Review: The Battlemage

The Battlemage
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

After the thrilling cliffhanger at the end of book two, we rejoin Fletcher and his friends in the ether, where they must undertake a mortally dangerous quest, all the while avoiding capture by enemies and facing foes more terrifying than anything they have yet encountered.

But this is nothing compared to what truly lies ahead for Fletcher, as his nemesis, albino orc Khan, is on a mission to destroy Hominum and everything and everyone that Fletcher loves.

Epic battles, dramatic revelations and breathtaking drama await in the third and final book in the New York Times bestselling Summoner series. 

I love how it's like "the thrilling cliffhanger at the end of book two" which is completely inaccurate, it was more like "the completely horror and feels inducing cliffhanger" or something. I mean that cliffhanger completely ruined me and has had me so tense waiting for this book like...I wouldn't describe it as thrilling! It was...it was....mean. Yeah. Mean. 

Anyway, I've been anticipating this book for so long, because I'm excited to see what happens next and I need to know what happens next and because I love this series but I've also been a bit sad that it'll be coming to an end! 

The Battlemage picks up right where the previous book left off, and I was immediately pulled straight back in to the world of the book like I hadn't left. That's some writing skill right there. Everything came flooding back the more I read, like little tidbits and so on. We where thrown straight back in to the action and I was hooked right from the first page. I mostly read this in one sitting with one small break that had me desperate to get back to my book! 

As always, the world of the book is imaginative, as are the demons and creatures that inhabit it. The world is brought to vivid life and I love falling so easily in to these books and being able to so vividly picture the world and the characters, the world really does rise up around you. And once again, the book is incredibly atmospheric. I love it. All of these things combine to really pull you in, along with the plot, and keep you hooked. It's brilliant. 

In this final instalment, we have plenty of action to keep you on the edge of your seat. There are battles all over the place and the stakes are high. There are some real heart in mouth moments as you read for sure. I could feel the tension coming off the page which made me tense and twitchy as I was reading. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough at one point and I had to force myself to slow down because I was trying to read way faster than I actually could, if that makes sense?! 

I really loved that everything came together so perfectly, this trilogy has been so well plotted and so well paced and this is the culmination of everything. Some old faces pop up which was nice to see, although not so nice in some cases and I'm not just talking about the characters I hate that have an annoying habit of continuing to live. (Seriously, we need to talk about how one poor, innocent, favourite character died rather than any of the scummy ones like Didric. You could have maimed him a little Taran!). 

I feel like all of the characters we've known and loved have come so far since we first met all of them, the demons too, in one case. *side eyes Ignatius* Whenever I think of this trilogy I think of a bright, vivid world, and memorable characters that are relatable and try their hardest. They all work so well together as a team and they're always there for each other and I'm really going to miss reading about these characters and the world. I feel like there's more to explore! I've loved reading about the realistic strifes between the different races and how they worked to overcome it and I've loved seeing Fletcher make his friends and learn about who he is, and Sylva join the group and open up more. It's been such a great journey and quite the ride. Matharu's merged so many elements from things I love! It's got some Lord of the Rings vibes, and some Pokemon vibes, among others! 

I really loved the ending, I feel like it was the perfect ending for the book, everything ended well. My ship sailed, and my ship for Fletcher is....sort of limping forward? Maybe? The conclusion to the trilogy is satisfying, everything is wrapped up BUT there's a little, tiny gap for another book. Just saying. I'm actually really excited for Taran's next book, which I believe is about Arcturus (aka my fave) and is a prequel of sorts even though Goodreads is listing it as the fourth book! I feel less sad about this ending knowing there's another book in the world with one of the characters I love, because otherwise I'd be gutted! I would miss the world and the storytelling if there where no other books! 

Upon finishing the book, I must say..I definitely needed a stiff drink. My heart actually broke more than once and I'm still mildly upset about some of the character deaths and I'm writing this like four days after I finished the book and have had time to mull it over! I actually have some mild beef with Taran for killing Sheldon and a character who I won't name. (SERIOUSLY!? AND DIDRIC STILL LIVES!?) Not to mention page 408 which you would have seen me freaking out about over on Twitter immediately after reading. I literally read that page and had to immediately put the book down to process it and then a few minutes later I finally picked it back up and read page 409 and.....I just....not funny Taran. Really not funny. That was downright cruel. Not to mention near the end when I had such a clear vision of certain characters dying and after 408/409 I was like...he would totally do it too...he would really kill them. But they lived so it's fine. Unlike Didric's continued existence. Which is not fine. I'm sure I'll not be bitter about it one day. 

The Battlemage is an epically brilliant conclusion to a trilogy that has been imaginative, original, vivid and full of action and adventure. The final battle has such a cinematic, and epic feel to it. Anyone could die. It had the same feel as the final battle for Hogwarts and Middle Earth and so on. I've loved going on this wild ride with the characters. I wasn't sure what I'd make of this at first, when I started to read the first book. I thought it sounded fun and unique, and I'm always on the look out for things different to the usual. This trilogy has not let me down and it's continued to hook me in and keep me gripped. Sure my mind mentally sang the Pokemon theme when Ignatius got an upgrade, and I occasionally picture he and Fletcher as Ash and Pikachu but their friendship and bond is truly heartwarming. I've been kept guessing until the very end, and rolling with the plot twists. I'm going to miss Fletcher and co, but I'm excited to delve back in to the world in the future! I hope Taran writes a million more books because I'm going to be sad to see the end of this world! This trilogy has always brightened my day and brought a smile to my face...even when nasty little characters don't get maimed and killed. 

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