Magically gifted aristocrats rule Britain, and the people must serve them. But rebellion now strikes at the heart of the old order. Abi has escaped public execution, thanks to an unexpected ally. Her brother Luke is on the run with Silyen Jardine, the most mysterious aristocrat of all. And as political and magical conflicts escalate, each must decide how far they’ll go for their beliefs. Dragons clash in the skies, as two powerful women duel for the soul of Britain. A symbol of government will blaze as it dies, and doors between worlds will open – and close forever. But the battle within human hearts will be the fiercest of all.
Bright Ruin is the final instalment in The Dark Gifts trilogy and its has been one of my most anticipated reads of the year. When I first read Gilded Cage last year, this series has made it to one of my favourite book series of all time. The world, the characters, the story makes this series one of the best, and I thought all of this even before reading this final book, so going into Bright Ruin I had some pretty high expectations.
I cant explain a lot about the story because this is the final book in a series. If I try and say anything about what happens in this book it will spoil the first two books.
As with Tarnished City I thought all the characters in this book have developed a lot compared to the previous book. The way the characters are written make them feel so life like that when something happens to them or they doing something that you do agree with, then you take it personally and it affects you. I found myself really connecting with some of the characters in the book, but by the end I was a total mess because there is so much death in this book it’s unreal. It seemed to be that everyone I liked would die a few pages after, towards the end of the book I was scared to carry on.
One thing I can say about Bright Ruin is that it will definitely keep you on the edge of your seat. It felt like I was on a fast moving train, everything was happening all at once and it didn’t give you a chance to catch your breathe. This is both good and bad. Its good because it keeps you reading and your eyes glued to every word on the page. You don’t feel like the story is dragging or becoming a bit dull because you are flicking from one character to another all the time. But this is also a little jarring as it doesn’t give you much time to process things. A lot happens in this book and I know I had to put the book down a couple of times just to take in what had happened. But I only put the book down because I knew I wouldn’t get chance to contemplate anything before moving onto something else if I carried on reading. As I said its not a bad thing that so much is happening, but I just wish that the story gave you little moments to think. Other than that I really enjoyed the story and couldn’t believe some of the things that happened. Every time I thought I had an idea of where the story was going to go, something would happen and twist everything on its head.
As with the other two books in the series the writing in Bright Ruin is superb. I can’t wait to see what the author has up her sleeves for her next book because know matter what its about I know I will be buying it just so I can read more of her writing. For me Bright Ruin is the one that showcases how amazing the authors writing actually is because an awful lot happens in this story but you don’t feel that you have been shortchanged on anything. The story, the characters, the world is written with such perfection that you cant help but enjoy reading this book. I have no idea how the author manages to imagine all the amazing things that happen in this book and get them all onto paper without missing any detail.
Bright Ruin is an absolute pleasure to read and if you have read Gilded Cage and Tarnished City the you are in for a real treat with this book. You will have to cancel any plans you have before reading this because once you start you won’t want to put it down until you read the very last page, even then I wanted to turn the book over and start all over again. If you are looking for a dark urban fantasy novel that will excite you with brilliant characters, an addictive story and wonderful writing, then you should check out the Dark Gifts trilogy.
I rate this book 5/5 stars
***I was sent a copy of this book for review. Everything in this review is my own honest opinions.***
Mike Reads 