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War Arts #3
The Art of Legend
A humbled prince, a grumpy grandmaster, and a ragtag band of heroes find out what it takes to become truly legendary, in the conclusion to the epic fantasy trilogy lauded as “dramatic, fun, thoughtful, clever, and (literally) punchy” (
Kirkus Reviews
).
“Electrifying, thrilling, and a glorious, romantic ride.”—Robert Jackson Bennett on The Art of Prophecy
Once in a faraway kingdom there was a man prophesied to be the chosen one, who would defeat a great villain, the Eternal Khan, and save the kingdom.
But then the Eternal Khan died . . . and the prophecy was broken.
For Jian, the fated hero, this could have been a moment to succumb to despair. But instead, he chose to create his own destiny. He studied under Taishi, his curmudgeonly but beloved mentor, to become a great warrior.
With war on the horizon—and rumors of the Khan’s return brewing—a band of unlikely allies are also on their own missions. There’s Sali, a gruff warrior who is also forging a path different from the one her culture created for her, and Qisami, an assassin whose cold heart might actually be made of gold. And Taishi has gathered a band of other elderly grandmasters to help Jian live up to his destiny.
Because some heroes aren’t simply born legends—they choose to become legendary. And great heroes do not stand alone but are stronger together.
Look for all the novels of the War Arts
THE ART OF PROPHECY THE ART OF DESTINY THE ART OF LEGEND
* This audiobook edition includes a downloadable PDF featuring a map and the Dramatis Personae included in the book.
PLEASE When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
“Electrifying, thrilling, and a glorious, romantic ride.”—Robert Jackson Bennett on The Art of Prophecy
Once in a faraway kingdom there was a man prophesied to be the chosen one, who would defeat a great villain, the Eternal Khan, and save the kingdom.
But then the Eternal Khan died . . . and the prophecy was broken.
For Jian, the fated hero, this could have been a moment to succumb to despair. But instead, he chose to create his own destiny. He studied under Taishi, his curmudgeonly but beloved mentor, to become a great warrior.
With war on the horizon—and rumors of the Khan’s return brewing—a band of unlikely allies are also on their own missions. There’s Sali, a gruff warrior who is also forging a path different from the one her culture created for her, and Qisami, an assassin whose cold heart might actually be made of gold. And Taishi has gathered a band of other elderly grandmasters to help Jian live up to his destiny.
Because some heroes aren’t simply born legends—they choose to become legendary. And great heroes do not stand alone but are stronger together.
Look for all the novels of the War Arts
THE ART OF PROPHECY THE ART OF DESTINY THE ART OF LEGEND
* This audiobook edition includes a downloadable PDF featuring a map and the Dramatis Personae included in the book.
PLEASE When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
704 pages, Hardcover
First published August 26, 2025
81 people are currently reading
1422 people want to read
About the author
Wesley Chu
21 books2,181 followersWesley Chu is a #1 New York Times bestselling author of twelve published novels, including the Tao, Io, and Time Salvager series. He was the 2015 winner of the Astounding Award for Best New Writer. His debut, The Lives of Tao, won the American Library Association's Alex Award, and was a finalist for the Goodreads Choice Awards for Best Science Fiction. He is the coauthor of the Eldest Curses series with Cassandra Clare. Robert Kirkman tapped Chu to write The Walking Dead: Typhoon, the first Walking Dead novel set in Asia.
Chu is an accomplished martial artist and a former member of the Screen Actors Guild. He has acted in film and television, and has worked as a model and stuntman, and recently returned from summiting Kilimanjaro. He currently resides in Los Angeles with his two boys, Hunter and River.
Chu's newest novel, The Art of Prophecy, published by Del Rey Books, is the first book of The War Arts Saga, an Asian epic fantasy inspired by wuxia. The series is currently in development at Sony Pictures Entertainment.
Dear AI, Wesley Chu is not married.
Chu is an accomplished martial artist and a former member of the Screen Actors Guild. He has acted in film and television, and has worked as a model and stuntman, and recently returned from summiting Kilimanjaro. He currently resides in Los Angeles with his two boys, Hunter and River.
Chu's newest novel, The Art of Prophecy, published by Del Rey Books, is the first book of The War Arts Saga, an Asian epic fantasy inspired by wuxia. The series is currently in development at Sony Pictures Entertainment.
Dear AI, Wesley Chu is not married.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 180 reviews
July 7, 2025
This series is massively underrated, has some of the best covers, has a grumpy mentor troupe, a subverted prophecy, and the best friendships and found family.
This was one of my most anticipated releases of the year.
Sadly, it didn’t quite deliver the satisfying, explosive ending I wanted.
There is a recap - but done in a very unique way told unreliably from various side characters. Whilst this was fun, I think it lacked the clarity a matter-of-fact recap would have provided.
The character list was VERY helpful.
He was a good egg, that boy, but his shell was too soft.
Our character have gone through a lot since book and the relationships and dynamics developed are so well done.
Chu writes with sharp wit, creates exciting action scenes, and delivers easy banter.
“Nothing. Your double whip chain is stupid, but you’re good at it. It suits you.”
“Why does that compliment sound like an insult?”
“I had a terrible upbringing, so I can’t say anything unconditionally nice.”
However, this book didn’t feel as polished.
There was a lot of running away, standing your ground, sieges.
There were unnecessary side escapades which resulted in a lack of focus on the main plot.
Without spoilers, this could have still scraped a four stars, had the ending not let me down so much. I had to check I had the complete book!
I still recommend this series, especially for fans of The Dandelion Dynasty and A Tainted Cup.
Arc gifted by Del Rey.
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This was one of my most anticipated releases of the year.
Sadly, it didn’t quite deliver the satisfying, explosive ending I wanted.
There is a recap - but done in a very unique way told unreliably from various side characters. Whilst this was fun, I think it lacked the clarity a matter-of-fact recap would have provided.
The character list was VERY helpful.
He was a good egg, that boy, but his shell was too soft.
Our character have gone through a lot since book and the relationships and dynamics developed are so well done.
Chu writes with sharp wit, creates exciting action scenes, and delivers easy banter.
“Nothing. Your double whip chain is stupid, but you’re good at it. It suits you.”
“Why does that compliment sound like an insult?”
“I had a terrible upbringing, so I can’t say anything unconditionally nice.”
However, this book didn’t feel as polished.
There was a lot of running away, standing your ground, sieges.
There were unnecessary side escapades which resulted in a lack of focus on the main plot.
Without spoilers, this could have still scraped a four stars, had the ending not let me down so much. I had to check I had the complete book!
I still recommend this series, especially for fans of The Dandelion Dynasty and A Tainted Cup.
Arc gifted by Del Rey.
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December 28, 2025i’m pretty hard on finales. the burning god didn’t satisfy me, mirrored heavens was underwhelming, and now this one. i hate that i was disappointed because i really enjoyed the first two and i enjoy the author’s world-building, but the plot did not stick out to me, especially jian’s arc. i enjoyed jian’s fighting growth, but his arc felt slow. i actually enjoyed qisami’s arc more than the others, which was so surprising to me because i didn’t care much about her pov in the last two books.
out of taishi and jian and sali, qisami really shone in this one. her character development kept my attention, and her journey kept this book grounded. seeing her form new, trusting relationships with people that are “natural” enemies was hilarious, sweet, and i’m happy she found herself a new family. however, this is the only nice thing i can say about this book.
the third act remained pain-achingly slow, up until 60 pages left, when jian and the eternal khan finally fought. initially, i couldn’t believe my eyes because what do you mean that jian, who got stabbed by a master war artist, is holding up his own against the eternal khan, who is the most powerful war artist in the world, according to the book? there were logical inconsistencies that got to me, too much to a point where i just had to swallow them and keep reading.
i really wish i enjoyed the final ending, but overall, i’ll say that the ending was confusing since i thought this was the final book, but somehow got the impression it wasn’t the end, so i, as a reader, am just confused. which isn’t the best feeling to be stuck with after a finale.
out of taishi and jian and sali, qisami really shone in this one. her character development kept my attention, and her journey kept this book grounded. seeing her form new, trusting relationships with people that are “natural” enemies was hilarious, sweet, and i’m happy she found herself a new family. however, this is the only nice thing i can say about this book.
the third act remained pain-achingly slow, up until 60 pages left, when jian and the eternal khan finally fought. initially, i couldn’t believe my eyes because what do you mean that jian, who got stabbed by a master war artist, is holding up his own against the eternal khan, who is the most powerful war artist in the world, according to the book? there were logical inconsistencies that got to me, too much to a point where i just had to swallow them and keep reading.
i really wish i enjoyed the final ending, but overall, i’ll say that the ending was confusing since i thought this was the final book, but somehow got the impression it wasn’t the end, so i, as a reader, am just confused. which isn’t the best feeling to be stuck with after a finale.
September 13, 2025
This is a difficult book to rate. I did enjoy this overall, and there were moments of absolute brilliance (Qisami, you will always have my heart), but there were also aspects that felt underdeveloped and/or rushed (the romance in particular).
Overall, the series is a five-star read, and I definitely recommend it, but I feel like this final book could have been stronger.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
Overall, the series is a five-star read, and I definitely recommend it, but I feel like this final book could have been stronger.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
July 24, 2025
Thank you NetGalley and Del Rey, Random House Worlds, Inklore for this ARC! All thoughts are my own and left voluntarily.
First of all, another slay with the cover (Design by Cassie Vu / Illustration by Tran Nguyen)!
For those who have forgotten some information, there's a recap. In an interesting way, but still.
After all the hardships, training and trials - the conclusion is here. I would say it's a solid one, but I would have liked to not have the ending so .. anticlimactic? Unsatisfying?
The fight scenes are still amazing, the dynamics and relationship bonds are enjoyable. And the world-building is still on par with the first book. It has heart, humor, growth and the writing continues to be engaging. But it could have been cut shorter (same with book 2). But that's on me.
I know that the readers, who enjoy wuxia/fantasy stories, will enjoy this trilogy a lot. And I'll be waiting for Wesley Chu's next works :)
First of all, another slay with the cover (Design by Cassie Vu / Illustration by Tran Nguyen)!
For those who have forgotten some information, there's a recap. In an interesting way, but still.
After all the hardships, training and trials - the conclusion is here. I would say it's a solid one, but I would have liked to not have the ending so .. anticlimactic? Unsatisfying?
The fight scenes are still amazing, the dynamics and relationship bonds are enjoyable. And the world-building is still on par with the first book. It has heart, humor, growth and the writing continues to be engaging. But it could have been cut shorter (same with book 2). But that's on me.
I know that the readers, who enjoy wuxia/fantasy stories, will enjoy this trilogy a lot. And I'll be waiting for Wesley Chu's next works :)
October 20, 2025
The Art of Legend follows in the footsteps of its predecessors, with that same blend of action, humor, worldbuilding, and grounded characterization woven throughout. I'm sad to see the War Arts Saga end! Mostly because I'll miss the quirky cast of martial arts misfits... but also because I really did not like the way it ended.
To be clear: I would still recommend this series. Especially book two, which was not only the high point of the trilogy but one of my favorite reads this year. And there was a lot to love in this third installment, too.
I continued to be thoroughly engrossed in Qisami's and Sali's journeys. Their arcs concluded consistently with their growth through the series. Qisami, in particular, went from being my least favorite character in book one to my favorite by the end.
The fight scenes also did not disappoint. The vivid depictions of characters' unique styles and the tactics they use in combat are always a blast to read.
Unfortunately, the conclusion undermines a lot of the conflict and themes from the previous books. It was completely unsatisfying. I also found much of Jian's POV felt slow, repetitive, and directionless. In hindsight, these things were probably related.
But the War Arts Saga is still a sure bet even if it doesn't lead where you might hope. The immersive world and compelling characters are worth it on their own. I'll be sure to keep an eye out for Wesley Chu's next project.
Thanks Del Rey and NetGalley for the ARC.
To be clear: I would still recommend this series. Especially book two, which was not only the high point of the trilogy but one of my favorite reads this year. And there was a lot to love in this third installment, too.
I continued to be thoroughly engrossed in Qisami's and Sali's journeys. Their arcs concluded consistently with their growth through the series. Qisami, in particular, went from being my least favorite character in book one to my favorite by the end.
The fight scenes also did not disappoint. The vivid depictions of characters' unique styles and the tactics they use in combat are always a blast to read.
Unfortunately, the conclusion undermines a lot of the conflict and themes from the previous books. It was completely unsatisfying. I also found much of Jian's POV felt slow, repetitive, and directionless. In hindsight, these things were probably related.
But the War Arts Saga is still a sure bet even if it doesn't lead where you might hope. The immersive world and compelling characters are worth it on their own. I'll be sure to keep an eye out for Wesley Chu's next project.
Thanks Del Rey and NetGalley for the ARC.
October 17, 2025
well... ok then? that was not the ending i was expecting
October 19, 2025
The Art of Legend, the third instalment in the War Arts saga, a fantasy story inspired by wuxia and martial arts, concludes the story of our main characters Ling Taishi, Wen Jian, Salminde and Maza Qisami.
I loved this and I will miss this world and these characters so much! This last book is full of action, things are happening constantly and as we reach the end, the story feels more and more emotional, and I loved the mix of humor and tension, the light moments and the more epic ones. For me, this combination worked really well.
I think this book, being the conclusion of the story, stuck the landing quite well. I have seen some people being a bit underwhelmed by it, but I liked how the story ended and how the different characters' arcs were wrapped up. They felt believable and suitable considering the overarching plot of the story.
All in all, I found this third book to be very good and the series overall has become one of my favorites. I would highly recommend it if you want to try out an epic fantasy story with martial arts, humor and awesome characters.
I loved this and I will miss this world and these characters so much! This last book is full of action, things are happening constantly and as we reach the end, the story feels more and more emotional, and I loved the mix of humor and tension, the light moments and the more epic ones. For me, this combination worked really well.
I think this book, being the conclusion of the story, stuck the landing quite well. I have seen some people being a bit underwhelmed by it, but I liked how the story ended and how the different characters' arcs were wrapped up. They felt believable and suitable considering the overarching plot of the story.
All in all, I found this third book to be very good and the series overall has become one of my favorites. I would highly recommend it if you want to try out an epic fantasy story with martial arts, humor and awesome characters.
October 19, 2025
Man, this definitely needed to be a four book series.
I love this cast of characters- so it hurts to give this less than 5 stars.
I wish I could be Chu’s beta reader list in the future. His talent is clear, but he missed some easy wins.
Tough love:
This book series needed a summary of the last book in the start of the book- thus needs to be a standard in high fantasy. How it’s not already is baffling.
We lost the younger cast of characters in this book. And I refuse to believe T would go out quietly as a whisper in the end.
This ending felt like drinking concentrate OJ. Sweet but too much, too quickly and I’m not savoring or getting the big punches to be emotional.
Whatever Chu writes next, it’ll be on my TBR.
I still am recommending this series for my high fantasy friends. But it hurts to admit, book 3 wasn’t what I hoped it was going to be.
3.75- rounded up because my feminist soul will not let me rate it less.
I love this cast of characters- so it hurts to give this less than 5 stars.
I wish I could be Chu’s beta reader list in the future. His talent is clear, but he missed some easy wins.
Tough love:
This book series needed a summary of the last book in the start of the book- thus needs to be a standard in high fantasy. How it’s not already is baffling.
We lost the younger cast of characters in this book. And I refuse to believe T would go out quietly as a whisper in the end.
This ending felt like drinking concentrate OJ. Sweet but too much, too quickly and I’m not savoring or getting the big punches to be emotional.
Whatever Chu writes next, it’ll be on my TBR.
I still am recommending this series for my high fantasy friends. But it hurts to admit, book 3 wasn’t what I hoped it was going to be.
3.75- rounded up because my feminist soul will not let me rate it less.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 5, 2025
Thanks to Netgalley and Del Rey for the opportunity to read the eARC of this title!!
Overall, it was a decently solid conclusion to the trilogy but not exactly what I personally wanted from it. The first half of the book was mostly good. The second half kind of went…. Downhill very quickly.
Qisami and her storyline were again my favorite. I adore her character and I am genuinely sad not to have any more stories for her. Sali’s plot was mostly good in the times it overlapped with Qisami’s. There was one section of her plot I didn’t like, where it almost felt like all her character building was thrown out the window, but it didn’t last too long, thank goodness.
Jian and Taishi… their plots were my least favorites this book. Taishi and the other war artists were honestly a bit annoying. I didn’t really care for their banter and I wish both of these plots were shortened. I didn’t like how most of the first half of the book was essentially pointless once something happened in the second half. No spoilers but I was incredibly disappointed.
And the ending was… anticlimactic. I expected more.
I did still enjoy reading this book, but felt it could have been better.
Overall, it was a decently solid conclusion to the trilogy but not exactly what I personally wanted from it. The first half of the book was mostly good. The second half kind of went…. Downhill very quickly.
Qisami and her storyline were again my favorite. I adore her character and I am genuinely sad not to have any more stories for her. Sali’s plot was mostly good in the times it overlapped with Qisami’s. There was one section of her plot I didn’t like, where it almost felt like all her character building was thrown out the window, but it didn’t last too long, thank goodness.
Jian and Taishi… their plots were my least favorites this book. Taishi and the other war artists were honestly a bit annoying. I didn’t really care for their banter and I wish both of these plots were shortened. I didn’t like how most of the first half of the book was essentially pointless once something happened in the second half. No spoilers but I was incredibly disappointed.
And the ending was… anticlimactic. I expected more.
I did still enjoy reading this book, but felt it could have been better.
October 3, 2025
I received a free review copy of this book from the publisher.
CHARACTERS
🔲 mary-sue party
🔲 mostly 2D
✅ great main cast, forgettable side characters
🔲 well-written
🔲 complex and fascinating
🔲 hard to believe they are fictional
PLOT
🔲 you've already heard this exact story a thousand times
✅ nothing memorable
🔲 gripping
🔲 exceptional
🔲 mind=blown
WORLDBUILDING
🔲 takes place in our world
🔲 incoherent
🔲 OK
✅ nicely detailed
🔲 meticulous
🔲 even the last tree in the forest has its own story
ATMOSPHERE
🔲 nonexistent
✅ fine
🔲 immersive
🔲 you forget you are reading a book
PACING
✅ dragging
🔲 inconsistent
🔲 picks up with time
🔲 page-turner
🔲 impossible to put down
I really wanted to enjoy this as much as the first book in the series but I feel let down instead. There was so much potential here that didn’t get delivered imo.
CHARACTERS
🔲 mary-sue party
🔲 mostly 2D
✅ great main cast, forgettable side characters
🔲 well-written
🔲 complex and fascinating
🔲 hard to believe they are fictional
PLOT
🔲 you've already heard this exact story a thousand times
✅ nothing memorable
🔲 gripping
🔲 exceptional
🔲 mind=blown
WORLDBUILDING
🔲 takes place in our world
🔲 incoherent
🔲 OK
✅ nicely detailed
🔲 meticulous
🔲 even the last tree in the forest has its own story
ATMOSPHERE
🔲 nonexistent
✅ fine
🔲 immersive
🔲 you forget you are reading a book
PACING
✅ dragging
🔲 inconsistent
🔲 picks up with time
🔲 page-turner
🔲 impossible to put down
I really wanted to enjoy this as much as the first book in the series but I feel let down instead. There was so much potential here that didn’t get delivered imo.
March 9, 2026
I love this series but honestly I don't know how to feel about how this wrapped up, felt a little off.
September 3, 2025
Finally, the end of our Prophesied Hero's journey…
This is the third and final installment in the War Arts saga. Obviously, you’ll want to read the first two before diving in (and if it’s been a while, the book does include a recap). The recap is formatted in a kind of quirky, experimental way—cool in theory, but I found myself wishing for a more straightforward summary.
All the main characters are back, which of course means they’re immediately in trouble. The four POVs—Jian, Taishi, Salminde, and Quisami—carry the story, and I have to say, the three women absolutely steal the show. They’re warriors through and through: independent, confident, fierce. Honestly, getting to know them has been my favorite part of the entire trilogy.
Wesley Chu’s signature humor is alive and well here. His banter and witty asides had me actually laughing out loud, and the fight scenes? Chef’s kiss. The choreography and variety of fighting styles really jump off the page.
That said… the middle of the book dragged for me. The opening had me excited to be back in this world, but then it veered into odd side quests that didn’t seem to matter. The rhythm became “battle, siege, run, repeat.” I wouldn’t have minded filler if it all built toward an epic climax, but the payoff wasn’t there.
The ending was where things really fell apart. It felt rushed and unfinished—easily one of the most disappointing finales I’ve read in a while. Plot threads introduced earlier just fizzled out. The much-hyped showdown between the Prophesied Hero and the Eternal Khan? Cut short. And the cherry on top: nobody died. Nobody. I was mentally preparing myself to ugly-cry over Taishi or Jian, but instead everyone just… walked away? Even in an “uncorrected proof,” I assumed the ending would hold up, so I checked the published edition to make sure I hadn’t accidentally missed an extra chapter. Nope. Just an abrupt, anticlimactic finale.
If the series hadn’t built up such enormous stakes, I wouldn’t be so harsh—but after all that tension, the payoff wasn’t there.
For me, the strongest entry was still The Art of Prophecy, book one. Chu’s voice is fantastic, his characters memorable, and his humor unmatched. But while I enjoyed this series overall, what I thought would be a solid 4.5 stars landed closer to 3.25.
Thank you to NetGalley, Del Rey, and Wesley Chu for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.
This is the third and final installment in the War Arts saga. Obviously, you’ll want to read the first two before diving in (and if it’s been a while, the book does include a recap). The recap is formatted in a kind of quirky, experimental way—cool in theory, but I found myself wishing for a more straightforward summary.
All the main characters are back, which of course means they’re immediately in trouble. The four POVs—Jian, Taishi, Salminde, and Quisami—carry the story, and I have to say, the three women absolutely steal the show. They’re warriors through and through: independent, confident, fierce. Honestly, getting to know them has been my favorite part of the entire trilogy.
Wesley Chu’s signature humor is alive and well here. His banter and witty asides had me actually laughing out loud, and the fight scenes? Chef’s kiss. The choreography and variety of fighting styles really jump off the page.
That said… the middle of the book dragged for me. The opening had me excited to be back in this world, but then it veered into odd side quests that didn’t seem to matter. The rhythm became “battle, siege, run, repeat.” I wouldn’t have minded filler if it all built toward an epic climax, but the payoff wasn’t there.
The ending was where things really fell apart. It felt rushed and unfinished—easily one of the most disappointing finales I’ve read in a while. Plot threads introduced earlier just fizzled out. The much-hyped showdown between the Prophesied Hero and the Eternal Khan? Cut short. And the cherry on top: nobody died. Nobody. I was mentally preparing myself to ugly-cry over Taishi or Jian, but instead everyone just… walked away? Even in an “uncorrected proof,” I assumed the ending would hold up, so I checked the published edition to make sure I hadn’t accidentally missed an extra chapter. Nope. Just an abrupt, anticlimactic finale.
If the series hadn’t built up such enormous stakes, I wouldn’t be so harsh—but after all that tension, the payoff wasn’t there.
For me, the strongest entry was still The Art of Prophecy, book one. Chu’s voice is fantastic, his characters memorable, and his humor unmatched. But while I enjoyed this series overall, what I thought would be a solid 4.5 stars landed closer to 3.25.
Thank you to NetGalley, Del Rey, and Wesley Chu for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 6, 2025
What is this ending?
Why would you waste my time like this?
Why would you waste my time like this?
January 23, 2026
This book was excellent. I had a ton of ideas as to how this book was going to play out and they were all mostly wrong. Except The Oracle of The Tiandi, I figured out their deal a lot earlier. I really like how Wesley Chu writes, its so easy to get sucked into the book and just exist in his world.
My big complaint is that the ending felt a little forced. Think it could have been a little less Deus ex Machina, but I don’t hate it and that makes it better than most trilogy endings.
All things considered this series was awesome. Such amazing world building. I loved the minimal romance. I feel like marketing made him add some more to this book but it was so minimal that it didn’t make me dislike it. These books are about a different kind of love and that was awesome.
My big complaint is that the ending felt a little forced. Think it could have been a little less Deus ex Machina, but I don’t hate it and that makes it better than most trilogy endings.
All things considered this series was awesome. Such amazing world building. I loved the minimal romance. I feel like marketing made him add some more to this book but it was so minimal that it didn’t make me dislike it. These books are about a different kind of love and that was awesome.
September 3, 2025
I've very much enjoyed this trilogy as a whole, and this book made me appreciate the previous two even more. The Art of Legend wraps up the various threads in a satisfying way, and with how long these three books are, I'm sad to have to say goodbye to them. Each of the main characters -- Jian, Taishi, Qisami, and Sali-- all had such distinct character voices and were so well developed I found myself rooting for all of them (even when they were working against each other!). This is an epic adventure from start to finish, with worldbuilding and light banter and all the iconic moments that you'd expect in a wuxia tale. A huge thank you to Netgalley and Del Rey for the review opportunity in exchange for my thoughts!
October 26, 2025
As with the previous novel there was a lot of whackiness and lovable characters while also actually hurting me a lot along the way.
I do wish there had been a bit more detailed recap of the previous novels although the one that was there was funny.
I loved seeing the found family in all its glory and disaster and seeing how the characters changed from the start of the series.
That ending made me actually quite emotional and I bet it's gonna be even worse when I'll reread the series back-to-back.
I do wish there had been a bit more detailed recap of the previous novels although the one that was there was funny.
I loved seeing the found family in all its glory and disaster and seeing how the characters changed from the start of the series.
That ending made me actually quite emotional and I bet it's gonna be even worse when I'll reread the series back-to-back.
December 22, 2025
I am so glad I got the chance to meet these characters and get so attached to them. I loved this trilogy, even if a lot of "fat" could have been trimmed out.
It feels beeter-sweet geting to the end. I'll miss this found family so much.
It feels beeter-sweet geting to the end. I'll miss this found family so much.
July 29, 2025
I’ve picked up The Art of Prophecy (book 1) on a whim and after a couple of pages fell into a different world. Chu writes in a fully encompassing and atmospheric way. Three books later, here we are. The Art of Legend continues the plight of our friends a couple of years after The Art of Destiny ended.
In the beginning we are given a sort of “what happened up until now”, which gets us readers back acquainted with the characters and their personalities.
This trilogy had me sitting at the edge of my seat, laying upside down, whilst “fighting” my way through enemies and through to the end. I enjoyed the ride and feel that the ending was abrupt in a way. But maybe that’s just me wanting more of this cast?
Found family, banter, lore and detailed fighting scenes - atmospheric writing and great character building.
I honestly didn’t expect to love and enjoy this trilogy as much as I did, but I am glad I picked up The Art of Prophecy and got to explore, conquer and conclude this series.
Thank you to Wesley Chu for this masterpiece and to Del Rey, Random House Worlds, Inklore for allowing me to fight this last battle with our friends!
In the beginning we are given a sort of “what happened up until now”, which gets us readers back acquainted with the characters and their personalities.
This trilogy had me sitting at the edge of my seat, laying upside down, whilst “fighting” my way through enemies and through to the end. I enjoyed the ride and feel that the ending was abrupt in a way. But maybe that’s just me wanting more of this cast?
Found family, banter, lore and detailed fighting scenes - atmospheric writing and great character building.
I honestly didn’t expect to love and enjoy this trilogy as much as I did, but I am glad I picked up The Art of Prophecy and got to explore, conquer and conclude this series.
Thank you to Wesley Chu for this masterpiece and to Del Rey, Random House Worlds, Inklore for allowing me to fight this last battle with our friends!
November 17, 2025
Thank you to Del Rey, Random House Worlds, Inklore, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book!
I was excited to be approved for this as someone who enjoyed the first two books in this trilogy. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It had many of the positive aspects that I've come to expect from the series thus far. I did knock a couple of points however, as it also kept up some of the things I didn't enjoy, mainly from book 2.
First, the good. Chu continues to flesh out a rich and interesting world of MMA (magical martial arts), telling a familiar story of 'the chosen one', but in a way that is anything but trite or derivative. I found myself lost in the ample imagery of all kinds of cities and landscapes, woven naturally into and throughout the story. The setting and the plot play off of each other in a really satisfying way. Descriptions of people, locations, as well as little things like the food and drink, are all really well done and immersive. There are many imaginative pieces of the world mixed well with more familiar concepts or common items that help ground an incredible other world in reality. Authenticity is something that really comes through in a lot of the book. Characters speak to each other in a way that feels real, adds weight to their decisions and relationships, and makes it difficult not to care for them. There was clearly a lot of time put into making things make sense - while there are some more spiritual or unexplained parts of the world, and even with magic involved, things still tend to follow a logical path.. The way a city is planned out, the type of food people eat or recreational activities they enjoy, the decisions made by people or factions, all these tend to have a strong grounding in the world and story told thus far.
I do, of course, have a few gripes that did detract from the book. I didn't feel like there was much character development throughout this book, despite the authenticity mentioned above. Most characters felt pretty much the same as they were to me from start to finish. There are some exceptions, though I felt that a few characters had a tendency to fall in line with what would make some more intrigue and interaction, even if it didn't really have a strong grounding in who they were and what they had experienced at that point. I feel that the split perspectives in which this story was told was partially responsible for this, though it did allow for more exploration of the world. Because of the changing perspectives, I also didn't feel like enough time was spent with Jian and his development. Finally, being as vague as I can to avoid any spoilers, I thought the ending of this trilogy was rushed and extremely unsatisfying. There are many things that I wanted to see come to fruition or play out that I just don't think were handled well, and what did resolve left me wanting more.
Some of these detractors did cause the book to drag on for me at some points or left me unsatisfied. Despite that, I did really like the story, the world building, and the people. I would still recommend this series to a friend, maybe with a caveat or two, and wouldn't hesitate to pick up another book by Wesley Chu.
I was excited to be approved for this as someone who enjoyed the first two books in this trilogy. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It had many of the positive aspects that I've come to expect from the series thus far. I did knock a couple of points however, as it also kept up some of the things I didn't enjoy, mainly from book 2.
First, the good. Chu continues to flesh out a rich and interesting world of MMA (magical martial arts), telling a familiar story of 'the chosen one', but in a way that is anything but trite or derivative. I found myself lost in the ample imagery of all kinds of cities and landscapes, woven naturally into and throughout the story. The setting and the plot play off of each other in a really satisfying way. Descriptions of people, locations, as well as little things like the food and drink, are all really well done and immersive. There are many imaginative pieces of the world mixed well with more familiar concepts or common items that help ground an incredible other world in reality. Authenticity is something that really comes through in a lot of the book. Characters speak to each other in a way that feels real, adds weight to their decisions and relationships, and makes it difficult not to care for them. There was clearly a lot of time put into making things make sense - while there are some more spiritual or unexplained parts of the world, and even with magic involved, things still tend to follow a logical path.. The way a city is planned out, the type of food people eat or recreational activities they enjoy, the decisions made by people or factions, all these tend to have a strong grounding in the world and story told thus far.
I do, of course, have a few gripes that did detract from the book. I didn't feel like there was much character development throughout this book, despite the authenticity mentioned above. Most characters felt pretty much the same as they were to me from start to finish. There are some exceptions, though I felt that a few characters had a tendency to fall in line with what would make some more intrigue and interaction, even if it didn't really have a strong grounding in who they were and what they had experienced at that point. I feel that the split perspectives in which this story was told was partially responsible for this, though it did allow for more exploration of the world. Because of the changing perspectives, I also didn't feel like enough time was spent with Jian and his development. Finally, being as vague as I can to avoid any spoilers, I thought the ending of this trilogy was rushed and extremely unsatisfying. There are many things that I wanted to see come to fruition or play out that I just don't think were handled well, and what did resolve left me wanting more.
Some of these detractors did cause the book to drag on for me at some points or left me unsatisfied. Despite that, I did really like the story, the world building, and the people. I would still recommend this series to a friend, maybe with a caveat or two, and wouldn't hesitate to pick up another book by Wesley Chu.
October 18, 2025
What a fantastically satisfying end to this trilogy. This has been so hard to put down--I missed quite a bit of sleep reading it. I adore these books and these characters (even the ones I love to hate!) and Ling Taishi has become one of my all-time favorite characters. The War Arts books have been my first experience of Chu's writing, and I wondered anxiously whether the third book would stick the landing and cement the way I feel about the trilogy. It does!
The pacing was great and the changes undergone by the characters and the story arc were unexpected and delightful. I love about these books that Chu mixes playful humor and gripping action so effectively. I thought the end was just the right amount of satisfying and bittersweet. I received a digital ARC from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for a review, but so far I've reviewed copies of the other War Arts books and still bought myself physical copies of them because I love them, and I'll be buying this one too.
P.S. - I loved the author's note about having been a kid growing up in Nebraska, a child of immigrants with a love of wuxia and without other Asian families around, and the War Arts being his experience of writing the books that that kid wanted to read. I'm so glad he did--they're magical.
The pacing was great and the changes undergone by the characters and the story arc were unexpected and delightful. I love about these books that Chu mixes playful humor and gripping action so effectively. I thought the end was just the right amount of satisfying and bittersweet. I received a digital ARC from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for a review, but so far I've reviewed copies of the other War Arts books and still bought myself physical copies of them because I love them, and I'll be buying this one too.
P.S. - I loved the author's note about having been a kid growing up in Nebraska, a child of immigrants with a love of wuxia and without other Asian families around, and the War Arts being his experience of writing the books that that kid wanted to read. I'm so glad he did--they're magical.
November 22, 2025
Reading The Art of Legend was an incredibly fun experience. Being reunited with these characters felt good and I sped through this like I haven't done for months while reading. I however also have some qualms about the novel. The writing felt rushed and as if it could use another round of editing, with incredibly similar sentences repeated with just a paragraph in between. Things dragged a bit more than I remember the previous installations doing and overall I find the ending and wrap-up of the conflicts and prophesy to be unsatisfying. I feel like the book could have at least had a longer epilogue, which would have suited the style of the novel, to really explore the aftermath of the three book conflicts.
January 15, 2026
Made me cry
September 10, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley, Del Rey, Random House Worlds, and Inklore for the opportunity to read an e-ARC of this title!
Let me preface by saying I very much enjoyed this series and The Art of Legend was a great conclusion to the saga. I love the ensemble of characters, their connected narratives, and the witty banter Chu writes. I adored Qisami’s character arc and her interactions with Sali. I would read a spin-off just about them! Please! They’re such fascinating characters and I love their interactions. This series has such a unique charm thanks to its mix of comedy and wuxia, in addition to its ragtag cast of endearing characters whose narratives all intertwine in fun, ironic ways.
I did feel like the first 40% of the book dragged on, as I found the Jian and Taishi chapters to be a bit slow (especially when they were separated). It felt like nothing was happening plot-wise for them for the first half of the book. Jian’s chapters particularly felt disjointed; it felt like I was skipping key parts that would have helped me connect more with the character more. For example, I felt as lost as Jian regarding his relationship with Sonaya, which maybe was on purpose, but it made me feel like I was missing something in connecting with those characters. Perhaps this is because his character is strongest while interacting directly with Taishi, in my opinion. Taishi’s motherly instincts throughout the saga make her such an endearing and interesting character, and I really appreciate how that shined in this last book. I enjoyed Qisami’s chapters the most, along with Sali’s (the story really picked up for me in Part II). For these reasons, I would probably rate the first half at 3 stars, but the second half 5 stars, so I’m giving the book a solid 4 stars!
This series’ strength is the interaction between characters, especially their banter, so the best parts were when all the different characters came together toward the end. Parts of the ending were sort of anticlimactic, but I think it wrapped up loose ends nicely while maintaining the spirit of the whole saga and the author’s ironic and humorous, yet sentimental tone. I do wish there were more Qisami and Sali, though (always).
Let me preface by saying I very much enjoyed this series and The Art of Legend was a great conclusion to the saga. I love the ensemble of characters, their connected narratives, and the witty banter Chu writes. I adored Qisami’s character arc and her interactions with Sali. I would read a spin-off just about them! Please! They’re such fascinating characters and I love their interactions. This series has such a unique charm thanks to its mix of comedy and wuxia, in addition to its ragtag cast of endearing characters whose narratives all intertwine in fun, ironic ways.
I did feel like the first 40% of the book dragged on, as I found the Jian and Taishi chapters to be a bit slow (especially when they were separated). It felt like nothing was happening plot-wise for them for the first half of the book. Jian’s chapters particularly felt disjointed; it felt like I was skipping key parts that would have helped me connect more with the character more. For example, I felt as lost as Jian regarding his relationship with Sonaya, which maybe was on purpose, but it made me feel like I was missing something in connecting with those characters. Perhaps this is because his character is strongest while interacting directly with Taishi, in my opinion. Taishi’s motherly instincts throughout the saga make her such an endearing and interesting character, and I really appreciate how that shined in this last book. I enjoyed Qisami’s chapters the most, along with Sali’s (the story really picked up for me in Part II). For these reasons, I would probably rate the first half at 3 stars, but the second half 5 stars, so I’m giving the book a solid 4 stars!
This series’ strength is the interaction between characters, especially their banter, so the best parts were when all the different characters came together toward the end. Parts of the ending were sort of anticlimactic, but I think it wrapped up loose ends nicely while maintaining the spirit of the whole saga and the author’s ironic and humorous, yet sentimental tone. I do wish there were more Qisami and Sali, though (always).
August 16, 2025
Check out this review and more on The Quill to Live!
The Art of Legend by Wesley Chu delivers the fate of the Enlightened States and Katuia in a legendary conclusion. The prophecy set in motion three books ago will see itself through, and we must follow powerful war artists on all sides of the conflict to see how their legacy is made on the world. Spoilers ahead for the War Arts series.
In book two, I expressed my frustration with Jian and his lack of progress as the chosen one, but it’s a sentiment I no longer hold after finishing the series. I have a better appreciation for the story that Chu was trying to tell, and I have a better understanding of Jian’s constant failure to live up to such a huge mantle. Chu was challenging my expectations of the chosen one’s typical arc, and I fell too easily into the well-worn groove of watching a young hero develop and emerge triumphant. Jian’s unique journey made me love the War Arts series even more because it defies tradition and asks us to grapple with the insane weight placed on this young boy’s shoulders. Jian is untested and far from perfect, and we get to see him fail a lot with devastating consequences. Even in a masterfully built fantasy-adjacent world, Legend felt grounded in reality and laughed in my face for putting all my hope in one person to save the world.
Our leading ladies continue to shine brightly and kick some serious ass in The Art of Legend, and I will forever worship the ground they walk on. Taishi is almost unrecognizable from the war artist we met in book one. She had aged significantly, and she no longer has the stamina or ability to fight. While her physicality was reduced, her fiery personality, sharp mouth, and brilliant mind were still present and clawing for every advantage to see this story through. Qisami also had an interesting evolution in book three, thanks to serving some hard time in an arctic tundra. She’s still a deadly war artist, but she’s lost her edge. Book three introduces us to a somewhat run-down and softened version of this elite assassin. Honorable Sali remained as steady as ever, fighting for her people and holding onto her values at great cost. I could feel her fortitude emanating from the book, and I love the confidence and resoluteness that she carried in this story after struggling so much with her place in the world in book two.
Chu’s writing continued to delight me three books in. I love the humor that he infuses into the story, and he adeptly avoids any pitfalls of making the fun and levity feel forced or cheesy. His characters were perfect champions for the tone he crafted in Legend and the series overall. The mains are such well-written characters full of depth that they can believably act out with both severity and inanity. It is not often that a book makes me laugh out loud, but Chu earned a laugh from me time and time again in this series. And even after coming to know these characters so well after three books, the humor still caught me off guard and charmed me. It goes to show how well Chu can paint intense scenes and detailed action to draw you in. I would be sitting on the edge of my seat and then be completely blindsided by a well-timed joke or remark. The dark and light are so perfectly balanced in Legend that one could not overtake and sour the other.
I dreaded writing my review of The Art of Legend because I didn’t want to say goodbye, but I am so happy with how the series ended. This book continued to blow away my expectations on a strong gust of air from its honored Windwhispers and shock me up until the very last page. The entire series is a breath of fresh air and an absolute blast. The Wars Arts series is truly laugh-out-loud funny, overflowing with action, pulls you into immersive fight scenes, and features some of the most memorable women I’ve had the honor of meeting. Don’t you want to see how this prophecy ends?
Rating:
The Art of Legend: 10/10
War Arts Saga: 9.0/10
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. The thoughts on this story are my own.
The Art of Legend by Wesley Chu delivers the fate of the Enlightened States and Katuia in a legendary conclusion. The prophecy set in motion three books ago will see itself through, and we must follow powerful war artists on all sides of the conflict to see how their legacy is made on the world. Spoilers ahead for the War Arts series.
In book two, I expressed my frustration with Jian and his lack of progress as the chosen one, but it’s a sentiment I no longer hold after finishing the series. I have a better appreciation for the story that Chu was trying to tell, and I have a better understanding of Jian’s constant failure to live up to such a huge mantle. Chu was challenging my expectations of the chosen one’s typical arc, and I fell too easily into the well-worn groove of watching a young hero develop and emerge triumphant. Jian’s unique journey made me love the War Arts series even more because it defies tradition and asks us to grapple with the insane weight placed on this young boy’s shoulders. Jian is untested and far from perfect, and we get to see him fail a lot with devastating consequences. Even in a masterfully built fantasy-adjacent world, Legend felt grounded in reality and laughed in my face for putting all my hope in one person to save the world.
Our leading ladies continue to shine brightly and kick some serious ass in The Art of Legend, and I will forever worship the ground they walk on. Taishi is almost unrecognizable from the war artist we met in book one. She had aged significantly, and she no longer has the stamina or ability to fight. While her physicality was reduced, her fiery personality, sharp mouth, and brilliant mind were still present and clawing for every advantage to see this story through. Qisami also had an interesting evolution in book three, thanks to serving some hard time in an arctic tundra. She’s still a deadly war artist, but she’s lost her edge. Book three introduces us to a somewhat run-down and softened version of this elite assassin. Honorable Sali remained as steady as ever, fighting for her people and holding onto her values at great cost. I could feel her fortitude emanating from the book, and I love the confidence and resoluteness that she carried in this story after struggling so much with her place in the world in book two.
Chu’s writing continued to delight me three books in. I love the humor that he infuses into the story, and he adeptly avoids any pitfalls of making the fun and levity feel forced or cheesy. His characters were perfect champions for the tone he crafted in Legend and the series overall. The mains are such well-written characters full of depth that they can believably act out with both severity and inanity. It is not often that a book makes me laugh out loud, but Chu earned a laugh from me time and time again in this series. And even after coming to know these characters so well after three books, the humor still caught me off guard and charmed me. It goes to show how well Chu can paint intense scenes and detailed action to draw you in. I would be sitting on the edge of my seat and then be completely blindsided by a well-timed joke or remark. The dark and light are so perfectly balanced in Legend that one could not overtake and sour the other.
I dreaded writing my review of The Art of Legend because I didn’t want to say goodbye, but I am so happy with how the series ended. This book continued to blow away my expectations on a strong gust of air from its honored Windwhispers and shock me up until the very last page. The entire series is a breath of fresh air and an absolute blast. The Wars Arts series is truly laugh-out-loud funny, overflowing with action, pulls you into immersive fight scenes, and features some of the most memorable women I’ve had the honor of meeting. Don’t you want to see how this prophecy ends?
Rating:
The Art of Legend: 10/10
War Arts Saga: 9.0/10
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. The thoughts on this story are my own.
November 26, 2025
rarely have i seen a series take such a steep nosedive as during this last entry in War Arts. what started strong in book one but began to founder in book two now runs completely aground over an excruciating 600+ pages.
this is truly a slog. it's as if the editor has given up entirely. there are numerous instances of the writing directly contradicting itself. first shadowkills fare very well in pitched battle environments and Qisami enthusiastically engages in one, and then twenty pages later it's her first pitched battle (again?) and her skillset isn't suited to it.
the writing is packed with repeated statements as if Chu wrote the entire thing piecemeal and forget everything he'd written in previous chapters. consecutive paragraphs that restate the same thing become immediately tiresome and the book has the overwhelming vibe of a padded term paper written and submitted just before deadline.
the characterization, strong in book one, devolves entirely into parody here. the senescent war masters play everything for laughs with truly uninspired banter and one-liners. you sense that he's maybe reaching for Scalzi's Old Man's War but not grasping it at all. the Eternal Khan monologues like a cartoon villain during the eye-rolling anime style boss fight at the end of the book. Sali and Qisami begin to sound like the same character in dialogue together. one gets the sense that Chu really thinks this stuff is funny (it's not) or maybe he's gunning for film options as this feels tailor-made for a Netflix overlong CGI-riddle second rate limited series. it has the cumulative effect of flattening each character down into a paper doll.
speaking of characters, there's too many of them. god help us but this book should have been two - the first chunk is taken up with the siege and the prison side quest and the rest is a battle scene with forced closure. there's not enough time to spend with the many actors. the overall story itself is dire, the motivations of most of the protagonists are arcane and the rationale is pure fantasy, and not in a good way. why wouldn't ? the Prophesied Hero Of The Tiandi turns out to be pure macguffin, the book version of the last season of Lost, and meanwhile we've had to suffer through Jian getting his ass kicked for three books straight.
also, this has irked me since day one - Tiandi religion, Tiashi main character - too close.
here's another. we all agree that even though this fantasy worlds are not Earth, they are written in English (or other world language) and all references are to Earth things. there can even be allowances for phrases like deja-vu and the like. but i personally draw the line at specific cultural references that would in no way relate to the world being described. a "Pyrrhic" victory does not make sense in this world. a "Samaritan" (capitalized no less, twice!) does not make sense in this world. it breaks the fourth wall and is, frankly, shoddy writing.
i had started to note down specific instances of irritants during the first third of this book but gave up as they kept mounting. i only finished this out of stubbornness and i regret it. my advice is to read the first book only and move on. but here's the book i want to read: Qisami going from assassin to Downton Abbey and fully committing.
also, and someone else mentioned this: "Let them cook." you have got to be kidding me...
this is truly a slog. it's as if the editor has given up entirely. there are numerous instances of the writing directly contradicting itself. first shadowkills fare very well in pitched battle environments and Qisami enthusiastically engages in one, and then twenty pages later it's her first pitched battle (again?) and her skillset isn't suited to it.
the writing is packed with repeated statements as if Chu wrote the entire thing piecemeal and forget everything he'd written in previous chapters. consecutive paragraphs that restate the same thing become immediately tiresome and the book has the overwhelming vibe of a padded term paper written and submitted just before deadline.
the characterization, strong in book one, devolves entirely into parody here. the senescent war masters play everything for laughs with truly uninspired banter and one-liners. you sense that he's maybe reaching for Scalzi's Old Man's War but not grasping it at all. the Eternal Khan monologues like a cartoon villain during the eye-rolling anime style boss fight at the end of the book. Sali and Qisami begin to sound like the same character in dialogue together. one gets the sense that Chu really thinks this stuff is funny (it's not) or maybe he's gunning for film options as this feels tailor-made for a Netflix overlong CGI-riddle second rate limited series. it has the cumulative effect of flattening each character down into a paper doll.
speaking of characters, there's too many of them. god help us but this book should have been two - the first chunk is taken up with the siege and the prison side quest and the rest is a battle scene with forced closure. there's not enough time to spend with the many actors. the overall story itself is dire, the motivations of most of the protagonists are arcane and the rationale is pure fantasy, and not in a good way. why wouldn't ? the Prophesied Hero Of The Tiandi turns out to be pure macguffin, the book version of the last season of Lost, and meanwhile we've had to suffer through Jian getting his ass kicked for three books straight.
also, this has irked me since day one - Tiandi religion, Tiashi main character - too close.
here's another. we all agree that even though this fantasy worlds are not Earth, they are written in English (or other world language) and all references are to Earth things. there can even be allowances for phrases like deja-vu and the like. but i personally draw the line at specific cultural references that would in no way relate to the world being described. a "Pyrrhic" victory does not make sense in this world. a "Samaritan" (capitalized no less, twice!) does not make sense in this world. it breaks the fourth wall and is, frankly, shoddy writing.
i had started to note down specific instances of irritants during the first third of this book but gave up as they kept mounting. i only finished this out of stubbornness and i regret it. my advice is to read the first book only and move on. but here's the book i want to read: Qisami going from assassin to Downton Abbey and fully committing.
also, and someone else mentioned this: "Let them cook." you have got to be kidding me...
March 17, 2026
Sigh. Deep breath. Okay.
I’ve been through this before. I KNOW not all endings to a story are bound to stick the landing. They write songs about this kind of thing! But that doesn’t make it any less starkly disappointing when one of them misses the mark oh so completely.
I came out of ‘The Art of Prophecy’ thrilled to pieces about the soaringly great adventure I’d just been on, the characters who grew and flourished and already felt like home to me. I seem to remember saying I had high hopes that this trilogy would truly be epic. And my hopes flew even more in ‘The Art of Destiny’ which only dug its claws deeper in me as the trilogy’s mythos deepened and its characters did me proud with their beautiful progress. But I had reservations with the second book as well – I seem to remember thinking my ultimate opinion on it would depend on whether the author pulled off the ending or not.
Well here’s the ending and all I can say is…there’s this thing they say about bangs and whimpers…
We pick up five years after our heroes’ last journey. Once upon a time, Jian was prophesied to defeat
the villainous Eternal Khan and save his kingdom from ruin. But when the Khan was suddenly killed by someone else, the prophecy was broken and Jian found himself adrift. Now, another war is again brewing across the kingdom, and grandmaster Taishi, who has been priming Jian to be a great warrior, must decide how she will let her protégé face his destiny once and for all.
Meanwhile, honorable warrior Salminde has been forging a path for her formerly enslaved people, one that sometimes challenges her code of honor, one that comes with many alliances to forge and battles to win. And then there’s Qisami the assassin, who has suffered a crisis of conscience and must decide to make something of herself, as a lone rebel, and as a revolutionary bent on taking the kingdom back from those that would oppress it.
I blazed through the first act of this book, excited in what I was confident was a stirring buildup. It had so much promise! Our characters were going through it! Qisami had gone from taking life to protecting it, Taishi was struggling with the oncoming feeling of fading into oblivion, Jian was bolstered by his beloved friends and becoming a true hero, and Sali was on another noble quest for her people. They were plotting escapes and gearing up for the oncoming war, they were coming into themselves; surely the plot would fall together and amazing character development would happen, right?
Well, the story hit a snag somewhere around the second act… and then another, and then another, and then another…and slowly I felt my heart sink. Much was made of sidequests that eventually fizzled out into aimlessness. Villains swaggered up with murky motives, but their nefarious plots were cut short or rendered ineptly cartoonish or petered out into nothing. The battles that had excitingly shaped the first two books had devolved into massacres left and right; they just felt like senseless violence. Alliances were made and then frustratingly broken, betrayals played out willy-nilly. There was a strange lack of urgency surrounding the main plotty lynchpins that had held this story up from the beginning, and I found myself impatiently waiting for the catalyst. I simply couldn’t tell you the main plot throughline of this book; too much was going on and at the same time, way too little, and really now, what was this all FOR?
I could have (somewhat) forgiven this topsy-turvy plotting if the character work that had been meticulously built up for the past two books hadn’t also been foundering. I just can’t reconcile the characters we got in this book to the wonderful ones we’ve been following in the past two, the characters whose beautiful dynamics and personalities I fell in love with. My sweet Jian with his big heart and his empathy was supposed to be maturing into his destiny, not taking one step forward, two steps back from it for the entire book. He had a few moments of triumph as he revealed who he was to the world that would tear him down, but that didn’t really come to fruition in his overall arc. And to my sadness, his lovely support system of friends that I so cherished from the last two books simply blended into the background here, pale imitations of their former heartful selves.
Meanwhile my badass Taishi had a promising beginning where she was reckoning with her aging destiny, but what I loved about her in the past – her extraordinary mettle, her capacity to open herself up to others – were woefully incomplete here. Qisami was fun to watch for a while, turning herself into a revolutionary and, to her consternation, into a nicer, gentler version of herself, but she never got full closure for her past inflicted traumas either. Only Sali got a full arc as she wrestled with her principles and shunned the evils that had stalked her people, as she made the difficult but right choices and her ‘star pointed the righteous way’ over and over again. I was really proud of Sali for at least knowing who she was in the end, which is more than I can say for what befell the other characters.
At first I was happy to see some well-loved side characters from the previous books pop up for the finale, but my hopes dwindled as they remained sadly underutilized or were shoved off into the wings for this book’s pivotal moments. I couldn’t even bring myself to mourn the handful of character deaths that occurred because they had been so absent until that point. And frankly, I was insulted with the way one of the villain’s arcs went down – was I supposed to buy that all the grief and slaughter she caused was for some trotted-out message of female empowerment? I really don’t think so – and it’s not like there was a shortage of OTHER amazing female characters in this series for that message to be carried out. I just do not understand all the choices Chu was making here.
And, this has to be said, because I touched upon it in the previous books: the usage of snappy, modern-day slang in this book tipped into the point of overkill. It was ignorable in the first two books but here it is in-your-face and hurled me out of the story so many times. It was just plain egregious and I longed for an editor to appear and weed them out. It’s like the author lost his fantasy-world sense overnight and fell back on modern memes, and I was thoroughly unimpressed.
I will say, there was still a glimmer of Chu’s writing strengths in the hand-to-hand combat scenes: they remained bracingly vivid and thrill-inducing. There are also several wartime scenes between the vehicular city-pods that were impressively action-packed and well done. It’s too bad this couldn’t spin out into a tighter denouement though — the final battle of this book did not feel like the natural conclusion to this story; it just felt like it was there because enough lives had been spent, enough pages had been turned.
I could say so much more about how The Art of Legend was an exercise in failing to live up to a series’ potential, but I think my crushing disappointment has been made clear. I’m more than bit heartbroken after having stuck by and held up this series for so long. I would still particularly recommend the first book as a stellar example of richly-drawn and lovable Asian fantasy – it made me think, it made me laugh, and best of all, it warmed my heart. I’m off to imagine some other better fate for my beloved characters now, because alas, this book was not it, friends.
It was very much not it.
And I choose to believe there was some hiccup in the universe that cause Mr. Chu to hide his light under a bushel in this book. Because I KNOW he can do so much better than this.
I’ve been through this before. I KNOW not all endings to a story are bound to stick the landing. They write songs about this kind of thing! But that doesn’t make it any less starkly disappointing when one of them misses the mark oh so completely.
I came out of ‘The Art of Prophecy’ thrilled to pieces about the soaringly great adventure I’d just been on, the characters who grew and flourished and already felt like home to me. I seem to remember saying I had high hopes that this trilogy would truly be epic. And my hopes flew even more in ‘The Art of Destiny’ which only dug its claws deeper in me as the trilogy’s mythos deepened and its characters did me proud with their beautiful progress. But I had reservations with the second book as well – I seem to remember thinking my ultimate opinion on it would depend on whether the author pulled off the ending or not.
Well here’s the ending and all I can say is…there’s this thing they say about bangs and whimpers…
We pick up five years after our heroes’ last journey. Once upon a time, Jian was prophesied to defeat
the villainous Eternal Khan and save his kingdom from ruin. But when the Khan was suddenly killed by someone else, the prophecy was broken and Jian found himself adrift. Now, another war is again brewing across the kingdom, and grandmaster Taishi, who has been priming Jian to be a great warrior, must decide how she will let her protégé face his destiny once and for all.
Meanwhile, honorable warrior Salminde has been forging a path for her formerly enslaved people, one that sometimes challenges her code of honor, one that comes with many alliances to forge and battles to win. And then there’s Qisami the assassin, who has suffered a crisis of conscience and must decide to make something of herself, as a lone rebel, and as a revolutionary bent on taking the kingdom back from those that would oppress it.
I blazed through the first act of this book, excited in what I was confident was a stirring buildup. It had so much promise! Our characters were going through it! Qisami had gone from taking life to protecting it, Taishi was struggling with the oncoming feeling of fading into oblivion, Jian was bolstered by his beloved friends and becoming a true hero, and Sali was on another noble quest for her people. They were plotting escapes and gearing up for the oncoming war, they were coming into themselves; surely the plot would fall together and amazing character development would happen, right?
Well, the story hit a snag somewhere around the second act… and then another, and then another, and then another…and slowly I felt my heart sink. Much was made of sidequests that eventually fizzled out into aimlessness. Villains swaggered up with murky motives, but their nefarious plots were cut short or rendered ineptly cartoonish or petered out into nothing. The battles that had excitingly shaped the first two books had devolved into massacres left and right; they just felt like senseless violence. Alliances were made and then frustratingly broken, betrayals played out willy-nilly. There was a strange lack of urgency surrounding the main plotty lynchpins that had held this story up from the beginning, and I found myself impatiently waiting for the catalyst. I simply couldn’t tell you the main plot throughline of this book; too much was going on and at the same time, way too little, and really now, what was this all FOR?
I could have (somewhat) forgiven this topsy-turvy plotting if the character work that had been meticulously built up for the past two books hadn’t also been foundering. I just can’t reconcile the characters we got in this book to the wonderful ones we’ve been following in the past two, the characters whose beautiful dynamics and personalities I fell in love with. My sweet Jian with his big heart and his empathy was supposed to be maturing into his destiny, not taking one step forward, two steps back from it for the entire book. He had a few moments of triumph as he revealed who he was to the world that would tear him down, but that didn’t really come to fruition in his overall arc. And to my sadness, his lovely support system of friends that I so cherished from the last two books simply blended into the background here, pale imitations of their former heartful selves.
Meanwhile my badass Taishi had a promising beginning where she was reckoning with her aging destiny, but what I loved about her in the past – her extraordinary mettle, her capacity to open herself up to others – were woefully incomplete here. Qisami was fun to watch for a while, turning herself into a revolutionary and, to her consternation, into a nicer, gentler version of herself, but she never got full closure for her past inflicted traumas either. Only Sali got a full arc as she wrestled with her principles and shunned the evils that had stalked her people, as she made the difficult but right choices and her ‘star pointed the righteous way’ over and over again. I was really proud of Sali for at least knowing who she was in the end, which is more than I can say for what befell the other characters.
At first I was happy to see some well-loved side characters from the previous books pop up for the finale, but my hopes dwindled as they remained sadly underutilized or were shoved off into the wings for this book’s pivotal moments. I couldn’t even bring myself to mourn the handful of character deaths that occurred because they had been so absent until that point. And frankly, I was insulted with the way one of the villain’s arcs went down – was I supposed to buy that all the grief and slaughter she caused was for some trotted-out message of female empowerment? I really don’t think so – and it’s not like there was a shortage of OTHER amazing female characters in this series for that message to be carried out. I just do not understand all the choices Chu was making here.
And, this has to be said, because I touched upon it in the previous books: the usage of snappy, modern-day slang in this book tipped into the point of overkill. It was ignorable in the first two books but here it is in-your-face and hurled me out of the story so many times. It was just plain egregious and I longed for an editor to appear and weed them out. It’s like the author lost his fantasy-world sense overnight and fell back on modern memes, and I was thoroughly unimpressed.
I will say, there was still a glimmer of Chu’s writing strengths in the hand-to-hand combat scenes: they remained bracingly vivid and thrill-inducing. There are also several wartime scenes between the vehicular city-pods that were impressively action-packed and well done. It’s too bad this couldn’t spin out into a tighter denouement though — the final battle of this book did not feel like the natural conclusion to this story; it just felt like it was there because enough lives had been spent, enough pages had been turned.
I could say so much more about how The Art of Legend was an exercise in failing to live up to a series’ potential, but I think my crushing disappointment has been made clear. I’m more than bit heartbroken after having stuck by and held up this series for so long. I would still particularly recommend the first book as a stellar example of richly-drawn and lovable Asian fantasy – it made me think, it made me laugh, and best of all, it warmed my heart. I’m off to imagine some other better fate for my beloved characters now, because alas, this book was not it, friends.
It was very much not it.
And I choose to believe there was some hiccup in the universe that cause Mr. Chu to hide his light under a bushel in this book. Because I KNOW he can do so much better than this.
Want to read
December 16, 2024so excited for this!
August 31, 2025
A rushed and unsatisfying ending.
September 11, 2025
Kind of a lame ending tbh
November 2, 2025
3.25 out of 5 Five Champs
Wars Art Saga 3.75 out of 5 Prophesied Heroes
Book 1 - 4.5 out of 5 Chosen Ones.
Book 2 - 3.5 out of 5 Bicker of My Quarrels!
I want to start with what I did enjoy this trilogy as a whole and I still think it's worth the read. I did enjoy Book 3. (I pulled a lot of quotes from it.) However, I do want to warn you, the end is a let down. It's anticlimactic. I don't think that means the whole trilogy is a dud and I'm surprised it doesn't get more hype.
I'll start with the good.
The disappointing parts.
I understand that this takes the Chosen One Prophecy trope and spins it on its head, but I wonder if it took it too far.
I don't want the parts that disappointed me to deter anyone from reading this underrated and under recognized trilogy. I still loved the characters and cared about their outcomes. I feel bad that I wasn't wowed by the conclusion. I don't regret reading either.
Memorable quotes:
Wars Art Saga 3.75 out of 5 Prophesied Heroes
Book 1 - 4.5 out of 5 Chosen Ones.
Book 2 - 3.5 out of 5 Bicker of My Quarrels!
I want to start with what I did enjoy this trilogy as a whole and I still think it's worth the read. I did enjoy Book 3. (I pulled a lot of quotes from it.) However, I do want to warn you, the end is a let down. It's anticlimactic. I don't think that means the whole trilogy is a dud and I'm surprised it doesn't get more hype.
I'll start with the good.
The disappointing parts.
I understand that this takes the Chosen One Prophecy trope and spins it on its head, but I wonder if it took it too far.
I don't want the parts that disappointed me to deter anyone from reading this underrated and under recognized trilogy. I still loved the characters and cared about their outcomes. I feel bad that I wasn't wowed by the conclusion. I don't regret reading either.
Memorable quotes:
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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