Publisher: Orbit Books
Page Count: 505
Release Date:
Series: SWORDS & FIRE, Book 3
Rating: 4/5 Stars – Really Liked It!
Warning: Possible light spoilers ahead for earlier books in the series. You can read reviews for those books here: THE TETHERED MAGE, THE DEFIANT HEIR
War has finally come to Raverra. Even after Lady Amalia’s success at the Conclave of the Witch Lords, Ruven has begun his attack, and he won’t stop until all of Raverra is part of his domain. Even worse, this war won’t be fought simply by troops alone – Ruven has put his magic to devious use, until it’s nearly impossible to tell friend from foe. With allies falling fast, Amalia and the fire warlock Zaira are the kingdom’s last hope. If their last desperate gambit doesn’t work, all of the empire will soon be under Ruven’s magical sway.
THE UNBOUND EMPIRE is the thrilling conclusion to the SWORDS & FIRE trilogy, a series where I can feel the author getting more confident with every book. In my mind, I’ve always classified this series as “high adventure,” the kind of tale where there are stakes, but you know that good will win over evil and nobody is really in toooo much danger. That impression was partially informed by the first book in the series, where sometimes things happened a little too neatly to save the day (even while I still enjoyed the outing).
But with each passing book in this trilogy, the author has put more and more of her characters into danger, to heart-wrenching affect. That’s in part because characters aren’t simply risking death – because of Ruven’s magic they are risking being turned against the ones they love and being powerless to stop it. And that WILL happen. Amalia will find herself facing friends who are magically compelled against her, and it’s heartbreaking. It elevates the stakes of the series in a compelling way and was a fittingly tense climactic conflict to close out the story.
I also want to give props to the author for the way she handled the love triangle throughout this series. It’s so easy to dump on the “dependable” love option once you introduce a love interest with more flare, but that was never the case in SWORDS & FIRE. Instead, Captain Marcello and the Witch Lord Kathe each were worthy romantic interests, though each came with their own political drawbacks as well. It was a situation I thought was resolved well in the end, without any need for bickering or posturing by either or Amalia’s suitors.
THE UNBOUND EMPIRE is a finale that pushes the stakes in every way. Armies clash, mages make a political bid for freedom, and Ruven’s found new and terrible ways to use his magic. At the center of it all is Amalia, once a naive scholar, now an increasingly confident yet increasingly lonely political figure using intrigue and magical theory to defeat her enemies. SWORDS & FIRE is a highly entertaining romp of a series, and I look forward to checking out the next trilogy set in this world!
Realms of My Mind 