This is my second reread of the first book but I plan on reading the rest of the series within the next few months as I want to see how it all turns out and how it all ends. This world within this story centers around the Banished Lands which has been known for death and strife in the past with many wars of spilled blood. It's a time of shifting loyalties and world-changing dangers. Difficult choices need to be made. Because in the shadows, demons are gathering, waiting for their time to rise... While nowhere near the ‘shades of grey’ you’ll find in books by Mark Lawrence or Rebecca Levene, many of Gwynne’s characters – particularly later in the series – show how easy it is to find oneself on the ‘wrong’ side of a conflict, and how ‘evil’ can be a matter of perspective. It’s particularly interesting to watch some of the protagonists develop and change because of careful manipulation by others. I just finished reading this for probably the 10th time, and oh wow how I loved it once again. Different parts always jump out to me, and I have the absolute gift of being able to ask Papa Gwynne about all the hidden little details. I have felt so emotionally invested in these books and the climax of the final book was so good, yet devestating. I am an almost 30 year old man and I bawled my eyes out several times at the end of Wrath, simply because I was so attached to these characters and it hurt to experience all the tragedy with them.

JadePhoenix13 on Reading The Wheel of Time: Taim Tells Lies and Rand Shares His Plan in Winter’s Heart (Part 3) 6 hours ago I wanted to kill people seven ways til Sunday in this book! The damn bullies and the evil people. If you read this book you best not like anyone or anything because they are going to DIE! Well, not all of them, but still! You know how these epics go =)

Hey guys, I'm halfway through the fourth (and final) book of TFAF and can I just say, oh.my.god I haven't felt this way since ASOIAF and perhaps Riyria Revelations. The Faithful and the Fallen is an amazing series. You read these books for the adventure and action, and the easy to love characters, and after a bumpy start you will enjoy this ride like no other.

World building – This was really nothing special at all. I always got the sense that the Banished Lands were quite empty and depopulated, even though we visit every nation, But, like I said, there is no filler and everything is about the plot and enjoying the ride. This has its cons of course, because I would have loved to know more about the history of every nation and their cultures. Unfortunately, all the different nations felt a bit copy and paste. The only real difference was that they drank wine in the south, mead in the west, and ale in the north. Oh, and they have sandals in the south, not boots. While I thoroughly enjoyed exploring this world, I wouldn't say that it blew me away. Although engaging, it weaves around some rather tropey ideas – tropes that I personally love, but which might feel familiar to seasoned readers of the genre. Gwynne's world-building is both expansive and intricate, yet it treads a path well-worn by fantasy predecessors, striking a balance between the comfort of the known and the allure of a new take on ancient myths.

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This first book was amazing with how the author went into deep detail of everything that happens with not only the characters, but the world of the Banished Lands. The author goes into explicit detail with the characters bringing you in close to the characters and how they feel and what they think as they play a part in this story.

Have you ever read a book that you cannot put down, but at the same time desperately trying to slow your reading pace, wishing the book will never end? Reasons you'll like it: George R.R. Martin is a fan, Robin is punishing to her characters and if Jon Snow is your favourite character, Fitz is a king's bastard . . . I would possibly reconcile with this issue (still feeling cheated!) if not for the narration. I started reading just after finishing the Gentleman Bastards and after the magniloquent prose of Mr Lynch, Malice reads like an undergrad exercise in creative writing. The woodenness of this language reminded me of the Falling Kingdoms series. Crude strokes, like toddler's drawing, give you the idea of the world, and the characters, and the plot development but they do not manage to convey the world’s verisimilitude, make the characters lovable or plot credible. I would say 50% of this book follows young Corban. A youth from Ardan who is dealing with bullies, family issues and the ever present knowledge that he needs to work hard before his looming manhood challenge; sitting the Long Night where he can prove he is a warrior which is his main ambition. He wants to make everyone proud if possible. It doesn't always appear easy for young Corban with the challenges he faces on this road to ever looming manhood. Well, if he makes it that far. Not a spoiler. Just may end up being a fact in this rotten world. Often, the best heroic fantasy is both intimate and epic, whether our hero is triumphing over inner demons – or the ones rampaging across the countryside. And John Gwynne is no stranger to either conflict. His books, set in the Banished Lands, sweep masterfully from bloody battlefields to fraught personal dilemmas, which culminate in tense, explosive climaxes.

I’ve mentioned already that neither Malice nor Valour swept me off my feet. Ruin, however, totally blew me away. By the time you reach book three, you’re invested in the characters and the story, but you’re possibly also wondering if and when the shit is going to hit the fan. Ruin (2015) – The Banished Lands are engulfed in war and chaos. Corban has been swept along by the tide of war. He has suffered, lost loved ones, sought only safety from the darkness. But he will run no more. He has seen the face of evil and he has set his will to fight it. The question is, how? The way I have described it is ASOIAF fans would eat this book up. Not because the story is similar; far from it. This story is pretty fresh. But in that it's a similar structure and character/world building theme that made many of us fall in love with Westeros long before HBO had even considered purchasing the adaptation rights. I finished Wrath, the fourth and last book of The Faithful and the Fallen series by John Gwynne, yesterday, and wow. Just wow. I need to get my thoughts down. Absolutely. It is a solid start to an intriguing epic fantasy series. I enjoyed it immensely by the end and look forward to reading further about this world. Hopefully, you will give it a try and join me in this journey through the God-War.

I love Corbin and Cywen's parents too! They are good people. And they have some secrets about Corbin which I hope will come out in the next book. Their father is a smith but he is bad to the bone too, well, so is Gar. Looking forward to reading the second book, Valor for the continuing saga of the Banished Lands and its people. Giving this one five Fearless Fighting stars! The series also has some of the most hateable villains ever. We are talking Dolores Umbridge levels here. You'll know when you read all the awful things these guys do. Corban, on the other hand, is entirely fallible. Love and loyalty confuse his decisions, and he makes plenty of mistakes along his entire journey (not just at the beginning). Furthermore, the skills he does possess are a result of growing up within a hard-working warrior culture. The First Law is a fantasy series composed of a trilogy and three stand-alone novels set in the same world, written by British novelist Joe Abercrombie.Characters like Nathair, Cywen, Maquin, and Camlin, among nearly 50 others, are skillfully portrayed, each leaving a lasting impression. Gwynne's talent for creating a connection between his characters and the readers is noteworthy. You'll find yourself becoming attached to these characters, and yes, it might hurt, as their journeys and fates are as engaging as they are emotionally impactful. The writing and the worldbuilding are the best parts of the book, as they are somewhat adequate if you’re being very generous. In fact, there are quite a few decent aspects here. But literally everything Malice attempts to do, has been done so much better elsewhere. The mountains were gone, replaced by a lush green vale. A river flowed out of the mountains, twisting in great curves through the vale until it”