The Rise of Magicks by Nora Roberts

12/28/2019

SYNOPSIS

After the sickness known as the Doom destroyed civilization, magick has become commonplace, and Fallon Swift has spent her young years learning its ways.

Fallon cannot live in peace until she frees those who have been preyed upon by the government or the fanatical Purity Warriors, endlessly hunted or locked up in laboratories, brutalized for years on end. She is determined to save even those who have been complicit with this evil out of fear or weakness—if, indeed, they can be saved.

Strengthened by the bond she shares with her fellow warrior, Duncan, Fallon has already succeeded in rescuing countless shifters and elves and ordinary humans.

Now she must help them heal—and rediscover the light and faith within themselves. For although from the time of her birth, she has been The One, she is still only one.

And as she faces down an old nemesis, sets her sights on the enemy’s stronghold, and pursues her destiny—to finally restore the mystical shield that once protected them all—she will need an army behind her…

Synopsis from Goodreads

PERSONAL REVIEW

Wow, I can't believe we're finally at the end of this trilogy. I was so intrigued when Roberts first posted a synopsis for The One and ended up falling in love with the story. I felt, and continue to feel, that Roberts did such a great job creating this magical dystopian future and, with a very skilled hand, handled numerous time jumps with ease. With The Rise of Magicks, Fallon is finally ready to lead her soldiers in war against those who would harm them and it leads to a pretty excellent ending.

Solid Battle Scenes
Now, if you're looking for Game of Thrones level of fighting, you're not going to find that here. And I'm honestly ok with that, because that's not what I'm expecting from a Nora Roberts novel, nor is it something I'm particularily interested in reading. That said, Roberts did a great job covering the battles without making me feel like I should skip ahead (I really don't enjoy battle scenes. I often skip ahead in movies too!). She manages to humanize the fights by concentrating on the characters in the battle, as opposed to giving an overview or focusing on just Fallon. The good guys have a lot of battle sites to win and it's satisfying to read about those wins every time.

Of Course I Fell In Love with Fallon and Duncan
We knew this was coming. They knew this was coming. And I still fully fell in love with them as a couple. Although neither of them wanted to be pushed by fate into something that they didn't choose, it's incredibly clear to all of us that they are perfect together, so of course it's even better when they also realize this. I loved their relationship and all it's different facets: they are both leaders but learn to balance the burden together, they both have magic and support each other with it, and mostly they learn how to fully rely on someone that isn't a direct family member. They just make me sigh with happiness.

A Wonderful Ending to a Magical Series
This is definitely one of the most serious trilogies Roberts has written and with the most aggressive kind of magic she's ever included. I was expecting some characters to die (even though I hate when that happens!) and Roberts does a good job of both including and handling those deaths so that they are purposeful, not just for the sake of killing off characters. In the end, I loved where all the characters ended up and, although sad to say good bye to this dystopian world, really happy that they all got the endings they did.

Overall, I loved this ending to The Chronicles of the One trilogy. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has enjoyed the first two in the series, who is a Nora Roberts fan, or to those looking for an interesting magical dystopian series. This was my favourite book in the trilogy and I've already read it twice since it was published! What did you think of The Rise of Magicks?

FINAL RATING: 5/5