Let me preface this by saying: I am a huge Maria V. Snyder fan. I’ve read the Study series and the Glass series, so naturally, I was very excited to see that she had written another series. In true bibliophile fashion, I read each book in under 24 hours. Never start a book on a Monday, folks. Sleep < a good book.
The plot centers around Avry, a healer who is forced into hiding after the healers have been wiped out in the Fifteen Realms following a plague. She is found by Kerrick, a forest mage, who is on a mission to revive Prince Ryne, who has been placed in stasis following the plague.
In an effort to stop the megalomaniac King Tohon, Avry goes through a series of adventures and trials, including invading an enemy army, stopping the walking dead, and honing her abilities.
The plot is fantastic. It’s a little predictable, but not in a distracting, disappointing way. There were plenty of plot twists that I didn’t see coming to make up for the predictable bits.
All three books were page turners, and I lost a lot of sleep while reading them. That being said, the series wasn’t my favorite. The Study series is my absolute favorite (and I’m not even ashamed to say I’ve read it three times!)
The characters fell a little flat in this series. Avry’s character was built up by book three, but I couldn’t stand her in the first book. The true love element is a little nauseating, too.
I still loved them, and I will continue to read every book Snyder releases. I rated it a 4/5 on Goodreads.
lifebetweenreads.com 