Reckoning by Michael R. Miller
Blurb:
Winter. War. Chaos.
As Elder turns against Elder and riders clash, Holt and Ash fight to protect the people of the Fae Forest as Thrall seeks to blight every creature within it. On the front lines their only real aid comes from Holt's new lunar blade, and a dangerous new ally whose claws cut both ways.
In the west, Athra and Risalia have dragged Talia into war. She can't bring peace without pain; told she can't be a rider and a queen; torn beyond duty and her dream beyond the dream. There are no good options, not without becoming the monster her enemies claim her to be.
Rake and Osric have missions of their own, one to right their past, the other to confront it. Both will step out of the known world, to the Green Sea of the east and beyond the desert's end; both hunted by new scourge of immense power and skill.
Few will survive.
The reckoning has come.
Review:
“The reckoning has come.”
**Spoiler filled review**
Miller has created a dark, tour-de-force of near constant action and destruction in this penultimate novel that raises the stakes for the looming, ultimate confrontation. Defiant plunged the world into chaos with Paragons murdered, dragon Elders betraying all those around them, and the threat of the total annihilation of the Order on the horizon. Reckoning picks up the burning threads of chaos and pushes them to the limit, fraying the bond in ways the previous books haven’t touched.
Holt and Ash are in constant danger throughout this novel. Between their epic and crushing defense of the Fae Forest to their perilous confrontations with the Beast to their harrowing battles against other dragons. We get to witness the unification of Ash, Holt, and the newly christened Astralis as they cleave their way through every foe that Thrall and the Hive Mind can push against them. It’s painful to watch as they suffer throughout the book, being pushed past their limits in every conceivable way. Their triumphal ascension to Dragon Lords is the impactful and exciting culmination that Reckoning needed.
Osric delves into the cracks and seams of his soul, and with Nox’s patience, begins to heal. Similar to previous books in this series, I love my Osric chapters. His journey to the East where he reunites with Esfir was touching. His transformation is one of the truly exemplary dragon-human relationships. Holt and Ash are amazing, but they came together over their shared beauty together and ability to complement each other. But Osric came to the bond as a truly broken, despicable character and has transcended into someone worthy of his bond with Nox.
And Rake! Rake finally has the momentous breakthrough moments that we’ve all been craving since we first met this cursed half-dragon. Even in a spoiler review, I don’t want to dive too deeply into Rake’s arc during this book, but it’s worth the entire read!
One of the standout characters for me in Reckoning was the Speaker. She had an insane, creepy quality that was exacerbated by her frequent gaps in her memory. Each one of her chapters filled me with suspense and anticipation to discover what had inadvertently gone on in the world around her while she was trapped in the dungeon of Thrall’s core. Her craving to appease and find acceptance from Thrall was perfectly done, transforming her into a truly subservient, pathetically endearing character with a touch of sinister unhinged tendencies. The interplay between Thrall, the Hive Mind, and the Speaker was perfect.
Miller has elevated the world by showing what is possible for the bond between dragon and human with Vald and Raiden’ra’s triumphant achievements. I don’t know how Holt and Ash are going to make it, but I need another Dragon Soul in this world.
Reckoning is the dark, brutal book that Miller needed to write to pull the deadly strings that set us up for the final confrontation. I anticipate that this is going to be a bloody, explosive conclusion to the Songs of Chaos and I’m alternatively filled with excitement and anticipation coupled with dread for what Miller might do to characters that I’ve grown to love. All I can say is sign me up for book 5!
