Fantasy

The Last Mortal Bond

The Last Mortal Bond

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  • Create Date：2021-06-12 08:55:41
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Brian Staveley
  • ISBN：1447235835
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Summary

The trilogy that began with The Emperor's Blades and continued in The Providence of Fire reaches its epic conclusion， as war engulfs the Annurian Empire in Brian Staveley's The Last Mortal Bond

The ancient csestriim are back to finish their purge of humanity; armies march against the capital; leaches， solitary beings who draw power from the natural world to fuel their extraordinary abilities， maneuver on all sides to affect the outcome of the war; and capricious gods walk the earth in human guise with agendas of their own。

But the three imperial siblings at the heart of it all--Valyn， Adare， and Kaden--come to understand that even if they survive the holocaust unleashed on their world， there may be no reconciling their conflicting visions of the future。

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Reviews

Whitney Jamimah ，

*SIGH* What a great ending to a spectacular series。 This one snuck up on me too， I have heard this series talked about here and there but its not a book community darling or anything， I picked it up because Staveley has the first book in his new series coming out this summer and I wanted to read what he already had out to see if I wanted to pre-order the next one and I am beyond glad that I did。 Again， I am only upset that I didn't read this sooner。 This series deserves to be a coveted book comm *SIGH* What a great ending to a spectacular series。 This one snuck up on me too， I have heard this series talked about here and there but its not a book community darling or anything， I picked it up because Staveley has the first book in his new series coming out this summer and I wanted to read what he already had out to see if I wanted to pre-order the next one and I am beyond glad that I did。 Again， I am only upset that I didn't read this sooner。 This series deserves to be a coveted book community darling and everything else， it's that good。 I have gushed about this series with each review of each book but here I go again。What Staveley does the best is excelling at not only his character work but also his plot development and even his world building is well above average。 I am a good chunk of the way into my next book already and I still can't get the prison cells of Intarra's Spear suspended hundreds and hundreds of feet above the city out of my head。 I can't stop thinking about the Kettral Alla'Ra soaring above the sea and snatching Quick Jak up off of Skarn island in its talons， swooping up into the air， dropping Quick Jak then catching him on his back。 Valyn's combat scenes especially with the Flea's wing involved literally haunt me in my dreams。 The imagery of Valyn standing the wall with his axes blindly killing dozens of Urguhl while Sigrid stands on the ledge above working her leach kenning， GAWD！ If these three little snippets aren't enough to convince you to pick up this series tell me what else I can do to talk you into it。 This series did to me what only my favorites do， it had be whooping in excitement， it had my heart racing in anticipation and even have me laughing here and there where Nira was involved。 If you want a fantasy series that stands above many of the rest even in these times of so many stunning fantasies coming out go ahead and pick up The Chronicles of the Unhewn Throne。 。。。more

Thomas Stacey ，

A satisfying conclusion。 Great prose as usual， and some interesting directions taken for both the story and the characters。 Much stronger then Providence of Fire， which I felt lacked purpose and direction at times。 I’ll be reading the sequel series for sure once it is out。 4 stars。

RecursiveHaiku ，

How i rate books:5- Blew me away4- Loved it3- Liked it2- Disliked it1- Hated itI really wanted to give this book 5 stars for the first half。 But by the end i wanted to give it 3 stars。 So i'm going to compromise with 4。I really enjoyed the story。 Subjectively， this series was really good。 However， there where a few things that prevent me from giving it 5 stars with a clean conscience。 I think Brian has to work on his endings。 The end to this series left a bitter taste in my mouth。 Also， the char How i rate books:5- Blew me away4- Loved it3- Liked it2- Disliked it1- Hated itI really wanted to give this book 5 stars for the first half。 But by the end i wanted to give it 3 stars。 So i'm going to compromise with 4。I really enjoyed the story。 Subjectively， this series was really good。 However， there where a few things that prevent me from giving it 5 stars with a clean conscience。 I think Brian has to work on his endings。 The end to this series left a bitter taste in my mouth。 Also， the characters and plots where inconsistent。 Apart from that， i really enjoyed the story and world-building。 Can't wait to get into Skullsworn。The good:- The pacing was solid。 For a book with that many pages， it felt more like something 2/3 of the size。 - The new PoV。 Gwenna Sharpe might be the best PoV in this series。 And that's the reason why i really want to jump straight into the new trilogy。- The variety。 Lot's of different things happen in this book。 This is not a slog where you will spend 400 pages on the same topic / story strand。- The cultures。 Brian Staveley really sold me on the Kettral and the disciples of the god of death。 So many details and interesting facts。 He really put effort into the inner workings of these organizations / cults。The Bad:- If the story strands are spaghetti then Brian dropped them all over the floor。 At the very end i felt like we left a lot stuff unfinished。 - Chekhov's gun （more like Chekhov's atom bomb， amirite？）。 If you read this series， you know what i mean。- Decision-making。 Some characters really behaved strangely during this book。 It destroyed my immersion。- Adare。 。。。more

Blair ，

Unfortunately the worst of the trilogy。 Enjoyed Gwenna's POV but really wasn't a fan of Adare's。 k Unfortunately the worst of the trilogy。 Enjoyed Gwenna's POV but really wasn't a fan of Adare's。 k 。。。more

Rongrong ，

I can’t believe that ending！！ Actually I can。 Glad to see some reappearances。 Mind bendy， challenged my derived-from-the-author’s-carefully-woven-threads assumptions， dark dark dark。 Gwenna = badass。 The Flea = legend。 Triste = a puzzle。 Adare = I waited all series for you to grow up。 Kaden = foolishly wise， if that’s a thing。 Valyn = dark， so what。

Roham soltani ，

درخت از مسیری که باد عبور می‌کنه لذت می‌بره این کتاب مثل یک باد ملایمی می‌مونه که برای نهال کوچک من بسیار خوشاینده。 #رهام_سلطانی

Tafferner ，

0。5/5 starsThis book was not worth the money， reading it was pain， and if I knew this book would be so bad， I wouldn't have read the previous ones which were good books。The events in this book make no sense， the characters make stupid choices， it's heavy with deus ex machina， and there is no incentive to read after the first 100 pages。 The author did a really good job creating tension in the first book， and a worse job in the second。 The world constantly gets darker and darker， and that can work 0。5/5 starsThis book was not worth the money， reading it was pain， and if I knew this book would be so bad， I wouldn't have read the previous ones which were good books。The events in this book make no sense， the characters make stupid choices， it's heavy with deus ex machina， and there is no incentive to read after the first 100 pages。 The author did a really good job creating tension in the first book， and a worse job in the second。 The world constantly gets darker and darker， and that can work really well。 BUT。 In the second book， some bad， idiotic and stupid choices are made by a multitude of characters， which was okay in that book （though slightly irritating）。 The third installment was infuriating。 It's like the characters learned nothing in the first two books （looking at you Adare and Kaden）。 Valyn's arc makes sense， though I'm not happy with it， and Gwenna was actually a very nice addition to the main characters。 Her storyline was really good， but weighed down by Kaden and Adare who made my blood pressure double （and not in a good way） every time their chapters came around。 So to say a few nice things。 Gwenna's storyline is practically the only thing that kept me reading。 The arc is full of loyalty， companionship， friendship， and shared struggle with the wing， which was such a breath of fresh air from the rest。 I've also liked her moral struggles， and her inner monologue was priceless sometimes。 Valyn was nice to have as well。My biggest problems （spoilers）: （view spoiler）[1。 Kaden and Triste fall in love。 That is impossible after what they've been through。 This premise is both stupid and insulting to the reader。 Suspension of disbelief only goes so far。 2。 Il Tornja is better than everyone else because he is of some magnificent race。 Explaining things with this is just sloppy writing， and sometimes it's feels like deus ex machina， which is again， really sloppy and bad writing。 3。 Valyn becomes a savage in the end。 His character progression was actually the only one that made sense， but it still leaves a bitter taste in my mouth to have him go off with Huutsuu instead of going with his wing and learning how to be in society again。 4。 Adare makes stupid choices， and gets away with them 'cause Adare。 That's sloppy。 And when Nira tells her she's a great empress。。。 I've considered that one a bad joke。 5。 The sadomasochistic thread。。。6。 Where did Kiel go？ Is nobody curious about his loyalties？ Why is nobody curious about his loyalties？ We know nothing about him， and in the end Adare （who should have learned not to trust the cestriim） asks him about something。 He should have been killed on principle after what his race pulled。 （hide spoiler）]There are also some political agendas in the book （in my opinion）， which I don't wish to discuss， but have noticed。 Maybe I'm wrong， but for me they were there。 I can't recommend this book to anyone。 。。。more

C Shawn ，

Ugh。 （view spoiler）[ Moral of the story: being a selfish， disloyal， naive， moron with literally zero redeeming characteristics is the route to getting the only decent ending。 Dear people who are perhaps hoping to be good writers - redemption arcs require actual sacrifice， not pretend "that could have maybe been a sacrifice， but it wasn't actually， but she's still totes sorry" sacrifice。 Otherwise you're going to leave your readers making the face I'm making right now。 :-/ （hide spoiler）] Ugh。 （view spoiler）[ Moral of the story: being a selfish， disloyal， naive， moron with literally zero redeeming characteristics is the route to getting the only decent ending。 Dear people who are perhaps hoping to be good writers - redemption arcs require actual sacrifice， not pretend "that could have maybe been a sacrifice， but it wasn't actually， but she's still totes sorry" sacrifice。 Otherwise you're going to leave your readers making the face I'm making right now。 :-/ （hide spoiler）] 。。。more

Tim ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 The Kettral are ridiculously cool。 The best sequence in the series happens during the second act of this book and involves the Kettral being stupidly awesomely cool。That said， they don’t rescue the rest of the book from being somewhat uninspiring。 The political machinations of the various factions are boring and sometimes nonsensical。 Parts read like your dnd party trying to play politics and failing。 It’s just not really well thought out。The gods and other immortal beings continue to make next The Kettral are ridiculously cool。 The best sequence in the series happens during the second act of this book and involves the Kettral being stupidly awesomely cool。That said， they don’t rescue the rest of the book from being somewhat uninspiring。 The political machinations of the various factions are boring and sometimes nonsensical。 Parts read like your dnd party trying to play politics and failing。 It’s just not really well thought out。The gods and other immortal beings continue to make next to no sense （which the author does make a textual argument for by saying that their motivations and actions are unfathomable for regular humans-it’s just that reeks of a bs cop-out to explain away poorly written characters）。Again， big birds and bad asses that ride them are amazing， it’s just the rest of the book falls a bit flat。 。。。more

Fornia ，

still excessively gorya lil too philosophical for me near the endstill didn't stop me from reading the entire thing in two sittings still excessively gorya lil too philosophical for me near the endstill didn't stop me from reading the entire thing in two sittings 。。。more

Ali Book World ，

این جلد نسبت به دو کتاب قبلی تفاوت‌های زیادی داشت。 حجمش بیشتر بود، روندش متفاوت بود و آروم‌تر هم پیش میرفت。 بعضی جاها کمی طولانی میشد اما خسته کننده نبود。 با اینکه روند آرومی داشت اما وقایع مهمی اتفاق افتادند همین باعث شد خوندنش لذت بخش باشه。 نیمه‌ی دومش رو خیلی دوست داشتم و بخصوص از صد صفحه آخرش خیلی خوشم اومد。 پایان مجموعه رضایت بخش بود اما انتظار بیشتری داشتم و فکر میکنم میتونست بهتر از این هم تمام بشه ولی در کل خوب بود。 نویسنده به خوبی تونست رفتارهای متفاوتی از شخصیت‌ها نشون بده و این بزرگ‌ت این جلد نسبت به دو کتاب قبلی تفاوت‌های زیادی داشت。 حجمش بیشتر بود، روندش متفاوت بود و آروم‌تر هم پیش میرفت。 بعضی جاها کمی طولانی میشد اما خسته کننده نبود。 با اینکه روند آرومی داشت اما وقایع مهمی اتفاق افتادند همین باعث شد خوندنش لذت بخش باشه。 نیمه‌ی دومش رو خیلی دوست داشتم و بخصوص از صد صفحه آخرش خیلی خوشم اومد。 پایان مجموعه رضایت بخش بود اما انتظار بیشتری داشتم و فکر میکنم میتونست بهتر از این هم تمام بشه ولی در کل خوب بود。 نویسنده به خوبی تونست رفتارهای متفاوتی از شخصیت‌ها نشون بده و این بزرگ‌ترین نقطه قوت این جلده。 در انتها بگم که این مجموعه فوق‌العاده‌ست。 هم در شخصیت پردازی و هم در خلق دنیای متفاوتش و جذابیت داستان😍این مجموعه رو به همه علی‌الخصوص طرفداران بازی تاج و تخت ، مه زاد و صومعه درخت پرتقال پیشنهاد میکنم。یک ستاره کم کردم فقط بخاطر اینکه انتظار بیشتری از پایانش داشتم。 نه اینکه پایان بدی داشت، نه。。。 ولی با توجه به روندی که داشت و ایده و موضوع فوق‌العاده‌ای که نویسنده بکار برده بود انتظارم از پایان این مجموعه چیزی فراتر از اینی بود که اتفاق افتاد。 وگرنه در کل این مجموعه و همه‌ی شخصیت‌‌هاش، دنیای جذابش و خلاقیت نویسنده‌اش جزء برترین مجموعه‌های فانتزی‌ایه که خوندم و به همه هم پیشنهادش میکنم。 امیدوارم بخونید و لذت ببرید。。。برای جلد اول و دوم هم ریویووهایی جداگونه در صفحات مربوط به خودشون نوشتم که میتونید مطالعه کنید。 نگران نباشید چون ریویووهایی که نوشتم هیچ کدومشون اسپویل ندارن🤗 。。。more

Carter ，

So。。。 I think Brian Staveley is my favorite author now？ This book in particular had its ups and downs for me in terms of enjoyment and I much prefer the other two books， the ending。。 barely felt like an ending？ Somehow？ But the ups were UP there。 Overall I just enjoyed this trilogy so much， and I think Brian Staveley's writing is the best I've ever encountered。 It just hits all of my tastes so perfectly， being not too overly flowery and somehow still so， so artistic？ And again， the themes， the r So。。。 I think Brian Staveley is my favorite author now？ This book in particular had its ups and downs for me in terms of enjoyment and I much prefer the other two books， the ending。。 barely felt like an ending？ Somehow？ But the ups were UP there。 Overall I just enjoyed this trilogy so much， and I think Brian Staveley's writing is the best I've ever encountered。 It just hits all of my tastes so perfectly， being not too overly flowery and somehow still so， so artistic？ And again， the themes， the religion， the art and the philosophy discussed in these books is incredible。 I went into this series knowing nothing about it and I'm blown away， in so many ways。 I want to thank Staveley for the subtle diversity in these books， and for creating the character of Pyrre in particular。 I had a hard time connecting with some of the main characters， but Pyrre is where it's at。 。。。more

Brian ，

Good read and series！

jess ，

This book was disappointing to me。 I guess I saw the series going broader from the first book; I wanted it to expand on all the awesome things introduced in it。 The writing itself was just alright。 Im fine with how it ended， though I almost always feel like endings are rushed。 Time to move on from this four book series。 It was certaibly still enjoyable at times。 Overall would rate the series ⭐️⭐️⭐️！

Michael ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Excited for The Empire's Ruin， I decided to do a re-read of the Trilogy。 I still loved these books。 I do have to say there are still a few things that happened at the end that I wish would have gone differently。 Not the story， but some of the characters I just feel deserved more time。 Oshi and Nira for example， could have been a truly epic battle scene。 I don't understand why it was left out。 I left my original 5-Star rating and I still stand by it。 If I was basing it off of my re-read I would g Excited for The Empire's Ruin， I decided to do a re-read of the Trilogy。 I still loved these books。 I do have to say there are still a few things that happened at the end that I wish would have gone differently。 Not the story， but some of the characters I just feel deserved more time。 Oshi and Nira for example， could have been a truly epic battle scene。 I don't understand why it was left out。 I left my original 5-Star rating and I still stand by it。 If I was basing it off of my re-read I would give it a 4 because of things I didn't notice or didn't bother me during my first read。 But I didn't notice it the first time for a reason。 Just like anything else in life， nothing will ever hit you the same the second time around。I look forward to the coming trilogy and can't wait to dive deeper into Staveley's world。 Also， Mr。 Staveley， if you happen to read this， WE NEED MORE VALYN！！！ 。。。more

Kyle Pemberton ，

One of the best books I've read this year。 It has a slow plodding pace that may bother some， but for me it built dramatic tension and kindled my interest。 The plot was excellent and this is by far the best character work in the series。 There was one or two moments that could've been better， a certain villain's death and there were a few small questions that were left unanswered but overall this is a great read and by far the strongest entry in the trilogy。9/10 One of the best books I've read this year。 It has a slow plodding pace that may bother some， but for me it built dramatic tension and kindled my interest。 The plot was excellent and this is by far the best character work in the series。 There was one or two moments that could've been better， a certain villain's death and there were a few small questions that were left unanswered but overall this is a great read and by far the strongest entry in the trilogy。9/10 。。。more

Kelli ，

No stars， because I hardly read any of it。 The ending of the second book killed all enthusiasm I had for the story， and I just couldn't bring myself to care any more。 No stars， because I hardly read any of it。 The ending of the second book killed all enthusiasm I had for the story， and I just couldn't bring myself to care any more。 。。。more

Marut ，

Holy shit， loved the ending。 I still hate Adare， little less than before， but that lil' bitch can go duck herself。 Holy shit， loved the ending。 I still hate Adare， little less than before， but that lil' bitch can go duck herself。 。。。more

James Gartner ，

The last book in this trilogy is an excellent way to wrap up the series。 Presumably at this point you've read the previous two novels--and all I can say is that this does not disappoint。 First， the good stuff。 Kaeden and Triste have one of the most interesting developments in this book。 The pair are really tested through a number of trials before they finally accept who--and what--they've become。 Kaeden tried to remake the Empire into a failed Republic--the fact that he even tried to better the The last book in this trilogy is an excellent way to wrap up the series。 Presumably at this point you've read the previous two novels--and all I can say is that this does not disappoint。 First， the good stuff。 Kaeden and Triste have one of the most interesting developments in this book。 The pair are really tested through a number of trials before they finally accept who--and what--they've become。 Kaeden tried to remake the Empire into a failed Republic--the fact that he even tried to better the world with his power is such a tribute to the teachings of the Shin that I really felt the continued impact of his years of training in this novel。 Valyn and Gwenna continue their amazing adventure full of bloodshed and insanity。 Valyn finally gets some validation and recognition from the Flea， and despite all odds he manages some happiness at the end of what feels like a long a bitter struggle。 He comes out of this war with truly crippling scars， and you can feel his need to recover physically and emotionally。 The Empire survives this chaotic time， but is so clearly left in shambles that one is forced to wonder。。。what next？ How can a world power be so completely decimated with internal strife and come out the other side？ While it doesn't answer this question， it leaves this series open for more exploration which is exciting。 With nearly everyone dead， the world is now full of unique opportunities that could not have existed before the events of this trilogy。 You really see the impact that the characters have on their nation， and the fact that these acts have Empire-changing effects reinforces how important the other novels have really been in terms of their choices。Now， the bad stuff。 Adare。 I hate Adare。 In the first book， I thought she had a lot of potential。 She was uncovering mysteries， plotting revenge， grabbing power。 Early on you learn she's basically turned against Kaden， has still yet to do much of anything about il Torjna， and is still a monumentally aggravating character。 I also dislike Kaden having imprisoned Triste for the early portions of the book--that somehow seemed against what such a principled character would normally due。 I think that shows some of the harsher side of his training from his mentor， Rampuri Tan， coming through。 I also dislike that Kaden can now basically become an emotionless hollow shell at will because it seems to go against human nature and his struggle to empty his mind of thoughts and emotions in the previous novels。 The whole point is that humans were born fundamentally different than their predecessors--for a human to be able to train to lose themselves and become their predecessors whenever they want kind of ruined their backstory in my opinion。 Kaeden tried to learn this ability， and struggled with it through each use。 Now he can just do it so easily？ If this was the case， the Csestriim wouldn't have even needed to wage war with humans--they would've just indoctrinated them through psychological manipulation。 Overall， the negative stuff does not outweigh the tremendous emotional roller coaster that is this novel。 The characters and their development are amazing， and it ends in a way that sufficiently ties together the stories of Adare， Kaden， and Valyn， while leaving room for the future。 。。。more

Will ，

Good enough that I want moreA good finish， would give 3。5 rating if possible。 Sometimes dragged but the underlying story was interesting。 Will read more in this universe， which is the telling point。

Matt Rybin ，

Language

Tobin ，

I loved this series although the first book didn't have enough women in it the next two made up the ground （I think）。 Gwenna， Annick， Triste， Huutsuu and yes， even Adare make for some strong characters。 And they should be because the men seem to have some seriously fatal flaws。 This last book， the longest， does justice to the characters with a few surprises。。。。I wouldn't mind coming back to this setting。。。-tpl I loved this series although the first book didn't have enough women in it the next two made up the ground （I think）。 Gwenna， Annick， Triste， Huutsuu and yes， even Adare make for some strong characters。 And they should be because the men seem to have some seriously fatal flaws。 This last book， the longest， does justice to the characters with a few surprises。。。。I wouldn't mind coming back to this setting。。。-tpl 。。。more

Kes ，

I really enjoyed the complexity of this book: there are plots， and Kaden， Valyn， and Adare are in the thick of them。 We don't see much of Kaden's Republic experiment - though it seems like it's not doing well。 Adare， on the other hand， is steadfast in her desire to care for her people and repeatedly demonstrates her leadership skills （view spoiler）[such as riding unarmed into the capital and staying to lead the fight， although she clearly cannot fight （hide spoiler）]。 We also follow Gwenna as sh I really enjoyed the complexity of this book: there are plots， and Kaden， Valyn， and Adare are in the thick of them。 We don't see much of Kaden's Republic experiment - though it seems like it's not doing well。 Adare， on the other hand， is steadfast in her desire to care for her people and repeatedly demonstrates her leadership skills （view spoiler）[such as riding unarmed into the capital and staying to lead the fight， although she clearly cannot fight （hide spoiler）]。 We also follow Gwenna as she discovers what happened to The Kettral and I liked how she blossomed into a leader in her own right （view spoiler）[though all the Wings dying was not the ending I wanted （hide spoiler）]。 Kaden and Triste （view spoiler）[finally reunite - and also die together in a rather touching scene， both bearing the gods Ciena and Meshkent （pleasure and pain respectively） （hide spoiler）]。 It managed to be both a dissatisfying （（view spoiler）[they died！ （hide spoiler）]） and satisfying （（view spoiler）[they got together！ （hide spoiler）] character arc。This was a lengthy book - but definitely a good one。 I liked that the action didn't stop。 。。。more

Randy ，

The writing has definitely improved with each installment。 The final installment of the series was mostly enjoyable。 There were some scenes and parts of the plot that I didn't quite care for。 Looking forward to Skullsworn！3。75！ The writing has definitely improved with each installment。 The final installment of the series was mostly enjoyable。 There were some scenes and parts of the plot that I didn't quite care for。 Looking forward to Skullsworn！3。75！ 。。。more

Christoffer Lernö ，

The Last Mortal Bond is the final installment of the Unhewn Throne trilogy， and finally we get the full metaphysics of Staveley's world。 It is lacking。In the first book we get to know Kaden studying to be a monk what is clearly an attempt to copy a buddhist temple。 Similarly the worship of "the Blank God" and the "insights" of the monks is also copied off an extremely shallow and uninitiated version of buddhist beliefs。 This is immediately clear when the monks in anger routinely physically abuse The Last Mortal Bond is the final installment of the Unhewn Throne trilogy， and finally we get the full metaphysics of Staveley's world。 It is lacking。In the first book we get to know Kaden studying to be a monk what is clearly an attempt to copy a buddhist temple。 Similarly the worship of "the Blank God" and the "insights" of the monks is also copied off an extremely shallow and uninitiated version of buddhist beliefs。 This is immediately clear when the monks in anger routinely physically abuse their students。Then we have the Csestriim which are these unfeeling， godlike beings。 Apparently being Csestriim is similar to entering the type of enlightenment that the monks of "the Blank God" as emotions are extinguished。 The gods are what brings emotions to life and so they are sort of an illogical good think in the books。Here the Staveley's lack of insight becomes truly painful。 The actual buddhist insight is to be free from clinging to thing， not to "not feel" things。The Csestriim in the books both clearly have ambitions and goals that they work hard to achieve。 "il Tornja" for example is clearly obsessed with "fixing" humans。 And "Kiel" has the ambition to chronicle history。 Both obsessions， which are in fact a sort of feeling and clinging。So not only does Staveley create a very offensive caricature of buddhism and buddhists， but he also fails make this caricature consistent。All of this makes the metaphysics of the world extremely unsatisfying。 And since this paradox of pain and pleasure is supposed to propel the story， the lack of any spiritual insight plus the petty characterization of enlightenment and monk training distracts even more。（And a quick note: what is it about these books and injuries？ The characters in the books time and time again are tortured or wounded in other ways。 The Kettral have enhanced healing yes， but everyone else？ Lots of characters should early on have been permanently crippled， not to mention how many times people are "cut open" apparently without ever getting an infection， which would be amazingly lucky in the real world。 Yes this is fantasy， but still） 。。。more

Kathleen ，

Didn’t like the ending。 Plus very wordy。 Edit！

Josh Wright ，

This series is good， especially for the author's first。 I had to go with three stars instead of four， though， because it didn't wrap up as satisfyingly as it could have， and there were still some loose threads I didn't feel got the resolution they deserved。 This series is good， especially for the author's first。 I had to go with three stars instead of four， though， because it didn't wrap up as satisfyingly as it could have， and there were still some loose threads I didn't feel got the resolution they deserved。 。。。more

Morrigan99 ，

I took me a few hours to put into words what this book did to me。 I finished it at 2 am， then proceeded to stare blankly at my ceiling for another half an hour， not knowing what to do with myself after the havoc the last 100 pages wrecked in my soul。 This book， as no other book I’ve read before， made me feel all these things。 Sure， there were books I cried uglier than on this one， there were also books on which I laughed louder than on The Last Mortal Bond， but none of them got even close to the I took me a few hours to put into words what this book did to me。 I finished it at 2 am， then proceeded to stare blankly at my ceiling for another half an hour， not knowing what to do with myself after the havoc the last 100 pages wrecked in my soul。 This book， as no other book I’ve read before， made me feel all these things。 Sure， there were books I cried uglier than on this one， there were also books on which I laughed louder than on The Last Mortal Bond， but none of them got even close to the entire majesty of this miracle of a story。 It felt。。。 whole， of you know what I mean。 This book had everything I’ve ever needed from a novel， and far more than that。 It has action and has philosophy， has wisdom and feelings， has heart-clenching terrors and overwhelming peace and solace。 Reading this made me f e e l， actually feel， and not just imagine the feelings of the characters。 I dreaded and hoped and wished and grieved with them， and I loved every single moment of it。 It may sound as an overreaction， maybe it actually is， but if I could only use three words to review The Last Mortal Bond， I would say ‘lost and found’。 That’s the best way to put the impression it left on me。 I will never shut up about the beauty of the characters。 A silent monk who has to deprive himself of everything he was taught to believe， an empress who was forcefully made hard as a stone， and yet still soft in the heart， and a warrior who has broken， but it just released what he had inside of him。 Then we have a girl who was scared and brave at the same time， a historian standing out in his nation that hated stories， and a genius general， who was born with no feelings and yet still knew of grief and sorrow。 It’s breathtaking how beautiful all these characters are， how perfectly designed， planned and created， with no place for inaccuracies。 Of all the wonderful， fantastic things Brian Staveley’s world has to offer， it’s the characters that shine the brightest。 Another thing that needs to be mentioned is the wisdom in The Last Mortal Bond。 There are a lot of insanely deep and meaningful moments and quotes， but the one that kicked me in the gut the most was the analysis of feeling。 The emptiness and numbness versus the brightness of emotions is an important part of the entire story， and it’s beautifully concluded in the series’ finale。 Throughout the story a reader gets to the point of realization that feelings are actually a prison for our souls， a thing that stops as from being wholly free - and it’s truth in that。 But then， barely a few chapters later， we are being told another， bigger truth - that this prison is a sweet place。 It brings solace and terror at the same time， but it’s what makes us us， and life without feelings would be maybe easier， but bland。 As the summary of this not-really-a-review， I would like to tell you a little story。 I’ve had a favorite book series - The Witcher Saga - for almost half my life。 It was not just a regular book series that I just loved， but also cared about and felt emotionally about it。 This series made me come back to reading after a few years of stagnation， it made me start writing my own novel， it made me fall in love with fantasy literature， imagination and creativity。 It’s been just very， very important to me， and I thought I could never love any book more than I’ve loved these。 There were books that made me wonder if m a y b e I could love other novels as much as those， but eventually I’ve been always deciding it would be a blasphemy to not call this series my favorite。And you know what？The Witcher Saga is not my favorite anymore。The Chronicle of The Unhewn Throne is。 。。。more

R ，

valyn descending into something so dark and filled with despair was the only interesting thing to read about。 all the backstabbing in the storyline got boring pretty fast。

Daniel ，

I wasn't impressed by the last book in this series。 In spite of a annoying characters the last two books were at least carried by a compelling plot。 This book just seem very dull and a drag to get through。 So many of the plot points made no sense at all and the relationship between different characters would switch on a dime with no buildup whatsoever。。。"I'm going to kill you， I hate you， oh wait now I love you"。 It was not good。There were 4 pov characters in this book， Kadyn， Valyn， Adare and G I wasn't impressed by the last book in this series。 In spite of a annoying characters the last two books were at least carried by a compelling plot。 This book just seem very dull and a drag to get through。 So many of the plot points made no sense at all and the relationship between different characters would switch on a dime with no buildup whatsoever。。。"I'm going to kill you， I hate you， oh wait now I love you"。 It was not good。There were 4 pov characters in this book， Kadyn， Valyn， Adare and Gwenna。 In the other two books I enjoyed Valyn's pov， Kadyn's was decent， I hated Adares， and I enjoyed the small parts of book two with Gwenna。 With this book Valyn's and Kadyn's were ok， Adare is still horrendous and Gwenna is the only reason this book gets more than one star。With Adare I have to say I truly believe the author did not do a good job writing her。 I don't think her character is supposed to be hated as much as everyone in the reviews seems to hate it。 He tried to write a smart， strong， female character that was held back in a patriarchy。 That's not how she comes across at all。 Here's how it goes， Adare does something stupid， tells herself she's such an idiot， Neara tells her shes an idiot， Adare goes to other people and says you guys are all stupid why'd you do this。 I think at one point I recall her telling herself something along the lines of "a better emperor than me would be able to handle this but hey I should be emperor"。 She's constantly complaining about other's being selfish and stupid but she's the most selfish and idiotic character in the book。 The author tries to make you feel for her by adding something for her to really have to care about besides herself but he introduced that just in this book for like 5 pages so why should us as the readers care。 This character was very poorly written。 If I'm wrong and someone can point me to something where this is the way the author wanted us to feel about this character then I'll give him kudos and change my review。。。On the flip side we have a well written strong female character in Gwenna。 She's a bada**。 She's not really out to prove anything and is not looking to be in charge of anything， unlike Adare。 The second the author gets rid of this "I'm smarter than everyone but held back" pity party character he's able to write a terrific strong female character。 Pierre is another character that shows this， well Triste comes across more on the other side。Both the male Pov's were meh。 They were ok but nothing to write home about。 I do have to say Kadyn gets worse and worse as the books go along with stupid decisions。 Also everyone seems like a liar in these books so us as the readers never know who to cheer for。 I don't think relying on lies for your entire plot is good writing。Overall this was a boring conclusion to an ok series where instead of character growth we seem to get characters sliding backwards。 It's one saving grace is Gwenna's pov。I listened to the audio book。 Simon vance did a good job narrating this series。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Last Mortal Bond

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Last Mortal Bond&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Last Mortal Bond&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0