The Age of the End by Tim Facciola REVIEW

Summary:

The flood of blood drowns New Rheynia, but the Age of the End is only just beginning. Though the traitor God within Valencia has been exposed, and Zephyrus and Threyna wield the artifacts of long dead deities, the way to the divine realm is blocked. The Harbinger has ascended to slaughter the Gods and leave the mortal in ruins. But Zephyrus, Laeden, Vykinallia, Iylea, and Threna have even more pressing concerns.

The Skeleton King has come to New Rheynia's shores. Empowered by cursed magic, he and his legions will stop at nothing to consume every soul in the mortal realm in service to the One True God. Regardless if they're Valencian or Celestic, Rheynians or Helms, free or enslaved - everyone must join together if they hope to outlast the apocalypse. Even the worst of enemies.

Bonds of friendship and love will be tested.

Chains of guilt and disdain will come undone. One way or another, the scales will be set right, and nothing will be the same again.

My Thoughts:

I'm really sad to see this story go. This is probably the best trilogy I've read in a long time.

I have to say that my favorite parts in this book happen to be Danella's character development. She really changes as a person to become someone better, even unrecognizable from the person she was in the first book. And it's believable, even though it technically happens in a short amount of time. Danella realizes that she's on the wrong side, and not only switches sides, but gives her all in helping the characters.

Fenyx probably is my second favorite in this installment. His parts were really interesting, and his development was great to see.

Threyna and Vykinallia become reluctant friends, as Threyna has to help train her to use her new abilities. Laeden grows as a person even more somehow.

Zephyrus was also a great part of this book (he's the main character, so he has to be, but still). He definitely grows even more as a fighter. We also get to see him meet his mom.

Overall, I loved reading this, and I was melancholy when I finished it. I don't think there can be another trilogy as amazing as this one.

My Rating: 5 stars 

The Breaker of Chains by Tim Facciola REVIEW

 Summary:

New Rheynia has woken from peace's slumber to a nightmare. Denied the nightly rains, crops fail, people divide, and revolution blooms between every crack in the kingdoms' failing foundation. King Varros - supposedly dead. Laeden, the traitor, a fugitive. And the Uprising's patience has ended. Following Zephyrus's open defiance of the crown, war has come. No one will emerge unscathed.

While Danella directs Damascus to finish the war her father started, Laeden frees gladiator slaves to raise an army against them. With New Rheynia burning, Vykinallia, a prisoner of the Uprising, attempts to prove herself more valuable than a king's ransom. And Iylea, after skirting death to become a servant in the divine realm, learns of a treacherous plot amongst the Gods with Zephyrus at the center of it all. Now, with the aid of Iylea in the divine realm and Laeden in the mortal, Zephyrus must claim the lost relics of long dead Gods if he has any chance of facing the traitor God and breaking the chains that bind all of humanity. But plans are in place . . . The Age of the End is coming.

My Thoughts:

Never in my life have I ever read a sequel that was even better than the first book - but here we are - this was somehow even better than the first book. I loved the fleshing out of the characters, especially smaller ones from the first book like Fenyx. Vykinallia's stoy arc in this made me like her even more, as did Laeden's.

Laeden is not only freeing the slaves to raise an army, but he's giving them a choice to join or to try to live out their lives peacefully. While on the journey, he runs into his father, King Varros, who isn't actually dead and tries to convince Laeden to choose peace instead of joining the war. While Laeden wants peace, he knows that his stepmother Danella and King Damascus will never go for that, and the war is an essential part in not only bringing peace, but bringing much needed change to the kingdom. Varros also tries to convince Danella, but she refuses to stop the war

Iylea is brought back by the Gods to break the chains, which will supposedly help the world. But while being there, she discovers that one of the Gods is actually plotting to end the world.

Zephyrus is sent on a journey to collect lost relics so that he can do his part in the war, but finds obstacles along the way. He also goes home to try to find his family with no luck - they've all disappeared.

The book ends with the Traitor God finding someone human to help him with his plan.

I loved this novel, and I didn't want it to end. I am very excited for the next one though!

My Rating: 5 stars