The Lessons Never Learned
I highly enjoyed the first instalment in "The War Eternal" series (you can read the review here), and I gladly accepted an opportunity to review the second book in the series - Lessons Never Learned.
To quickly recap the events - Eskara Helsene, the Sourcerer, along with the close-knit group of friends, crazy old man Tamura and grieving strongman Hardt, escaped from the Pit. They left behind a trail of corpses and are getting as far away from the prison as possible.
In "Along the Razor's Edge" Eskara introduced us to her world and some of the lore while describing her childhood, training and the war she fought in. I knew it's big and there's plenty to discover. However, in "The Lessons Never Learned", it truly expanded.
Flying cities, gods - the Rand and the Djinn, closer look at the magic and how to use it, introducing new characters and return of some of the ones already met. This book is bursting with action, throws in new challenges, and forces characters to face consequences of their choices.
I am very aware that Rob's publishing schedule is quite tight and the previous title was released just a month ago. Thus, reviewing the second book in the series on its publishing day may result in some spoilers. For that reason, I will be quite vague.
The moment of giving away of [redacted] broke my heart - I understood the reasons, but I was hoping for a better outcome.
I loved the entire scene in [redacted] - the storm, the threat, the sacrifice, the idea to use the artefact. Excellent writing of a very dynamic sequence from Rob and admittedly, Sserakis may have become one of my favourite characters.
The vegetable chopping lesson was a nice touch after the pain and heartache.
There are many small yet significant moments throughout the story, which made me wonder what implications will they have for all characters involved and how the events will tie up to lead to the foretold glimpses.
As with every series, there always is a risk the books will differ in terms of writing or storytelling qualities. I was happy to see that it was not the case - The War Eternal holds the level high and still packs a punch. The reason for this is that the author writes the entire story and publishes the parts after it's complete. From my perspective, this method certainly helps to keep the story coherent, make adjustments to it as necessary, and deliver a good reader experience.
The final book is due to be released at the end of May 2020 - Eska's story concludes, and I am eager to learn what fate awaits her and her family.
To quickly recap the events - Eskara Helsene, the Sourcerer, along with the close-knit group of friends, crazy old man Tamura and grieving strongman Hardt, escaped from the Pit. They left behind a trail of corpses and are getting as far away from the prison as possible.
In "Along the Razor's Edge" Eskara introduced us to her world and some of the lore while describing her childhood, training and the war she fought in. I knew it's big and there's plenty to discover. However, in "The Lessons Never Learned", it truly expanded.
Flying cities, gods - the Rand and the Djinn, closer look at the magic and how to use it, introducing new characters and return of some of the ones already met. This book is bursting with action, throws in new challenges, and forces characters to face consequences of their choices.
I am very aware that Rob's publishing schedule is quite tight and the previous title was released just a month ago. Thus, reviewing the second book in the series on its publishing day may result in some spoilers. For that reason, I will be quite vague.
The moment of giving away of [redacted] broke my heart - I understood the reasons, but I was hoping for a better outcome.
I loved the entire scene in [redacted] - the storm, the threat, the sacrifice, the idea to use the artefact. Excellent writing of a very dynamic sequence from Rob and admittedly, Sserakis may have become one of my favourite characters.
The vegetable chopping lesson was a nice touch after the pain and heartache.
There are many small yet significant moments throughout the story, which made me wonder what implications will they have for all characters involved and how the events will tie up to lead to the foretold glimpses.
As with every series, there always is a risk the books will differ in terms of writing or storytelling qualities. I was happy to see that it was not the case - The War Eternal holds the level high and still packs a punch. The reason for this is that the author writes the entire story and publishes the parts after it's complete. From my perspective, this method certainly helps to keep the story coherent, make adjustments to it as necessary, and deliver a good reader experience.
The final book is due to be released at the end of May 2020 - Eska's story concludes, and I am eager to learn what fate awaits her and her family.
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The Lessons Never Learned On Goodreads