Thursday, October 12, 2023

Book(s) Review: Swords & Fire Trilogy and Rooks & Ruin Trilogy by Melissa Caruso

 


Last year I read the Swords and Fire trilogy written by Melissa Caruso and this year I just finished the Rooks and Ruin trilogy last week. Both are set in the same fantasy universe with the former being about a generation or two before the latter, so similar setting but different characters.

The Swords and Fire trilogy focuses on two young women who become bound to each other through kismet, one a member of nobility and the other a poor wretch with uncontrollable magical power. The books follow these characters and a host of supporting cast through adventures and challenges. I really enjoyed the series and found both the setting and the characters engaging and would highly reccomend them to anyone looking for a lighter fantatsy fare.

The second trilogy has a single main character who is a warden of a castle with dark secrets, and also has uncontrollable magical power, who meets a group dedicated to solving magical problems. The dark mystery of the castle causes issues and she works with this group to prevent catastrophe. I enjoyed this second outing less than the first but still found it engaging with a solid satisfying finish.

There are a lot of parrellels between the two trilogies but also enough differences to make it feel like I was reading a new story in the same world and not just a rehash of the same story with different characters. 

If you are looking for light fantasy fare in a unique world with a clear voice and writing style, I can reccomend  these series.

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