This book, it´s original title is Millennium´s Rule-Successor´s Promise, came to me by surprise. After finishing the second book of this series, I wasn´t sure if I wanted to read this one, too. But then my curiousness won. Being nosy isn´t always a good thing *smile*. And despite the fact, that the cover of the German edition (you can see the original one at the end of this review) is kind of nice to look at, my favorite one is still the cover of the first book. Yes, the orange, red and yellow here is combined very well, that´s no question. But not really mine.
Die Magie Der Tausend Welten: Die Mächtige*
by Trudi CanavanMillennium´s Rule Series #3
Original Title Millennium´s Rule-Successor´s Promise*
Publisher Penhaligon on June 26, 2017
Genre Fantasy
Pages 704
Format Hardcover
Source Publisher
✶✶✶
For a thousand years, Valhan, the most powerful of all magicians, dominated the destinies of a thousand worlds. But now he is dead, and chaos reaches around. His natural successor is the young magician Rielle, but she is reluctant to take that responsibility. Without regard to her wishes, her supporters and her opponents fight in the background. And no one knows that Valhan´s plans go beyond his death. He wants to be born again to dominate the worlds for another thousand years – and for this, he and his followers will remove every obstacle.(personal translation ©Vi at Inkvotary)
Story
Tyen tries to find a way where he can please not only Dahli but also the rebellion. His effort, to prevent Valhan from getting reborn leads him into a web of lies and where everyone is playing a game led only by their own interests. His feelings for Rielle are deeper than ever before, but both have their own plans and responsibilities. And when Rielle hears, that Qall, the young boy she once saved from becoming Valhan´s new body, can´t stay any longer where she left him, the time has come to take over her part of keeping him safe.
Style
I admitted it earlier in another review for this series, that the author´s style isn´t really mine. Well, I can´t say that it has changed. But I can´t say either that it hasn´t. It was nice to read about Rielle and Tyen, that´s for sure. But the story itself wasn´t as thrilling and haunting as I had hoped it would be.
Sure, there were many scenes that were quite fascinating to read, and yes, sometimes I was very well entertained. But with all those many details the author provided during the ongoing story, the traveling that went on over pages and those scenes where Tyen or Rielle was thinking about everything that had happened or could happen, it literally got tired.
The writing style hasn’t changed. Something I appreciated very much while I read the beginning of this novel where the story was quite entertaining. A lot of things happened during those chapters and it seemed that Tyen´s world and life had come to a wonderful place and point. The reading pace was fast and I kind of enjoyed the novel. But then the author changed something. The story slowed down for no obvious reason, and many questions came up. A new figure, Qall, has stepped into the limelight. Well, he isn´t THAT new, for all those who read the first two books, yes, I know that, but he was then only a minor character.
Characters
At first, I was kind of pleased watching Qall and seeing him with his “family”. But then I thought what the heck? He turned out to be a very spoiled and arrogant young man who reacts to everything Rielle wants from him with bad behavior. It seems that he doesn´t respect women at all. He is defiant and naïve at the same time (no good combination if you ask me) and everything that comes out of Rielle´s mouth he doubts. It didn´t take long and I was literally upset when I read scenes with him or heard him talk or saw how he acted.
Conclusion
Phew, I am still not sure what to think of this novel. The last hundred pages were a real pain to read and I was totally happy when I had finished it. I got some answers, had the feeling that a circle was closed and, yet I have many questions left. And the end of this book lets me guess that this wasn´t the end to Tyen and Rielle or the thousand worlds.
Yes, there will be a fourth book coming out sometime. But this time I am really not sure if I will read it. For me, the story is kind of done. Is that rude? Maybe. But it is how I feel – at least for the moment *smile*
Happy reading
*This book was kindly provided to me by Penhaligon in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Therefore, the cover and title of the German edition are shown first in this review.
*This book was published by Orbit/ Little Brown as Millennium´s Rule 03 Successor´s Promise on September 21, 2017
Trudi Canavan
Trudi Canavan published her first story in 1999 and it received an Aurealis Award for Best Fantasy Short Story. Her debut series, the Black Magician trilogy, made her an international success, and all three volumes of her Age of Five trilogy were Sunday Times bestsellers. Trudi Canavan lives with her partner in Melbourne, Australia, and spends her time writing, painting, and weaving.