Ruin Book Review

Title: Ruin
Author: John Gwynne
Genre: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy
Published: 2015
Pages: 782
Goodreads Rating: 4.46
Rating: 10/10

“Family. Friendship. Loyalty. These things have been my guiding stars, my light in these dark times.” 

In Ruin, the war of good versus evil is underway. While the enemy grows in strength, the allies by comparison appear woefully unprepared. Corban is thrust into a leadership role that he is not prepared for and yet… he must step up and lead his people. Truth and courage guide him and his friends forward on a dangerous journey to save everything they care for. 

Pros:
Writing style
Ruin is an incredibly fast paced book that keeps you on the edge of your seat. The epic battle scenes and the build-up that leads to them are incredibly intense and well written. Gwynne’s writing style does change a bit in this book as he shifts to a stronger grimdark approach. If you like the A Song of Ice and Fire series, you’ll love The Faithful and the Fallen.

Split of intense vs. lighter moments
After plenty of battles and life or death situations, you sincerely appreciate the lighter moments in the story. Gwynne masterfully works in humor and romance to break up the intensity.

Big moments we’ve been waiting for 
In Ruin, we finally get major, fan-favorite moments that we’ve been waiting for! I don’t want to give away any spoilers so I won’t provide details. But be prepared for amazing moments for a few of our main characters that will make you feel all the feels. 

Cons:
Character development
Corban’s character development is quite rapid throughout Ruin. He goes from an unprepared, stubborn, naive child to an eloquent, inspiring leader in the matter of a few hundred pages. There’s no real explanation or major event that leads to his sudden maturity outside of his mentors’ counseling and influence but he grows up incredibly quickly. The story needed him to grow up and it felt like plot convenience. 

Repetitive 
For some reason, Gwynne repeats the same details numerous times for particular characters. For example, he continuously explains Nathair’s Draig’s Teeth in Veradis’s chapters. This is more of an annoyance than a major issue. 

Overall…
I highly recommend The Faithful and the Fallen series! Ruin is an incredible addition to the storyline and I cannot wait to read Wrath to see how this epic fantasy ends.