3 out of 4 stars
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I really enjoyed reading The Brimstone Chronicles, End of the Last Great Kingdom by Victor Rose. It took a while for me to get into the story, however as there was a lot more telling than showing and some character details and plot points are glossed over. For this reason, only, I rate this story 3 out of 4 stars. Otherwise, the book was immaculately edited, and I only spotted two infinitesimal errors.
To summarize, The Brimstone Chronicles, End of the Last Great Kingdom is an epic fantasy that contains a lot of typical elements (elves, orcs, trolls, a magical school, etc.). It also includes and a race called the Enlightened. An enlightened prince is presumed dead and sold into slavery along with the orc woman who takes care of him. Through a series of events, this enlightened boy goes from nameless slave to battle mage Brimstone, choosing the name for himself upon acceptance into the Mage Academy. He studies under the Mage Nova, who he competed within his initial trials. He befriends a fellow student named Heat—a young girl with a powerful secret. Heat helps Brimstone to get together a team of mages to compete in the Mage Trials, which includes Neutron (lightning mage) and Brick (earth mage). However, tragedy strikes during the trials. A horrible creature is released upon the students, resulting in fatalities. Though innocent, Brimstone is accused of this crime and arrested. Along the road to his imprisonment, He escapes his captors and faces more difficult challenges and trials than what he’d experienced at the school. Brimstone becomes a hero to the downtrodden, yet a menace to those who seek to oppress the masses.
I liked the well-paced action scenes the most, which kept me hooked. As I said, it was hard to put down. While there were a lot of borrowed elements from other fantasy stories, the original aspects make it stand out from the rest of the genre. For example, the enlightened race and the elemental demons who can join with Brimstone. My favorite character was Nova, and I wish that there was more about him throughout the story, as well as more about his background and other character details.
The only fault I find with this book is that there are some details that are glossed over, and parts of the story which were vague, which is why I deducted one star as I’ve mentioned.
Regardless, I do look forward to reading the next story in Brimstone Chronicles. I think that this is a great series for anyone who is wondering what to read next after Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, and Hunger Games. I don’t recommend it for very young readers (12 and under) as there are some adult topics and violence. However, teens and tweens will love it as much as I did.
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End of the Last Great Kingdom
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