Blurb:

THIRTY YEARS AFTER THE ECHOES OF FATE CHANGED THE COURSE OF HISTORY, AN ANCIENT EVIL STIRS ONCE MORE.

Millennia in the dark has left these lost and forgotten monsters hungry for war. The people of Illian can do nothing but rely on their peacekeepers, the Dragorn.

Are the dragon riders ready for what has been buried under their feet?

Gideon Thorn, Master of the Dragorn, can feel the Third Age coming to an ominous end. With Inara Galfrey and her dragon by his side, they must investigate the return of this ancient evil.

Alijah Galfrey has only one talent - getting into trouble. When he isn't drinking, the half-elf is gambling his life away in the pursuit of relics no one cares about. Now, he finds himself at the sharp end of history. Can he take charge of his own future, or is he destined to be controlled by others?

Deep in the mines of Vengora, something ancient has been found, and the dwarves of Dhenaheim would go to war with the North over it. After sixty years in the world of men, Doran Heavybelly must finally return to his homeland if any peace is to be found...

THE FALL OF NEVERDARK CONTINUES THIS UNMISSABLE EPIC FANTASY SERIES.

Review:

“You and I will live to see the rise and fall of many things. We are the constant. Our bond will surpass all else. This is the way of things…”

I have thoroughly enjoyed my time in The Echoes Saga, The Fall of Neverdark is no different. This is book four overall and the first book of the second trilogy, and it is refreshing. The Fall of Neverdark is also the first book that was written when Quaintrell transitioned to a full-time author. I think this transition can definitely be felt from the prose, the characters, the battle scenes; it is all superb. 

“I would advise sleep, but we both know you’re going to stay up late reading again.”

The story starts 30 years after The Relic of the Gods. The story was seamless in how it connected to the first trilogy, this time skip was necessary to allow new characters and the story to shine, it was also crucial in showing the impact that The War for the Realm had on the rest of Verda. We have a new cast of characters with some returning faces. I won’t lie it definitely took some getting used to the new POV characters, but there were a lot of returning loves from the first series to help ease you in. That said the story really had me hooked, it seemed darker and there were so many tense scenes through this journey and within this there are still incredible battle scenes. 

The new enemy in this book, is an interesting character, there is so much lore entwined into The Echoes, we get a lot of history throughout the course of this book but it doesn’t ever feel like info dumping. A lot of this history comes from the new big bad, he has his own history, but he also has a lot of Verda’s history, and its future. 

One of the biggest things I noticed with this book, Quaintrell has started to take more risks, he wasn’t afraid to kill off some big names, some huge loves within the fan base. One of the other things is our favourite dwarf getting some more air time in this book, and he is just as fiery, feisty and humorous as he was before. 

“To take a step was a simple thing, a small thing even. But right now, in the hammering rain, it would take such a simple and small thing to change his destiny.”

Because we are at the start of a new trilogy the book starts with the similar things you’d expect in the first of a trilogy, but because we are in a series, you have a sense of familiarity, we already know how Quaintrell writes, we are already in his world, so it feels very familiar, that said we have a lot of world building, we are in new settings, things have changed since The War for the Realm. We are getting to grips with new characters, it took me a little while to settle in around 30% I knew I was here to stay, I am so glad I did, from there we flew, it takes off into a whole new level. 

I adore lore, if you have read my reviews you are familiar with the worlds I love by now, they all have a whole world of knowledge, Quaintrell’s world of Verda is no different. I love the lore, I love reading something later in a book and being able to connect it to something earlier on, or in a previous book. The lore within The Echoes Saga is incredible, I am sure there are things I have missed but I cannot wait to go back and tie up all these links that will surely add up in Kingdom of Bones.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, it ends on a huge cliffhanger where you WANT to continue. You are left reeling from what you learn, and actions that are taken. Quaintrell has done it again in this book, you are left broken at times, you are rooting for people because they are written in such a way that you care about them, there are moments of laughter, moments of wanting to punch a pillow and that only comes from an author who is passionate about their world and their readers. This instalment feels like we are on the edge of the mountain and we are soon reaching the top, we are going to the next tier in Kingdom of Bones and I am here for it. This series has been one huge rollercoaster so far and I cannot wait to carry on. The next book we are halfway with the series, The Echoes Saga already holds a special place in my thought-cage and soul, we are only just beginning so let's see where we go.  

If you haven’t yet started The Echoes Saga, do it, you won’t regret it, you never know it may just be your next adventure. Verda has a lot to offer to all levels of fantasy lovers, you just need to step inside and take a chance. See you all in Verda.