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Rift Runners #3
Reunion
It's been several years since Ren of the Undivided and his half-Faerie companion Trása stumbled into to the alternate reality where the Faerie are almost completely eradicated by the Matrarchaí. With the help of Pete and Logan Doherty, the twins stranded with them, Ren must find a way back to save his twin brother Darragh from a fate worse than death.To make matters worse, they have learned that Matrarchaí have their own plans that threaten every magical race in existence. Only the Undivided hold the key to stopping them, and even the Faerie Brethren have turned to Ren for help.But the cost may prove too high, because Ren's nightmares have returned and the closer he comes to saving Darragh and stopping the Matrarchaí, the more likely the nightmare that has haunted him and his brother since childhood -- the nightmare where one of them murders two innocent children -- will come to pass.REUNION is the third book in the fabulous Rift Runners epic fantasy series, following on from THE UNDIVIDED and THE DARK DIVIDE. This riveting fantasy book switches through realities between our contemporary world and a world full of magical realism where Druids, Faerie, fate and destiny rule.
592 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 12, 2013
28 people are currently reading
461 people want to read
About the author
Jennifer Fallon
64 books1,123 followersFallon is the author of 17 full-length bestselling novels and a number of published short stories in genres ranging from horror to science fiction.
In addition to 4 complete fantasy series - The Demon Child trilogy, The Hythrun Chronicles, the Second Sons Trilogy,The Tide Lords Quadrilogy and the Rift Runners series - Fallon has written both a tie-novel and short fiction for the TV series, Stargate SG1, an official Zorro story, a novella for the Legends of Australian Fantasy Anthology and has a superhero - The Violet Valet (CHICKS IN CAPES).
Fallon has a Masters Degree from the Creative Arts faculty of QUT. A computer trainer and application specialist, Fallon currently works in the IT industry and spends at least a month each year working at Scott Base in Antarctica.
In addition to 4 complete fantasy series - The Demon Child trilogy, The Hythrun Chronicles, the Second Sons Trilogy,The Tide Lords Quadrilogy and the Rift Runners series - Fallon has written both a tie-novel and short fiction for the TV series, Stargate SG1, an official Zorro story, a novella for the Legends of Australian Fantasy Anthology and has a superhero - The Violet Valet (CHICKS IN CAPES).
Fallon has a Masters Degree from the Creative Arts faculty of QUT. A computer trainer and application specialist, Fallon currently works in the IT industry and spends at least a month each year working at Scott Base in Antarctica.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
August 29, 2015
~spoilers ahead~
WHAT KIND OF ENDING IS THAT.
okaaay. So I was a big fan of this series when I started out. But this book just ruined everything
-The time jumps were horrible and made the story and the characters disconnected
-Previously important characters got dicked around and discarded
- Most characters got completely shit endings. Jack was sent to prison even though he was innocent and died there. Poor Brydie spent 10 fucking years trapped in an jewel only to be EXPLODED apart and die. Darragh languished in prison for a decade because reasons.
-Ren turned into a complete dickbag who abandoned his brother, didn't really love Trasa, kept secrets from everybody, kept Brydie trapped in that damned jewel and then after everything he fucking dies at the end of the book in like 2 pages. Which means Darragh dies too. So the whole story came to nothing, especially seeing as the epilogue made it clear everything they did to keep the Cosmos safe was unsuccessful.
Sigh. I don't even know what happened here. I hated the time jumps from the very first chapter. The story completely drifted from its origins and left the cool enchanting Celtic world behind. Everything seemed cold and disconnected, even Ren's death. it happened in like 2 seconds! There were no tears! I am so disappointed. This series was so cool.
WHAT KIND OF ENDING IS THAT.
okaaay. So I was a big fan of this series when I started out. But this book just ruined everything
-The time jumps were horrible and made the story and the characters disconnected
-Previously important characters got dicked around and discarded
- Most characters got completely shit endings. Jack was sent to prison even though he was innocent and died there. Poor Brydie spent 10 fucking years trapped in an jewel only to be EXPLODED apart and die. Darragh languished in prison for a decade because reasons.
-Ren turned into a complete dickbag who abandoned his brother, didn't really love Trasa, kept secrets from everybody, kept Brydie trapped in that damned jewel and then after everything he fucking dies at the end of the book in like 2 pages. Which means Darragh dies too. So the whole story came to nothing, especially seeing as the epilogue made it clear everything they did to keep the Cosmos safe was unsuccessful.
Sigh. I don't even know what happened here. I hated the time jumps from the very first chapter. The story completely drifted from its origins and left the cool enchanting Celtic world behind. Everything seemed cold and disconnected, even Ren's death. it happened in like 2 seconds! There were no tears! I am so disappointed. This series was so cool.
November 29, 2013
As it usually is with Jennifer Fallon's books, once you start it is impossible to put down. There really is something about her characters, writing, besides her attractive book covers that make it so incredibly difficult to put her book down even for the shortest moments once you begin. I picked 'The Reunion up' in my university library as it sat comfortably on the 'new releases' shelf and immediately immersed myself into what I hoped to be a final clincher to the two prequel books I had read just a day before.
I began at 11.30am and finished at 4.45pm. A bit more than 5 hours of intimate reading which included gritting my teeth, covering my eyes in horror and staring confusedly at what I found yet again as a satisfactory but unfantastic ending to yet another Jennifer Fallon series.
This series ends with as many questions as it begins with. If I was in a worse mood, I would just blatantly say it is lazy writing. Why lazy? A story that leaves as many questions just as it begins with is a clear indication that the plot was not clearly thought through, unless there is a sequel to the Rift Runners series. Therefore considering that Jennifer Fallon IS going back to her former and older series in the forthcoming years, I have reason to believe Rift Runners will be revisited.
Questions, questions, questions. An almost never-ending list of questions have to be asked with the ending of this series-- which only spurs annoyance. If you want to really know how I felt through the phases I had in reading this book, check my many status updates. They were done 'real-time' as I was reading the book.
1. Okay. Ronan is going to kill a baby; and for some reason, only the male Undivided of Pete and Logan also share the same dream. How is it also relevant to them? Why don't Treasa and Ileen have the same dream? Does this mean this 'Seen' future is relevant to only the Male Undivided? (I guess because of the almost direct part they played, this would be true).
2. It is my understanding that the dark blood in the bag were Brydie and Darragh's children? Well, there goes niceness and decent humanity out the door. As though stabbing the monster-babies was not hard enough for them to do, they suddenly go out of character once the act was done. Why not take it to the extreme? Next step, pulverize the kids into little smithers and pools of blood to add to the effect! Yay!
3. Why was Darragh even shot? He just got healed up by Ronan anyway. That whole minor part could have just been cut out; but I guess it added to the dramatic effect. -rereads Chapter 60-
OH. So the bloody Crone (eifelim to Delphine) STILL manages to get in the friggin way after 2 of her eifilem's had already managed to get themselves killed playing that repetitive role. Oh, success to her man. She is the only one that actually succeeds.
She forces Ren to save his brother's life by sacrificing his own with using Ren's own "Clean. Pure magic. Sidhe magic, joyous and untainted by the corruption of the babies, Hope and Calamity (p. 471)." Hmm... but Darragh has to die later anyway. Great. That sacrifice certainly seems redundant. That leads to the 4th major question...
4. Why did Ren even have to die? Seriously. WHY?! WHYYYY?!
Do you even know how gut wrenching it was to read the last paragraph of that cruel chapter?
"Then she vanished, leaving them alone in the moonlit stone circle with Ren's lifeless body, and no sound but the plaintitive wail of a barn owl circling overhead, crying out in pain (p. 473)."
5. So that leaves us all with the lingering question of 'WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?' We know there are many loopholes that still exist. Amongst many includes:
-Marcaroy did not really do much other than stand around like a dodo bird with no real function other than help in screwing everything up in 'The Undivided'.
-The female Undivided twins, what in the world do they do now?
-Trasa's preggy. :[ That's bad foreboding.
-In regards to the Epilogue,
I would have done better never having to read that Hayley girl's name ever again. Ronan just sacrificed his life to kill the evil in those nieces of his and she does not even bat an eye lid about betraying him when she still lives? I am hating this girl so much right now, it is incredible. Screw her and the messed up matarchai. This whole series just ends with every good natured person and our heroes dying. I usually don't expect the protagonists to die but oh boy was I wrong about this one. EVERYONE DIES I TELL YOU! EVERYONE! (Okay. I am exaggerating a fair bit).
This stories wastes the lives of many decent characters: R.I.P.
1. Sorcha 2. Jack 3. Warren (not that he was important but seriously he died for nothing) 4. Brydie 5. Ciaran 6. Ronan 7. Darragh
To be honest, out of all the main protagonists we get to know, I really think Darragh got the short end of the stick. He spends almost half his life (10 years) in prison, and once he gets out, his brother heroically dies and he ends up being dragged to the crypt along with him too.
P.S. The blurb at the back is wrong. Those children are absolutely not 'innocent'. They reminded of those creepy abducted Faerie children from Traci Harding's stories.
I began at 11.30am and finished at 4.45pm. A bit more than 5 hours of intimate reading which included gritting my teeth, covering my eyes in horror and staring confusedly at what I found yet again as a satisfactory but unfantastic ending to yet another Jennifer Fallon series.
This series ends with as many questions as it begins with. If I was in a worse mood, I would just blatantly say it is lazy writing. Why lazy? A story that leaves as many questions just as it begins with is a clear indication that the plot was not clearly thought through, unless there is a sequel to the Rift Runners series. Therefore considering that Jennifer Fallon IS going back to her former and older series in the forthcoming years, I have reason to believe Rift Runners will be revisited.
Questions, questions, questions. An almost never-ending list of questions have to be asked with the ending of this series-- which only spurs annoyance. If you want to really know how I felt through the phases I had in reading this book, check my many status updates. They were done 'real-time' as I was reading the book.
1. Okay. Ronan is going to kill a baby; and for some reason, only the male Undivided of Pete and Logan also share the same dream. How is it also relevant to them? Why don't Treasa and Ileen have the same dream? Does this mean this 'Seen' future is relevant to only the Male Undivided? (I guess because of the almost direct part they played, this would be true).
2. It is my understanding that the dark blood in the bag were Brydie and Darragh's children? Well, there goes niceness and decent humanity out the door. As though stabbing the monster-babies was not hard enough for them to do, they suddenly go out of character once the act was done. Why not take it to the extreme? Next step, pulverize the kids into little smithers and pools of blood to add to the effect! Yay!
3. Why was Darragh even shot? He just got healed up by Ronan anyway. That whole minor part could have just been cut out; but I guess it added to the dramatic effect. -rereads Chapter 60-
OH. So the bloody Crone (eifelim to Delphine) STILL manages to get in the friggin way after 2 of her eifilem's had already managed to get themselves killed playing that repetitive role. Oh, success to her man. She is the only one that actually succeeds.
She forces Ren to save his brother's life by sacrificing his own with using Ren's own "Clean. Pure magic. Sidhe magic, joyous and untainted by the corruption of the babies, Hope and Calamity (p. 471)." Hmm... but Darragh has to die later anyway. Great. That sacrifice certainly seems redundant. That leads to the 4th major question...
4. Why did Ren even have to die? Seriously. WHY?! WHYYYY?!
Do you even know how gut wrenching it was to read the last paragraph of that cruel chapter?
"Then she vanished, leaving them alone in the moonlit stone circle with Ren's lifeless body, and no sound but the plaintitive wail of a barn owl circling overhead, crying out in pain (p. 473)."
5. So that leaves us all with the lingering question of 'WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?' We know there are many loopholes that still exist. Amongst many includes:
-Marcaroy did not really do much other than stand around like a dodo bird with no real function other than help in screwing everything up in 'The Undivided'.
-The female Undivided twins, what in the world do they do now?
-Trasa's preggy. :[ That's bad foreboding.
-In regards to the Epilogue,
I would have done better never having to read that Hayley girl's name ever again. Ronan just sacrificed his life to kill the evil in those nieces of his and she does not even bat an eye lid about betraying him when she still lives? I am hating this girl so much right now, it is incredible. Screw her and the messed up matarchai. This whole series just ends with every good natured person and our heroes dying. I usually don't expect the protagonists to die but oh boy was I wrong about this one. EVERYONE DIES I TELL YOU! EVERYONE! (Okay. I am exaggerating a fair bit).
This stories wastes the lives of many decent characters: R.I.P.
1. Sorcha 2. Jack 3. Warren (not that he was important but seriously he died for nothing) 4. Brydie 5. Ciaran 6. Ronan 7. Darragh
To be honest, out of all the main protagonists we get to know, I really think Darragh got the short end of the stick. He spends almost half his life (10 years) in prison, and once he gets out, his brother heroically dies and he ends up being dragged to the crypt along with him too.
P.S. The blurb at the back is wrong. Those children are absolutely not 'innocent'. They reminded of those creepy abducted Faerie children from Traci Harding's stories.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 25, 2019
Most of the action takes place ten years after 'Rift Runners: The Dark Divide.' The reality where Ren Kavanaugh, aka Rónán, aka Renkavana, and Trása accidently landed at the of 'Rift Runners:The Undivided' was a Ireland run by an Imperial Japan has been nicknamed the ninja reality and has become home to many magical creature like pixies, leiprecháns and faeries from other realities escaping the homicidal plans of the Matrarchaí, who want magic but don't want to share with any non-humans.
At the end of the previous novel,
twins Pete and Logan Doherty were literally dragged from "our" reality into the ninja reality. They have spent the last ten years adjusting to the fact that the world they grew up in wasn't the one they were born in, and that magic is as much a part of their heritage as it is to RónáanDarragh. They both bring they expriences from their 'previous' lives to ensuring the Matrarchaí's plan fail. Pete was a Detective Sergeant in the Gardaí police who arrested both Ren and Darragh. Logan was a semi famous TV journalist.
Ren has become a general who fights on the front line in attempt to ensure that the nightmare he has Seen does not come to pass. He has put off recusing his brother from 'our' reality thinking his brother is living a great life having taken over Ren's life.
But destiny will not be denied.
This series is an addictive read and this novel was no exception. Sad that I got it the day I started back after a week off work as I just wantes to read from start to finish in one sitting. There were a few minor quibbles I had with this book. Some important characters from the two previous novels seemed to be name checked, then discarded. The reaction to the ubiquitous use of technology and the abilty to use it seems to vary wildly between characters, mainly that a character who only spent six months in a reality with electricity ten years ago seems better able to use a smartphone then someone who spent 17+ years here. The Matrarchaí seem to have tentacles and agents everywhere, to the point where paranioa that they are out to get you isn't paranoia. Some knowledge seems to spring fully formed into being without being explained. Despite this, quite a good read. Recommend
At the end of the previous novel,
twins Pete and Logan Doherty were literally dragged from "our" reality into the ninja reality. They have spent the last ten years adjusting to the fact that the world they grew up in wasn't the one they were born in, and that magic is as much a part of their heritage as it is to RónáanDarragh. They both bring they expriences from their 'previous' lives to ensuring the Matrarchaí's plan fail. Pete was a Detective Sergeant in the Gardaí police who arrested both Ren and Darragh. Logan was a semi famous TV journalist.
Ren has become a general who fights on the front line in attempt to ensure that the nightmare he has Seen does not come to pass. He has put off recusing his brother from 'our' reality thinking his brother is living a great life having taken over Ren's life.
But destiny will not be denied.
This series is an addictive read and this novel was no exception. Sad that I got it the day I started back after a week off work as I just wantes to read from start to finish in one sitting. There were a few minor quibbles I had with this book. Some important characters from the two previous novels seemed to be name checked, then discarded. The reaction to the ubiquitous use of technology and the abilty to use it seems to vary wildly between characters, mainly that a character who only spent six months in a reality with electricity ten years ago seems better able to use a smartphone then someone who spent 17+ years here. The Matrarchaí seem to have tentacles and agents everywhere, to the point where paranioa that they are out to get you isn't paranoia. Some knowledge seems to spring fully formed into being without being explained. Despite this, quite a good read. Recommend
October 28, 2013
I've been hanging out for this final book in the series ever since I read the first two back to back last year. Interesting and compelling storyline and characters who make mistakes and then have to deal with the consquences. It's not an easy fix, but then I doubted it would be. Although this book is still Ren and Darragh's story, it's very much Pete and Logan's too.
I'm still getting my head around the ending. While I like the fact everything hasn't been tied up with a neat bow, it leaves me with as many questions as I had at the beginning of the book although they are different questions. I really hope that the author will revisit the Rift Runners universe as I would like a wee bit more closure especially where Darragh is concerned, and to find out the consequences for the information that Trasa gives at the end. In many ways it feels as though it ends on as much of a cliffie as the last two books. Yes, this storyline has been resolved, sort of, but...
As I said I'm still getting my head around the ending and this book/series is going to stay with me for some time.
I'm still getting my head around the ending. While I like the fact everything hasn't been tied up with a neat bow, it leaves me with as many questions as I had at the beginning of the book although they are different questions. I really hope that the author will revisit the Rift Runners universe as I would like a wee bit more closure especially where Darragh is concerned, and to find out the consequences for the information that Trasa gives at the end. In many ways it feels as though it ends on as much of a cliffie as the last two books. Yes, this storyline has been resolved, sort of, but...
As I said I'm still getting my head around the ending and this book/series is going to stay with me for some time.
September 4, 2014
Wow! What a page turner! Once I got into it I really couldn't stop. A brilliantly imagined world(s) with fantastic characters who at one point or another I wanted to both cheer and strangle. I loved all the banter between characters, some of it laugh out loud funny. I think the only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 was the ending. Someone described it as "unsettling" and that is exactly how I feel! I went into the epilogue thinking everything was resolved (kind of) and then! Bam! Out of nowhere, is there going to be another book? Another trilogy? What happens? I NEED TO KNOW! So there was that. Otherwise another great trilogy by one of my favourite authors. I'll just have to wait and see I suppose if anything else comes out...
(P.s. I absolutely hate Hayley with a passion, she is a life ruiner.)
(P.s. I absolutely hate Hayley with a passion, she is a life ruiner.)
March 5, 2014
Jennifer Fallon is one of my favorite writers and as I learned that there is a new triology about to be published, I was very excited. However, knowing my hystory with her novels, I decided I had to wait until all three books are out so I can read them all in one wonderful weekend.
To all who consider to read this triologie: all in all I can highly recommend it! The story, such as the world, is fascinating, the charakters are authentic and most of them highly likeable. I hardly couldn't put the books down, and when I did, my thoughts were still full of alternate realities and faries.
PS: Please excuse possible misspellings or incorrect grammar since English isn't my mothertonge :)
To all who consider to read this triologie: all in all I can highly recommend it! The story, such as the world, is fascinating, the charakters are authentic and most of them highly likeable. I hardly couldn't put the books down, and when I did, my thoughts were still full of alternate realities and faries.
PS: Please excuse possible misspellings or incorrect grammar since English isn't my mothertonge :)
January 16, 2025
Another great Jennifer Fallon series. Fallon's "middle period," this series and Tide Lords, are action-heavy epic fantasies that should be way more popular among fans of Sanderson and other more popular action fantasy authors.
This series had a lot in common with Tide Lords, though I thought Tide Lords was slightly more dynamic, convincing, and shocking. Both series have a very fun and bantery vibe for the first 80% of the series, with kitchen sink elements thrown in like crazy, plot twists, and a lot of very entertaining character interactions. But around the halfway point of the final book in each, the classic Fallon elements come in. The books get very dark, obscure side characters end up becoming the heroes of the story, and the characters slowly lose their humanity (something, if you reread, was coming all along, and you never noticed). Above all, in both series, there's a sense that the story was just a footnote in history, but clearly it's important enough that we are reading it and enjoying it.
I liked this aspect of both the Tide Lords and the Rift Runners. Many, as I can see below, do not.
Anyway, this book had a bit of a chaotic finale that didn't seem to be 100% executed correctly, but the chaos is kind of in line with the rest of the series, which felt a bit more haphazard than Tide Lords, and I can't help but think that part of that was intentional. Loved the characters, loved the ending, and I'm glad Fallon has an extensive back catalog because I cannot wait to mine it.
This series had a lot in common with Tide Lords, though I thought Tide Lords was slightly more dynamic, convincing, and shocking. Both series have a very fun and bantery vibe for the first 80% of the series, with kitchen sink elements thrown in like crazy, plot twists, and a lot of very entertaining character interactions. But around the halfway point of the final book in each, the classic Fallon elements come in. The books get very dark, obscure side characters end up becoming the heroes of the story, and the characters slowly lose their humanity (something, if you reread, was coming all along, and you never noticed). Above all, in both series, there's a sense that the story was just a footnote in history, but clearly it's important enough that we are reading it and enjoying it.
I liked this aspect of both the Tide Lords and the Rift Runners. Many, as I can see below, do not.
Anyway, this book had a bit of a chaotic finale that didn't seem to be 100% executed correctly, but the chaos is kind of in line with the rest of the series, which felt a bit more haphazard than Tide Lords, and I can't help but think that part of that was intentional. Loved the characters, loved the ending, and I'm glad Fallon has an extensive back catalog because I cannot wait to mine it.
April 11, 2022
Der letzte Teil der Rift Runners Reihe von Jennifer Fallon, lässt mich als Leser etwas zwiegespalten zurück. Generell hat mir die Geschichte um Darragh und Ronan (Ren) sehr gefallen. Wie (vor allem) Ren mit der Frage konfrontiert ist, dem Schicksal in die Hände zu spielen, oder sich so lange wie möglich dagegen zu wehren. Das Ende aber war etwas .... offen. Es hat noch die Türen recht weit offen gelassen, dass vielleicht noch was kommt.
Das Buch knüpft an den Vorgängerband an, obwohl etwas Zeit vergangen ist.
Wieder wird die Geschichte aus den verschiedenen Blickwinkeln der unterschiedlichen Protagonisten erzählt. Nicht nur was Ronan und Darragh machen, sondern auch ihre Freunde.
Es wird weiter die Verschwörung der Matriachi ( <- keine Ahnung wie man das schreibt, hab es ja nur gehört :D ) aufgedeckt und die Frage wie kann man das Ende der verschiedenen Realitäten oder Welten schützen.
Auch wenn die Geschichte sich hauptsächlich in 2 Welten abspielt, fand ich das Konzept, dass es von jedem Menschen in einer anderen Welt eine Art Doppelgänger bzw. Ebenbild spannend.
Für Witz und eine gewisse Abwechslung haben die verschiedenen Faerie-Wesen gesorgt.
Spannende Unterhaltung bis zum Schluss, auch wenn das Ende etwas enttäuschend war und dann doch so abrubt.
Das Buch knüpft an den Vorgängerband an, obwohl etwas Zeit vergangen ist.
Wieder wird die Geschichte aus den verschiedenen Blickwinkeln der unterschiedlichen Protagonisten erzählt. Nicht nur was Ronan und Darragh machen, sondern auch ihre Freunde.
Es wird weiter die Verschwörung der Matriachi ( <- keine Ahnung wie man das schreibt, hab es ja nur gehört :D ) aufgedeckt und die Frage wie kann man das Ende der verschiedenen Realitäten oder Welten schützen.
Auch wenn die Geschichte sich hauptsächlich in 2 Welten abspielt, fand ich das Konzept, dass es von jedem Menschen in einer anderen Welt eine Art Doppelgänger bzw. Ebenbild spannend.
Für Witz und eine gewisse Abwechslung haben die verschiedenen Faerie-Wesen gesorgt.
Spannende Unterhaltung bis zum Schluss, auch wenn das Ende etwas enttäuschend war und dann doch so abrubt.
January 19, 2019
This book was not nearly as enjoyable as others written by Jennifer Fallon. Despite reading the first two books in the 'Rift Runner' series, I found the beginning really confusing and the overall pace of the book was far too slow.
Reading this novel was something of a tedious chore and I almost gave up several times.
The final quarter of the book *almost* made up for the uninspired start and middle and the ending was sort of OK. The main part of the story was satisfactorily resolved but I regretted not skipping the middle bits and simply jumping straight to the end.
This was definitely not Fallon's best work and part of me thinks that giving it a miss would have been no great loss. Hopefully readers who were disappointed with this installment won't skip other books by this author works written both before and after this series have been really enjoyable.
Reading this novel was something of a tedious chore and I almost gave up several times.
The final quarter of the book *almost* made up for the uninspired start and middle and the ending was sort of OK. The main part of the story was satisfactorily resolved but I regretted not skipping the middle bits and simply jumping straight to the end.
This was definitely not Fallon's best work and part of me thinks that giving it a miss would have been no great loss. Hopefully readers who were disappointed with this installment won't skip other books by this author works written both before and after this series have been really enjoyable.
May 14, 2017
Jennifer Fallon never fails to disappoint. I read the whole trilogy in just under a week because I couldn't put this down. I admit I shed a tear or two at the end.
Spoiler alert
************
I'd love to find out what happens to Tràsa and the babies! Any plans for a sequel?
Spoiler alert
************
I'd love to find out what happens to Tràsa and the babies! Any plans for a sequel?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 16, 2021
Really enjoyed the final book of this trilogy! Hoping there will be some more so I can dive back into this world. I still prefer the Medalon/Hythrun books by this author but I think all of her work is wonderful
September 6, 2017
I felt the ending was rushed, as if the author wasn't really sure just how to end it.
July 9, 2023
Great!
September 30, 2013
This book doesn't take off from where The Dark Divide finished. After the prologue, in which we are introduced to Pete and Logan's home reality, the story jumps ahead three years to set up the rest of the book before skipping a further seven years into the future. It is here, ten years after the events of the last book that a majority of the plot takes place.
Once I started this book I could not put it down, reading most of it in a day. There's just something about Fallon's writing that captures my attention and refuses to let go until the last word. Not to mention that there was never a dull moment in this book with secrets, lies and plot twists around every corner. I wish I could go into more detail but anything I would say would give too much away.
What was great to see is how all the characters have changed based on the situation they have been in for the past decade. Ren has matured so much since we first met him in The Undivided. There is something tragic about him, knowing he has to kill Darragh's children and doing everything he can to stop it, and eventually finding out that Darragh was not living it up with Kiva. He has to make some hard decisions but understands what needs to be done and the consequences that follow. Trása shows great development too, becoming a Queen in her own right.
Seeing how Pete and Logan had changed was great as well. From not believing in magic or different worlds, they had to deal with their adoptive mother drugging them, taking them to a new world and trying to kill them, and finding out they were more sidhe than human. There is a scene early in the book where Ren, Pete and Logan are in the "ninja realm" sitting near the palace moat drunk while making and throwing magic paper bombs in the water for fun. It was a fun scene and really showed how far they had come. There were also new characters to love. My favourite would have to be Nika. Not only was she the Merlin of her world - an awesome and interesting concept Fallon came up with - but she was just a little bit kickass. She was loyal, sneaky and willing to secretly poison her Queen into a Snow White sleep to escape.
There was, however, one character that annoyed me, Hayley. Marcroy finally gets tired of her and decides to send her back to her home world, the only problem is that she thinks only a week has passed since she left (thanks to the magic in Tír Na nÓg). However, in truth it has been ten years and while everyone else has grown older she has stayed the same. As she is still a teenager it's understandable when she got angry and started cursing Ren. After all it was Ren who sent her to get her eyes fixed with magic and told her she would only be gone for a short while. But it was her actions that followed that annoyed me. She took revenge before even finding out what his side of the story was and considering in her mind they were still close friends, I thought it was a bit unfair.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The ending was...well let’s just say I'm still trying to process it. In one sense I feel like the book finished the series well, with the story being told completed. On the other hand I feel like there needs to be another book or series to complete it properly (this will make more sense once you read the book). It feels like Fallon may have plans to return to this series in the future and I do hope she does.
In the mean time I'm excited for Fallon's return to the Hythrun Chronicles with The Lyre Thief.
For this review and more visit my blog Biele
Once I started this book I could not put it down, reading most of it in a day. There's just something about Fallon's writing that captures my attention and refuses to let go until the last word. Not to mention that there was never a dull moment in this book with secrets, lies and plot twists around every corner. I wish I could go into more detail but anything I would say would give too much away.
What was great to see is how all the characters have changed based on the situation they have been in for the past decade. Ren has matured so much since we first met him in The Undivided. There is something tragic about him, knowing he has to kill Darragh's children and doing everything he can to stop it, and eventually finding out that Darragh was not living it up with Kiva. He has to make some hard decisions but understands what needs to be done and the consequences that follow. Trása shows great development too, becoming a Queen in her own right.
Seeing how Pete and Logan had changed was great as well. From not believing in magic or different worlds, they had to deal with their adoptive mother drugging them, taking them to a new world and trying to kill them, and finding out they were more sidhe than human. There is a scene early in the book where Ren, Pete and Logan are in the "ninja realm" sitting near the palace moat drunk while making and throwing magic paper bombs in the water for fun. It was a fun scene and really showed how far they had come. There were also new characters to love. My favourite would have to be Nika. Not only was she the Merlin of her world - an awesome and interesting concept Fallon came up with - but she was just a little bit kickass. She was loyal, sneaky and willing to secretly poison her Queen into a Snow White sleep to escape.
There was, however, one character that annoyed me, Hayley. Marcroy finally gets tired of her and decides to send her back to her home world, the only problem is that she thinks only a week has passed since she left (thanks to the magic in Tír Na nÓg). However, in truth it has been ten years and while everyone else has grown older she has stayed the same. As she is still a teenager it's understandable when she got angry and started cursing Ren. After all it was Ren who sent her to get her eyes fixed with magic and told her she would only be gone for a short while. But it was her actions that followed that annoyed me. She took revenge before even finding out what his side of the story was and considering in her mind they were still close friends, I thought it was a bit unfair.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The ending was...well let’s just say I'm still trying to process it. In one sense I feel like the book finished the series well, with the story being told completed. On the other hand I feel like there needs to be another book or series to complete it properly (this will make more sense once you read the book). It feels like Fallon may have plans to return to this series in the future and I do hope she does.
In the mean time I'm excited for Fallon's return to the Hythrun Chronicles with The Lyre Thief.
For this review and more visit my blog Biele
October 6, 2013
Reunion by Jennifer Fallon is the third book in the Rift Runners trilogy. You can read my review of the second book, The Dark Divide, but unfortunately I read the first book, The Undivided, before I started blogging. This review, by the way, contains only minor spoilers for the earlier books.
Jennifer Fallon has long been one of my favourite authors, a fact that I was strongly reminded of as I read Reunion. There is a certain amount of snarky wit to her writing that I didn't realise I had missed until I came back to it. A small example:
Clearly, I should read Jennifer Fallon books more often; they used to be on my re-read rotation, before I moved to a different continent to most of my books and also became a book-blogger.
Whereas The Dark Divide picked up quite soon after The Undivided left of, Reunion starts after a three year gap. That and the real-world eighteen month gap since I read the previous book left me slightly disoriented at first, but I quickly remembered who everyone was and why, and was soon able to get on with enjoying the book.
The main thrust of the story in Reunion deals with Ren and friends trying to stop the Matrachaí from killing all the magical creatures in all the parallel dimensions and worse. Of course, as soon as they think they know how to fix everything, something else goes horribly wrong. It's hard to get more specific about the plot without spoilers, unfortunately.
One of the things I've always thought Fallon did quite well is write complexly motivated characters. Not only that, but the way she weaves their story lines together to form an intricate web is masterful. At every turn each character does the thing that absolutely seems most right to them in the situation but that has ramifications they could not have predicted. Generally rather entertaining ones.
The ending of Reunion was satisfying but left some threads open to follow on in a potential subsequent series (but not a cliff-hanger, fear not). I hope there will be more books at some point, but I don't mind waiting (especially since the next Fallon series coming is a sequel to the Demonchild Trilogy and Hythrun Chronicles).
In short, Reunion was an excellent read, as has been the entire Rift Runners series. It's not the kind of series you can read out of order, so if you haven't read the other books, I strongly suggest starting with The Undivided. To readers who have enjoyed the earlier books, this is a no brainer. Readers new to Fallon's work will find this series a less epic fantasy introduction to her works, since it's set partly in our world.
5 / 5 stars
You can read more of my reviews on my blog.
Jennifer Fallon has long been one of my favourite authors, a fact that I was strongly reminded of as I read Reunion. There is a certain amount of snarky wit to her writing that I didn't realise I had missed until I came back to it. A small example:
...in prison, as in great literature, it is much more effective to show than tell.
Clearly, I should read Jennifer Fallon books more often; they used to be on my re-read rotation, before I moved to a different continent to most of my books and also became a book-blogger.
Whereas The Dark Divide picked up quite soon after The Undivided left of, Reunion starts after a three year gap. That and the real-world eighteen month gap since I read the previous book left me slightly disoriented at first, but I quickly remembered who everyone was and why, and was soon able to get on with enjoying the book.
The main thrust of the story in Reunion deals with Ren and friends trying to stop the Matrachaí from killing all the magical creatures in all the parallel dimensions and worse. Of course, as soon as they think they know how to fix everything, something else goes horribly wrong. It's hard to get more specific about the plot without spoilers, unfortunately.
One of the things I've always thought Fallon did quite well is write complexly motivated characters. Not only that, but the way she weaves their story lines together to form an intricate web is masterful. At every turn each character does the thing that absolutely seems most right to them in the situation but that has ramifications they could not have predicted. Generally rather entertaining ones.
The ending of Reunion was satisfying but left some threads open to follow on in a potential subsequent series (but not a cliff-hanger, fear not). I hope there will be more books at some point, but I don't mind waiting (especially since the next Fallon series coming is a sequel to the Demonchild Trilogy and Hythrun Chronicles).
In short, Reunion was an excellent read, as has been the entire Rift Runners series. It's not the kind of series you can read out of order, so if you haven't read the other books, I strongly suggest starting with The Undivided. To readers who have enjoyed the earlier books, this is a no brainer. Readers new to Fallon's work will find this series a less epic fantasy introduction to her works, since it's set partly in our world.
5 / 5 stars
You can read more of my reviews on my blog.
March 9, 2014
I was really interested to see where this book was going and how everything was going to be resolved...the most disappointing thing? There is so much left unresolved and sudden new twists in the story in the epilogue . You can't randomly add new parts to the story in the epilogue!! Unless there's going to be a book 4. So much is left unanswered and lots of loose ends, which is really frustrating.
Maybe this is part of Fallon's writing style, and maybe some people like it, but I found so much of this book (and the previous books as well) was repetitive. Like it needed to be dragged out to fill a certain page quota or something. Characters repeated what they were thinking or repeated the events that had just happened or the same event would be repeated from another characters perspective which is sometimes helpful but this added nothing to the storyline and was just a waste of time. I found myself skimming over paragraphs that were unnecessary in order to find the actual story line.
To be honest, I feel like something was lacking in this story and overall I was disappointed that it hadn't properly ended. I was intrigued with this storyline and the concept, but I'm just annoyed at it now, so even if there is a book 4, I won't be wasting my time with it.
Maybe this is part of Fallon's writing style, and maybe some people like it, but I found so much of this book (and the previous books as well) was repetitive. Like it needed to be dragged out to fill a certain page quota or something. Characters repeated what they were thinking or repeated the events that had just happened or the same event would be repeated from another characters perspective which is sometimes helpful but this added nothing to the storyline and was just a waste of time. I found myself skimming over paragraphs that were unnecessary in order to find the actual story line.
To be honest, I feel like something was lacking in this story and overall I was disappointed that it hadn't properly ended. I was intrigued with this storyline and the concept, but I'm just annoyed at it now, so even if there is a book 4, I won't be wasting my time with it.
November 2, 2013
4.5 Stars
Finally getting around to my review!
Fantastic conclusion to an exciting, action packed and really interesting series :-).
Jennifer Fallow has been one of my favourite authors of fantasy for a while now and the Rift Runner series was up there with the Tide Lords series for me.
An original and intriguing take on the parallel universe theme, nicely combined with Irish/fae mythology.
Interesting, well developed characters and a truly skilful interweaving of multiple, very distinctively individual, povs.
Fantastic plot, you know the concluding scene/confrontation from the very beginning of the series, but cannot imagine how the story could possibly end up there - let alone that you will want it to end up that way by the end!
That said, certain things about the ending, namely the fate of a certain character, fell a little flat for me which is why my rating lost half a star. I did, however like other things about the ending, I always like it when there is an open ended element to stories, the feeling that that world continues on even when you have finished the story.
All is all, a really great read, that I would recommend to anyone looking for a good epic fantasy series.
Finally getting around to my review!
Fantastic conclusion to an exciting, action packed and really interesting series :-).
Jennifer Fallow has been one of my favourite authors of fantasy for a while now and the Rift Runner series was up there with the Tide Lords series for me.
An original and intriguing take on the parallel universe theme, nicely combined with Irish/fae mythology.
Interesting, well developed characters and a truly skilful interweaving of multiple, very distinctively individual, povs.
Fantastic plot, you know the concluding scene/confrontation from the very beginning of the series, but cannot imagine how the story could possibly end up there - let alone that you will want it to end up that way by the end!
That said, certain things about the ending, namely the fate of a certain character, fell a little flat for me which is why my rating lost half a star. I did, however like other things about the ending, I always like it when there is an open ended element to stories, the feeling that that world continues on even when you have finished the story.
All is all, a really great read, that I would recommend to anyone looking for a good epic fantasy series.
October 6, 2013
Not sure why this was published in the States under a different author name, but after going all the way to Australia to buy the first two books (not kidding!) I was thrilled to find out that the series was available here at last.
Reunion is a really exciting finish to a fantastic series, but the ending left me really unsettled. Just when you thought there was closure and everything was coming to a (relatively) happy conclusion... well you just have to read it to find out.
Despite the ending, Rift Runners is another great series by Jennifer Fallon and you won't be disappointed.
Reunion is a really exciting finish to a fantastic series, but the ending left me really unsettled. Just when you thought there was closure and everything was coming to a (relatively) happy conclusion... well you just have to read it to find out.
Despite the ending, Rift Runners is another great series by Jennifer Fallon and you won't be disappointed.
April 18, 2015
Bits are interesting but the storyline drraagggsss
The story in itself is well thought out but I get the feeling the author was reaching fill in spots just to make the story line longer, add more pages to her book. Maybe she had a contract for so many pages in her novel, so many words, kinda like this review is doing!!!
The story in itself is well thought out but I get the feeling the author was reaching fill in spots just to make the story line longer, add more pages to her book. Maybe she had a contract for so many pages in her novel, so many words, kinda like this review is doing!!!
October 19, 2021
Towards the end of the book it got a little dark but I still enjoyed it. The tension increased throughout the story, although I didn't feel totally happy with the ending. There was also not enough character development throughout the series and a bit of repetition of things. But on the whole an interesting concept that was pulled off.
January 7, 2014
A good ending to this novel. It's not Fallon's normal fare, that's much more fantasy based. I liked her other books better than this one. And hear she's going to write more in the Demon Child realm. Yah for that.
July 29, 2016
Katharine is a judge for the Aurealis Awards. This review is the personal opinion of Katharine herself, and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of any judging panel, the judging coordinator or the Aurealis Awards management team.
January 10, 2014
i liked this book better than the previous too as it felt more adult. I have no issues with the young adult view but when reading an adult book I expect it to be adult characters and plot etc. The ending has left me wanting to know is there going to be another book or series.... or just left open?
November 7, 2014
I did not like the ending, it felt rushed. Without giving away the ending, one of the major events happened in a few paragraphs and there wasn't a lot of emotion or depth to the scene. That ruined the entire book for me.
June 1, 2015
This was a five star book, with a one star ending. Like seriously, I hated everything in those last 3 chapters! It so didn't need to end like that! So I'm going to compromise and give it a three. Despite this however, it was a great story and I would still encourage you to finish the trilogy off.
October 23, 2013
Felt like a lot of loose ends for the final book in a trilogy, but I'm guessing there'll be another series at some point.
February 18, 2015
Ending was a bit quick, definetly not what i expected! Maybe the makings of another series to come?
December 14, 2013
This book had many sub plots and twists.Difficult to keep up with all the characters.It is not a stand alone book.
December 16, 2013
I'm so disappointed by this series; while the first book was interesting enough the story went nowhere and by the third book only the fact that Jennifer Fallon was the author kept me reading.
February 27, 2014
Felt there were a few loose ends left untied. Is there a 4th book coming out?
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