Fantasy Hardships

This review assumes you read the two previous books.

First things first. Even though it's the third book of the series, most characters from the first two books won't be reappearing. This is an odd thing for a fantasy series, but considering that the second book closed the story lines for those characters, it's not wholly surprising.

Born under Bone begins sixteen years after the events in the preceding books and takes place entirely in Hertwolf, a city briefly visited before. This also means my favorite minor character from there (The Demon of the Tower) returns.

The plotting is consistent as before, yet this time it's much less expansive. There are only four points of view this time around, which means the book is a good deal shorter than the previous two. Yet that's not a problem. I didn't feel there was more story to tell, and I vastly prefer an author who keeps the plot tight, rather than pad out everything with pointless fluff.

The epic storyline started in the two first book advances as we learn several more things about the lost element and those who chase it. That said, the book feels standalone, which is good because we'll have to wait a year for the next one.

Final verdict:

Great continuation of the series. The plotting is tight as usual and things tie together in ways you didn't expect. I can't wait to see where it all leads in the end.