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The Oremere Chronicles #3
War of Mist
War is here.
Toxic mist drives all life to the brink of destruction and the conqueror queen, Ines, has her talons in the kings of the realm.
Bleak, having discovered her true heritage, must now scour the lands for the one thing that might save them all.
But the search is a treacherous one – and it will push her to the very limits of endurance.
Amidst secrets, lies and the intricacies of battle, Bleak and her companions learn just how far they’ll go for the ones they love. But will it be enough?
As deadly forces grapple for power across the continents, families, friends and allies unite to take one final stand.
Explosive revelations, heart-wrenching betrayals and breathtaking magic soar in the epic conclusion to Helen Scheuerer’s bestselling trilogy, The Oremere Chronicles.
Toxic mist drives all life to the brink of destruction and the conqueror queen, Ines, has her talons in the kings of the realm.
Bleak, having discovered her true heritage, must now scour the lands for the one thing that might save them all.
But the search is a treacherous one – and it will push her to the very limits of endurance.
Amidst secrets, lies and the intricacies of battle, Bleak and her companions learn just how far they’ll go for the ones they love. But will it be enough?
As deadly forces grapple for power across the continents, families, friends and allies unite to take one final stand.
Explosive revelations, heart-wrenching betrayals and breathtaking magic soar in the epic conclusion to Helen Scheuerer’s bestselling trilogy, The Oremere Chronicles.
500 pages, ebook
First published July 22, 2019
About the author
Helen Scheuerer
40 books2,509 followersHelen Scheuerer is the fantasy author of the bestselling series, The Oremere Chronicles, the Curse of the Cyren Queen quartet and The Legends of Thezmarr. Her work has been highly praised for its strong, flawed female characters and its action-packed plots.
Helen’s love of writing and books led her to pursue a creative writing degree and a Masters of Publishing. She has been a full-time author since 2018 and now lives amidst the mountains in New Zealand where she is constantly dreaming up new stories.
Helen’s love of writing and books led her to pursue a creative writing degree and a Masters of Publishing. She has been a full-time author since 2018 and now lives amidst the mountains in New Zealand where she is constantly dreaming up new stories.
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July 24, 2019
You guys... Just putting it out there, this is one of my new all time favourite series, and for a few days it's on Amazon for 99p or 99C (I believe!) it's definitely worth checking it out! :)
5 Stars!
”It’s always the people we know best who can hurt us the most.”
Thank you Helen for sending me an ARC!
Going into this I have to say I was slightly scared… I mean the Title alone, War of Mist, you’ve got to know there’s going to be a war, and what about all of the characters that I love so much?! Not only that but I’ve already rated the first two books 5 stars, my expectations were high, they were not let down what so ever!
The story kicks off four weeks after the ending of Reign of Mist and things are getting pretty tough, there’s curfews in place, people are missing and others are being branded with the face of Ines. There is a warrant out for Bleak and we’re following the stories of a variety of characters. Once again Swinton’s was my favourite and he was travelling with my other main man Fi, Princess Olena and Prince Nazuri. Bleak and Casimir are on the hunt for a certain someone and then we get to see Dash as well coming to terms with what has happened to him.
Within this we see characters come into their own more and more and fitting into certain areas whether it’s training, fighting, giving some form of guidance, each person is used to an advantage and it was perfect seeing how they all came together to work as team.
”You’ll remember those things for the rest of your life, but don’t let them define you.”
Characters
Just a note, I’m only going over a few and these are the ones that I can’t not say something about!
Lets start off with Bleak, one thing that I found INCREDIBLE with part of her story is that she has an issue with alcohol, and it isn’t dismissed at all throughout the book. She recognises it and has such a supportive network that they’re able to help her. I’m mentioning this, because in past books/series something will crop up and it’s forgotten about but this isn’t and it’s an important situation to address. Moving on from that, you really see her come into her own, her powers are going from strength to strength and the friendships she curates throughout is just incredible to see how much she has developed. She’s put into some difficult situations (I’m not going to say what, because your girl here, isn’t one to post spoilers) and the way in which it is handled I was just amazed by how much she has grown. She may not of been the most likeable character, but you can’t help but respect her and I’ve grown to like her SO much more than I thought I ever would!
”I told you once, old friend; my place has always been, and always will be, by your side”
I’m sorry but I cannot, not mention my boys Swinton and Fi together. My god. MY GOD. I will tell you now, that from the books I have read this year these two are ones that I’m always going to remember. They are hands down my favourites. We have Fi who literally calls everyone friend, and has this presence that just seems so calming, but at the same time it’s someone you just don’t want to cross! His loyalty is unwavering and I just love him so much! Then we have Swinton. Where do I even begin with him. My hero of the trilogy. He is no where near perfect he definitely has his flaws, but the way in which he manages them, and starts to realise I was just an absolute mess with it all. I think what makes his character so compelling is just how much you learn about him, why he acts in certain ways, his back story, his fierce protectiveness. Now this friendship. YOU GUYS! Swinton isn’t one for relaxing, comes across maybe slightly uptight, but with Fi and his reassurance they really are the perfect team.
Then we have Sahara and Henri the two warrior sisters, the relationship between the two is slightly strained, however you see it grow a little more each day. Once again both characters are super supportive towards Bleak and don’t even ask questions they’re just there. They’re bad ass and super strong willed! It was interesting seeing them work as a team, and seeing them sometimes vulnerable. On instance for example is when Henri thinks Sahara has left, it’s what follows on from there. My little heart couldn’t take it, and once again no spoilers… but something happened and just it was so sweet to see.
Finally we have Dash, Olena and Nazuri, I don’t know what it was about them, but I really really enjoyed all three of these characters. Dash had to really come into his own this time around. You could see that he wasn’t entirely comfortable with his new situation, and he had to come to terms with that. You could see throughout that he was gaining more and more respect, and not only that but you saw more of his visions and it was pretty endearing to see! Olena was INCREDIBLE. Even though she may be blind but her courage and strength was just amazing to see. Her interaction with other characters was a fresh of breath air. I thoroughly enjoyed her story Arc. Then finally Nazuri, I loved that he saw Olena as an equal and he didn’t undermine or underestimate her. He was protective but not forceful and just an all round lovely character.
“Just because we didn’t meet the standard you set, doesn’t mean we’re not capable of great things”
What I liked?
- It was dark, like things had happened and it didn’t go back to all happiness it still remained true to what had happened.
- Therese and Swinton, I just wanted them to be happy from the get go
- Trying to figure out what Marietta meant when she made a little speech…
- Dash carrying the fabric with the sigil, my little heart!
- Cook… Recipes I will say no more
- The process of the black whirls going throughout, there was already an uproar on what was going to happen and then this added spanner in the works! I was like oooh GURL
- Baron. When you know, you know.
- Masked Warriors, Vipers, Action!
- The realisation of something, I CAN’T I STILL CAN’T
- Sahra in her Valaria gear, who knew I needed that so much?
- Taking over bodyguards (mwahahahahaha!)
- All things LYSE!
- The return of the battle axes!
- Highest Honour, Pins, Knight of the Realm (I’m not crying, you’re crying!)
- Just a satisfying ending
- All of the Teerah Panthers
I just wanted to add, I have a whole list of things that I loved, but once again all major spoilers!
What I didn’t like?
- The amount I cried, literally once I started it was never ending!
Overall I have hands down loved my time reading this series, I can’t believe at the start of the year I started off reading Hert of Mist and Reign of Mist eagerly awaiting War of Mist. This is by far one of my favourite series, it has brought me so much joy (and some very real heartache!) I genuinely would urge other people to read this series because it’s a complete and utter whirlwind!
Heart of Mist - 5 Stars
Reign of Mist - 5 Stars
War of Mist - 5 Stars
----------
09.06.2019
Mini Review
What a satisfying ending! Although I am now a mess and cried for the last 10% of this book.
I’m so sad that the series is over, but it is honestly one of my new all time favourite series I’ve read!
Thank you to Helen for providing an ARC!
Full RTC!
————-
08.04.19
I am so ridiculously excited for this!
ANDDDDD the release date? My Birthday!
The hopes are high!
5 Stars!
”It’s always the people we know best who can hurt us the most.”
Thank you Helen for sending me an ARC!
Going into this I have to say I was slightly scared… I mean the Title alone, War of Mist, you’ve got to know there’s going to be a war, and what about all of the characters that I love so much?! Not only that but I’ve already rated the first two books 5 stars, my expectations were high, they were not let down what so ever!
The story kicks off four weeks after the ending of Reign of Mist and things are getting pretty tough, there’s curfews in place, people are missing and others are being branded with the face of Ines. There is a warrant out for Bleak and we’re following the stories of a variety of characters. Once again Swinton’s was my favourite and he was travelling with my other main man Fi, Princess Olena and Prince Nazuri. Bleak and Casimir are on the hunt for a certain someone and then we get to see Dash as well coming to terms with what has happened to him.
Within this we see characters come into their own more and more and fitting into certain areas whether it’s training, fighting, giving some form of guidance, each person is used to an advantage and it was perfect seeing how they all came together to work as team.
”You’ll remember those things for the rest of your life, but don’t let them define you.”
Characters
Just a note, I’m only going over a few and these are the ones that I can’t not say something about!
Lets start off with Bleak, one thing that I found INCREDIBLE with part of her story is that she has an issue with alcohol, and it isn’t dismissed at all throughout the book. She recognises it and has such a supportive network that they’re able to help her. I’m mentioning this, because in past books/series something will crop up and it’s forgotten about but this isn’t and it’s an important situation to address. Moving on from that, you really see her come into her own, her powers are going from strength to strength and the friendships she curates throughout is just incredible to see how much she has developed. She’s put into some difficult situations (I’m not going to say what, because your girl here, isn’t one to post spoilers) and the way in which it is handled I was just amazed by how much she has grown. She may not of been the most likeable character, but you can’t help but respect her and I’ve grown to like her SO much more than I thought I ever would!
”I told you once, old friend; my place has always been, and always will be, by your side”
I’m sorry but I cannot, not mention my boys Swinton and Fi together. My god. MY GOD. I will tell you now, that from the books I have read this year these two are ones that I’m always going to remember. They are hands down my favourites. We have Fi who literally calls everyone friend, and has this presence that just seems so calming, but at the same time it’s someone you just don’t want to cross! His loyalty is unwavering and I just love him so much! Then we have Swinton. Where do I even begin with him. My hero of the trilogy. He is no where near perfect he definitely has his flaws, but the way in which he manages them, and starts to realise I was just an absolute mess with it all. I think what makes his character so compelling is just how much you learn about him, why he acts in certain ways, his back story, his fierce protectiveness. Now this friendship. YOU GUYS! Swinton isn’t one for relaxing, comes across maybe slightly uptight, but with Fi and his reassurance they really are the perfect team.
Then we have Sahara and Henri the two warrior sisters, the relationship between the two is slightly strained, however you see it grow a little more each day. Once again both characters are super supportive towards Bleak and don’t even ask questions they’re just there. They’re bad ass and super strong willed! It was interesting seeing them work as a team, and seeing them sometimes vulnerable. On instance for example is when Henri thinks Sahara has left, it’s what follows on from there. My little heart couldn’t take it, and once again no spoilers… but something happened and just it was so sweet to see.
Finally we have Dash, Olena and Nazuri, I don’t know what it was about them, but I really really enjoyed all three of these characters. Dash had to really come into his own this time around. You could see that he wasn’t entirely comfortable with his new situation, and he had to come to terms with that. You could see throughout that he was gaining more and more respect, and not only that but you saw more of his visions and it was pretty endearing to see! Olena was INCREDIBLE. Even though she may be blind but her courage and strength was just amazing to see. Her interaction with other characters was a fresh of breath air. I thoroughly enjoyed her story Arc. Then finally Nazuri, I loved that he saw Olena as an equal and he didn’t undermine or underestimate her. He was protective but not forceful and just an all round lovely character.
“Just because we didn’t meet the standard you set, doesn’t mean we’re not capable of great things”
What I liked?
- It was dark, like things had happened and it didn’t go back to all happiness it still remained true to what had happened.
- Therese and Swinton, I just wanted them to be happy from the get go
- Trying to figure out what Marietta meant when she made a little speech…
- Dash carrying the fabric with the sigil, my little heart!
- Cook… Recipes I will say no more
- The process of the black whirls going throughout, there was already an uproar on what was going to happen and then this added spanner in the works! I was like oooh GURL
- Baron. When you know, you know.
- Masked Warriors, Vipers, Action!
- The realisation of something, I CAN’T I STILL CAN’T
- Sahra in her Valaria gear, who knew I needed that so much?
- Taking over bodyguards (mwahahahahaha!)
- All things LYSE!
- The return of the battle axes!
- Highest Honour, Pins, Knight of the Realm (I’m not crying, you’re crying!)
- Just a satisfying ending
- All of the Teerah Panthers
I just wanted to add, I have a whole list of things that I loved, but once again all major spoilers!
What I didn’t like?
- The amount I cried, literally once I started it was never ending!
Overall I have hands down loved my time reading this series, I can’t believe at the start of the year I started off reading Hert of Mist and Reign of Mist eagerly awaiting War of Mist. This is by far one of my favourite series, it has brought me so much joy (and some very real heartache!) I genuinely would urge other people to read this series because it’s a complete and utter whirlwind!
Heart of Mist - 5 Stars
Reign of Mist - 5 Stars
War of Mist - 5 Stars
----------
09.06.2019
Mini Review
What a satisfying ending! Although I am now a mess and cried for the last 10% of this book.
I’m so sad that the series is over, but it is honestly one of my new all time favourite series I’ve read!
Thank you to Helen for providing an ARC!
Full RTC!
————-
08.04.19
I am so ridiculously excited for this!
ANDDDDD the release date? My Birthday!
The hopes are high!
July 24, 2019
No spoilers in this rapid review of War of Mist. I really liked it and give it 4.5 stars. This is how you wrap up an epic fantasy series! I’ve been a little let down by several series finales this past year—even from authors like Sarah J. Maas—but Scheuerer didn’t disappoint.
I find it’s hard to summarize a finale in a fantasy series. My synopsis always seems to go something like this: Do you know what we’ve been building toward in the previous books? Well, now it’s happening! All the characters have come together to push toward an epic battle against the evil foe.
It’s never quite this simple, of course, but this description is quite fitting for War, particularly because I don’t want to say anything that might be a spoiler. Trust me, all the hints Scheuerer dropped in the first two installments were capitalized on as she spun us toward a fantastic conclusion. The story arc spanning the entire series was well thought out, with seeds planted from the very beginning. Thus the little surprises here and there each felt fully earned. I love thinking back to the beginning of book 1 and seeing how far each of the main characters have come since then. (I’m looking at you in particular, Bleak and Dash). 😉
I choose favorite characters in every series since I’ve been with them through multiple books and feel like I’ve gotten to know each of them well. I find this especially true when the book is written from multiple points of view like The Oremere Chronicles, and Swinton and Dash ended up at the top of my list. When I turned the page to a new chapter, I would hold my breath and hope it was from the perspective of one of these two men.
Besides writing these characters that leapt off the page, what else did Scheuerer do well? The friendships and family relationships she created tugged at my heartstrings equally. The scenes between a certain father and son pair were my favorite. She also kept me guessing until the end about who a couple of characters would end up with, and I always enjoy that. Unknown relationship statuses pull me along through a book more quickly than anything else.
But I’d say Scheuerer’s greatest strength lies in her prose. Her descriptions of the terrain fully immersed me in each distinct kingdom. And her characters’ dialogue was top notch. Every conversation felt real as it echoed in my mind. Additionally, her battle scenes were vividly written. More than once, my heart raced with anticipation about what was going to happen next. I guess it’s hard to choose a favorite aspect of her writing!
Can you tell I loved this story? I recommend this book as well as the entire series to all YA fantasy lovers. It’s a hidden gem in today’s flooded YA market, and I continue to try to spread the word about it.
Read all of our reviews here.
Check out our full book recaps here.
I find it’s hard to summarize a finale in a fantasy series. My synopsis always seems to go something like this: Do you know what we’ve been building toward in the previous books? Well, now it’s happening! All the characters have come together to push toward an epic battle against the evil foe.
It’s never quite this simple, of course, but this description is quite fitting for War, particularly because I don’t want to say anything that might be a spoiler. Trust me, all the hints Scheuerer dropped in the first two installments were capitalized on as she spun us toward a fantastic conclusion. The story arc spanning the entire series was well thought out, with seeds planted from the very beginning. Thus the little surprises here and there each felt fully earned. I love thinking back to the beginning of book 1 and seeing how far each of the main characters have come since then. (I’m looking at you in particular, Bleak and Dash). 😉
I choose favorite characters in every series since I’ve been with them through multiple books and feel like I’ve gotten to know each of them well. I find this especially true when the book is written from multiple points of view like The Oremere Chronicles, and Swinton and Dash ended up at the top of my list. When I turned the page to a new chapter, I would hold my breath and hope it was from the perspective of one of these two men.
Besides writing these characters that leapt off the page, what else did Scheuerer do well? The friendships and family relationships she created tugged at my heartstrings equally. The scenes between a certain father and son pair were my favorite. She also kept me guessing until the end about who a couple of characters would end up with, and I always enjoy that. Unknown relationship statuses pull me along through a book more quickly than anything else.
But I’d say Scheuerer’s greatest strength lies in her prose. Her descriptions of the terrain fully immersed me in each distinct kingdom. And her characters’ dialogue was top notch. Every conversation felt real as it echoed in my mind. Additionally, her battle scenes were vividly written. More than once, my heart raced with anticipation about what was going to happen next. I guess it’s hard to choose a favorite aspect of her writing!
Can you tell I loved this story? I recommend this book as well as the entire series to all YA fantasy lovers. It’s a hidden gem in today’s flooded YA market, and I continue to try to spread the word about it.
Read all of our reviews here.
Check out our full book recaps here.
July 13, 2019
I want to thank the author, who has been so kind as to send me a copy of her book in exchange for an honest review
OMG, THE FEELS, you guys. I didn't want it to end... I think there's something in my eye 😭
I LOVED this book, all this trilogy is beautiful and it really needs and deserves more recognition, the author has done an extraordinary job with the creation of characters, world, and magic system. If you like high-fantasy, this trilogy needs to be on your list, IT'S FANTASTIC!!
4.5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
You can find all my reviews on my blog A Book. A Thought.
💫 Heart of Mist (The Oremere Chronicles #1)
💫 Reign of Mist (The Oremere Chronicles #2)
I've never been so slow to write a full review of a book that has moved me so much. But I had my feelings everywhere so now that I need yo calm down, I can tell you a little about it without going crazy lol.
War of Mist is a wonderful conclusion to what was a shocking trilogy, full of breathtaking moment and relatable characters. I honestly feel that it's one of those trilogies that are VERY underrated, it deserves a lot more love and recognition, so personally, I'll be talking about these books for a long time trying to convince people to read it because is REALLY WORTH IT.
As you know, due it's a third and final book, there are several things I can't talk about because they would be so many spoilers, but as always I'll try to tell you a little about my feelings while I was reading it.
This book takes places about 4 months after the events of the previous book, and we follow our beloved characters joining forces to go to war against an evil queen.
I LOVE how this book felt even darker and more magical than the previous one, I really like how the author exceeds herself and every time she gets a more solid work with each book. She has added to a story of struggle and revenge, a lot of emotions, it feels for some reason a very warm feeling when you read these books, and that has generated me a great commitment to history and has surfaced my feelings for the characters and for their personal stories.
I've already said this in my previous reviews but the world-building is sensational. All The Upper Realm is wonderfully designed to build a story with many scenarios as beautiful as cruel, which end up providing you a very atmospheric book, which is one of my favorite things when I read a book, I'm always waiting to feel myself in there and surrounded of all its landscapes. I can't mention my favorite place because of those damn spoilers lol, but if you've read the previous books, you know. After that, I love Wildenhaven so much.
The writing style is just SO INTENSE and ADDICTIVE. I can't help but highlight it in each of my reviews, and I don't really regret it, the author has a wonderful pen and a mastermind to create intense plots, full of passion, mystery, magic and heartbreaking scenes. I can't wait for her future works, now I want to read EVERYTHING she writes.
The characters are so special to me, they've really taken up a lot of my heart and kept me on the edge of my seat during all these books.
I really like how each of them has had to deal with a pain, a suffering or an addiction, and get out of that in order to move forward and finally overcome it to face future challenges and fight for a greater good.
The growth of each of them makes me feel very proud, even of Bleak, with whom I've had a relationship with ups and downs, but right now I adore her, and I'm very pleased by the things that she has managed to overcome and how wise she's now. I can't stop talking about Swinton and Fi, my two favorite characters, they're EVERYTHING, I love them, characters so complex and well thought out. Fi's a beautiful human being, a person who can be totally funny and carefree, and in a second become a whole threat . I also admire his loyalty to those whom he cares for. Swinton, in my opinion, is the character with the greatest growth, perhaps along with Dash, whom I also adore, he has had to go through very hard situations and ended up being a totally different character from the one we met in the first book. He doesn't always show it, but I think he has a huge heart and seeing how he cares for his loved ones is beautiful , an INCREDIBLE man. I get so emotional when I think of him!
This book in particular, despite having 500 pages, it reads very quickly, the author has created a wonderful ending with a lot of action and high-impacting moment. Something I like very much about War of Mist is that it focuses on the important things and creating shocking outcomes for each plotline, I don't think any story has felt flat or loose, everything has been very solid and strong, I LOVED IT!
Maybe this is a trilogy that starts like many we know, but its development proves to be unique and really original. I recommend it a lot if you like high-fantasy, complex magical systems, deep characters and plots that will take your breath away, the plot twists are really incredible. Read this trilogy you'll NOT REGRET! I'm going to miss the characters and the world a lot, but I'm ready for the next works of the author
July 23, 2019
I am so happy that I discovered this series! These books have everything that I love in Fantasy, Magnificent world-building, easy to follow but intriguing magic system, fast paced and action packed plot, an endearing ensemble of cast and the ultimate good vs evil fight to death. I haven't written reviews for the first two books in the series, so I'll just quickly recap my thoughts on both the books before writing down my thoughts on this final book of the series, War of Mist.
The first book in the series, Heart of Mist introduces us to this brand new fantasy, where the world is divided into four continents and is threatened by the encroaching mist, which destroys everything in its path. In this world, magic is banned and the magic wielders called Ashai have to live in hiding because being discovered means either death or imprisonment. Our main character, Bleak is a very powerful magic wielder and a mind whisperer, means she can read other people thoughts. However, Bleak is untrained and doesn't know how to control her powers, which can be too much for her at times. The story begins when Bleak's magic is found out and she is arrested by the commander of the king's army.
Honestly, I liked Heart of Mist but sadly, I didn't love it, it's not a bad book by any means, it was fast-paced and does a fantastic job of establishing all the characters arcs, plus the addict and blind representation in the book was written with so much precision and care but I have read a lot of fantasy books set on the theme of banned/vanished magic system and a reluctant heroine, therefore, somewhere the book felt a little tropey. However, things changed drastically in the last 20% of the book, with a ending that had me reeling so much so, that I was glad that I had Reign of Mist at hand. I mean talk about cliffhangers because that was the plot twist I didn't expect.
Naturally, I moved to Reign of Mist with high expectations and I'll gladly say, it did not disappoint me. In fact, I think, Reign of Mist fabulously bridges the gap between Heart of Mist and this third book. It's action packed, new characters are introduced, they are put to one trial after another, their loyalties are constantly tested and the mystery surrounding Oremere deepens. I mostly, loved it. Once again, the blind representation was top notch. I adored Olena in Reign of Mist, here's one woman, who won't let her disability define her and for that alone Olena has all my love. Her friendship with Dash is so delightful and even though, they aren't together in this book, reading about these two characters and the bond between them felt extremely wholesome. In fact, I think that Helen has written all the budding friendships and group dynamic brilliantly in Reign of Mist and the result of which, we get to see in War of Mist.
In case, you are still wondering, I absolutely loved War of Mist, I thinks its the strongest book in the trilogy and it wraps up the series incandescently and neatly. In fact, this book is a testament of how much Helen has grown as a writer, her writing style is so accessible and engaging. I am not lying when I say this but I finished War of Mist in one sitting because I was hooked from beginning to the end. The plot is seemingly beautiful and the character motivations feels genuine. The war scenes are written ingeniously and the ending is everything that I could have asked for. I loved how amazingly, Helen established the relationship between each character whether its platonic or romantic. The characters in this book are one of the most diverse and complex lot that I have read and I think Helen handled the multiple POV narration superbly.
In the beginning of the series, I wasn't really fond of Bleak but she grew on me eventually and I absolutely loved her in this book, she is so brave and resourceful, I loved how much she has grown. I loved her dedication for her people and her willingness to take charge. Also, Rion and Bleak makes such a wonderful team. The same goes for Henri, who I found so uptight in the beginning but by the end of this book, I loved how wonderfully she led the combined forces. I think somewhere, the presence of Henri's twin made her more human and I adored the relationship that Henri shares with Sahara. It's just the right mix of love and conflict that exists between every sibling. However, the biggest surprise for me in regard to character development was definitely that of Dimitri Swinton. This man, Oh my God, my heart literally broke for him in this book. I also, loved Casimir and I feel like there is so much more to him and to his story, which I would definetly like to read if Helen ever decides to write a spin off to this series. Especially after that mind-boggling revelation at the end.
Another thing which stood out for me in War of Mist was the fate of some of the characters at the end of the novel. Wars are messy and believe it or not but people die in them. I think, Helen portrayed the same quite subtly in this series conclusion. I won't speak more because I am already treading too close to the spoiler territory but you will know what I am talking about once you read the book.
All that said, the only reason I am not giving this book a five star rating is because I felt that some of the characters needed a little more development or I needed to know a little more about their history. Take for example, Tailor, he was a minor character in Heart of Mist but he becomes important to the story later on, I just needed to know what happened to him, how did he survive, how he came to be with Fiore, you know stuff like that. Tailor is such a fun character, but the truth is he has suffered a lot and he hides everything behind his humor, I just needed to understand his inner workings the same way we got the inner psychology of the other main characters. I know with so many characters at play it can be hard to detail out every little thing but I truly think that characters who are truly important to the story line deserves more.
Overall, this series was so much fun and entertaining to read. It started on a low note for me but sucked me in with each book and now, I am so pleased that I read it and stuck with it. If you are someone, who is looking for a story set in a well-thought out world with nerve-wracking politics, strong female leads and amazing action, be sure to check out the Oremere chronicles.
ARC received from Author in exchange for my honest opinion!
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The first book in the series, Heart of Mist introduces us to this brand new fantasy, where the world is divided into four continents and is threatened by the encroaching mist, which destroys everything in its path. In this world, magic is banned and the magic wielders called Ashai have to live in hiding because being discovered means either death or imprisonment. Our main character, Bleak is a very powerful magic wielder and a mind whisperer, means she can read other people thoughts. However, Bleak is untrained and doesn't know how to control her powers, which can be too much for her at times. The story begins when Bleak's magic is found out and she is arrested by the commander of the king's army.
Honestly, I liked Heart of Mist but sadly, I didn't love it, it's not a bad book by any means, it was fast-paced and does a fantastic job of establishing all the characters arcs, plus the addict and blind representation in the book was written with so much precision and care but I have read a lot of fantasy books set on the theme of banned/vanished magic system and a reluctant heroine, therefore, somewhere the book felt a little tropey. However, things changed drastically in the last 20% of the book, with a ending that had me reeling so much so, that I was glad that I had Reign of Mist at hand. I mean talk about cliffhangers because that was the plot twist I didn't expect.
Naturally, I moved to Reign of Mist with high expectations and I'll gladly say, it did not disappoint me. In fact, I think, Reign of Mist fabulously bridges the gap between Heart of Mist and this third book. It's action packed, new characters are introduced, they are put to one trial after another, their loyalties are constantly tested and the mystery surrounding Oremere deepens. I mostly, loved it. Once again, the blind representation was top notch. I adored Olena in Reign of Mist, here's one woman, who won't let her disability define her and for that alone Olena has all my love. Her friendship with Dash is so delightful and even though, they aren't together in this book, reading about these two characters and the bond between them felt extremely wholesome. In fact, I think that Helen has written all the budding friendships and group dynamic brilliantly in Reign of Mist and the result of which, we get to see in War of Mist.
In case, you are still wondering, I absolutely loved War of Mist, I thinks its the strongest book in the trilogy and it wraps up the series incandescently and neatly. In fact, this book is a testament of how much Helen has grown as a writer, her writing style is so accessible and engaging. I am not lying when I say this but I finished War of Mist in one sitting because I was hooked from beginning to the end. The plot is seemingly beautiful and the character motivations feels genuine. The war scenes are written ingeniously and the ending is everything that I could have asked for. I loved how amazingly, Helen established the relationship between each character whether its platonic or romantic. The characters in this book are one of the most diverse and complex lot that I have read and I think Helen handled the multiple POV narration superbly.
In the beginning of the series, I wasn't really fond of Bleak but she grew on me eventually and I absolutely loved her in this book, she is so brave and resourceful, I loved how much she has grown. I loved her dedication for her people and her willingness to take charge. Also, Rion and Bleak makes such a wonderful team. The same goes for Henri, who I found so uptight in the beginning but by the end of this book, I loved how wonderfully she led the combined forces. I think somewhere, the presence of Henri's twin made her more human and I adored the relationship that Henri shares with Sahara. It's just the right mix of love and conflict that exists between every sibling. However, the biggest surprise for me in regard to character development was definitely that of Dimitri Swinton. This man, Oh my God, my heart literally broke for him in this book. I also, loved Casimir and I feel like there is so much more to him and to his story, which I would definetly like to read if Helen ever decides to write a spin off to this series. Especially after that mind-boggling revelation at the end.
Another thing which stood out for me in War of Mist was the fate of some of the characters at the end of the novel. Wars are messy and believe it or not but people die in them. I think, Helen portrayed the same quite subtly in this series conclusion. I won't speak more because I am already treading too close to the spoiler territory but you will know what I am talking about once you read the book.
All that said, the only reason I am not giving this book a five star rating is because I felt that some of the characters needed a little more development or I needed to know a little more about their history. Take for example, Tailor, he was a minor character in Heart of Mist but he becomes important to the story later on, I just needed to know what happened to him, how did he survive, how he came to be with Fiore, you know stuff like that. Tailor is such a fun character, but the truth is he has suffered a lot and he hides everything behind his humor, I just needed to understand his inner workings the same way we got the inner psychology of the other main characters. I know with so many characters at play it can be hard to detail out every little thing but I truly think that characters who are truly important to the story line deserves more.
Overall, this series was so much fun and entertaining to read. It started on a low note for me but sucked me in with each book and now, I am so pleased that I read it and stuck with it. If you are someone, who is looking for a story set in a well-thought out world with nerve-wracking politics, strong female leads and amazing action, be sure to check out the Oremere chronicles.
ARC received from Author in exchange for my honest opinion!
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June 23, 2019
This is it. Everything is coming to a head and Bleak is at the heart of things, her heritage revealed, her destiny engraved somewhere beneath the lies, the treachery and her quest to find the one thing that can save the world. Can she do it? Will she be in time? Can she stay out of the clutches of the wicked Queen Ines?
Helen Scheuerer’s final installment of the Oremere Chronicles trilogy, WAR OF MIST hits the ground running, tensions high and a clock that is ticking…the last stand is coming.
Get to really know what makes these characters tick, from their issues, flaws and the support they give to one another when the chips are down. Witness the power of magic and loyalties, as well as the willingness to pay any price in the fight against evil.
From start to finish, I was on the edge of my seat, I was invested in the events, the characters and Ms. Scheuerer’s gift as a story teller. Powerful, dark and riveting, this trilogy was brought home with flare and heart!
I received a complimentary ARC edition from Helen Scheuerer!
Trilogy: The Oremere Chronicles - Book 3
For Reviews, Giveaways, Fabulous Book News, follow: http://tometender.blogspot.com
Helen Scheuerer’s final installment of the Oremere Chronicles trilogy, WAR OF MIST hits the ground running, tensions high and a clock that is ticking…the last stand is coming.
Get to really know what makes these characters tick, from their issues, flaws and the support they give to one another when the chips are down. Witness the power of magic and loyalties, as well as the willingness to pay any price in the fight against evil.
From start to finish, I was on the edge of my seat, I was invested in the events, the characters and Ms. Scheuerer’s gift as a story teller. Powerful, dark and riveting, this trilogy was brought home with flare and heart!
I received a complimentary ARC edition from Helen Scheuerer!
Trilogy: The Oremere Chronicles - Book 3
For Reviews, Giveaways, Fabulous Book News, follow: http://tometender.blogspot.com
September 1, 2019
Between 2.5 and 3
I have to admit, I am a bit disappointed by this conclusion to the Oremere series. If I didn't enjoy these characters so much, I think this would be a 2 star from me? It took me ages to get through, dragged a lot despite the action, and the plot felt convenient. The first two books really excelled at proper pacing and not giving too much away too soon, but in this book it really seemed like all the wind went out of the sails and the tension dissolved. The stakes couldn't have been higher and yet I felt relatively little.
I'm not sure if that's because I read the first two months ago, and these would best be read back to back?
The Good:
-The most satisfying plotline, until the end at least, was Dash and Swinton. I enjoyed seeing them meet, and Dash realizing who he was. His plotline was the best in the book overall, and seeing him and Luka become friends was lovely, as was his continued friendship with Olena.
-I really enjoyed the Lisloiks. Very cool take on sirens.
-Bleak and her mom! I'm really happy about this even if it feels convenient
-I love how Henri's plotline resolves, at least in terms of Valia, and the changes she wants to make
-The battle scene is actually really well written, and the most exciting part of the book.
The Bad
-Bleak's voice becomes so obscured and quiet here. She does from feeling like this messy, complex protagonist to feeling like she's a side character in some ways. She doesn't have as many povs chapters here, her personal journey seems largely completed before the book begins, and aside from a few feelings of guilt over Bren, she doesn't really deal with any complex emotions here. Even the Bren thing fizzles out as it occurs, dissolving all the stuff built into the other two books.
-Plots that felt complex in books 1 and 2 felt oversimplified. I LOVED what we learned of Oremere in book 2, and yet, we don't really learn any more about it in this book. This is partially due to Casimir and Ermias being completely flat, unfleshed out characters. Who are the Oremere princes? Idk because they don't have much personality.
-The whole amulet thing made not much sense and I was very confused as to how it actually worked
-Fiore is very absent from this book and he's such a good charcater in book 1 & 2. His history is nearly fleshed out well, but the explanation for who he is occurs over the course of 3 info dump pages and ugh. I just wanted more complexity from this.
-Henri forgives Athene easily and we don't see that conversation even happen.
-Luka and Swinton's deaths seemed there mostly to inflict pain on Athene and Dash, which felt unnecessary. Luka at least, should have lived.
-Eydis's entire plotline had potential for depth but again, we don't actually SEE any of that depth because Nicolai and her never have a confrontation etc.
-The plot meanders so much that idk what happens aside from finding the amulet and the battle prep and the battle. That's the whole book, except it can't be because it's 400 pages.
I really don't want to be this negative towards a series I really enjoy, but I haven't been let down by a final book like this is a while. It's strange because the first two are PHENOMENAL. I would still encourage people to read this series because it has some great characters, world building, and representation of wlw relationships.
I have to admit, I am a bit disappointed by this conclusion to the Oremere series. If I didn't enjoy these characters so much, I think this would be a 2 star from me? It took me ages to get through, dragged a lot despite the action, and the plot felt convenient. The first two books really excelled at proper pacing and not giving too much away too soon, but in this book it really seemed like all the wind went out of the sails and the tension dissolved. The stakes couldn't have been higher and yet I felt relatively little.
I'm not sure if that's because I read the first two months ago, and these would best be read back to back?
The Good:
-The most satisfying plotline, until the end at least, was Dash and Swinton. I enjoyed seeing them meet, and Dash realizing who he was. His plotline was the best in the book overall, and seeing him and Luka become friends was lovely, as was his continued friendship with Olena.
-I really enjoyed the Lisloiks. Very cool take on sirens.
-Bleak and her mom! I'm really happy about this even if it feels convenient
-I love how Henri's plotline resolves, at least in terms of Valia, and the changes she wants to make
-The battle scene is actually really well written, and the most exciting part of the book.
The Bad
-Bleak's voice becomes so obscured and quiet here. She does from feeling like this messy, complex protagonist to feeling like she's a side character in some ways. She doesn't have as many povs chapters here, her personal journey seems largely completed before the book begins, and aside from a few feelings of guilt over Bren, she doesn't really deal with any complex emotions here. Even the Bren thing fizzles out as it occurs, dissolving all the stuff built into the other two books.
-Plots that felt complex in books 1 and 2 felt oversimplified. I LOVED what we learned of Oremere in book 2, and yet, we don't really learn any more about it in this book. This is partially due to Casimir and Ermias being completely flat, unfleshed out characters. Who are the Oremere princes? Idk because they don't have much personality.
-The whole amulet thing made not much sense and I was very confused as to how it actually worked
-Fiore is very absent from this book and he's such a good charcater in book 1 & 2. His history is nearly fleshed out well, but the explanation for who he is occurs over the course of 3 info dump pages and ugh. I just wanted more complexity from this.
-Henri forgives Athene easily and we don't see that conversation even happen.
-Luka and Swinton's deaths seemed there mostly to inflict pain on Athene and Dash, which felt unnecessary. Luka at least, should have lived.
-Eydis's entire plotline had potential for depth but again, we don't actually SEE any of that depth because Nicolai and her never have a confrontation etc.
-The plot meanders so much that idk what happens aside from finding the amulet and the battle prep and the battle. That's the whole book, except it can't be because it's 400 pages.
I really don't want to be this negative towards a series I really enjoy, but I haven't been let down by a final book like this is a while. It's strange because the first two are PHENOMENAL. I would still encourage people to read this series because it has some great characters, world building, and representation of wlw relationships.
Want to read
May 1, 2019SOMEBODY PINCH MY EYES. I THINK IT SAYS 500 PAGES.
January 18, 2020
Bleak and friends gather for the final battle against the evil witch Ines who has caused chaos throughout the land. As they prepare for war, will they finally be able to defeat her or die trying? Read on and find out for yourself.
This was an amazing conclusion to the oremire chronicles trilogy. If you enjoy action-packed fantasy series with great story and characters, definitely check this trilogy out on Amazon and wherever ebooks are sold online.
This was an amazing conclusion to the oremire chronicles trilogy. If you enjoy action-packed fantasy series with great story and characters, definitely check this trilogy out on Amazon and wherever ebooks are sold online.
July 28, 2019
If you read the entire books in this series like me, you should know by now that Helen Scheuerer forged a fantasy world that was entirely reflected to our real setting where everyone is fighting their own battle and people are either guided by their moral compass or blinded by their greed, personal interest and hunger for power. Her books are not a Disney princess movie where everyone gets a happy ending and live happily ever after.
By going into detail, I will conclude this series by highlighting the key narrative elements that made this story one of the best fantasy series I have ever read:
❥ Change is possible
Driven by each characters’ struggles who are fighting for different reasons, either to find out their identity and true heritage or save the people they love and the rest of the realm, the flow of change is apparent since the beginning of the series.
Bleak is a testament to this. Imagine you discover you are an Ashai who wants to get a cure for your magic, only to find out that the self-proclaim one true queen sought and want all your magic for her own. Throughout her journey, from a drunken pickpocket to a woman who braved the mist and embraced change by having her own choices, she was never the same Angovian girl I knew.
Don’t get me started with young Dash because, at the end of Reign of Mist, the change in him surprised me! Well, I won’t say more than that. Though he needed to get used to what and who he is, he is proven to be a valuable asset, an ally, from the war they had to face.
Henri, on the other hand, has always been confined by the Valian Way, but not anymore. She started to see that it is not the only important thing in life because there’s far more beyond that. The war made her see that. Deaths of loved ones made her see that. In the end, she opened herself up to changes.
And let’s not forget Swinton whose character I stand up for being one of the most conflicted and complex characters I read. He’s quite made an impression the moment I start reading this series and I could rant all day how his character was inconvenient yet real in every way.
Swinton made sure that whatever he did in the past did not define who he becomes. Even he made bad choices, that doesn't mean that it makes him any less of a good person. He finally overcame his fears and believed that he could commander himself towards change.
❥ There is always hope
Amid cruelty, treachery, and war, believing that if not a rainbow, there will always be a light and a flicker of hope that could sparks change.
Did Swinton consider that change for him is slim? Yes! Did Casimir think their only chance to defeat Ines is dead? Yes! Did Mariette believe that the realm is doom? Yes! Did the war quash everyone’s hope? Yes!
How many times do you think the word hope appeared within the entire books in this series? Believe it or not, it appeared 100 times. And it is more than enough to say that hope is not dead, that every let down gave each character a reason to believe they can change the tide of war and giving up shouldn’t be an option.
❥ Friends stand up for each other
From the very beginning, I adore the friendship between Swinton and Fiore. Strengthen by the war they need to fight alongside each together; they both learn to trust more and rely on each other.
While Henri and Bleak were only used to looking out for their own, the things they both need to endure piled with the journey they experienced together, made their relationship proven worthy of friendship. Believing “Every woman for herself.” was then changed by “No one gets left behind.”
That same goes with Dash who found a friend with Luca, Princess Olena who found a friend with Prince Nazuri, and Bleak who found a friend with Sahara.
I believe that’s the truest form of friendship, right? Some people may hurt you, betray you or don’t give a damn care about you. But see? Genuine friends will stand by you until the end no matter what.
❥ Love wins
Why do you think Bleak came back to save Bren from Moredom Tower? Why do you think Athene want her daughter to be the next heir of Valia? Why do you think Tailor didn’t introduce himself all those years ago knowing Casimir and Alarise is still alive? Why do you think Henri and Sahara did everything in their power to save Allehra? How about that time when Swinton did terrible things that later caused everyone he cares about in the entire realm? Or that moment when Gesa chose to use her magic even if it caused her being apart from Alarise?
I could go on and on asking questions that will leave you with the same answer. But see? It all boils down to love. Each character has their reason, selfish or not, that drove them to do everything in the name of love. Even if they did not utter the four-letter word, their actions say it out loud.
With the Oremere Chronicles now officially over, worth of watching 10 seasons of Game of Thrones, I recommend you read this series if you love magic, rich world-building, well-developed character arcs, sensational plot twists and an epic battle leading to a bittersweet ending that will make you want to shield your heart from arrows and flying spears.
I received an eARC of War of Mist as a part of my participation in #MistPH blog tour and this in no way influences my rating nor my opinion on this book.
Full Review at Tale Out Loud | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
July 22, 2019
I received an advanced e-ARC of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.
Where do I even begin?! To say that this series has become one of my all-time favourites is an understatement. Helen has created a trilogy so unique, so beautiful and so utterly heartbreaking. War of Mist is the epic conclusion to an explosive trilogy, it will leave you hanging off every word and desperately flipping the pages.
There are betrayals, characters being reunited, twists and turns, secrets, gut wrenching heartache and so much more. I can honestly say at multiple times through reading War of Mist I was literally holding my breath. The suspense in every chapter gave me severe anxiety but in a good way haha.
We follow multiple characters throughout this trilogy, the main protagonist being Bleak, a once drunken rat to the person she becomes in this novel (I can’t say too much or I’ll spoil it for you!). Reading Bleaks character transformation has honestly been one of the best parts of this series, my heart swells every time I think of her.
Almost all of the characters that come along in this series have a very special place in my heart and Helen really ensured that in War of Mist, they would never leave my heart.
Helen has this incredible ability in her writing to get you to hate a character, then the next thing you know you love them and vice versa.
The characters that I initially hated, well some of them stayed that way haha – but Swinton in particular, oh my goodness did Helen make me love him, his character arc was simply perfect in every single way – I cannot fault it.
War of Mist is full of incredible and unique magic. The world as a whole leaves you breathless with the detail that Helen has put into describing it.
You know an author has nailed it when you’re reading and you can quite literally picture everything in your mind.
With the Mist spreading and destroying, you can visualise everything occurring. When the characters travel to new and foreign places, when they return to old places – everything is in such detail and so well researched that it is quite literally a movie playing out in your head.
The plot of pace of this book was perfection; I read it in a day – that is how much I could not put this book down. I haven’t read a book like this in over a year, and to me, that is really saying something about how incredible this final book is.
The pace of the story went with what was occurring in the novel, quick when it needed to, and then slowed down when it needed to.
The plot, whilst we know what is happening throughout this series and to a degree how it will end – Helen kept me second-guessing throughout the whole book. I honestly at times thought I knew what was going to happen and then WHAM! Helen had me completely fooled.
I spent the last 10% of the book quite literally sobbing, my heart was RIPPED out and then Helen proceeded to RIP it out AGAIN! – Helen, you know exactly which part I am talking about haha – WHY?!
There were tears of grief, tears of joy, followed by tears of sorrow – but by the end my cheeks hurt from smiling at how this series as a whole ended.
War of Mist is exactly how a series should end, I’ve said it before and I will say it again, this book is perfection.
Thank you Helen, for giving us these incredible characters, for giving me the opportunity to fall in love with them time and time again.
This series was Helen’s debut and I cannot wait to see what she comes out with next.
Where do I even begin?! To say that this series has become one of my all-time favourites is an understatement. Helen has created a trilogy so unique, so beautiful and so utterly heartbreaking. War of Mist is the epic conclusion to an explosive trilogy, it will leave you hanging off every word and desperately flipping the pages.
There are betrayals, characters being reunited, twists and turns, secrets, gut wrenching heartache and so much more. I can honestly say at multiple times through reading War of Mist I was literally holding my breath. The suspense in every chapter gave me severe anxiety but in a good way haha.
We follow multiple characters throughout this trilogy, the main protagonist being Bleak, a once drunken rat to the person she becomes in this novel (I can’t say too much or I’ll spoil it for you!). Reading Bleaks character transformation has honestly been one of the best parts of this series, my heart swells every time I think of her.
Almost all of the characters that come along in this series have a very special place in my heart and Helen really ensured that in War of Mist, they would never leave my heart.
Helen has this incredible ability in her writing to get you to hate a character, then the next thing you know you love them and vice versa.
The characters that I initially hated, well some of them stayed that way haha – but Swinton in particular, oh my goodness did Helen make me love him, his character arc was simply perfect in every single way – I cannot fault it.
War of Mist is full of incredible and unique magic. The world as a whole leaves you breathless with the detail that Helen has put into describing it.
You know an author has nailed it when you’re reading and you can quite literally picture everything in your mind.
With the Mist spreading and destroying, you can visualise everything occurring. When the characters travel to new and foreign places, when they return to old places – everything is in such detail and so well researched that it is quite literally a movie playing out in your head.
The plot of pace of this book was perfection; I read it in a day – that is how much I could not put this book down. I haven’t read a book like this in over a year, and to me, that is really saying something about how incredible this final book is.
The pace of the story went with what was occurring in the novel, quick when it needed to, and then slowed down when it needed to.
The plot, whilst we know what is happening throughout this series and to a degree how it will end – Helen kept me second-guessing throughout the whole book. I honestly at times thought I knew what was going to happen and then WHAM! Helen had me completely fooled.
I spent the last 10% of the book quite literally sobbing, my heart was RIPPED out and then Helen proceeded to RIP it out AGAIN! – Helen, you know exactly which part I am talking about haha – WHY?!
There were tears of grief, tears of joy, followed by tears of sorrow – but by the end my cheeks hurt from smiling at how this series as a whole ended.
War of Mist is exactly how a series should end, I’ve said it before and I will say it again, this book is perfection.
Thank you Helen, for giving us these incredible characters, for giving me the opportunity to fall in love with them time and time again.
This series was Helen’s debut and I cannot wait to see what she comes out with next.
July 24, 2019
wow. this book destroyed me. review to come
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This book was utterly fantastic. If I rated the entire series, I would be a 4.5* (only because the beginning of the first book dragged a bit) but since this is a solo review for the finale book, I’m happy to say that this was a solid 5* read.
My favorite aspect would definitely be the characters – they were absolutely exceptional, probably some of the best I have ever read. And you know the characters are amazing and incredibly fleshed out when you experience so many emotions as the character grows and develops. There was one character in particular that grew the most throughout the entire series. I respected, hated, disgusted, and admired him and that for me, shows great character development. There were so many other characters that I completely fell in love with: Bleak, Henri, Swinton, Dash, and so many more. I just loved how each of them were so distinguished and unique and I just loved reading about their relationships with each other especially as the nature of it changed so drastically throughout the series.
Also, this book features one of my favorite things to see in books and that is female badasses. The Valians were all female badasses that I just loved reading about their culture and the “Valian Way”. I also loved how this series and especially in the last book really focused on female empowerment. There was this amazing scene at the end where this girl says something and as a female myself, it resonated so deeply.
The plot and worldbuilding of the book (especially in the earlier books since this is the final book) was fantastic. I loved reading about all the plot twists and there were definitely a few that shook me to my core. But there were also some that I guessed early on or right before it was revealed – either way though, I still enjoyed all the twists and turns.
The one issue I had with the story was how there were certain “conveniences” that seemed a bit too convenient for my taste. For example, in this final book, there was one scene where this character was looking for someone/something and without being explained, in the next few scenes when something critical was happening, everything somehow worked out exceptionally well with said character (that’s as vague as I can get without spoiling anything). There were many similar incidences but again, I don’t want to go into spoilers. However, because I loved the characters so much and because I was so immersed with the overall story, I took these conveniences at stride and it didn’t bother me as much as it would otherwise.
Overall, I loved this series and I cannot wait to see what else Helen has in store in the future. Also, can I just mention that I love Rion? I usually love all magical creatures but I never thought I would end up loving a panther but that’s exactly what happened. He was just the icing on top of everything! If you’re looking for a phenomenal fantasy series with magic, adventure, hint of romance (seriously, it’s only a hint), and amazing characters then definitely check this one out!
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This book was utterly fantastic. If I rated the entire series, I would be a 4.5* (only because the beginning of the first book dragged a bit) but since this is a solo review for the finale book, I’m happy to say that this was a solid 5* read.
My favorite aspect would definitely be the characters – they were absolutely exceptional, probably some of the best I have ever read. And you know the characters are amazing and incredibly fleshed out when you experience so many emotions as the character grows and develops. There was one character in particular that grew the most throughout the entire series. I respected, hated, disgusted, and admired him and that for me, shows great character development. There were so many other characters that I completely fell in love with: Bleak, Henri, Swinton, Dash, and so many more. I just loved how each of them were so distinguished and unique and I just loved reading about their relationships with each other especially as the nature of it changed so drastically throughout the series.
Also, this book features one of my favorite things to see in books and that is female badasses. The Valians were all female badasses that I just loved reading about their culture and the “Valian Way”. I also loved how this series and especially in the last book really focused on female empowerment. There was this amazing scene at the end where this girl says something and as a female myself, it resonated so deeply.
The plot and worldbuilding of the book (especially in the earlier books since this is the final book) was fantastic. I loved reading about all the plot twists and there were definitely a few that shook me to my core. But there were also some that I guessed early on or right before it was revealed – either way though, I still enjoyed all the twists and turns.
The one issue I had with the story was how there were certain “conveniences” that seemed a bit too convenient for my taste. For example, in this final book, there was one scene where this character was looking for someone/something and without being explained, in the next few scenes when something critical was happening, everything somehow worked out exceptionally well with said character (that’s as vague as I can get without spoiling anything). There were many similar incidences but again, I don’t want to go into spoilers. However, because I loved the characters so much and because I was so immersed with the overall story, I took these conveniences at stride and it didn’t bother me as much as it would otherwise.
Overall, I loved this series and I cannot wait to see what else Helen has in store in the future. Also, can I just mention that I love Rion? I usually love all magical creatures but I never thought I would end up loving a panther but that’s exactly what happened. He was just the icing on top of everything! If you’re looking for a phenomenal fantasy series with magic, adventure, hint of romance (seriously, it’s only a hint), and amazing characters then definitely check this one out!
October 1, 2020
After writing two brilliant, page-turning books, I was a little bit worried about how Helen was going to raise the bar even higher. But all my worries were unnecessary because War of Mist definitely delivered with nail-biting tension, solid writing, and a very satisfying conclusion. Seriously, just pick this series up.
Full review to follow.
Full review to follow.
July 17, 2019
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the author. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
The Oremere Chronicles have been one of my absolute favorite underrated fantasy series ever. Talk about morally grey characters who will wring every piece of emotion from your heart. And War of Mist is a stunning series finale! War of Mist is one of those series finales that makes not only your breath quicken, but reminds you of why you loved the series in the first place. You become proud of the characters, the hardships they have endured, and the relationships they have formed. All these threads that Scheuerer has been weaving, introducing, playing with, come together into a finale that is truly spectacular. I am such a huge fan of multiple perspectives, how they can communicate action, perspective, and personality and Scheuerer is a master of this.
Whether it be Dash's love of baking, Henri and her sister's tender relationship, Bleak's new responsibilities, or Swinton's road to forgiveness. All of these characters have entranced me. They are put on display, allowed to be as vulnerable, flawed, and human as the readers. War of Mist allows us to take a look back at how the events have changed us all. Taken from us, scarred us, made us into different people. There are the horrors of war, mangled bodies, and sacrifices you are forced to bear. Subterfuge, spycraft, and suspicion all wrapped into shadows at dusk.
full review: https://utopia-state-of-mind.com/blog...
The Oremere Chronicles have been one of my absolute favorite underrated fantasy series ever. Talk about morally grey characters who will wring every piece of emotion from your heart. And War of Mist is a stunning series finale! War of Mist is one of those series finales that makes not only your breath quicken, but reminds you of why you loved the series in the first place. You become proud of the characters, the hardships they have endured, and the relationships they have formed. All these threads that Scheuerer has been weaving, introducing, playing with, come together into a finale that is truly spectacular. I am such a huge fan of multiple perspectives, how they can communicate action, perspective, and personality and Scheuerer is a master of this.
Whether it be Dash's love of baking, Henri and her sister's tender relationship, Bleak's new responsibilities, or Swinton's road to forgiveness. All of these characters have entranced me. They are put on display, allowed to be as vulnerable, flawed, and human as the readers. War of Mist allows us to take a look back at how the events have changed us all. Taken from us, scarred us, made us into different people. There are the horrors of war, mangled bodies, and sacrifices you are forced to bear. Subterfuge, spycraft, and suspicion all wrapped into shadows at dusk.
full review: https://utopia-state-of-mind.com/blog...
January 7, 2021
In the epic conclusion of this beautiful triolgy, we see all our favorite characters finally come together to fight for their freedom and save those enthralled in evil magic. I laughed, I definitely cried, and I read the book in one go not wanting to put it down. This has a very Sarah J. Maas feel when you read it and that is very much not a bad thing.
January 20, 2020
Wow. So many unexpected twists and turns in the final book of the series. There were characters in this that I wholeheartedly adore and by the end some of those were no longer with us...whyyyyy Helen? WHYYYYY?
I EFFING LOVE this series!!!
I EFFING LOVE this series!!!
June 22, 2019
"It's always the people we know best who can hurt us the most."
"It seems we have much to learn of each other. That is the gift of life, no? A friendship that endures is never short of surprises."
"I'm going to go to war. I'll carry on. As you have done. We stand to face the storm, no matter what it throws at us."
"For the longest time, I've wanted to say something, to do something about what is happening to women in this world. To try and make sense of it, to try and acknowledge it. But every time I try, something stops me. A deep instinct grabs me and tells me, "No. Not now. Not yet. If ever." It hurts too much. It's not one memory, or two. It's a lifetime. Lifetimes. It's not one woman. It's all of us. The ugliness of the world taints us all. For an age, the walls have been closing in. We've been raped. We've been abducted. We've been hit. We've been intimidated. Harassed. Belittled. Silenced. For far too long."
War is here. The time has come at last to follow our favorite warriors and rebels into battle. We've watched them rise and fall, heal and bleed, Win and lose. But this final battle is the one that will decide it all. The one to decide their future.
War of Mist is the third and final installment of the Oremere Chronicles, an epic fantasy series by Helen Scheuerer that will sweep you off your feet and take you to faraway places. A story that will grip you by the throat with action-packed and heartfelt scenes. It is simply unputdownable.
Thank you so much, Helen, for sending me an ARC for this book!
This book. THIS BOOK!! Once again, Helen's beautiful prose writing pulled me in from the very first page. I fell into this story like Alice fell down the rabbit hole. These characters latched on to me and did not let go until days after I finished the book. It doesn't happen often that I can say this but I loved every single moment of this story and am so sad to see it come to an end. I'm not going to lie, I dreaded finishing this book because I did not want this story to ever end and now that I have, I still can't fully grasp that it's really over. This series is unique in so many ways; the magic, the world, the characters. I don't even know where to begin to explain why you need to read these books other than that they are absolutely fantastic and will leave you breathless, feeling more alive than ever!
Let's talk about this magical world. The Upper Realm holds all kinds of different kingdoms from scorching hot deserts that will make you sweat one moment, to freezing snow lands that will make you shiver the next. You'll feel it all as if you're standing right in that place alongside these characters. It's an eerie, yet refreshing feeling to have a book make you feel so many things.
And don't even get me started on these characters. I could gush for hours about every character but I'll start with this. Never have I read a story with characters that feel so real. So human. Each and every character in Helen's story is flawed. They make mistakes, let fear rule them sometimes. They get angry and sad. They fall in love and get betrayed. But they never stop feeling real. Helen has a unique talent when it comes to creating characters. She takes care of them and she lets them grow and evolve in such a way it reminds me of taking care of growing flowers. Although some of these flowers definitely have a few thorns. We've already gotten some beautiful character developments in the previous books but even in this finale, we watch our favorite characters grow and change. They've reached their peak and they're ready to fight for what they believe in.
Where Heart of Mist introduced us to these flawed characters and this magical world. Reign of Mist not only opened our eyes and expanded that world, but also pushed these characters into a raging river and forced them to claw their way out of it stronger than ever and true to their heart. Now War of Mist is here and everyone is ready. The world is expanded, the characters have grown strong. Allies are united and enemies are formed. Still, you can't help but feel betrayal is lurking around the corner. Because you can feel it. It's right there, following behind you like a heavy shadow. You constantly find yourself thinking 'please don't betray them, don't let it be you'. You start doubting who to trust and can't help but read on to see who will betray who in the end. But once you do, you wish you could undo it because there's no coming back from that pain.
Every fantasy lover loved a good bloody battle that will have your heart racing out of your chest. War of Mist has one. This great, epic battle will leave you reeling and breathless, with a tear-stricken face and a wide open chest. If you think you're ready, think again because you're most likely not. Don your best armor because you will need it for this wild ride. Warning: beware of wild arrows aiming at your heart.
Still not entirely sure whether these books are for you? Let me give you a last little overview of all the amazing things you can expect in this story:
- Warrior queens
- Tyrannical kings
- Magical worlds in all varieties
- Unique magic
- Beautiful prose writing that will make this story come to life in the most vivid way possible
- Unbreakable friendships
- Heartbreaking betrayals
- Crazy plot twists
- Epic battle scenes
- Lgbtq+ characters
- Character with addiction problems
- Blind character
- Panthers (because they're awesome)
- Death (because it is war after all)
I laughed, I gasped, I screamed, and I cried. This book made me feel every emotion wrapped into a hurricane. I've been hit, I've been shot, and I've been sliced wide open. War of Mist is one of the most epic conclusions I've read so far and it'll be a while before I'm fully over this story, if ever.
War of Mist comes out July 25th. That's still plenty of time to read Heart of Mist and Reign of Mist. I can't recommend this series enough! A must-read for every fantasy lover!
"It seems we have much to learn of each other. That is the gift of life, no? A friendship that endures is never short of surprises."
"I'm going to go to war. I'll carry on. As you have done. We stand to face the storm, no matter what it throws at us."
"For the longest time, I've wanted to say something, to do something about what is happening to women in this world. To try and make sense of it, to try and acknowledge it. But every time I try, something stops me. A deep instinct grabs me and tells me, "No. Not now. Not yet. If ever." It hurts too much. It's not one memory, or two. It's a lifetime. Lifetimes. It's not one woman. It's all of us. The ugliness of the world taints us all. For an age, the walls have been closing in. We've been raped. We've been abducted. We've been hit. We've been intimidated. Harassed. Belittled. Silenced. For far too long."
War is here. The time has come at last to follow our favorite warriors and rebels into battle. We've watched them rise and fall, heal and bleed, Win and lose. But this final battle is the one that will decide it all. The one to decide their future.
War of Mist is the third and final installment of the Oremere Chronicles, an epic fantasy series by Helen Scheuerer that will sweep you off your feet and take you to faraway places. A story that will grip you by the throat with action-packed and heartfelt scenes. It is simply unputdownable.
Thank you so much, Helen, for sending me an ARC for this book!
This book. THIS BOOK!! Once again, Helen's beautiful prose writing pulled me in from the very first page. I fell into this story like Alice fell down the rabbit hole. These characters latched on to me and did not let go until days after I finished the book. It doesn't happen often that I can say this but I loved every single moment of this story and am so sad to see it come to an end. I'm not going to lie, I dreaded finishing this book because I did not want this story to ever end and now that I have, I still can't fully grasp that it's really over. This series is unique in so many ways; the magic, the world, the characters. I don't even know where to begin to explain why you need to read these books other than that they are absolutely fantastic and will leave you breathless, feeling more alive than ever!
Let's talk about this magical world. The Upper Realm holds all kinds of different kingdoms from scorching hot deserts that will make you sweat one moment, to freezing snow lands that will make you shiver the next. You'll feel it all as if you're standing right in that place alongside these characters. It's an eerie, yet refreshing feeling to have a book make you feel so many things.
And don't even get me started on these characters. I could gush for hours about every character but I'll start with this. Never have I read a story with characters that feel so real. So human. Each and every character in Helen's story is flawed. They make mistakes, let fear rule them sometimes. They get angry and sad. They fall in love and get betrayed. But they never stop feeling real. Helen has a unique talent when it comes to creating characters. She takes care of them and she lets them grow and evolve in such a way it reminds me of taking care of growing flowers. Although some of these flowers definitely have a few thorns. We've already gotten some beautiful character developments in the previous books but even in this finale, we watch our favorite characters grow and change. They've reached their peak and they're ready to fight for what they believe in.
Where Heart of Mist introduced us to these flawed characters and this magical world. Reign of Mist not only opened our eyes and expanded that world, but also pushed these characters into a raging river and forced them to claw their way out of it stronger than ever and true to their heart. Now War of Mist is here and everyone is ready. The world is expanded, the characters have grown strong. Allies are united and enemies are formed. Still, you can't help but feel betrayal is lurking around the corner. Because you can feel it. It's right there, following behind you like a heavy shadow. You constantly find yourself thinking 'please don't betray them, don't let it be you'. You start doubting who to trust and can't help but read on to see who will betray who in the end. But once you do, you wish you could undo it because there's no coming back from that pain.
Every fantasy lover loved a good bloody battle that will have your heart racing out of your chest. War of Mist has one. This great, epic battle will leave you reeling and breathless, with a tear-stricken face and a wide open chest. If you think you're ready, think again because you're most likely not. Don your best armor because you will need it for this wild ride. Warning: beware of wild arrows aiming at your heart.
Still not entirely sure whether these books are for you? Let me give you a last little overview of all the amazing things you can expect in this story:
- Warrior queens
- Tyrannical kings
- Magical worlds in all varieties
- Unique magic
- Beautiful prose writing that will make this story come to life in the most vivid way possible
- Unbreakable friendships
- Heartbreaking betrayals
- Crazy plot twists
- Epic battle scenes
- Lgbtq+ characters
- Character with addiction problems
- Blind character
- Panthers (because they're awesome)
- Death (because it is war after all)
I laughed, I gasped, I screamed, and I cried. This book made me feel every emotion wrapped into a hurricane. I've been hit, I've been shot, and I've been sliced wide open. War of Mist is one of the most epic conclusions I've read so far and it'll be a while before I'm fully over this story, if ever.
War of Mist comes out July 25th. That's still plenty of time to read Heart of Mist and Reign of Mist. I can't recommend this series enough! A must-read for every fantasy lover!
July 18, 2019
FINALLY!!
I HAVE FINALLY FINISHED THIS SERIES!! 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩
I was so eager to get my hand on WAR OF MIST after finishing REIGN OF MIST, I couldn't wait for long after finishing the latter one.
And WAR OF MIST is soooooo good!!
The prologue! OMG, the prologue is so so good!! I love it so much!! (You'll find an excerpt of the prologue down below 😉😉) Ms. Scheuerer has taken the story to a whole new action-packed, tension-filled level, full of continuously rising stakes and gut-wrenching plot twists. I love the way we explore the continents back and forth, and find new adventures and adversaries to face. This is a fast paced book, especially from the 40% mark. Before that, the author swiftly and deftly places all the foreshadowing and hints that later come back to bite you in the ass.
The story starts where it has left off last in REIGN OF MIST. As you can read from the title of the book, the main attraction and attention of the story is the brewing war between our heroes and their villains. Told from the four original protagonist POV (Bleak, Henri, Dash, and Swinton), we find our characters finding each other and ganging up to face and fight the ultimate evil, the false queen of Oremere. I love how the author parallels Henri with Eydis, while Swinton with Arden in case of character arcs. You'll find out soon 😉😉
I really love how little romance this series focuses on. I don't mean to belittle any fantasy books heavy with romance, I love romance, but in Bleak I've never found any wishes or cravings for romance in life; and Ms. Scheuerer also does not force it upon her. Bleak flourishes even more than before, her powers growing as well as her assertiveness and confidence. Similar to Bleak, we find meek and humble Dash rising in his abilities and confidence, and becoming the knight in shining armor he always longs to become. Swinton also redeems from his initial morally grey character, his actions and decisions gearing toward helping his kind, the people rallying against the false queen. And lastly, in Henri, we find so much development, I'm squealing in joy. She becomes this empathetic, kind, and understanding queen who slowly begins to soften and flex her kindness toward others. I love her, I love her, I love her!!
The supporting cast is also superb. Olena, Fiore, Luka, Athene, Eydis, Nazuri, Allehra, Sahara, Casimir, and Ermias. They all group together to form a coherent and cohesive cast of supporting characters, who do not blur into the background, rather help and support our heroes rise to their moments of glory and also be glorified equally.
Though this book fills almost every expectations I have from it, it also has let me down in two prospects.
Firstly, one of its biggest weaknesses of this entire series is the lack of development in the villain characters. Though through providing us ample back story for the main antagonist, it offers no such back story or motivations for the minor villains. It kind of sucks, cause if their motivations have been explained even in one sentence, it would be enough. Villains without motivation that drives them to their goals so vehemently is just one dimensional. There are several minor antagonists among the group of heroes (antagonist, NOT VILLAIN as in working 100% against the protagonist), who oppose the protagonists in their goals in minor ways. I'd love more than anything to know what drive them to do those things.
Another thing that irks me is a problematic trope in the climactic scene. While I cannot describe it for fears of spoilers, I will say it is a quite harmful trope that can hurt some people. I wish it wasn't in the scene, but I want to acknowledge its existence to warn the readers.
But overall, this is a stunning and epic ending to an equally epic series. I love every moment of it and I'll sorely miss Bleak and gang. Do pick up this book. You'll love the world, and its people wholeheartedly.
I HAVE FINALLY FINISHED THIS SERIES!! 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩
I was so eager to get my hand on WAR OF MIST after finishing REIGN OF MIST, I couldn't wait for long after finishing the latter one.
And WAR OF MIST is soooooo good!!
The prologue! OMG, the prologue is so so good!! I love it so much!! (You'll find an excerpt of the prologue down below 😉😉) Ms. Scheuerer has taken the story to a whole new action-packed, tension-filled level, full of continuously rising stakes and gut-wrenching plot twists. I love the way we explore the continents back and forth, and find new adventures and adversaries to face. This is a fast paced book, especially from the 40% mark. Before that, the author swiftly and deftly places all the foreshadowing and hints that later come back to bite you in the ass.
The story starts where it has left off last in REIGN OF MIST. As you can read from the title of the book, the main attraction and attention of the story is the brewing war between our heroes and their villains. Told from the four original protagonist POV (Bleak, Henri, Dash, and Swinton), we find our characters finding each other and ganging up to face and fight the ultimate evil, the false queen of Oremere. I love how the author parallels Henri with Eydis, while Swinton with Arden in case of character arcs. You'll find out soon 😉😉
I really love how little romance this series focuses on. I don't mean to belittle any fantasy books heavy with romance, I love romance, but in Bleak I've never found any wishes or cravings for romance in life; and Ms. Scheuerer also does not force it upon her. Bleak flourishes even more than before, her powers growing as well as her assertiveness and confidence. Similar to Bleak, we find meek and humble Dash rising in his abilities and confidence, and becoming the knight in shining armor he always longs to become. Swinton also redeems from his initial morally grey character, his actions and decisions gearing toward helping his kind, the people rallying against the false queen. And lastly, in Henri, we find so much development, I'm squealing in joy. She becomes this empathetic, kind, and understanding queen who slowly begins to soften and flex her kindness toward others. I love her, I love her, I love her!!
The supporting cast is also superb. Olena, Fiore, Luka, Athene, Eydis, Nazuri, Allehra, Sahara, Casimir, and Ermias. They all group together to form a coherent and cohesive cast of supporting characters, who do not blur into the background, rather help and support our heroes rise to their moments of glory and also be glorified equally.
Though this book fills almost every expectations I have from it, it also has let me down in two prospects.
Firstly, one of its biggest weaknesses of this entire series is the lack of development in the villain characters. Though through providing us ample back story for the main antagonist, it offers no such back story or motivations for the minor villains. It kind of sucks, cause if their motivations have been explained even in one sentence, it would be enough. Villains without motivation that drives them to their goals so vehemently is just one dimensional. There are several minor antagonists among the group of heroes (antagonist, NOT VILLAIN as in working 100% against the protagonist), who oppose the protagonists in their goals in minor ways. I'd love more than anything to know what drive them to do those things.
Another thing that irks me is a problematic trope in the climactic scene. While I cannot describe it for fears of spoilers, I will say it is a quite harmful trope that can hurt some people. I wish it wasn't in the scene, but I want to acknowledge its existence to warn the readers.
But overall, this is a stunning and epic ending to an equally epic series. I love every moment of it and I'll sorely miss Bleak and gang. Do pick up this book. You'll love the world, and its people wholeheartedly.
July 7, 2019
UPDATE:
I received an e-ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. I would like to thank Helen for offering me the opportunity to read and review her series. It has been a journey.
This review also appears on: http://www.printedwordsand.com/2019/0...
War of Mist is the finale to The Omerere Chronicles, and I can wholeheartedly say I loved every moment of it. I wasn’t sure how the third novel would turn out after reading the last two and felt as though I enjoyed it but didn’t fall in love with the storyline or all the characters. I surprised myself by flying through War of Mist in 2 days, not wanting to put it down and feeling a little lost having finished it.
There were so many positives in War of Mist. Unlike another finales to a series, War of Mist is just slightly shorter than its predecessors, but so much more impactful. It didn't waste time dwelling on unnecessary things such as further world building and new characters when the novel just needed to be fast paced and action filled - and that it was. It wasn't hard to predict the ending (in regards to the result of the war) but the how in getting there was still nerve wracking and intense. The events were also really realistic. It wasn't always peaches and cream for the characters. The plot ebbed and flow, giving me only slight moments of relief before being on edge again.
I also didn't realise how attached I had grown to the characters, I felt like I had gone on the journey with them and I was a part of their party. In the last two books the characters were spread across the realms and I liked reading through certain characters but this time around I really enjoyed the scenes where all, if not most, of the characters were together. IF anything - and this may sound exaggerated - I felt slight separation anxiety when I was reading about some of the characters but not the others.
Overall, Scheuerer has produced a series that is well worth the read. The plot was well thought out - I liked that it didn't aim to do too much: a heroine, not realising she is a heroine, wanting to just float through life and then taking on the responsibility to save the realm, although not alone. However, as simplistic as that sounds it offers so much more. I went through the motions with the characters, not just what Bleak learns on her self-discovery and self-growth journey. Instead, every character had an important lesson to deliver, that was reliable and valuable. It wasn't all about just having magic and fighting for power, there were lessons of love, loss, honesty, loyalty and trust - the list goes on. It was also great to read a series that wasn't so fixated on romance as a main element to the plot, or it being so simplistic. Emotions are super complex and Scheuerer portrayed that so well in her writing. She conveyed, through her characters, that being in love or love in general, is never just about two people feeling affection for each other and that would equate to everything working out perfectly. It was so refreshing to discover that in The Omerere Chronicles. Sometimes the person you love isn't someone you end up with or should even be with. Moreover, I liked that romance wasn't the driving force for the characters actions but rather friendships and partnerships are as, if not, more important.
War of Mist was my favourite read of the three in The Omerere Chronicles. I'm actually so glad I started Heart of Mist and kept reading through to the end because it was well worth waiting for the finale. I was anticipating how Scheuerer would wrap everything up and am deeply satisfied, albeit feeling a whole other range of emotions whilst reading the finale.
--------
Finished this gem today. Yes, it was a gem.
What a finale to the series.
I received an e-ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. I would like to thank Helen for offering me the opportunity to read and review her series. It has been a journey.
This review also appears on: http://www.printedwordsand.com/2019/0...
War of Mist is the finale to The Omerere Chronicles, and I can wholeheartedly say I loved every moment of it. I wasn’t sure how the third novel would turn out after reading the last two and felt as though I enjoyed it but didn’t fall in love with the storyline or all the characters. I surprised myself by flying through War of Mist in 2 days, not wanting to put it down and feeling a little lost having finished it.
There were so many positives in War of Mist. Unlike another finales to a series, War of Mist is just slightly shorter than its predecessors, but so much more impactful. It didn't waste time dwelling on unnecessary things such as further world building and new characters when the novel just needed to be fast paced and action filled - and that it was. It wasn't hard to predict the ending (in regards to the result of the war) but the how in getting there was still nerve wracking and intense. The events were also really realistic. It wasn't always peaches and cream for the characters. The plot ebbed and flow, giving me only slight moments of relief before being on edge again.
I also didn't realise how attached I had grown to the characters, I felt like I had gone on the journey with them and I was a part of their party. In the last two books the characters were spread across the realms and I liked reading through certain characters but this time around I really enjoyed the scenes where all, if not most, of the characters were together. IF anything - and this may sound exaggerated - I felt slight separation anxiety when I was reading about some of the characters but not the others.
Overall, Scheuerer has produced a series that is well worth the read. The plot was well thought out - I liked that it didn't aim to do too much: a heroine, not realising she is a heroine, wanting to just float through life and then taking on the responsibility to save the realm, although not alone. However, as simplistic as that sounds it offers so much more. I went through the motions with the characters, not just what Bleak learns on her self-discovery and self-growth journey. Instead, every character had an important lesson to deliver, that was reliable and valuable. It wasn't all about just having magic and fighting for power, there were lessons of love, loss, honesty, loyalty and trust - the list goes on. It was also great to read a series that wasn't so fixated on romance as a main element to the plot, or it being so simplistic. Emotions are super complex and Scheuerer portrayed that so well in her writing. She conveyed, through her characters, that being in love or love in general, is never just about two people feeling affection for each other and that would equate to everything working out perfectly. It was so refreshing to discover that in The Omerere Chronicles. Sometimes the person you love isn't someone you end up with or should even be with. Moreover, I liked that romance wasn't the driving force for the characters actions but rather friendships and partnerships are as, if not, more important.
War of Mist was my favourite read of the three in The Omerere Chronicles. I'm actually so glad I started Heart of Mist and kept reading through to the end because it was well worth waiting for the finale. I was anticipating how Scheuerer would wrap everything up and am deeply satisfied, albeit feeling a whole other range of emotions whilst reading the finale.
--------
Finished this gem today. Yes, it was a gem.
What a finale to the series.
August 16, 2019
Title: War of Mist
Author: Helen Schuerer
Publisher: Talem Press
Genre: Fanatsy, YA
Format: Kindl ebook
Language: English
No. of pages: 500
My review:
I received a digital copy of this via my participation in a blog tour organized by Shealea from ShutUpShealea. Thank you, Helen Scheuerer and Talem Press!
War of Mist is the third and final installment in the Oremere Chronicles by Helen Scheuerer. I have loved and given 5 stars to the first book – Heart of Mist, as well as the second – Reign of Mist.
This book picks up from one month after Reign of Mist ends. The Prologue here itself gives us a glimpse into Ines. Her character is something very dynamic. And it is here that we are given such glimpses into her past. As such, we see her varied personalities throughout the years and although it explains why she has become the way she is, it is never an excuse. However, it is also an unavoidable fact that trauma often shapes some of us into nondesirable beings, I suppose. Ines is alluring, and that cannot be debated. Her power is like a flame that I as a reader, was utterly drawn towards.
A lot of the story in this book is shown as a treasure hunt, including Bleak, Ermias and Casimir as they put their wits together, faced their monsters, shared their fears and formed better and deeper bonds for it. Fi’s heritage was welcomed wholeheartedly by me. He deserves the world and I need to see more of him.
The everlasting war of morality – of good versus bad is again portrayed here. moreover, the theme of justice and duty is a continuing presence in this novel, as in the other ones, although nowhere has it been more pronounced. Someone rightly said that duty is the death of love. Very often, we see the darkness take over Bleak. In my own interpretation, it is trauma and depression and I love how real it made these characters – having their own struggles. No one is perfect and yet they are all trying and not giving up. No truer words were said than when Henri had quietly claimed that life was not always black and white – so many of it is grey! No wonder we humans suffer so much and are confused at so many times!
One of the greatest character arcs in this novel is undoubtedly of Swinton. I love him and his redemption was powerful. We see him changing and growing throughout the series and in this last on, he is a wonderful man – flawed but real and accepting of these flaws, with the hope to become better. I also loved the final stand all the characters take together and the writing was great enough to give me goosebumps.
And oh my god! I did not see that coming with the ‘madwoman’!!! That was so very shocking. You just need to pick up this series!
With some shocking betrayals, War of Mist was a fast-paced final novel in a fantasy series that has made m a lifelong fan of the author. The suspense that the author flavors this book with, is perfect and the final result is a book that will keep you reeling.
Verdict:
Needless to say, I loved this book too and like the first two books in the Oremere Chronicles, I rate War of Mist 5/5 stars too!
Author: Helen Schuerer
Publisher: Talem Press
Genre: Fanatsy, YA
Format: Kindl ebook
Language: English
No. of pages: 500
My review:
I received a digital copy of this via my participation in a blog tour organized by Shealea from ShutUpShealea. Thank you, Helen Scheuerer and Talem Press!
War of Mist is the third and final installment in the Oremere Chronicles by Helen Scheuerer. I have loved and given 5 stars to the first book – Heart of Mist, as well as the second – Reign of Mist.
This book picks up from one month after Reign of Mist ends. The Prologue here itself gives us a glimpse into Ines. Her character is something very dynamic. And it is here that we are given such glimpses into her past. As such, we see her varied personalities throughout the years and although it explains why she has become the way she is, it is never an excuse. However, it is also an unavoidable fact that trauma often shapes some of us into nondesirable beings, I suppose. Ines is alluring, and that cannot be debated. Her power is like a flame that I as a reader, was utterly drawn towards.
A lot of the story in this book is shown as a treasure hunt, including Bleak, Ermias and Casimir as they put their wits together, faced their monsters, shared their fears and formed better and deeper bonds for it. Fi’s heritage was welcomed wholeheartedly by me. He deserves the world and I need to see more of him.
The everlasting war of morality – of good versus bad is again portrayed here. moreover, the theme of justice and duty is a continuing presence in this novel, as in the other ones, although nowhere has it been more pronounced. Someone rightly said that duty is the death of love. Very often, we see the darkness take over Bleak. In my own interpretation, it is trauma and depression and I love how real it made these characters – having their own struggles. No one is perfect and yet they are all trying and not giving up. No truer words were said than when Henri had quietly claimed that life was not always black and white – so many of it is grey! No wonder we humans suffer so much and are confused at so many times!
One of the greatest character arcs in this novel is undoubtedly of Swinton. I love him and his redemption was powerful. We see him changing and growing throughout the series and in this last on, he is a wonderful man – flawed but real and accepting of these flaws, with the hope to become better. I also loved the final stand all the characters take together and the writing was great enough to give me goosebumps.
And oh my god! I did not see that coming with the ‘madwoman’!!! That was so very shocking. You just need to pick up this series!
With some shocking betrayals, War of Mist was a fast-paced final novel in a fantasy series that has made m a lifelong fan of the author. The suspense that the author flavors this book with, is perfect and the final result is a book that will keep you reeling.
Verdict:
Needless to say, I loved this book too and like the first two books in the Oremere Chronicles, I rate War of Mist 5/5 stars too!
July 13, 2020
What a journey. What a series. What an author. 👏
Not since the Lord of the Rings have I been this invested in a group of merry misfits and their journey across the continents! Our drunk pickpocket has certainly come a long way since Heart of Mist, and it is her physical and emotional journey that is one of the many things that has made this series so fantastic.
War of Mist was a worthy conclusion to what has been an epic series. From the breathtaking world building, the badass women, the character growth and those heartbreaking scenes that leave you emotionally drained, the Oremere Chronicles is up there as one of my favourite fantasy series ever. Be warned though, this book will leave you exhausted. I won't post any spoilers but I can't not write this review without saying - Dash, oh Dash. I'm still feeling all the feels!
This book gives us just enough closure for all characters but I would love to return to this world one day. There are so many amazing characters and stories that could be explored. I would love to know more about the Captain's past, not to mention my favourite princess and her eyes, the new Valian Way, the possibilities are endless.
I'm just glad I took the decision to save the prequel collection for last, hopefully it'll help my book hangover somewhat. In the meantime, Helen has joined my very select gang of auto-buy authors and I'm excited for her new series next year!
Not since the Lord of the Rings have I been this invested in a group of merry misfits and their journey across the continents! Our drunk pickpocket has certainly come a long way since Heart of Mist, and it is her physical and emotional journey that is one of the many things that has made this series so fantastic.
War of Mist was a worthy conclusion to what has been an epic series. From the breathtaking world building, the badass women, the character growth and those heartbreaking scenes that leave you emotionally drained, the Oremere Chronicles is up there as one of my favourite fantasy series ever. Be warned though, this book will leave you exhausted. I won't post any spoilers but I can't not write this review without saying - Dash, oh Dash. I'm still feeling all the feels!
This book gives us just enough closure for all characters but I would love to return to this world one day. There are so many amazing characters and stories that could be explored. I would love to know more about the Captain's past, not to mention my favourite princess and her eyes, the new Valian Way, the possibilities are endless.
I'm just glad I took the decision to save the prequel collection for last, hopefully it'll help my book hangover somewhat. In the meantime, Helen has joined my very select gang of auto-buy authors and I'm excited for her new series next year!
May 16, 2023
I recently finished The Oremere Chronicles, and it was a captivating series from start to finish. Helen Sheuerer has created a vibrant and immersive world 🌍filled with complex characters and a rich history that had me eagerly turning every page. (Thanks, Helen)
“Hope was a dangerous thing in a world as cruel as ours.”
The pacing of the series was perfect, with just the right blend of action👊, romance👩🏾❤️👨🏽, and intrigue😮 to keep me engaged throughout the entire series. The politics of the kingdoms are also well done, adding depth and complexity to the story. I found the characters to be well-developed and likeable, and I couldn’t put the books down; I ended up binge-reading the entire series within just a few days!
“A true warrior never gives up. They dust themselves off and try again.”
Although I’m not typically fond of books with multiple points of view, this series is an exception. The different perspectives add to the richness of the story📖 and keep me on the edge of my seat throughout the series. This was a great end to an even greater series. I'm upset😞 it's finished, but I love Helen's books, so I'll just read all of them😆😉.
Overall, I highly recommend The Oremere Chronicles to any fantasy fan. It’s a must-read that will leave you wanting more.
“Hope was a dangerous thing in a world as cruel as ours.”
The pacing of the series was perfect, with just the right blend of action👊, romance👩🏾❤️👨🏽, and intrigue😮 to keep me engaged throughout the entire series. The politics of the kingdoms are also well done, adding depth and complexity to the story. I found the characters to be well-developed and likeable, and I couldn’t put the books down; I ended up binge-reading the entire series within just a few days!
“A true warrior never gives up. They dust themselves off and try again.”
Although I’m not typically fond of books with multiple points of view, this series is an exception. The different perspectives add to the richness of the story📖 and keep me on the edge of my seat throughout the series. This was a great end to an even greater series. I'm upset😞 it's finished, but I love Helen's books, so I'll just read all of them😆😉.
Overall, I highly recommend The Oremere Chronicles to any fantasy fan. It’s a must-read that will leave you wanting more.
July 14, 2019
I received a free copy of this book from the author for review.
I found War of Mist faster paced with more emphasis on action than the earlier books in the trilogy. Sometimes it seemed as if the characters were racing toward their separate destinies. The faster pace is dictated by the story that's being told in this novel. It's a war for the souls of the peoples in Scheuerer's world. It would be difficult for the stakes to be any higher. My choice to read the previous novels in the trilogy allowed me to fully understand the price of defeat. I definitely wouldn't recommend skipping those books and starting with War of Mist.
Another good reason not to start with War of Mist is that lack of background on these well-drawn characters will mean that you won't appreciate some intensely moving scenes that had tremendous impact on them.
For my complete blog tour review see https://shomeretmasked.blogspot.com/2...
I found War of Mist faster paced with more emphasis on action than the earlier books in the trilogy. Sometimes it seemed as if the characters were racing toward their separate destinies. The faster pace is dictated by the story that's being told in this novel. It's a war for the souls of the peoples in Scheuerer's world. It would be difficult for the stakes to be any higher. My choice to read the previous novels in the trilogy allowed me to fully understand the price of defeat. I definitely wouldn't recommend skipping those books and starting with War of Mist.
Another good reason not to start with War of Mist is that lack of background on these well-drawn characters will mean that you won't appreciate some intensely moving scenes that had tremendous impact on them.
For my complete blog tour review see https://shomeretmasked.blogspot.com/2...
June 8, 2019
This book was generously gifted to me as an Arc by the Author for an honest Review.
WAR OF MIST by Helen Scheuerer is the Third installment in her fabulous fantasy series
This Book surpassed my expectations as to what i thought was going to happen.It will certainly keep you on your toes till the very end. You just get this feeling when reading with any book of Helen's, It was addictive, fast paced and so full of action I was completely enthralled.
You pick up right where Reign of Mist leaves of and follow along their journey of trying to defeat Ines. Everyone is back in this book, and you get to know them even better (all their secrets and history) get's revealed.
It was an awesome way to end the series. You will laugh, cry and get mad while reading this book. 🧡
WAR OF MIST by Helen Scheuerer is the Third installment in her fabulous fantasy series
This Book surpassed my expectations as to what i thought was going to happen.It will certainly keep you on your toes till the very end. You just get this feeling when reading with any book of Helen's, It was addictive, fast paced and so full of action I was completely enthralled.
You pick up right where Reign of Mist leaves of and follow along their journey of trying to defeat Ines. Everyone is back in this book, and you get to know them even better (all their secrets and history) get's revealed.
It was an awesome way to end the series. You will laugh, cry and get mad while reading this book. 🧡
January 8, 2022
Hot damn
This was one of the easiest books to rate but hardest to review.
This series is amazing and nothing I write will do it justice but here goes...
The storyline of the whole series is fantastic. Epic fantasy with no filler. A whole cast of diverse characters all with proper 3 dimensions personalities. The world building was immense with well thought out interesting histories.
I HIGHLY reccomend this series to everyone.. so good. The fact it's self published is even more amazing. Its the best quality self published series I've ever read.
This was one of the easiest books to rate but hardest to review.
This series is amazing and nothing I write will do it justice but here goes...
The storyline of the whole series is fantastic. Epic fantasy with no filler. A whole cast of diverse characters all with proper 3 dimensions personalities. The world building was immense with well thought out interesting histories.
I HIGHLY reccomend this series to everyone.. so good. The fact it's self published is even more amazing. Its the best quality self published series I've ever read.
January 31, 2021
Overall I loved this series-it's sometimes hard to read because it's not light and fluffy, but it's so well-written and I love the author's style. Ending made me cry happy tears. Amazing, and surprised more people haven't read this
November 27, 2021
A Thrilling Conclusion
War of Mist brings all the action of this magical YA adventure to a satisfying a close. Packed with shocking twists, agonising farewells and plenty of heart, the final installment of the best-selling Oremere Chronicles is not to be missed!
War of Mist brings all the action of this magical YA adventure to a satisfying a close. Packed with shocking twists, agonising farewells and plenty of heart, the final installment of the best-selling Oremere Chronicles is not to be missed!
August 14, 2019
Such an excellent ending to a fantastic trilogy.
Full review to come.
Full review to come.
August 21, 2021
I AM SO SAD
really glad I read the series, the characters grew on me like no other, but man what a bittersweet ending
really glad I read the series, the characters grew on me like no other, but man what a bittersweet ending
March 11, 2024
yeah this book ripped my heart out
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