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I really treasure every book that gets sent to me by a publisher. I don’t think the “wow” factor of opening up a package with a highly anticipated book inside will ever fade for me.

It’s especially true when it comes to getting books from Orbit, which is for sure my favorite publisher! And with Django Wexler’s BURNINGBLADE & SILVEREYE trilogy shaping up to be one of my favorite trilogies ever, I was SUUUUPER excited to finally get my hands on book three, EMPEROR OF RUIN!

And it’s funny, I don’t tend to crack open books before I actually start reading them. But for one reason or another, I opened the cover for the book shortly after I got it in the mail, just looking through the first couple pages of blurbs and maps and stuff…and I froze.

THERE WAS A QUOTE FROM ME IN THE BOOK! From my review for BLOOD OF THE CHOSEN! I had no idea it was in there & it was one of the biggest surprises I’ve ever had. I’ve never had a quote from one of my reviews make it into a book before, so to have it happen on the final book of a trilogy that’s meant so much to me was a rare moment of pure happiness for me.

These books have always toed the line between fantasy & sci-fi, with stunning results. EMPEROR OF RUIN struck me as the gnarliest book in the trilogy, with some truly grotesque horrors being visited upon our beloved core group of characters.

After essentially & unwittingly releasing Ashok, the last of the Chosen, it’s up to Maya, Gyre, and their assorted band of miscreants to save the world. No big deal.

There’s a decent amount of characters to keep track of in this trilogy, and some of them get shuffled around in terms of their prominence in the story. It’s a pretty typical thing to see in big epic fantasy books, but I was still a little sad to see quite a bit less of Varo in this one. He’s just a hilarious character to me, so I was just a bit bummed to see less of him in this one.

But that being said, it was just endlessly fucking cool to see Maya & Gyre, after all this time, united by a common purpose. We’ve seen them (and their respective allies) opposing each other at every turn, so seeing them all band together (sometimes reluctantly) is a really awesome way to close out this trilogy!

As always, the action sequences in these books are fucking breathtaking & honestly, a little terrifying. Wexler has a way of stacking the odds so high against our heroes that it makes it hard to turn the page and see what happens next!

Also, it absolutely needs mentioning that this book is like a fantasy book fan’s dream…there’s a map, there’s a “Previously On,” a dramatis personae, and an incredibly detailed glossary of terms! We love to see it!

This entire trilogy was incredible & so much fun to read! Django Wexler has for sure become one of my very favorite fantasy authors & I’m super excited to see what’s next from him!

Huge thanks to Orbit for sending a copy of EMPEROR OF RUIN my way!