Review--Forest of Ruin by Kelley Armstrong

In a world at war, who can you trust?

The empire rests on the edge of a knife, and sisters Ashyn and Moria are the handle and the blade. Desperate to outmaneuver the evil Alvar Kitsune, whose hold on the people grows stronger every day, Emperor Tatsu begs Moria to put aside past grievances and ally with Gavril—at least long enough to make an attempt on Alvar’s life. Meanwhile, reunited with her long-lost grandfather, Ashyn discovers that she is the key to a ritual that could reawaken an ancient dragon and turn the tide of the coming battle in their favor.

But with lies and betrayal lurking around every corner, Ashyn and Moria will have to decide once and for all where their allegiances are. And it may not be where their hearts would lead them…

In this breathtaking final book in her epic trilogy the Age of Legends, #1 New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong blends fantasy, action, and romance to give readers the unforgettable ending they’ve been waiting for.

Forest of Ruin is Kelley Armstrong's thrilling conclusion to the Age of Legends trilogy! Kelley has been a long time favorite author of mine and when she decided to take on a Fantasy YA series, I was more than game! It turned out to be this incredibly amazing story that not only had action, magic, romance, fantasy, and friendships, but an incredible bond between Ashyn and her sister, Moria. I loved seeing these sisters together and their fierce devotion to one another that went beyond the bonds of Seeker and Keeper. 

Things are pretty chaotic when we start off, picking up where we left off, which naturally had me scrambling to remember specific details. Gavril had betrayed Moria in the worst way possible. He continually lied to her about everything and she can no longer trust him, but yet she will have to on some level for the two of them are headed to his father, Alvar Kitsune, and the emperor has asked that Moria stop him once and for all, and yes, he means for her to kill him. But naturally, things don't work out as planned as Moria and Gavril are kidnapped by enemies.

In the meantime, Ashyn has found family she never knew existed. Her grandfather is happy to have found her. Especially in this hectic time. But he needs Ashyn's help in awakening a set of dragons. Yes, real life dragons who are frozen in sleep. He believes with Ashyn's powers she will be the one to awaken them and they can thus put an end to Alvar's tyranny. But again, more chaos ensues so that nothing goes as planned!

I quite enjoyed this one despite not being able to recall all the previous details, which can sometimes hinder my enjoyment of a read. But thankfully, Kelley gives a decent enough recap that you're able to follow along with the story at large fairly well. Not all characters were familiar to me, but as they popped up I found myself liking them! My heart lied with our main characters though, Moria, Ashyn, Ronan, Gavril, and Tyrus. I loved seeing the bond between the sisters. I guess because I have my own older sister and while we are nothing like these two, I guess because we have a few years of age between us. I would do whatever I could to protect my sister as well, but I am the younger sister here, so it might be harder! LOL! Moria and Ashyn are continually trying to find the other and help them out with their problem. They are very protective of one another!

And then there's the guys! I remember always feeling uneasy about Gavril. He's told one too many lies over the course of the series and I felt Moria was right to be mistrusting him. But as the story moves along, it's like we finally get to see the real Gavril and I quite enjoyed this new leaf he turned over. Or perhaps it was who he always was, but kept hidden! Then there's Tyrus. I couldn't quite remember my feelings over him from the last go around, but I loved how devoted he was to Moria as well. Naturally, it's more of a romantic sense, but it gave me all the feels to read it. Then there's Ronan; he continued to aggravate me with his back and forth feelings over Ashyn, but we finally get reasons as to his behavior. And I will admit, I get it. Though I do find I like the Ronan who likes Ashyn as well! He's had his own dark past that's affected him and he does the best he can to overcome it.

The pacing to this one was a touch on the slow side, but only in the moving forward sense! SO much was happening throughout. Everyone had their goals and missions but they were constantly waylaid by other disasters or occurrences beyond their control. So while it was hard to see what the end goal would be, besides the overpowering of Alvar, it was still an incredible journey to read about!

While I won't divulge in spoilers, I will say that that ending was prettying freaking epic! I was soooo not expecting that and I must say I loved it! It was so incredibly perfect, that to have ended it any other way wouldn't have done the story justice. And if you've read it already, I'm not just talking about that ONE thing! I felt like where all our beloved characters were at by the story's end was absolute perfection! It's not one you would expect, and I think that's why I loved it so much!

Kelley Armstrong has been on my auto buy list for several years now, and she will continue to be on that list! If you haven't read any of her books yet, I highly recommend them all! But if you're a fan of the Fantasy reads more than the Urban Fantasy, then definitely start with the Age of Legends trilogy! It's a series rich with characters and mythos and all the elements a reader could want! And the best part is that it's complete! Bring on the binge reading!


Overall Rating 4.5/5 stars