So…this is how it ends? What happened to brin and tesh and tressa?
Persephone just ended up being nyphrons broodmare? Brin is now the prophesied golden child? And what of suri and minna? So many unanswered questions ( )

Solid ending but overall series not as good as Riyria! I love how things differed in the past as time changed the story that was told and what we learned in Riyria was not exactly true to what happened in the past. He did a really good job overall but the series was not as strong as Riyria. Looking forward to the bridge series! ( )

Description
They died, now they need to come back – the very fate of mankind depends on it.

At the height of the battle between elves and men, a small group of humans traveled to the underworld in a desperate attempt to save a captured friend. Now they find themselves divided, trapped, and losing hope that any of them will make it back out.

Meanwhile, the war grows more dire, and brewing internal conflicts begin to flare on both sides. Everything could hinge on a few actions, could tilt on a few choices, could sway with an unexpected new influence.

Disclosure
I personally bought this book. There was no agreement with the author, publisher, or any third party that I would publish a review. The following review is unsolicited, unbiased, and all opinions are my own.

Review – Spoiler Free
This is the 6th book in Michael J. Sullivan’s The Legends of the First Empire series (read my review of book I, Age of Myth, on my blog). It picks up right where the 5th book left off (read my review of book 5, Age of Death, on my blog), and carries through to how the Empyre begins.

There is a lot in this book. The feel really mirrors book 5, Age of Death, with there being a lot of time spent in the underworld, and a lot of Elan’s history being revealed. I love learning the accurate history of the world and the peoples, and it’s interesting to see how things have been twisted, forgotten, or misunderstood through time.

I loved the obvious messages about redemption and capability that were laced through this book. I also loved the many Easter Eggs tucked within it for those who have read Sullivan’s Riyria books.

Sometimes this book had a strange feel of too-much-yet-too-little, there was a small shadow of this feeling in book 5, Age of Death, too. It’s hard to put a finger on, but there were a number of situations that felt like they were dragging, but also felt like they needed more time to be fleshed out properly. It seemed to be mostly when characters were struggling with specific self-development or self-awareness, and I think they were swept through their struggle too quickly by necessity for the story to continue.

Aside from those few bits with weird pacing, the story clips forward with good action, like I expect from any Sullivan book. This was probably the slowest book of the series, but it pulls together for a strong ending that ties all the story threads rather neatly.

Overall, this was another good book, though I can’t say it was as good as some of the others in this series. I’m happy with the ending and how it wrapped up the story, and am excited to read what Sullivan gives us next! ( )

A little slow to get started, but once it did, tough to put down! ( )

It ended too soon for me ( )