Beyond the Shadows: Night Angel, Book 3

Firstly - the book itself, physically, is really good quality. I had the first two of these from Amazon and they were really bad print quality and creased like mad. This is high quality, feels a lot nicer to hold/read.This is a decent ending to what I’d call a decent series. Weeks can definitely hook you into a story, I just feel like here he struggled to get me excited about any of the characters. Their development lacked a lot of depth apart from a key character who is only present in the first book which really impacted my enjoyment of the last two.It’s as if he tried to cram too many different POVs/stories and concepts into the last two books which is really noticeable but the story itself was worth the ride. He’s also writing another novel at the moment in this world so worth picking up!I honestly can’t give any of weeks’ books five stars though for one key reason - the man CANNOT write female characters. As someone who hasn’t read lightbringer I feel like this could improve but if reviews are anything to go by I’m not holding my breath.Don’t let that single fact put you off though, I’d highly recommend giving the series a go for the story and premise alone.

'Beyond the Shadows' is the third and final instalment in Brent Weeks' Night Angel trilogy. The trilogy so far has followed the life of Kylar Stern, a young man who has developed since childhood from an orphan thief to a trainee assassin (or `wetboy'), and who has now finally taken on the role of the immortal Night Angel, the embodiment of justice.The most entertaining parts of Kylar's tale are his interactions with both Durzo Blint (his mentor) and the black ka'kari (the magical item that is the source of his special powers), which are full of easy humour and sarcasm. However, these conversations don't happen very often, and Kylar's chapter are mainly focused on his complicated relationships with Elene and Vi. This book also has a wider scope than the others: we see more of the world and its inhabitants. While this gives the book something of a grander scale, I actually miss the focus of the first two books, which were mostly set within the streets of cities. The first book particularly focused more on character development within the confines of the city's underworld, and I think that approach was actually stronger than that of this book, which mostly seems to be `send the characters to loads of different places on loads of flimsy pretexts'.One of the things I do really like about the plot is that there is always something happening: lots of little events occur within the tales of most characters, which helps to make the novel a fairly fast-paced read (although some of the events are a bit contrived). The way the various plotlines finally entwined was fairly well-conceived, and the final battle definitely had a feel of the epic about it. The sacrifice involved in the defeat of evil is somewhat glossed-over, but adds a nice sense of loss and emotion. However, I feel that the payoff was somewhat unsatisfactory, mainly because [spoiler] it revolved around the man characters gathering around an artefact, Power Rangers-style, and using previously unmentioned magic to end the epic battle and instantly transform the battlefield into a place of beauty.For me, some of the strongest plotlines were those of the `supporting' characters. I particularly enjoyed the portrayal of Dorian's descent into darkness and subsequent redemption; and Vi Sovari's search for friendship and acceptance was my favourite storyline in the whole trilogy. The characters of Sister Ariel, Solon Tofusin and Feir Cousat were also fun to read about, but unfortunately they are very minor and don't feature as much as I would have liked. On the other hand, there were many characters I simply could not engage with, and whose chapters I found a little slow and dull, which meant that I didn't sympathise with them enough to feel the appropriate emotional impact of their various fates. I think this is one aspect that detracted from my enjoyment of the book: the fact that Weeks has so many good characters yet does not seem to develop them as strongly as he perhaps could have, while placing too much focus on characters who are a little two-dimensional.There are plenty of aspects within the book that make it gripping - such as the torture of Kylar, the fate of the usurper queen Terah Graesin, the mystery of the Dark Hunter and the continual revelations about Durzo Blint - but there is also plenty of stuff in between that makes it, well, less-than gripping. I did enjoy reading it, but as the conclusion of a trilogy? It goes out with more of a whimper than a bang.(Review first posted on my blog 'The Half-Strung Harp'.)

I have read this more than three times and it just gets better with each reading. I fell in love with Kylar from when he was still Azoth - even then you could feel how filled with a deep sense of justice he was (even as down trodden and helpless as he was then) as well as his deep yearning for love. As harsh a master as he was, I found myself respecting the ever mysterious and cynical Durzo. I grew to love so many of the characters (Elene, Logan, Momma K, Count, Vi, Jenine and more) that littered this amazing masterpiece. And will revisit with them often, especially when I need a dose of hope amongst other things.

clocking in at 688 pages, in 99 chapters and an epilogue, comes the third and final volume of the night angel trilogy. One long fantasy story spread over three volumes. If you've not read  The Way of Shadows (Night Angel Trilogy)  and  Shadow's Edge (Night Angel Trilogy)  then go and read them first. because this far in you're not going to get quite as much out of the story if you jump on so late.If you have, read on.This picks up the story right from after the big battle at the end of volume two, and the shocking news that kylar then learned. with both the north and south in turmoil, new leaders arise. In the north, someone has to replace the godking. But can the character who does be a better ruler than their father was?In the south, with the city under the control of a certain lady not suited to be queen, should those who pledged loyalty to her honour that pledge? and should kylar deal with her?Amongst the ongoing story there is the one strong moral question: do you do the right thing when the cost is too high? and lots of the characters here will have to consider that. It also makes the reader think about it, which is good writing.With more battles looming and darkness on the horizon, can it end happily for everyone?Let's just say you won't forget the end in a hurry.It does wrap everything up, but there could be further adventures in this world if needs be.And that I wouldn't mind. A very good ending to an excellent trilogy