Age of Swords

Age of swords is a book of preparation, a preparation for war.

After Age of Myth we are left with a threat of war between Runes and Fhreys. In Age of swords we see our characters planning and finding strategies to go to war.

I find the pace of this installment very slow especially in the first half and I found myself not interested in the characters of Moya and Roan. I found myself dragging off during this read. The second part was more fast-paced and it captured my interest again. I don't react positively to the death of animals, especially if they have a strong bond with characters, though. I cried for the last.. 40 pages or so?! That was torture, my poor feelings -_-
* I will never forget you for that, Michael Sullivan *

But at least I am glad if an author can connect to my feelings and make feel for the characters and the story :)

Overall, a nice installment with a good plot and with solid character development. Right now, I need a break from the series but I am curious to know what Age of War will bring.

3.75 out of 5 stars – see this review and others at The Speculative Shelf.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Author Michael J. Sullivan continues his six-book, 3000-years prior to Riyria, fantasy epic with Age of Swords, a tale of humans attempting to unite their clans and overthrow the god-like Fhrey race. Our main characters must overcome in-fighting, inferior technology, and a bunch of pesky dwarves before they can even think about crossing paths with the Fhrey.

This book starts with a bang, quiets down and then steadily builds to a satisfying conclusion. In typical Michael J. Sullivan fashion, there are plenty of common fantasy tropes at play here, but he utilizes them in a way that is fresh, inviting, and fun. There is something to be said about reading fantasy that gives off a positive vibe, during a time when grimdark is all the rage.

Sullivan greatly expands his character pool, while giving everyone enough to do to justify their presence. Each person is easy to root for and there's a bevy of awesome female characters that steal the show. No worthy adversary ever emerges, and the plot outcomes are fairly predictable, but this is still another enjoyable adventure with a stellar cast.

This is just incredibly boring to me. Sure, I am in a slump and all, so maybe I will try it again later, but right now everything about this is a slog.
The Fhrey chapters especially; just so much boring ass political exposition. Talking and talking, about this law and that ruler and I want to claw my eyes out.

There was also a scene where they invent the wheel. Some more developed races are present and they start going super into it, axles, metals, greasing, etc. and the whole scene made me kind of annoyed. Let me guess, the girl who “invented the wheel” is going to race through the technological advances on her own because she is just so special.

Whole book can be summarized to Persephone thinking and saying to others “you guys are dumb, don't do what you are about to do”, and her proceeding to do something dumb and not let others talk her out of it. I'm all for powerful women and stuff, but she's not it. She is incompetent and got into power by accident, thinking she is the only one that can save everyone. Maybe being lucky is her superpower. idk.

The only saving grace is Suri and Minna.

Executive Summary: This book finished stronger for me than it started. Another solid effort by Mr. Sullivan.Audiobook: I first discovered [a:Michael J. Sullivan 2063919 Michael J. Sullivan https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1433443335p2/2063919.jpg] thanks to an audible daily deal for [b:Theft of Swords 10790290 Theft of Swords (The Riyria Revelations, #1-2) Michael J. Sullivan https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1307959785s/10790290.jpg 15702572]. [a:Tim Gerard Reynolds 4132657 Tim Gerard Reynolds https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1370714999p2/4132657.jpg] was excellent for that book. Ever since audio has been the only way to go for me. I'll never read a book when I could listen to him read it to me instead. Another great job here as expected.Full ReviewI've always enjoyed Mr. Sullivan's writing and this one was no different. I did find the start of this one a bit slow. If anything I'd expect to have had that happen with the first book in a series and not the second. I'm not entirely sure why I felt that way.This one picks up right where the last book left of, but it just felt like there was a bunch of stage setting for what turned out to be the main plot of this book. Once that got going however, it was quite enjoyable.The female characters continue to steal the show for me. Not just the “main” characters like Persephone and Suri, but the “minor” ones like Brin and especially Roan. On the men's side, I find most of them pretty unlikable, especially the elves. Raithe, who I found to be a pretty great character in the first book, annoyed me for much of this book. Thankfully that got better by the end of the book. The best male character continues to be Gifford, though he had a fairly small part for much of the book. I do like the addition of Tesh in this book, and hope he features more in future books.The most intriguing parts for me continue to be wondering what Malcolm's motivations are, and just who the hell is Trilos?This book adds the Dwarves in, and I don't want to spoil anything so I'll just say that they make things interesting. Anyone who's read Mr. Sullivan's Riyria books will probably have a good idea of his opinions on Dwarves however.Overall this was an enjoyable entry in the series, and I'm already looking forward to [b:Age of War 18052169 Age of War (The Legends of the First Empire, #3) Michael J. Sullivan https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1500722524s/18052169.jpg 25336191].

In this continuation of The Legends of the First Empire series, we continue the story of the preparations for the war between human and Fhrey. I won't get more into it to avoid spoilers of the first book.

I am really loving this series. The pacing in the middle chunk of this book was pretty slow, but the beginning and end really made up for it. The main winner of this series so far is the characters. I love every character in these stories. They're all so well thought out, and their relationships are spectacular. The main group of women that goes on the expedition for weaponry are all so unique and strong. The themes throughout are so well presented, and I found myself rooting for every one of these characters. We get to learn more about the magic in this book as well, and it is so interesting. The side plot of the Mirror Leaf politics was a little more boring in my opinion, however it has been set up to seem like it will be important later. I'm hoping that story line pays off.

Overall, this series has been a joy to read. It is an expert blend of traditional fantasy mixed with modern themes that really leaves me feeling great after each book.

TW: ableism, amputation, animal death, blood, death, demons, attempted murder, misogyny, violence, war

Age of Swords continues the action of the first book in the series, Age of Myth. Persephone, now the chief of her clan, must lead her people to safety after their village is destroyed by the Fhrey. Realizing that the Fhrey will no longer leave her people in peace, she must try to unite all the clans if they will have any chance of surviving the impending war.

The girl power in this book is great. I can't say much more about that without revealing spoilers, but the women in this story kick butt and it is terrific. Michael J. Sullivan has further developed characters that were more peripheral in the first book, which enhances the depth of the narrative and the overall world-building. The engaging action draws the reader through the story and leaves you ready for the next installment! Fantasy fans will enjoy this series, especially if they start at the beginning.

A great epic fantasy!

Once again Michael hits it out of the park. While not completely breaking traditional tropes, he still adds enough of a spin that it feels fresh. He also writes some of the best female protagonists that I've read.

I love the arc of telling a prequel story about what eventually becomes legend in the earlier stories of Riyria. It makes me want to reread the Riyria books again with this new perspective. The only down side is having to wait for the next one.