Bright Ruin

Dark Gifts, Book 3

By: Vic James

Narrated by: Avita Jay

Length: 13 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

In the “thrilling conclusion”* to the dystopian trilogy that began with Gilded Cage and Tarnished City, the people of Britain rise up against their magically gifted masters. They must break the system - or be broken.

Magic ruins. We rise.

The rules are simple, the system cruel: The lower classes must give 10 years in service to Britain’s powerfully gifted rulers. With one uprising crushed by the glittering elite, commoners and aristocrats alike now take sides for a final confrontation.

At the center of it all are two ordinary siblings: Abi Hadley and her brother, Luke. Each has reason to hate the ruling Jardine family. Abi, who was once their servant, now seeks revenge for a terrible wrong. Luke was imprisoned on their whim - but his only hope may be an alliance with the youngest and most powerful of the clan, the cold and inscrutable Silyen Jardine.

Risking everything to end a bright and shining tyranny, Abi, Luke, and Silyen find themselves bound by a single destiny. Their actions will change their fates - and change the world. But at a cost almost too terrible to contemplate.

What price would you pay for freedom?

*Library Journal (starred review, pick of the month)

Look for all three audiobooks in the mesmerizing Dark Gifts trilogy:

• Gilded Cage
• Tarnished City
• Bright Ruin

Praise for Bright Ruin:

“Fast-paced, entertaining, and a satisfying end to an epic story [with] dramatic class division based not on mere financial wealth but on a family’s magic.” (Booklist)

“A triumphant conclusion to this outstanding fantasy series.... It will keep you up at night until you finish it, and you’ll take a huge breath as you can’t believe the story is over. If you haven’t read the first two installments, please do so, and then jump into the finale. You’ll fly through them all as you see Britain as you’ve never imagined - and you’ll hope against hope for the freedom that may never come.” (Bookreporter)

“Rebellion comes to a deadly boil in the final chapter of James’s Dark Gifts alternate history fantasy trilogy (after Tarnished City).... [An] intricate tale of ruthless scheming and bloody betrayals backlit by an unquenchable glimmer of hope.” (Publishers Weekly)

©2018 Vic James (P)2018 Random House Audio

Don’t end!

Great ending to this trilogy but I wasn’t ready for it to be over! Just like any great series, I’m just not ready to leave these characters yet.

Fun fantasy, dissatisfying ending

The strength of this book is that the characters are complex, and there are many twists and turns. Unfortunately, I felt the twists and turns were too severe to be believable. It’s easy to lose track of the number of betrayals, and the story lost me when a couple of especially terrible events were seemingly skimmed over as if they had little to no effect on characters we know well. The ending was frustrating: there is a sense that the story has been building to something, but in the end, we still don’t know what. It feels like the author needed to hurry up and finish the book instead of go back and do the needed edits. I’m glad I finished it because it’s hard to not finish a series, but I wish more care had been given to this summation, so that it didn’t feel so crowded and leave so many loose ends.

A trilogy that will be counted among the classics

Gilded Cage, Tarnished City, Bright Ruin. The Dark Gifts Series. Author Victoria James has created a trilogy that will be counted among the classics. I loved all three books. There was never a slow spot or a dip in the action. All three books were at full throttle from the first page to the last.

I do not want to spoil the series ending for anyone who has not read it yet. (A piece of advice? Read the series.) The characters who the reader has come to care for continuing their stories. Each storyline builds to a stunning conclusion. I never even imagined the events at the end of The Dark Gifts trilogy.

As with the first two books, I purchased print copies as well as audiobooks. In the future, the print books are going to be passed on to a young person so I can share my love of the series with a new generation.

In the Audible version, Avita Jay does a great job narrating. The entire series has benefited from her talent. Male and female, upper class and working class, calm or raging, Jay handles all of it with perfection.

#UnlikelyHero #Magical #Dark #tagsgiving #sweepstakes

Silyen 🖤

Wow! Each book is better than the last. This was my favorite though. I would have loved one more chapter. A bit more closure. But the author set it up nicely for your mind to fill in the blanks.

All the characters in this story were well done. I liked every single one. Even the villains. They were interesting and well written. My favorite is Silyen. He wasn’t exactly comic relief, but a relief from all the drama. And there was plenty of it.

I like how shocking every death has been throughout all three books. It sucks to lose the beloved characters, but I appreciate the emotion the deaths evoked by happening out of nowhere!

The pacing of the book is great so a lot was packed into the run time. The story was very interesting. For a story about politics and slavery, it remained unbiased and wasn’t preachy. That’s so rare among authors. It allows you to just enjoy the story and make your own opinions.

Everything about this series is refreshing and I’m so glad I took a chance on it despite the bad reviews from the first book. It was definitely best as a series and not one book. For such a complex story, one book would not have done it justice.

Engrossing

Vic James’ series kept me interested throughout with believable characters constantly challenged by circumstance and by difficult moral decisions. The series is set in an interesting an novel alternate world but is still believable and relatable. I’m hoping Ms. James isn’t quite done.

bait and switch

the other books were methodical in details. This one was a rushed with poor pacing and a terrible ending. Also out of nowhere decides to promote a liberal agenda. End it on the 2nd book and you'll be more satisfied with the series.