My review for An Empire in Runes (The Runes of Issalia #3) by Jeffrey L. Kohanek.

An Empire in Runes by Jeffrey L. Kohanek

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Thanks to the author for providing an ARC for an honest review. This doesn't influence my thoughts on it.
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An Empire in Runes is the last book in the amazing series The Runes of Issalia . It's everything I'd expect in the end of a great series. I have loved this series from the beginning and my adoration for it kept increasing per book but this last book really blew my mind. The author left no stone unturned, he unleashed the fury of his talent and it resulted in an amazing finale.
An Empire in Runes began with the aftermath of the takeover of the prison. The emotional atmosphere of the now released Unchosen was brilliantly portrayed. The different phases of emotions they go through is totally understandable. The consequential training of the Unchosen was a little bit daunting but the gang was able to achieve their goals of forming a Chaos army despite a few hiccups. Tenzi and Sinclair had a worse time getting troops to join the war mostly because of doubtful Prelates. The characters have gone through a lot and it positively reflected in them. They've come a very long way from being students at the Academy. Now they're brilliant warriors and magicians. One amazing thing about this book is that though the storyline encompasses quite a lot of characters, it's still very much about it's core characters.
The use of Chaos is an incredible plot that has paid off for this series and the ideology was thoroughly explored in An Empire in Runes. Brock, Ashland and the rest of the Unchosen prove how formidable their power is and this made them a major player in the ultimate war with The Horde. It was really inspiring seeing all of them as leaders in various forms especially Cam, He broke out of his shell marvelously and became a strong leader. Brock was particularly admirable with his way of keeping a clear head and formulating smart plans in the face of impending doom. Benny also shines with yet another brilliant invention of his, He's literally the Einstein of Issalia. I'm glad the romance between Brock and Ashland wasn't shelved, the special connection between them is still strong and amazing both mentally and emotionally.
The events towards the ultimate war was very well written thus making the book an extremely entertaining read. The tension, stakes and scenes were expertly placed. I was always on the edge of my seat. The very war itself is bloody, deadly, savage and long. Despite a lot of careful planning and well executed formations, it was not even remotely easy. The battle resulted in the loss of many characters, even some main ones.
The aftermath of the battle was equally terrible because the twists and turns that turned up was unexpected and sudden. Disheartening revelations were exposed, But thankfully the Truth prevailed. The events towards the ending was an active whirlwind but I loved it all worked out perfectly.
Brock's story is an amazing journey that I'm very glad to have witnessed, His story might have ended but I hope for more adventures in the world of Issalia.
The ending was so freaking beautiful I wept. It was nice seeing this characters settle in peace after everything they'd gone through. The ending was very happy and it was a worthy way to end an amazing series. The author is definitely one of my favourite and I classify his books as a must buy.
An Empire in Runes is a book filled with intense action, explosive magic (sometimes literally), sweet romance, monsters, gore and fabulous characters. It is a great end to the series, I recommend it to anyone looking for their next favorite read. I wait with bated breath for the next book from Jeffrey L. Kohanek.

P.S: The romance between Brock and Ashland is as intense and epic as ever, The heat is really turned on!!!!!.

P.P.S: That ending was a stroke of genius, I certainly didn't see it coming. I'm glad about the way Issalia seems to be evolving.



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