Unraveling: Malice by John Gwynne

Title: Malice

Series: The Faithful and the Fallen Book One

Author: John Gwynne
Genre: Fantasy

Publication Date: December 6, 2012

A black sun is rising …

Young Corban watches enviously as boys become warriors under King Brenin’s rule, learning the art of war. He yearns to wield his sword and spear to protect his king’s realm. But that day will come all too soon. Only when he loses those he loves will he learn the true price of courage.

The Banished Lands has a violent past where armies of men and giants clashed shields in battle, the earth running dark with their heartsblood. Although the giant-clans were broken in ages past, their ruined fortresses still scar the land. But now giants stir anew, the very stones weep blood and there are sightings of giant wyrms. Those who can still read the signs see a threat far greater than the ancient wars. Sorrow will darken the world, as angels and demons make it their battlefield. Then there will be a war to end all wars.

High King Aquilus summons his fellow kings to council, seeking an alliance in this time of need. Some are skeptical, fighting their own border skirmishes against pirates and giants. But prophesy indicates darkness and light will demand two champions, the Black Sun and the Bright Star. They would be wise to seek out both, for if the Black Sun gains ascendancy, mankind’s hopes and dreams will fall to dust.

  

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My Thoughts

I'm gonna be honest and say the start of this book was an uphill battle for me. That probably had more to do with me than the book, but it was still rough going.

See, I've been in a reading slump for ages now. If the book can't grab me instantly I usually end up DNFing it and picking something else, but I knew I liked this one, but fantasies are usually quite slow at the start as was the case here. There were also a lot of PoVs (which I usually like, but again it wasn't helping me at the time).

It took me like 2-3 days to get to the 50% mark, but then things started picking up. STUFF started happening and I was glued to the pages after that. It took me less than a day to finish the book...

So yes, slow start but once it gets going it REALLY gets going. I got used to all the PoVs. Obviously I liked some more than others, but they were all necessary, which of course meant I was attached to way too many characters both secondary and main PoV ones, and the end was just SO HORRIBLE. Not in a bad way, just in a breaking-your-heart kind of way.

There are so many things going on here, so many different players in this war. Even wars within wars. You think you know who your enemies are and what war you are fighting.

You don't.

There is string pulling, back stabbing - sometimes literal back stabbing - and just so much awesome. It's hard to appreciate all this at the start because well, you have no clue what the hell is going on, who is who, and just utterly lost.

But then you start picking up on things.

Actions here, some words over there, some messages over here, secret meetings and all of a sudden you, the reader, know what is going on, but your beloved characters don't have the whole picture obviously, but you know it's going to get bad, and then it does! And you just have to sit and watch it all happen! and...



If you are a fantasy lover. Malice is a must!

So...

Would I Recommend it?

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Other books in The Faithful and the Fallen:

1. Malice
2. Valor
3. Untitled
4. Untitled

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