Review – Forest of Ruin (Age of Legends, Book 3) by Kelley Armstrong (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 448 pages
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release Date: April 5, 2016
ISBN-13: 978-0062071309
Stand Alone or Series: 3rd book in the Age of Legends Trilogy
Source: Borrowed from Library
Rating: 4/5 stars

“The empire rests on the edge of a knife, and sisters Ashyn and Moria are the handle and the blade. Desperate to outmaneuver the evil Alvar Kitsune, whose hold on the people grows stronger every day, Emperor Tatsu begs Moria to put aside past grievances and ally with Gavril—at least long enough to make an attempt on Alvar’s life. Meanwhile, reunited with her long-lost grandfather, Ashyn discovers that she is the key to a ritual that could reawaken an ancient dragon and turn the tide of the coming battle in their favor.

But with lies and betrayal lurking around every corner, Ashyn and Moria will have to decide once and for all where their allegiances are. And it may not be where their hearts would lead them…”

This was a decent conclusion to the Age of Legends trilogy. I really enjoy Armstrong’s writing style; it’s very engaging and readable. As for the story itself, it did an okay job of wrapping things up…although the ending felt a bit unfinished to me.

Moria and Ashyn spend the majority of the book apart from each other which allows them to grow and gain confidence as individuals. This was fun to see and read about. I also loved the inclusion of the dragon, this was very interesting and cute as well.

This story was engaging but also felt a bit unsatisfying. There weren’t a lot of surprises here and it was more like events were just playing out as expected and being put down on paper.

I was also a bit disappointed of Ashyn’s blind acceptance that this strange old man was her grandfather; she blindly puts a lot of trust in someone that she doesn’t know all that well. It was a rash move for Ashyn and a bit out of character.

I did enjoy the interactions between Ashyn, Ronan, Moria, Tyrus, and Gavil. This cast of characters forms such an intriguing web of friendship, loyalty, and romance.

The book ended okay; I felt like a lot of things were left kind of halfway wrapped up. Although it was a realistic ending for the story I was a bit disappointed that things weren’t wrapped up a bit more completely and neatly.

Overall a good conclusion to this trilogy. The book is engaging and easy to read and I enjoyed the story. I thought the story was fairly predictable and was a bit disappointed that the ending didn’t wrap things up more completely. I did enjoy the series as a whole and would recommend to those who enjoy YA fantasy.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge
– New Release Challenge
– Flights of Fantasy Reading Challenge