Of War and Ruin

The Bound and the Broken, Book 3

De: Ryan Cahill

Narrado por: Derek Perkins

Solian ata’yar. Dauv ata’yar. Nur temen vie’ryn valana.

Live as one. Die as one. For those we’ve lost.

The city of Kingspass burns and Calen Bryer’s world has been shaken to its core. With Valerys at his side, Calen must battle his demons and push forward. There are people who need him, people who need what he must become, and he will not let them stand alone.

In Loria, Ella struggles to understand the ancient power that flows through her veins. The world is changing around her, and she is changing with it. Her journey has only just begun.

Thousands of miles away, beneath the mountains of Lodhar, assassins move in the dark as the kingdoms of the Dwarven Freehold ready themselves for war. Not everything is as it seems. Dahlen Virandr and Belina Louna have no choice but to unravel the mysteries of the mountain before everything crumbles around them.

Meanwhile, in Al’Nasla, Rist Havel learns the true cost of becoming an Imperial Battlemage. He will question every truth he has ever been told. He has never been a fighter, never been the one people look to, but he will fight for those he loves no matter what it takes.

With the Uraks ravaging the towns and villages of the North, Alina and Dayne Ateres prepare their people for war. They have been beneath a Lorian boot for too long. Valtara will be free. The wyvern of House Ateres will fly again, by blade and by blood.

As the continent of Epheria descends into war and chaos, Kallinvar struggles to come to terms with an immense loss. Despite the hole in his heart, he has no choice but to stand and fight. The Shadow is coming, and the Knights of Achyron are the only ones powerful enough to hold back the tide.

Unbeknownst to all, another force is rising—a force long thought tamed. The balance of power is about to shift, and Epheria will never be the same. The Blood Moon is rising.

©2023 Ryan Cahill (P)2023 Podium Audio

More, please!

I love this story. I am fully immersed in the tale, and wish I had book 4 so that I could jump back in!

Whoa!

That was my thought when I finished this book.

Yep. 1483 pages is nothing to sneeze at.

1483 pages! And yet, the journey isn't over yet.

So, in this book we really delve into the world of Epheria and the cast of characters has grown immensely. The first 2 books started to set up the world, introducing us to the core characters and beginning to set the stage for the events yet to come. But, even with all of those words, there was still so much left.

In this book we get to really see the relationship between Calen and Valerys grow. In book 1, Calen was an 18 year old kid who was thrown into a world that he had no idea existed. By this book, he is a 20 year old young man who has the weight of the world on his shoulders and he is beginning to show the depth of his character and the strength of his abilities. And Valerys.....man oh man, what an amazing character/dragon. How do you write a dragon and make him so freaking intelligent and loyal? He doesn't speak any words. We only get to know him from the images that he shares into Calen's mind, and yet, we know him....really KNOW him by the end of this book. And he is a FANTASTIC character.

Then there are the morally gray characters. Do we really know if they are good or bad? One started off with me thinking he was awful, and the other a hero. Well, the funny thing is by the end of this book - I'm not sure what to think of either of them. They both have done things that they feel were necessary, but now realize that their reasoning may have been flawed. Of course, I'm speaking of Aeson Virandr and Farda Kyrana. Actually, now that I think about it, they aren't the only ones - the list of morally gray characters is really too long to list.

We also get to see the children of the Chainbreaker finally reunited (no spoilers if you do not know what that means) and each of them bring so much to the party. Thankfully, we finally get to see Dann reunited with Calen (thank goodness) and we get to see the gang that has decided to give their complete pledge to Calen stronger than ever.

There is really so much going on in this book - no wonder it is so long. There are political machinations all over the place and the scary thing is how easy it is to manipulate whole groups of people into thinking that evil actions are completely acceptable (I'm talking to you Rist).

So - no more going over the plot, there are a million reviews that will do that I'm sure. What I think struck me the most was the relationships that came out of this book. The lengths that people were willing to go to - and the reasoning behind those actions. THAT was the thing that impacted me the most. You have a 20 year old young man who has had to grow in absolutely no time, yet he has decided that he is not going to run. Yes, he and Valerys are probably going to die, but he believes what he has been told. That he is a GUARDIAN, a protector of the people. and He. Will. Not. Run.
I Love that.

Yep, 1483 pages is a lot. But honestly, I am looking forward to the next book. The set up has taken quite a while, but we have finally come to the main event and I'm eager to discover how this is all going to end.

I think though, that I am going to jump into a couple of different genres for the next couple of books because I have devoured this entire series in the last week or so and it is a lot of pages of epic fantasy that have taken up all of my brain space. Time to read something easy, that doesn't require too much thinking...:)

One of the best series I have read!

Awesome series! Great writing and very intense! Great pick for the reader. Does the perfect job. Love it!

Just go for it!

Excellent series, so far! Gets better with each book and the narrator is great! People like to make comparisons to other series, and you definitely can, but his spin on the genre is uniquely his own. Do yourself a favor and just go for it!

Well written and great story

I loved this book, and you can tell that Ryan got better at writing with each book. This one is the best so far and I was on the edge of my seat often. I cannot wait for the next in the series.

Everything, the author is incredible, so is the reader!!!!

there was not anything I didn't like about this book, or audio book. I own both and love them entirely. What I do dislike is being forced to used 15 words in a negative review, when I had nothing negative to say about the book.

Action packed

Dang son, that was awesome. With about 10 chapters left in the book I realized I’d be neglecting work, sleep, and my family until it was done. Heck of a story, the characters are amazing and the end of the book was 10/10 I can not wait for the next installment!

More!

I need more! This is a powerful series with excellent character depth! I cannot wait for the next book!

Best yet

Everything I could have wanted in deep fantasy and more. Can’t wait for book 4

This installment was everything I hoped it would be.

I loved the story arc and progression of nearly every character but none more than the parts with the emperor, he was calm intellectual and was able to explain in a way that seemed a justifiable use of blood magic.

I only had 2 small dislikes about the book. The using of the old tongue then translating of it does get somewhat old. And weapons going through armor as if it wasn’t there seems a bit overused it makes me wonder why characters bother wearing any to begin with.
That being said I would strongly advise this book and series to anyone it takes almost everything good about the fantasy genre and combines it with fantastic characters. I’m looking forward to the ice novella and the rest of the series to come.