but I don't recall him ever really using the ability during the fights.
The discovery of the Armethelians only made an already long and tedious journey even more so; I have trouble believing anyone just saved from a three month long zombie march would have enough energy or ego left to be that rude and belligerent.
3. The Ending
While something actually HAPPENED at the ending--a nice change from most of the several hundred pages that proceeded it--it was so swift and so downright unsettling that it was hard to appreciate it. At the end of a story, you want to feel something has really changed, that something has been accomplished, that everything the characters did was WORTH something, but the main impression I got was that the Wild Magic is a jerk who goes about using the ends to justify the means. Demons weren't defeated here; they were sealed away, exactly as they were before. The real 'triumph' was forming the triple Dragonbond, which could have been done much more simply by pairing Tiercel up with a Wildmage who actually would have appreciated it way back at the start. Instead, the Wild Magic decided allowing a war to happen and chaining Tiercel to someone who absolutely wants no part of it is the best solution to fixing all problems dragon. It's hard to find the conclusion satisfying when Harrier seems so annoyed with it, and when you realize from now on dragons are going to have to keep forming these awkward three way bonds as their 'fix.' Why couldn't mages just find another potential bonded for their dragon and pass the bond along shortly before they died, just as the ancient elves did? That seems a lot more satisfying and less uncomfortable, and the book also seems to establish it as possible--Ahairan was worried that killing Bisochim would allow him to unleash a last powerful spell, just as the elves do, so humans seem to have a great spell allowed to them as well--which is exactly what they need for passing on the bond. So, yes, it's hard to feel all too happy with the Wild Magic. Everything it did 'for a reason' was because it let something else bad happen that required that reason. For example, having Bisochim kill all the Isvaeni Wildmages to keep Ahairan from getting them, when Bisochim could simply have been steered away from releasing her to begin with. All of this makes the trilogy feel like it was just a compilation of pointless suffering, rather than suffering that really couldn't have been avoided either way. Thanks for nothin', Wild Magic!
Then, on top of that, there was Bisochim's death.
As mentioned, he and Saravasse were my favorite characters--so having him die only to find out his death /wasn't really required/ by the Firecrown was agonizing. Yes, it made Saravasse available for Harrier to try to bond with... but his MagePrice demanded he bond with a dragon even if she WEREN'T available. Which would have still left Tiercel to have him bond with Ancaladar. After which they could have healed Saravasse's wing and fought Ahairan as per the story. Again, it just felt like there had been suffering for no good purpose. While Bisochim did need redemption, there were better ways to do it. The novel was willing to let Zanattar off the hook, without ever having him show much remorse--Zanattar, who directly killed tens of thousands of people, children included, due to blindly following others, and never did much good after except for some minor monster fighting--while Bisochim, who only directly killed the Wildmages due to thinking the Balance required it, and then went on to deeply regret his actions and save countless lives (he saved the entire Isvaeni population from being thrown in the volcano!), got the short end of the stick. The Wild Magic had informed him that there was a great imbalance to be fixed (the flawed nature of dragonbonds), so I would dearly have loved to see him find redemption by fixing the problem the Wild Magic had so long ushered him towards rather than pointlessly roasting himself alive.
And as if that wasn't bad enough? In the most bitter twist of irony, Saravasse lives when he dies--and wants none of it. Hissing, snarling, hating being healed, mourning her Bonded--it feels like death would have been a kinder fate for her than continuing (which is ironic, as the whole 'point' of the story was to save dragons from dying--forcing them to lose people they love over and over and over again with each new bond...). But does anyone care about this or try to comfort her? No. Tiercel says nothing to her. But worse, far worse, is that Harrier actively mocks her--joking about his girlfriend bonding with her, about her pushing him into the volcano. Seriously, the novel ends with him making fun at the expense of someone who just lost the person she loved most in the entire world (something Harrier should now understand, being BONDED), for a reason she just found out was pointless, and he ends by making. Fun. Of her. It made me feel sick.
And then the novel just ENDS. So much for closure, regarding either Saravasse, Tiercel, stupid Harrier's awkward romance story, the Firecrown, whether more High Mages will be born and trained... everything, really.
With that, I conclude my rant--err, review--regarding the book. The series as a whole held so much promise, but just failed to deliver, especially here. Kind of like the title; I guess the Phoenix was meant to be a metaphor, but even then I'm still not sure for who or what.
June 17, 2010
The story makes for a very fun and exciting book. Unfortunately, it was spread out over a trilogy. They insert whining in the blank spots. Seriously, they need to hire some thug to go to writers' conferences and rough up all the would-be trilogy writers. Beat them until they wimper in defeated fear, "One book. One book." It's the answer to so many woes.
The overall setting of the book is a good, solid Middle Earth setting. What? Did you say it's not set in Middle Earth? OK, yeah, whatever. Call it whatever you want. It's set in Middle Earth.
There are two best friends who hate each other. They are pretty dull. You will find yourself skimming through their bickering so you can find out about the villains. Especially the fire crowned. He's the only interesting character. The problem with writing about hobbits - oh, I'm sorry - two perfectly fine, virtuous young men who are pure and true and NOT hobbits is that they are simple and don't have much interesting to say. This is less of a problem when you squeeze all sorts of exciting happenings into one book. When you stretch it, it can be uncomfortable.
They get girlfriends. One girlfriend dies. Unfortunately, I think the author noticed that the events of the last book were tedious and made some effort to re-write them. So they talk about the girlfriend dying before she actually does.
In all, this book was rather frustrating because the overall journey, the magical development of the main characters, and the story line had so much promise. It was simply so poorly executed that it could not be anything other than annoying.
The overall setting of the book is a good, solid Middle Earth setting. What? Did you say it's not set in Middle Earth? OK, yeah, whatever. Call it whatever you want. It's set in Middle Earth.
There are two best friends who hate each other. They are pretty dull. You will find yourself skimming through their bickering so you can find out about the villains. Especially the fire crowned. He's the only interesting character. The problem with writing about hobbits - oh, I'm sorry - two perfectly fine, virtuous young men who are pure and true and NOT hobbits is that they are simple and don't have much interesting to say. This is less of a problem when you squeeze all sorts of exciting happenings into one book. When you stretch it, it can be uncomfortable.
They get girlfriends. One girlfriend dies. Unfortunately, I think the author noticed that the events of the last book were tedious and made some effort to re-write them. So they talk about the girlfriend dying before she actually does.
In all, this book was rather frustrating because the overall journey, the magical development of the main characters, and the story line had so much promise. It was simply so poorly executed that it could not be anything other than annoying.
December 13, 2015
It's finally over!! God, this was a beast to finish. This audiobook made my work week extremely long! (I had it on audiobook. This book has too many stupid people in it. I was so frustrated with so many of the characters and screaming advice at them which was largely ignored. I couldn't stand the main characters apart from Shaiara so I didn't much care if they lived or died. Too much time on this series is spent with the characters bemoaning their fate. And then towards the end of the series they just tossed in a love interest that made very little sense to me. I am SOOO glad that I've finished this up. It was extremely disappointing to see how miserable this one was compared to the previous series. The only good thing I can really say is that it's over and I can read something else now.
April 30, 2022
8.5/10
Yes, a pretty traditional fantasy, but I liked the desert setting, culture of the tribes, and the two kinds of magic. I thought the characters were engaging and they certainly underwent some major changes over the course of 3 books.
AND there should have been maps!
Yes, a pretty traditional fantasy, but I liked the desert setting, culture of the tribes, and the two kinds of magic. I thought the characters were engaging and they certainly underwent some major changes over the course of 3 books.
AND there should have been maps!
October 22, 2025
It was a good series but the ending wasn’t what I expected and it was kind of disappointing.
November 3, 2011
I really enjoyed reading this engaging book. It sent me both into deep despair at the tragedies to befall the characters and also into the high reaches of happiness at the thrilling victories. At one point, the story was particularly despairing. However, Mercedes Lackey did a wonderful job of keeping the story exciting and interesting even during these desolate moments. I became invested in the story and felt as though my life was on the line right next to lives of the heroes.
This book has a couple of heroes. They are the same two boys from the very beginning of the trilogy. They are still unquestionably friends, yet they have both changed so much during their journey. Lackey builds their characters with great patience and detail, always adding to the already rich personalities and internal struggles. The characters, even the ones with deep ties in magic, are relatable in their emotions and internal struggles.
My other favorite part of this book was the stunning setting. Lackey creates a world with such a rich variety of places. Throughout the trilogy the settings include forest, plains, mountains, rolling hills, dessert, caves, and the elven lands which aren’t like anything I've ever read about. Each and every one of these settings was explored in every aspect by Lackey, an element of the book that I found quite entertaining.
This book is meant for someone who enjoys fantasy, because it has it all: magic (of multiple kinds), dragons, elves, unicorns, demons, goblins, and elemental spirits. It would also intrigue someone who loves adventures across miles and miles of land and through all sorts of difficulties. This book is about undying friendship and the strong connections forged by mutual need. It delves deep into trust and distrust, and the causes and effects of both. This book was a phenomenal read and is highly recommended to a fantasy fanatic looking for a new world.
This book has a couple of heroes. They are the same two boys from the very beginning of the trilogy. They are still unquestionably friends, yet they have both changed so much during their journey. Lackey builds their characters with great patience and detail, always adding to the already rich personalities and internal struggles. The characters, even the ones with deep ties in magic, are relatable in their emotions and internal struggles.
My other favorite part of this book was the stunning setting. Lackey creates a world with such a rich variety of places. Throughout the trilogy the settings include forest, plains, mountains, rolling hills, dessert, caves, and the elven lands which aren’t like anything I've ever read about. Each and every one of these settings was explored in every aspect by Lackey, an element of the book that I found quite entertaining.
This book is meant for someone who enjoys fantasy, because it has it all: magic (of multiple kinds), dragons, elves, unicorns, demons, goblins, and elemental spirits. It would also intrigue someone who loves adventures across miles and miles of land and through all sorts of difficulties. This book is about undying friendship and the strong connections forged by mutual need. It delves deep into trust and distrust, and the causes and effects of both. This book was a phenomenal read and is highly recommended to a fantasy fanatic looking for a new world.
July 30, 2012
I went into this series with high hopes because I have really enjoyed other books by Mercedes Lackey, and even remained hopeful after the first 2 books were just ok. However this book thoroughly disappointed me. During the first 2 books I was willing to put up with the constant complaining of the "heroes" because I thought that at some point they would grow up and realize that true leaders don't sit and complain about everything they look for solutions to problems and inspire those around them. They don't have to enjoy all of the area's of leadership but there isn't any way I could believe that a race of people would follow 2 boys who can't even quit fighting amoungst themselves. Furthermore, I find it hard to believe that after all they go through they wouldn't grow up quickly and start acting more like adults than spoiled rotten brats. It also felt like we had to hear EVERY thought that was going through the main characters heads without any filter at all! I remember being a teenager and have teenagers of my own now and don't want to hear every little RANDOM thought that goes through their heads.
The other major disappointment with this book was the conclusion. After months of being tortured, harried, pursued, and cursed, the finale took about 10 pages and leaves you feeling "that's it!" All the magic learned by Tyr was not needed. It felt rushed and not well thought out.
Overall I would NOT recommend this series.
The other major disappointment with this book was the conclusion. After months of being tortured, harried, pursued, and cursed, the finale took about 10 pages and leaves you feeling "that's it!" All the magic learned by Tyr was not needed. It felt rushed and not well thought out.
Overall I would NOT recommend this series.
September 2, 2020
Thank fuck I finished this complete trash pile of a book. If I could give it negative stars, I would. I will have a more nuanced and specific review at a later date, right now it's just enough that I finished it.
February 3, 2022
Strong beginning, mediocre middle, strong (although predictable) ending. Honestly I was taken aback by the length of this installment and I think it could have used some serious editing. But overall it was still enjoyable and one I would read again.
March 9, 2013
A boring long winded book that I wish I hadn't bothered reading. I only read it as I had read the first two so was intrigued to see how it concluded. Very disappointed
May 11, 2017
This series was never very great, but it was interesting enough to keep me going. Then, by the end it was just such a poor rip off of similar books that I give it 2 stars. The characters were annoying and all they do is take forever to cross the desert just to realize they have to go back. Then, it's like they immediately make it back when it took them months to get away.
The explanation of where Ancaladar was interesting, but then he just conveniently falls out of the sky when they need him? Really? They could have used his help sooner but it's like the authors just wanted to prolong this never ending march through the desert by vanishing one dragon and crippling the other so instead of really fighting or any kind of interesting action everyone just keeps marching back and forth across the desert. They could have left the dragons in, had the mages fly to the confrontation, and spent more time having an epic battle instead of wandering around the desert until they get right back to the starting point and having an anticlimactic confrontation with the villain.
The villain was also disappointing. I could understand they said she was new to the world and was learning, but all she did was send the same things after them again and again. I think the tribes that the 'heroes' were traveling with killed more innocent victims than the 'villain' of the entire thing. Then, at the end there wasn't even a real battle she just sat on her camel and her and the 'heroes' had a mind battle.
Another thing that was annoying is that essentially the whole problem was caused by the wild magic making a guy think there was an imbalance. Since when they found him he wasn't tainted so the magic must have been okay with his actions. Then, the 'heroes' allies ended up killing more people in the cities than the villain did through the whole series? Really? My understanding was that the magic was about balance and nature and was essentially a force of good, but all this just seems like a really convoluted way to kill a bunch of people and settle an old debt made between elves and dragons.
Overall I'm glad it's over and it will be a while before I try to get into another high fantasy novel.
The explanation of where Ancaladar was interesting, but then he just conveniently falls out of the sky when they need him? Really? They could have used his help sooner but it's like the authors just wanted to prolong this never ending march through the desert by vanishing one dragon and crippling the other so instead of really fighting or any kind of interesting action everyone just keeps marching back and forth across the desert. They could have left the dragons in, had the mages fly to the confrontation, and spent more time having an epic battle instead of wandering around the desert until they get right back to the starting point and having an anticlimactic confrontation with the villain.
The villain was also disappointing. I could understand they said she was new to the world and was learning, but all she did was send the same things after them again and again. I think the tribes that the 'heroes' were traveling with killed more innocent victims than the 'villain' of the entire thing. Then, at the end there wasn't even a real battle she just sat on her camel and her and the 'heroes' had a mind battle.
Another thing that was annoying is that essentially the whole problem was caused by the wild magic making a guy think there was an imbalance. Since when they found him he wasn't tainted so the magic must have been okay with his actions. Then, the 'heroes' allies ended up killing more people in the cities than the villain did through the whole series? Really? My understanding was that the magic was about balance and nature and was essentially a force of good, but all this just seems like a really convoluted way to kill a bunch of people and settle an old debt made between elves and dragons.
Overall I'm glad it's over and it will be a while before I try to get into another high fantasy novel.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 26, 2021
I gave the same star count for this book, as I did for the previous two, purely because it has finished - at last!
This book was looooong - the trouble is, it took 19 chapters before it hit chapter 20 - where, at last, something was actually happening, at last, to get rid of Ahairan!
I kept reading, in the end, purely to get to the point where something actually happened - well, LOTS of little things happened before chapter 20, but it was purely and simply a long, slow, killing spree of the Isvaeni tribes by Ahairan's dark servants - which could actually have been dealt with in 2-3 chapters at the most - but, instead, I had to plow through descriptive phrasing that told me, to the nth degree, just how our heroes were suffering with their angst - ad nauseum!
This would have been fine, as part of the plot - but not while it took 19 chapters of them - slowly - being whittled down, as they walked back and forth across a scorching hot desert!
I'm not saying that these were terrible books - but, for heaven's sake - If all 3 books were edited down, so that long, rambling, conversations, that led absolutely nowhere, were removed, plus some of the constant, repeated, journeys were cut back, we may, possibly, have had one decent book to read, instead of having to plow through 3 of them to find the plotline.
I'm seriously thinking of removing this trilogy from my bookshelves, as I can't afford to waste good shelf space on bad books!
The Obsidian Trilogy was good, but this follow-on just wasn't worth my time, and the herculean effort it took , for me to read them.
Sorry Misty, I'm shocked that I've actually found some books, bearing your name, that I just couldn't enjoy!
I'm going to be reading book 1 of The Dragon Prophecy: Crown of Vengeance, next - fingers crossed it's a better read, as James Mallory is co-author for this trilogy, too!
This book was looooong - the trouble is, it took 19 chapters before it hit chapter 20 - where, at last, something was actually happening, at last, to get rid of Ahairan!
I kept reading, in the end, purely to get to the point where something actually happened - well, LOTS of little things happened before chapter 20, but it was purely and simply a long, slow, killing spree of the Isvaeni tribes by Ahairan's dark servants - which could actually have been dealt with in 2-3 chapters at the most - but, instead, I had to plow through descriptive phrasing that told me, to the nth degree, just how our heroes were suffering with their angst - ad nauseum!
This would have been fine, as part of the plot - but not while it took 19 chapters of them - slowly - being whittled down, as they walked back and forth across a scorching hot desert!
I'm not saying that these were terrible books - but, for heaven's sake - If all 3 books were edited down, so that long, rambling, conversations, that led absolutely nowhere, were removed, plus some of the constant, repeated, journeys were cut back, we may, possibly, have had one decent book to read, instead of having to plow through 3 of them to find the plotline.
I'm seriously thinking of removing this trilogy from my bookshelves, as I can't afford to waste good shelf space on bad books!
The Obsidian Trilogy was good, but this follow-on just wasn't worth my time, and the herculean effort it took , for me to read them.
Sorry Misty, I'm shocked that I've actually found some books, bearing your name, that I just couldn't enjoy!
I'm going to be reading book 1 of The Dragon Prophecy: Crown of Vengeance, next - fingers crossed it's a better read, as James Mallory is co-author for this trilogy, too!
October 11, 2024
I really wanted to like this series more than I did. It wasn't terrible, but... I'll put my complaints in spoiler tags.
Don't get me wrong, I'm glad I finished this trilogy, and I'll most likely check out the prequel trilogy that's still being released. I just wish this one was as epic as it wanted to be.
Don't get me wrong, I'm glad I finished this trilogy, and I'll most likely check out the prequel trilogy that's still being released. I just wish this one was as epic as it wanted to be.
July 13, 2017
I really enjoyed the first two books, but to me this one just seemed to really drag. The characters spent the majority of this book just wandering in the desert facing the same problems over and over again. I kept putting this book down, debating whether I wanted to finish it or not. I wanted to know what happened, but it was dragging so much. It eventually did pick back up and I was more invested again.
The final battle was very....underwhelming. I was expecting a lot more out of it, and it didn't last long at all (according to the characters like 5 minutes.) And Anaclander (or however it's spelled) The actual ending was a bit abrupt too, I wish the authors would have taken us a little farther. And seriously
I think I'll still read the prequel trilogy to this, I've heard that it's better, and I did enjoy this one with the exception of the main part of this one.
The final battle was very....underwhelming. I was expecting a lot more out of it, and it didn't last long at all (according to the characters like 5 minutes.) And Anaclander (or however it's spelled) The actual ending was a bit abrupt too, I wish the authors would have taken us a little farther. And seriously
I think I'll still read the prequel trilogy to this, I've heard that it's better, and I did enjoy this one with the exception of the main part of this one.
June 23, 2023
Ik moet bekennen dat ik alleen het derde deel van deze trilogie heb gelezen. Ik heb niet het idee dat ik essentiële informatie uit de vorige delen heb gemist, want er wordt nog ruimschoots de tijd genomen om eerdere gebeurtenissen uit de doeken te doen. Het verhaal is goed onderhoudend en heeft mij op het puntje van mijn stoel gehouden. De woestijn en het leven daarin komen overtuigend over. De magie laat wel heel veel ruimte om alles te maken wat je wil. De MagiePrijs, een tegenprestatie die de magiër of zijn omgeving moet leveren, is hiertegen een originele rem. Verder de voor fantasy gebruikelijke ingrediënten van volwassen worden, jezelf en je krachten ontdekken en reizen. Al met al een prima fantasy.
July 1, 2025
I surprised myself by really liking this book. The first two were just so-so but I had all three so felt compelled to read it. I actually bought another book (on Audible) to read but by the time I figured out which one to get and did it, I couldn't stop...for now. I would just read through this next part, and on and on.
It was longer than I would have liked, and boy do I understand what others said about Tiercel being Mopey. As I said it was a long book and Tiercel was Mr. Droopy Puss for 99% of it. However I like Harrier. He was a bit gruff and bossy, but that's my kind of peop's.
Some of the end I anticipated, some I did not, but it was foreshadowed, which I like. You can look back (or reread at a future time) and go "Aha".
It was longer than I would have liked, and boy do I understand what others said about Tiercel being Mopey. As I said it was a long book and Tiercel was Mr. Droopy Puss for 99% of it. However I like Harrier. He was a bit gruff and bossy, but that's my kind of peop's.
Some of the end I anticipated, some I did not, but it was foreshadowed, which I like. You can look back (or reread at a future time) and go "Aha".
October 20, 2017
I read a few bad reviews about this book and I started to get a little uneasy towards the end of the book. If you enjoy high fantasy then don't let the bad reviews detour you away. The story is enjoyable and the characters are lovable.
Since the beginning of the trilogy I have loved the relationship of Har and Tyr. I am glad to have read the whole Enduring Flame Triology. The Phoenix Transformed was probably the weakest book but that is probably because there is no more world building but tying up all the loose ends of the book. I did enjoy the appearance an Eugence around the middle of the book adding to the plot. If you enjoy battles, wizards, and dragons than this is a book for you.
Since the beginning of the trilogy I have loved the relationship of Har and Tyr. I am glad to have read the whole Enduring Flame Triology. The Phoenix Transformed was probably the weakest book but that is probably because there is no more world building but tying up all the loose ends of the book. I did enjoy the appearance an Eugence around the middle of the book adding to the plot. If you enjoy battles, wizards, and dragons than this is a book for you.
August 28, 2024
le petit apocalypse
A civilization of desert tribes broken and rebroken as thousands die, where the goal is mere survival, because victory is impossible.
A whole lot of running back and forth and back again, fleeing demons and monsters and zombies you can’t beat, as they nibble away your people bit by bit.
The tribes died when the dark goddess awoke, and the real horror is that the force of the universe that stands opposite the demons, the cost of this slow war was minimal. Yes, thousands were lost, but the whole world was at risk, and the Light is as ruthless as a Mage-Knight at waging war and accepting losses.
A civilization of desert tribes broken and rebroken as thousands die, where the goal is mere survival, because victory is impossible.
A whole lot of running back and forth and back again, fleeing demons and monsters and zombies you can’t beat, as they nibble away your people bit by bit.
The tribes died when the dark goddess awoke, and the real horror is that the force of the universe that stands opposite the demons, the cost of this slow war was minimal. Yes, thousands were lost, but the whole world was at risk, and the Light is as ruthless as a Mage-Knight at waging war and accepting losses.
September 19, 2018
The first 2 books were so slow and so little was done for the story that everything had to be done in this book.
The pacing was still really bad. For the most of it it was just a group of people wandering around dying, then all of a sudden *boom* we have to eventually finish this story! Lets throw everything together and hope it makes sense. It really didn't.
Having finished it, I wouldn't recommend it to many people. I especially wouldn't recommend it to anyone that liked the Obsidian Tower trilogy.
The pacing was still really bad. For the most of it it was just a group of people wandering around dying, then all of a sudden *boom* we have to eventually finish this story! Lets throw everything together and hope it makes sense. It really didn't.
Having finished it, I wouldn't recommend it to many people. I especially wouldn't recommend it to anyone that liked the Obsidian Tower trilogy.
July 21, 2025
I really liked this trilogy overall. The characters were great; I really enjoyed Harrier and Tiercel's dynamic. The enemy was great and the storyline was great. I enjoyed the villain to forgiven aspect of Bisochim. They spent way too long (half the last book) trying to escape the desert. The ending was good, though a triple dragon bond was a little weird and I was unclear on whether or not that meant all dragon bonds from that point forward all had to be that way or not. Making the original dragon-pact come full circle at the end was cool. I would read this again.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 13, 2017
Wow, just wow.
This book was a little slow going because so much was going on, but the conclusion more than made it up. I'm sad I can only give 5 stars when it truly deserves about 100.a great conclusion, but the only thing I wished we could have seen was the fate if Kellen, since we got to learn about everyone else from the Obsidian trilogy. I hope there us more to this universe soon.
This book was a little slow going because so much was going on, but the conclusion more than made it up. I'm sad I can only give 5 stars when it truly deserves about 100.a great conclusion, but the only thing I wished we could have seen was the fate if Kellen, since we got to learn about everyone else from the Obsidian trilogy. I hope there us more to this universe soon.
April 2, 2018
Plenty of magical believable action.
The 3rd book so read the first two. Good interaction between the main characters. Good mix of action and thoughtful leads. Especially liked the desert tribes. Didn't understand why the lead Dragon disappeared for so long. Short on good female roll models.
The 3rd book so read the first two. Good interaction between the main characters. Good mix of action and thoughtful leads. Especially liked the desert tribes. Didn't understand why the lead Dragon disappeared for so long. Short on good female roll models.
December 4, 2019
Good resolution of the series. Some places reading felt redundant, or "filler". I wish they described other attributes of the world like financial systems or gone more in-depth with how the magical system works. I feel like they used the lack of explanation as a way for them to write things off in the end.
February 16, 2024
I never thought I'd give a Mercedes Lackey novel a bad review, but I'm not sure how much of this one was her, and how much was her co-author, James Mallory. This was wall-to-wall fighting and evil and never-ending terrorizing of thousand of people.... Halfway through I decided "enough" and skipped to the end of the book.
Yes, happy ending, but the slog to get to it just wasn't worth it.
Yes, happy ending, but the slog to get to it just wasn't worth it.
March 26, 2024
I got the audio book from the library. The Lat book in the enduring flame Trilogy, it is long (25 hours) and much of it is quite dark, there were a couple of times I had to walk away from it for a day or two, but I always wanted to come back to it.
This isn’t your ordinary dragon vs knight swashbuckler, it is A bit deeper than that. I found it well written and engaging.
This isn’t your ordinary dragon vs knight swashbuckler, it is A bit deeper than that. I found it well written and engaging.
April 27, 2019
This was ok and I’m glad I finished the trilogy. Neither of the final two books was as enjoyable as the first and this book didn’t go as epic in scale as I hoped. This is decent and relatively engaging escapism but there likely would be other series I’d recommend first.
September 14, 2019
Completely outshined by the first two. Tiercel did almost nothing until the final chapter or so, and there were plenty of parts that were unnecessarily long. It could have been shorter, and it could have been done better, but it was still alright.
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