Morning Star

Executive Summary: Wow, what a finish. I couldn't put it down for the last 25%, and probably would have finished this in only a day or two if I hadn't been doing it in audio. A five star rating from me is rare, and this one got that easily.Audiobook: [a:Tim Gerard Reynolds 4132657 Tim Gerard Reynolds https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1370714999p2/4132657.jpg] has always felt like a well kept secret among Riyria fans. He seems to be getting more and more work recently though. I have a feeling that his fan base will continue to grow as they realize how good he is. If you do audio, add this series to your list.Full ReviewI have a hard time qualifying what exactly makes a book 5 stars. I'm super stingy about it. I think it varies with each book somewhat. At it's core though, it's a book that makes me feel something. That doesn't necessarily mean it's the best prose, or most clever writing.In other words, a book that evokes strong emotions from me. Does the author make me happy or angry? Do they make me laugh or cry? This one did all of those things in the same book. To me that's a sure sign of a great book. Everyone has their own metrics. I just loved this book. I wasn't planning on finishing it today, but it had other plans. I made time to finish it.Finally after two slow starts, this book gets it right. Maybe Mr. Brown finally got better at beginning books. Or maybe it was to reward the patience of his fans after the terrible cliffhanger of the last book. While all the reader's questions aren't answered immediately, enough are that I didn't feel like things were being dragged out further.Somehow this book kept me guessing. I'd think I knew what was coming, or that it was falling into well trodden tropes, only to have the rug pulled out from under me. I started to have conversations with my book, as though it was a person I could barter with to get the outcome I wanted.What I got instead was a book that had me fully invested and that I kept thinking about even when I wasn't listening. I never expected the ending I got, although maybe I should have. Either way, I got a great book. This is probably a series I'll reread a few years down the road, and I'll definitely be looking forward to Mr. Brown's next novel.