I am finally reading Furysong after having owned it for YEARS. That’s just the way with some sequels that you’re excited for and then get put aside and then it’s years later. I am sorry! But this was such a solid sequel! Keep reading this book review of Furysong for my full thoughts.
Summary
A new revolution is underway, and nobody will emerge unscathed.
In New Pythos, Griff is facing an execution by the dragonborn, who are furious at his betrayal. He has allies on both sides seeking to defy his fate, but the price of his freedom might come at a dear cost. And Delo will have to make a choice: follow his family, or finally surrender to his conscience.
Meanwhile, Annie must race home to hatch a plan to save her Guardians and their dragons. With Callipolis on the brink of collapse and the triarchy set to be reinstated, she may be the one person who can save the city—if she can overcome her own doubts about her future.
Lee is a revolutionary at heart, but now he’ll have to find a way to fight with diplomacy. Going up against the dragonborn court and a foreign princess, he faces a test of loyalty that sets his head against his heart.
As the fate of Callipolis darkens, Annie and Lee must determine what they are willing to sacrifice in order to save each other, defeat their enemies, and reclaim their home.
Review
It has been ages since I last read Flamefall, but it was relatively easy to jump back in. Listening to this on audiobook helped immensely because I was able to better, and quicker, differentiate who was who. So major props to Christian Coulson, Candice Moll, Aidan Kelly, Anthony Mark Barrow & Steve West for making such memorable different character experience from the voices, to the accents, to the mannerisms. This was 100% one of the times when audiobook made the crucial difference.
As a whole, Furysong was a solid series ender that examines whether what happens after the revolution is better. It explores leadership, ‘necessary casualties’, and the price of freedom – not to mention what freedom is to each of us. Our heroes are weary, having fought for pages, against their (mis)conceptions, government, and enemies. Furysong asks us whether our personal revenge, grievances, and ambition are worth a rebellion. Are they worth innocent lives? That was my favorite part. But while I enjoyed it thematically, Furysong dragged in the middle.
And part of that is that I felt that a few of the POVs were cluttering the main storyline. Even after finishing, I wonder if we could have cut them out completely….which I hate to say! Combined with the fast chapters – especially as the action ramps up – it felt that the pacing struggled throughout the middle. We lost the thematic exploration of the tolls of rebellion, of the personal sacrifices, and the needless innocents. Towards the end, these themes are brought back and grounded, but they needed to be grounded because I felt they were sort of floating away.
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I had legit tears in my eyes at some scenes and towards the end we got back to where it needed to be. However, I just felt like we meandered and got a little lost in the middle. All in all, Furysong is a solid series ender that I am glad I read. I liked the resolution of the series and felt that I did need it, just maybe not all the parts in the middle. Find Furysong on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop.org, Blackwells, & Libro. fm.