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dustinderefield's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
crimsoncor's review against another edition
2.0
Could barely make it through the last hundred pages or so. Really lost interest in pretty much all the characters. Also, once . Yeah, all the characters are still unlikable which is fine in the first book, but becomes really grating after several thousand pages. You start to side with the demons who want to end the world.
Spoiler
Denaos came back-ish from the dead (something that was heavily hinted at throughout the book) the idea of consequences in this world fell apart. Yeah, he died, but he happened to power-up in just the way needed to kill the god-king. Whoopssaoki's review against another edition
4.0
A fitting end for the series, though one that doesn't picks up every thread... Because the story isn't really over. Regardless, there is a lot of interesting things going on. A war is fought, a god is slain, people get transformed into horrible abominations and a couple of lovers decide to try harder. Also, Lenk gets most of his shit together, but not soon enough.
After much thought I decided that the reason I'm denying this book 5 stars is because it doesn't really ends. It's not like it ends in a cliffhanger, more like the sense of looming doom you'd get from watching an armada approaching from the coast. But it's not a proper end and I've anxieties (which is why I mostly don't deal with ongoing grimdark series: my heart can't take it), so I'll dock it a star in revenge.
After much thought I decided that the reason I'm denying this book 5 stars is because it doesn't really ends. It's not like it ends in a cliffhanger, more like the sense of looming doom you'd get from watching an armada approaching from the coast. But it's not a proper end and I've anxieties (which is why I mostly don't deal with ongoing grimdark series: my heart can't take it), so I'll dock it a star in revenge.
trystonwebb's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
anthem's review against another edition
5.0
Each book in this series has improved dramatically and Sykes finishes us off with a masterful culmination of everything that got us to this point. I've never read anything quite like it and I wish there was more. A Fabulous Finale!
newt_'s review against another edition
5.0
When I first started Sykes's Bring Down Heaven trilogy, I had just come off of a bad streak of reading books I wish I had never picked up. I was bummed out and feeling very distant from the fantasy genre--a genre that had inspired so much of my childhood and continues to inspire me to this day. Then one night, I made the (unbeknownst-to-me-then) fateful decision to buy The City Stained Red.
After reading TCSR, I compared the experience to the idea of returning home and visiting and old restaurant you loved after tasting so many others that didn't quite work. It was a breath of fresh air. And that idea of rediscovering something you love(d) never left through the experience of reading this trilogy.
By the time I reached God's Last Breath, I had found so much love, sadness, anger, and everything inbetween with the characters' journeys. I don't know the last time I read one novel (let alone THREE!!) where every character mattered as much as the characters in this trilogy. Sykes has a way of giving you many reasons to invest in each character his world brings into view. Regardless of whether these characters were protagonists or antagonists, I found myself empathetic to their desires.
Every action taken was true to each character's motives and desires. Sykes's plot is character-driven and emotionally compelling. The Big Reveals were stunning, and nothing felt forced or unneeded. Every word I read reminded me how new these concepts were for me.
By the end of the novel, I felt like the journey had come to an understandable close--though I was far from ready to say goodbye. I spent nearly six months and 1,800 pages spending my sleepless nights, work breaks, lunches, and whatever other spare moments I could find by these characters' sides. I hope I never forget these rag-tag adventurers, for they have impacted me in ways I never expected.
After reading TCSR, I compared the experience to the idea of returning home and visiting and old restaurant you loved after tasting so many others that didn't quite work. It was a breath of fresh air. And that idea of rediscovering something you love(d) never left through the experience of reading this trilogy.
By the time I reached God's Last Breath, I had found so much love, sadness, anger, and everything inbetween with the characters' journeys. I don't know the last time I read one novel (let alone THREE!!) where every character mattered as much as the characters in this trilogy. Sykes has a way of giving you many reasons to invest in each character his world brings into view. Regardless of whether these characters were protagonists or antagonists, I found myself empathetic to their desires.
Every action taken was true to each character's motives and desires. Sykes's plot is character-driven and emotionally compelling. The Big Reveals were stunning, and nothing felt forced or unneeded. Every word I read reminded me how new these concepts were for me.
By the end of the novel, I felt like the journey had come to an understandable close--though I was far from ready to say goodbye. I spent nearly six months and 1,800 pages spending my sleepless nights, work breaks, lunches, and whatever other spare moments I could find by these characters' sides. I hope I never forget these rag-tag adventurers, for they have impacted me in ways I never expected.
lshykula's review
4.0
Such flawed characters, always trying to do the right things and ruining everything. Wanting to help each other, and wanting no help from anyone else.
chabotc's review against another edition
5.0
Highly recommended
Fantastically entertaining read. The whole series feels like a D&D campaign spun terribly out of control with rich and perfectly flawed characters.
Fantastically entertaining read. The whole series feels like a D&D campaign spun terribly out of control with rich and perfectly flawed characters.
mikeriverso's review
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
kapsar's review
5.0
This is the great conclusion of the Bring Down Heaven trilogy. I loved it. At the end of book two, the characters were scattered to the wind and it looked like there was no way for them to ever have closure in a meaningful way with each other. Sam skillfully managed to do this. His characters grew in unexpected way, where one was full of hubris at the beginning of the trilogy and thoughtless to other people's emotions, they became much more empathetic. Another character may have felt helpless, but was able to rally people to their cause in a manner that would have felt absurd if it was told that after starting the first book. Sam made these transitions feel authentic and earned.
This book did a fantastic job closing the series which I loved from beginning to end.
This book did a fantastic job closing the series which I loved from beginning to end.