Michael J. Sullivan’s Age of Legend (The Legends of the First Empire #4)
Description
The war with the Fhrey has officially begun. Limping from an almost-lost victory, the humans rally for the next clash; but battle never plays out as expected.
Suri was a wild-looking Mystic, with every intention of telling the village leader her prediction of widespread death, then returning to her life in the woods. Now, no longer just a Mystic, but also a human fully capable in the Fhrey’s magic Art, she finds herself surrounded by death, and nowhere near returning to her old home in Hawthorne Glen.
Raked with grief and loss, she follows the friends that she unexpectedly found, and is only led further into the human/ Fhrey conflict. How can she continue despite everything she has lost; and what help can she be, refusing to call down destruction with the power of the Art? More importantly, what happens when a butterfly wants to become a caterpillar?
Disclosure
I personally bought this book. There was no agreement with the author, publisher, or any third party that I would publish a review. The following review is unsolicited, unbiased, and all opinions are my own.
Review – Spoiler Free
Fourth in Sullivan’s six book series, The Legends of the First Empire, Age of Legend bridges the series’ first half to its second half. (Read the review of the first book in the series, Age of Myth, here.) At two points the story jumps forward, skipping past chunks of time. Some readers may lament not being able to read through specific events that occurred during those skipped times, but I honestly didn’t miss them. It was obvious to the story that they had occurred, and it saved much droning on about the progress of the war.
The skips, and certain developments within the story made it a little hard to pin down one specific ‘main character’, but again, I wasn’t bothered by this. Sullivan is such a strong writer, that it is easy to follow a new story line with clarity while also not losing touch or understanding with the other continuing story lines not being told at the forefront.
Honestly, my only disappointment with this was the general absence of a character that the story previously followed closely. Their absence was perfectly understandable, I just wish that they were more pivotal in the few scenes we had them ‘on screen’ for.
Overall, I loved this book. As always, Sullivan’s work is full of good story layers and unexpected, yet hinted at, plot points that make reading it a joy.
Quote
But Suri had already become a butterfly. Arion had said so. She had her wings. She’d earned them.
So, what emerges after a butterfly is sealed inside a chrysalis?
Age of Legend, Michael J. Sullivan
Ratings
- Quality of Writing – 5
- Plot – 5
- World Building – 5
- Characters – 5
- Ease of Reading – 5
- Pictures/ Illustrations – 3 (loved the cover, map was OK)
- Overall Enjoyment – 5
- Final Rating – 5 (Actual: 4.7) – It Was Amazing
Want to learn more about the numbers I use for rating, and the qualities I’m thinking about when writing a book review? Check out my post How I Rate and Review.