Legends of Ahn (King's Dark Tidings #3)

Gavin

Rating: really liked it
This third instalment in Kel Kade's Kings Dark Tidings series definitely lived up to my, lofty, expectations! It had all the same elements that made the first few books such fast paced and exciting reads. These books are just super fun fantasy/adventure!

There was a lot going on in this one. After the final happenings in Reign of Madness Rezkin finds himself more in the public eye and with a host of people depending on him to keep them safe from the mad king. Rezkin, ever a student of the rules, decides to retreat and regroup. Which meant that we got to see a few more of the countries, people, and creatures that populate this fun fantasy world outside of Ashai.

The story was a lot of fun. We learned more about the world and Ashai's place in it in this instalment and also learned a lot more about Rezkin's magical talents as well as magic in general. I really enjoyed the way Kade fleshed out the worldbuilding and felt like it added depth to the series. Visiting the cat obsessed kingdom of Channería was a ton of fun and the highlight as it gave plenty of opportunity for Rez to do what he does best and use his skills for a mix of intrigue and ass-kicking!

“This is a secular matter, Collectiare. I do not require your input,” Ionius said.
“I disagree,” said the collectiare. “I know you have heard the fable of the old woman who only ever offered her starving cat the fish bones and kept the meat for herself. Every child who has attended Temple services has heard the tale.”
“What of it?” Ionius asked.
“If you recall, the cat ultimately ate the woman.”

Channería even had fun cat related moral tales:)

There was definitely more action in this one than in the previous book but I was fine with that as it was mostly engaging. My favourite bits in this series are always Rezkin's interactions with the "Outworlders". In the first book there was tons of hilarious moments as Rez could not figure them out and they could not figure him out but by this third instalment the humor is a little bit more subtle. Rezkin continued to grow as a character as he accepted his true purpose and responsibility but it was not all light and fun as learning more about the "outworlders", and them learning more about him as his secrets come to light, actually left Rezkin more isolated than he was in the first two books. I enjoyed Rezkin's internal struggles as he tried to figure out where he fits into the real world. The guy remains one of my all time favourite characters. Most of our other favourites from the series were back in this one plus we met a few fun new characters.

I flew through this whole book in the space of a few days which is rare for me for books of this size but goes to show just how addictive and awesome this series really is. I'm ready to add it to my all time favourites list!

Rating: 5 stars. An easy rating to give considering I was totally addicted to this book from start to finish.

Audio Note: Nick Podehl is a fantastic narrator who is a perfect fit for this series.

Lucas Vienna

Rating: really liked it
Very good idea, improper execution

I was left with a feeling of unrest by the time I finished the book. During the first two books, the goal is very defined, and even though some decisions are made because of the plot, it makes sense. The path is clear, and it is easy to see how the author planned everything.
On the 3rd installment of the series, though, it feels as if the book was written without forethought. Ideas haphazardly thrown together and somehow linked to make a sequel. The introduction of the fae was good. Subtle and the hints were there. Quite liked it. The subsequent explanation of the gods and planes was also good. Then... Things start to get more disconnected.

Tieran's rise to organizer and leader of the ship was well-thought out, and expertly written. It fits his character perfectly. Tam's rise as a seneschal is much the same. It happens naturally, without force. Once again, perfect. It repeats itself with Malcius and his quest for vengeance/muddled relationship with Rezkin, Shiela's mood swings and the further development of Kai's excellent personality.
On the other side of the spectrum, Frisha's character simply died. All her depth, her importance, was thrown aside and covered up as a mere result of Rezkin's revelation of Dark Tidings. Another sudden death was that of Raeylin's. Another character that simply vanished. Oh, sure. She is still there, and makes an appearance or two, but without any the detail and depth from the previous books. It gives off a feeling of forced retirement, as if she no longer had a role to play. Maybe Kel Kade's intention was to give other characters more depth, and more "screen time", and it succeeded at that, at the expense of Frisha, Raeylin and some others.

On to Serret. His arrival on the city was good. His invasions of the Councilors' estates and the manipulation of the councilors was what I saw on books 1 and 2, and was equally good and entertaining. Passing of as a street rat and hiding on the brothel was yet another excellent demonstration of his powers and showed a lot of humor. The palace invasion seemed too easy, but saw a sudden turn of events that changed the whole game. His internal struggle with his instincts, meeting with the princess and the murder attempt revelation were also extremely well-written. The same good writing followed with the encounter with the King, really enjoyed that encounter.

Up to this point, the story feels good. If you ignore the weird character developments, this first part is what I was expecting. New places, new characters and the same Rezkin we love doing Rezkin stuff.

Moving on to the trip to Cael and subsequent events;
Ilanet was a very good character. She had depth, a dangerous guardian in the Jeng'ris, and way she was introduced led me to believe she would play a greater role going forward. To my disappointment, other than her relationship with Tam she also was laid to the side after a while. It simply stopped, and she too vanished. What is it with KK and his apparent desire to hide half the cast?
Xa was another incredible development. A zealot following the Riel'gesh even though it meant being cast out. His constant challenges were a welcome change of pace and tone.
Then there was the weird cat moment with Billior. What was that? Rezkin suddely has a love for cats? The man couldn't muster deep feelings for Frisha even after all the development on books 1 and 2, but after a few nights with a cat sleeping on his head he suddenly loves the small pussy that slept on his chest?

The moment where Rezkin has to breach the ward, that was good. His magic is starting to show more of what it can do. Expanding on what Billior said earlier. Gives us the first inkling that Rez has elven magic. Or something akin to it, at least. The opening of the 5 doors, his fight of will, and his dying were amazing. Left me hanging. And then it went to shit. Even though the descriptions and presentation was superb, the rest was simply... Bland. Rezkin suddenly can't think anymore, affected by the fortress somehow, then finds a stone that helps him thing, and the whole thing doesn't come up again, with one small exception. No one questions him when the dismisses the room at the end of the hall. The spirits attack the mage that activated the stones, but bow to Rezkin even though he is human (maybe not?). The rest of the exploration is boring. They go here, go there, see this, Rez finds something and then it stops and everyone started choosing homes. No more exploration, no experimentation with anything other than the one defense mechanism on the seawall. Farson's appearance was unexpected, but nice overall. Ah, and then some people disappeared. Rezkin is having weird headaches that suddenly go away after his throne room encounter. He finds an evil ritual, and the spirits say the passed a test. The whole thing is just constricted and synthetic. He delves into the crystal (oh, look. Experimenting for once!), and problem solved. They go in a quest to save the 6 victims, save 4 of them and kill 2. A demon comes out of nowhere and tries to kill a few of characters back in the city, only to be saved by Billior. This was another nice development.

The Raven's plays back in Ashaii are excellent, in contrast to Rezkin's playground in Cael. Benni, Adsden and the other thieves are somehow deeper and more individual than the "core group" from the other books, and the story there has the same captivating mystery the first two books had. Fierdon's betrayal and the revelation that Marcum is in the unnamed fortress in the north were two masterful pieces in the story, far better than most of the drama over in Cael.

And then the book stops. It was a good place to stop, by all means. The story has developed a lot, they are in an unsure position and the next step is clear. It was very anti-climatic and sudden. but made sense. Not a cliffhanger either, so thanks for that.

Overall, the feeling was that the story took a sudden turn, and the focus went from "we have to stop the mad king" to "we have to save the world" without any buildup: "So, there's a demon invasion and we want you to make an army to stop it. We'll give you a fortress in return." And the answer: "Fae are tricky, but I have no choice. Deal, weird wood creature." And pronto, they are now on a quest to save the world even though only Rezkin knows it. Back to that lack of forethought comment: it seems clear that less polishing and planning was made for pars of this book. I loved that Rezkin's magic (or will, if you wish) is being expanded, the new races and creatures are a welcome refresh and some ploy threads are keep the high quality I was expecting. Other look like the result of a wish to expand the story or add new levels to it, with little success.

I hope Kel Kade will take more time with the last book, plan things properly and give a lot of thought and time to the ploy, and plot threads. Also, give us back the character depth you had going on the first 2 books. It feel simply lacking when all sidekicks are just cardboard characters.

Shireen

Rating: really liked it
I loved books one and two. This book took a completely different turn. It turned into a different story. In books one and two, you are reading one type of fantasy novel. In book 3, you are reading a different type. Also, the characters change. So, the person you got to know in books 1 and 2 have slightly different personalities. The climax of the book feels rushed. The book doesn't really build up to it, and, if I couldn't see how close I was to the end of the book, I wouldn't have expected that to be the climax. There are also new characters in the book that seem unimportant, or maybe just not developed. Maybe in book 4 he can tie it all together.

Lance

Rating: really liked it
First I want to say that I Love this series and absolutely loved this book. These books I just can't seem to put down, and find that I am finished before I know it.

This book was very different from the first two books of the series. This book was a book of trials and tribulations as most every character faced major conflict, which I think really adds to the series as a whole. Really the first two books were basically Rez doing what he wants, when he wanted, and no one was going to stop him from doing it.

This book I think brought Rez down a few notches and really highlighted how much he is different from everyone else, and in the end Rezkin really realized just how much. I love how Rezkin's character went thru some difficulties in this book. The first two books he was like a warrior god who was unbeatable, I liked to see that he had some adversity in this book and actually showed some weakness and during those times of weakness we saw another glimpse into how he was raised effected him.

I found it very interesting how even the ever protective Frisha, and the loyal Tam and the rest of Rez's "friends" were totally questioning their thoughts and feelings towards Rez in this book, I think the awe of him kind of took a backseat to how disconnected he was to all of them. I think that the addition of Farson to the story also adds a unique wrinkle that I think will be a huge part of the story going forward as he really is the only person who knows how brutal Rezkin's upbringing was.

I think the addition of the Fae and the Ancients adds a lot of mystery and a huge plot twist thrown at us, in fact I'm beginning to wonder how in the world Mr. Kade is going to wrap all this up in just one more novel.

Once again very well done Mr. Kade and now comes the long wait for book #4

♥Milica♥

Rating: really liked it
This...wasn't terrible? Compared to book two it's at around the same enjoyment level, even though some little things that annoy me are present in this one too.

Rezkin is still the most overpowered character ever, but there are a few scenes where this is challenged, which were odd to read, because I got so used to the idea that no mortal could ever best him. And rest assured, nothing mortal did challenge him. Hint hint.

To my great delight, Frisha was barely in the book. And with that the fawning over Rezkin was cut to a minimum. Now if Frisha could just fall off a cliff or something that would be great...I HATE HER I'M SORRY.

But Frisha wasn't the only female with less page time, Yserria and Nanessy had virtually zero too and that makes me sad. Meanwhile, Ilanet was introduced and she's the best female character in this entire series.

She's a princess Rezkin saves from her grim fate, and she doesn't immediately fawn over him like every other girl does. Unfortunately though, it seems like she's destined for Tam instead. And yeah, I like Tam and I want him to be happy, but why couldn't he just take Frisha out of the picture? Why do I have to keep seeing her? Bleh.

The continuous journey theme seems to be a huge plot point yet again, and I have no idea how it's going to go from here, because so many new things were introduced on the island, demons included.

I think the series is ending with book five, which should be out in a few months, so I'm going to try to stretch out book four and the prequel until then.

Parvati Patil

Rating: really liked it
It took me longer to finish than the previous book.

Pluspy

Rating: really liked it
The first two books flowed well, had good character development and foreshadowed everything properly. Nothing felt out of place or unnatural, the author was in the zone. His writing style was very interesting to me aswell, and rather unique and endearing in a way and so were the characters.

Kel kade had set everything up for an epic book 3. I was expecting Rezkin to retake a kingdom though, not go off gallavanting through magical forests inhabited by creatures with weird names. So far everything had been explained, made sense and was logical, but in book 3 there is no sign of the previously excellent foreshadowing. The writing feels over-edited and the story extremely disappointing.

I would not be surprised if someone told me that book 3 was book 1 of some other series written by another writer. It does not feel like a sequel and it doesn't hold the same charm as the first two books. It is far inferior and I think the main reason is over-editing, forced plots and bad execution of characters, aswell as the unnecessary and badly foreshadowed introduction of various supernatural elements that have the effect of rendering all the authors previous efforts in book 1 and 2 basically superfluous. Heck, let's throw out two good books full of interesting developments and set-ups moving towards an epic finale and instead try to create a whole new paradigm.

Alot of people's reviews say that this book takes a darker turn, but I can't exactly agree. I was ripped from the world in which I had been immersed for two books, and it left me feeling sad and unsatisfied. Kel kade had gained my confidence as a great writer because of book 1 and 2 in this series WHICH YOU SHOULD DEFINITELY READ BECAUSE THEY ARE BRILLIANT, but book 3? Don't waste your time.

Cassie Cassidy

Rating: really liked it
I finished this book yesterday afternoon and I'm honestly still trying to wrap my head around it. I absolutely loved book one and two of this series, but this book disappointed me a bit. I feel like there are so many characters that I came to adore in the first two books that kind of just disappeared during this book. Maybe this book was just meant to alienate Rezkin, but I felt that none of his friends even tried. I also think that the plot sort of jumped from place A to place Q with not a whole lot of information/detail. I guess it was just surprising that there was no mention in the first two books of Fae or demons, and then they just kind of show up on top of the other chaos that is going on. Idk. Like I said, still trying to wrap my head around this one.

Gis

Rating: really liked it
I had been waiting for this book anxiously, and when it came out I read it as fast as I could.. and now that I finished, I am a little disappointed, the gorgeous story that Kel created kind of took another path. I'm still gonna read the next installment just to see where it goes, but not with the same enthusiasm as I had..

Anthony K

Rating: really liked it
Jesus...

Objectively I give this book 3 stars... It is a fuuuuucking mess. That being said, it is a highly entertaining mess. Do you ever read a book, and want to feel like.... "Oh noooo how will the hero make it through this impossible situation", but know in your head that you will find out how he easily handled the problem within the next 3 pages?.. Have you ever wanted to read a book where that scenario lather, rinses and repeats for 700 pages? This series has all that an more.

I have more thoughts, buuuuut... I have darksouls and the last book of the traitor's son cycle to get to...

P.S. The book gets 4 stars... because I fucking say so.

Rissa

Rating: really liked it
Legend of Ahn 4.25⭐️
Wonderful finale.
The only thing to say is there is a cat in a bag.
“Why do you have a cat in a bag?
Why dont you let the cat out of the bag?
What cats out of the bag?
I didnt know you were a cat person. “

This whole beginning of that chapter about a cat was amazing and hilarious and that little bit made my day better.

The rest of the book is obviously amazing and fantastic and you should listen to the trilogy because I LOVE the audiobook narrator and he really makes the characters come to life.

Dawn

Rating: really liked it
I had been waiting for this book to come out after listening to the two previous books on Audible, and I must confess that I am a bit disappointed in Kel's effort. I usually like filler books, because you get a better picture of the world the author is creating and you begin to care more for the characters, but perhaps I should have waited for the audible version of this book, because it was hard for me to get into with all the weird names and odd spellings for locations. As much as I love fantasy stories, the thing I hate most is stumbling over the names of people and places...it just makes it super hard for me to get into the story, so the audible version will probably help with that.

I still liked the story and I was glad that we didn't have to spend a lot of time with Fresha...she is delusional and annoys me to no end... but I also felt like we spent so much time with new characters (Princess Ilanet) just to have them disappear as soon as the refugee ship made it to Cael. And the characters that I wanted to know more about we hardly spent any more time with them.

I also felt like I was reading 2 or 3 different books...as I couldn't really see how Rezkin was tied into each thing that was happening. The actions of the Raven in Ashai seemed really random since Rezkin never seemed to reflect on them in any other aspect of the book.

Anyway, I am still looking forward to book 4, I just hope the audiobook comes out around the same time as the print release, so I can get a better understanding of what is actually going on with these Fae creatures and this mysterious island citadel.

Caleb M.

Rating: really liked it
I really enjoyed the first 2 books of this series, but book 3 fell a little flat for me. It was still interesting and went by pretty fast, but only because at this point I'm invested in the characters and world of this series. I've heard that book 4 gets the series back on the pace of the first 2 books so I still have high hopes for the series in general even though this one was a bit of a lull. We do get quite a bit more information on Rezkin and crew and I feel like it's building up to something big and entertaining but this felt like a "filler episode" if that makes any sense.

Nick Poedehl continues to impress me with his wonderful narration though. He is a brilliant narrator that deserves to be in the upper eschalon of orators. He's so good in fact that I've started looking up books based solely on the fact that he is the narrator.

While this book in particular is hard to recommend as a single book, I do think if you are a fan of fantasy this series is still worth checking out.

D. B. Guin

Rating: really liked it
I have realized that I will never see the end of this series in my lifetime.

This is the third like SIX HUNDRED PAGE BOOK, and each book covers, what, a month of in-universe time? In the first book, Rezkin traveled to the capital. In the second, he traveled to and won a tournament. In the third, he travels to an island refuge. He still, somehow, has to establish a working kingdom on the island; coerce another kingdom into ceding him the legal rights to the island; convince every other kingdom not to attack Ashai; raise an army and invade Ashai; wrest Ashai from the hands of its current king; defeat an invading demon threat and save the fae world; and finally reorganize and rebuild Ashai after the devastation.

If we continue at this pace, all this is going to take like... ten books. I hope the author takes after Stephen King and not George R.R. Martin.

Anyway, this book is one in which things start to MOVE dramatically. It is missing a star, compared to my rating of the last book. This isn't because it's necessarily worse, because what does 'worse' even mean in a context like this, anyway? It's one star down compared to before because this book was less emotionally fun than either of the previous two.

Human political conflict expands into some kind of universal, magic-spiritual conflict when Rezkin makes a deal with the fae. This seems like a weird left-field thing to happen, but so far the author has not done anything truly left field. This makes me wonder: have we seen the seeds of this plot and just not recognized them? Given the high percentage of demented sadists we have on hand, is Caydean possessed by demons? Is Hespion? Dynen? Now that demons are a thing we have to worry about, you have to wonder.

Anyway, the introduced demon/fae storyline means that Rezkin is actually IN OVER HIS HEAD for the very first time ever. This, in the short term, means less fun. Struggle and vulnerability is not as hilariously joyous as being all-powerful. However, in the long term, it has the potential to pay off BIGTIME, and I'm looking forward to it.

More characters are introduced! They are good characters but, again... dude. Homie. My buddy. Loyal comrade. We need some GOSH darn movement on the Frisha issue.

This book takes the first steps into blasting everything wide open. In Book Two we learned the secrets of Rezkin's origins and authority. In this book we delve into his weird mage-yet-non-mage powers. Clearly he is no ordinary mage, and yet equally clearly, as Wesson keeps telling him, he is no mere mundane. Whatever Rezkin's abilities are, they must have something to do with the demon/fae realms. This is very interesting, and I'm eager to know more.

However, of even more vital interest is the work this book does towards blasting open Rezkin himself. We see him overpowered for the first time, by Bilior. We see him trust someone else with his safety for the first time, during the demon battle at the end. We see him LOSE HIS TEMPER for the first time. We see him struggling hard with the unreliability of his own thoughts. All of this is setting Rezkin up to break the mold of his ironclad conditioning, and have to face things he has never had to face: attachment, helplessness, trust, etc.

The moment where he's out of his mind and half-blind is f a n t a s t i c. The impact of Rezkin absolutely LOSING IT, when he's never lost so much as a modicum of self-control before, is monumental. All his friends being like "Listen, you'll just have to let us see FOR you" and Rezkin is like "I CANNOT" and lists every possible reason why all of them still might betray him. When they realize he doesn't actually TRUST any of them -- it's just that, in his right mind, his threat analysis for them is low. After this event, Rezkin trusting Wesson to protect him during the demon battle is WILD.

He takes some other tiny baby steps outside the mold like adopting the cat, and not killing Striker Farson. Greater steps are still to come in the future, though, and they will be AWESOME. Farson and Rezkin have to come to some kind of an understanding; if it includes Rezkin accepting his own attachment to Farson even though it's risky, and Farson realizing that Rezkin is still the good-hearted boy he trained and not a soulless demon, I will HAVE AN ANEURYSM from sheer joy. The moment Rezkin truly extends his physical AND emotional trust to someone, I'm going to be SHOOK. It has to happen eventually, and it's going to be so good.

Anyway, I mentioned the Frisha issue before. She barely even appears in this book, and honestly one of the stars I deducted is solely for that. It's so frustrating. Like, MOVE SOMETHING. ANYTHING. LET REZKIN AND FRISHA HAVE (1) CONVERSATION. Either move something, or just kill Frisha! There is no excuse for yet another book where Frisha does straight up absolutely NOTHING.

Nevertheless, I have to say here: I understand why Rezkin and Frisha don't heal their relationship in this book. Rezkin, honestly, is in the middle of serious character development. He's been shaken, and he's going to have to go forward and decide the kind of person he's going to be. This isn't really the time to try to convince Frisha he's not evil -- HE doesn't even really know what he is. There will be a right time for that later, when he shows himself to be someone both Striker Farson and Frisha can love.

That the tension between them is not resolved here, I am willing to forgive. The fact that Frisha has NO role and NO narrative function, I am not willing to forgive. Tam doesn't get much story time either, but his growth and the role he's establishing for himself are still shown. The same for Tieran, and Malcius. Rezkin spent this whole book growing, but what is Frisha doing? Surely there is plenty to be done in establishing a brand-new refugee settlement. If they are going to end up together, Frisha needs to be someone Rezkin can respect as well as vice versa.

I know there's a lot going on, demons and all, but there are also more than seven hundred pages in this book. This isn't okay.

Sarah

Rating: really liked it
They just get better and better. Anything below 5 stars is a crime.

I love Rezkin in this one - he is understanding the world better, and getting to know how he was raised isn't normal. But he continue's on and becomes vulnerable to us.

As a reader I was also able to get insight into the world in this book. You get to learn more - like other creatures and places. You get to meet new characters, and take a step back from old ones. In this book you don't read into friendships as much. Instead you get to see more in depth to other characters. Like there are multiple POV's from characters that I wouldn't have considered looking into. But once I did I got an understanding of Rezkin I didn't see before.

The way everything described is amazing - I was literally making a mental image in my head of Cael and all the mysteries that are there.

I seriously recommend reading this book if you've read the other two.

I am now going to be patiently (lies) waiting for the next one.