Finishing a series is much like tossing a coin. It will ruin the series for you or make it. It would be simple to just say that this final installment in the Dragon Lords trilogy had what the other books did and more. But you want details, so I must oblige.
The world is taken over by a single god whom outlaws order and embraces anarchy. Death and neglect spreads across the land under his guidance, or lack thereof. A rebellion dwindles in attempts to take him down, lead by a sorcerer balancing vengeance and the greater good. She will need help from first, the tyrants who once ruled the land wanting to take it back again, and second, allies that helped her free Kondorra for at least a year. The only problem is those allies are trying to escape the afterlife with enough power to kill a god again.
We gotta talk about how dark this novel was compared to the previous ones. Starting the series you would have never expected it to end like this, but it works so damn well I cannot express it enough. The cliffhanger the final book left you on was only the door to this darkness, which hit so hard even with the absurdity of so much more. What made you laugh before felt nearly sarcastic and maddening in this novel. Oh my god, was it entrancing.
Morality, greater good and power were central to this novel. And that was central to everyone’s character arc. Ethical frameworks was a favourite paper for me to study in university, and to see it in a fantasy world was like chocolate without the guilt. I was indulging in everyone’s arc and how they coped and battled with their morals. I love stories where people follow the same arc in different ways.
Lastly we need to talk full circles. This plot created a full circle moment in events, in characters and so many more moments. The entire plot was just plain brilliant. So much fell into place and made sense from the get go, combining with characters so cunning that the line between plot driven story and character driven story is blurred beyond recognition. This is a magnum opus of storytelling.
Such a magnum opus that I don’t know why it isn’t more popular. But more on that when we get to the series review.
Bad Faith gets a score of 5/5. That is how you finish a fucking series.
So now let’s into the series rating. Man, it’s been a while since I’ve done one of these. The last one was Arc of a Scythe which I completed back in January.
Fool’s Gold – 5/5, a D&D inspired wild ride of chaos and coin.
False Idols – 5/5, a perfect sequel and continuation of the motley crew’s lives as things get serious.
Bad Faith – 5/5/, going full circle in darkness and grit.
If five stars across the board didn’t convince you to pick up the series right now, maybe my anger that this series isn’t talked about more will. Not only does it have some of the most popular fantasy tropes right now (found family and dragons) but this series is totally unafraid and unfiltered. It makes you laugh until you piss yourself, shake your hands in fear and drop the book in shock. This will be my number one fantasy recommendation for literally any fan of the genre – Tolkein fans, those looking for a high fantasy gateway, D&D nerds… the list goes on and on. I will fight to get this the most talked about series in the world and knock Sarah J. Maas off her throne.
The Dragon Lords gets a score of 5/5. This is prized on my bookshelf.
Yours in writing
Amy