This has been a really intricate and action packed trilogy, but while I enjoyed this third and final book, I do feel that the ending was very anti-climactic and that overall, the author was trying to do too much within the trilogy. I thought that some of the characters here, our key players predominantly, had satisfying story arcs, but there were others that were written out very quickly or died off page, which I found incredibly frustrating. I think that this is a fascinating world and one that definitely bears more exploration, which I don't think the author was quite able to accomplish within the trilogy. I think the scope of the story would have worked better as a four book series because for me, there was too much left unexplained which left me feeling ultimately disappointed. I would still recommend the trilogy, but I do wish the author had been given another book to tie things up more.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

A page-turning trilogy with a new voice that I hope to read more from. What a satisfying ending. An epic tale with a world that came to life within the pages. A ton of lore and legend. The sheer scope of this trilogy will forever amaze me.

What a finale! Overall, I really enjoyed this book and found the ending to be very satisfying. However, the pacing seemed off in this book and didn't seem to move as easily as the previous two installments. which affected my overall enjoyment.

I can't wait to see what James writes next!

I was wavering between 4 and 5 stars but the ending won me over. All the stars! I can't wait to see what more Islington has to offer us, especially with such an accomplished debut series.

This is a fantastic conclusion to this trilogy. I loved that Islington provided an overview of the previous two books, since it had been a while since I read them. The plot was compelling throughout and I enjoyed every second of reading it. The character development continues to be fantastic and it was so good to be back with these characters. If you enjoyed the previous two books, I think you'll love this one too.

I loved being able to get to end to this series and felt that overall, the author managed to deliver a satisfying solution. The series is complicated and I am not sure how much I would have enjoyed it without reading it with other people as a group and being able to discuss and sort of fill in on the confusion. Still, I am impressed that this is a debut and shall look out for more by this author.

A breathtakingly audacious masterpiece of epic fantasy, The Light of All That Falls is an emotionally satisfying and flawless conclusion to the phenomenal Licanius Trilogy.

I am utterly astounded and in awe. The Licanius Trilogy is one of the most incredible trilogies I've ever had the pleasure of reading, and I think that James Islington is an extraordinarily gifted epic fantasy writer. I almost couldn't believe that this was a debut series as it was ambitious beyond belief, and yet Islington was able to masterfully wrap and tie up every crucial thread and loop; pulling off an amazingly perfect finale that kept me thinking about it long after I've turned the last page. I would be harping on similar things that I've mentioned in earlier reviews, but all these need to be said. As I would not be able to mention nor describe anything about this book in detail without potential spoilers, I hope that these broad strokes would be sufficient to convince others to pick up this spectacular series.

Firstly, Licanius fits the vein of a classic epic fantasy told in a modern voice, and it is one of the best ones I've read in recent years. Its epicness could be found in the worldbuilding where the history of the world is steeped in myths, lore and legend of thousands of years, the scope of the story which was centred on world-shattering consequences, and the stature and/or powers of the key characters. Let's face it, most of us who fell in love in fantasy did so because no other subgenre could quite give us this same epic feel. As much as I do enjoy the variety of fantasy subgenres that are available nowadays, nothing feels quite like going back to epic fantasy. Islington not only succeeded in creating a truly compelling story in this subgenre, he managed to do so successfully with a level of complexity that I've rarely come across.

"Nothing is truly beautiful unless it can be lost."

A clear example of its grand scope would be the history and summary recap of the story so far that could be found at the beginning of The Light of All That Falls; this was 21 pages long! There was just so much to learn about the world, its histories and lore, as well as the magic systems of Essence and kan. Coupled that with the intricacies of multiple storylines to follow, these books are not meant to be breezed through. It was actually a good thing that the writing was direct and simple enough to make it easier to absorb all the details. This trilogy is made for binge-reading, or at least each book should be read as close to each other as possible. Even with the recap at the beginning of the second and third books, it would not be possible to remember all the important details.

"Truth can be a burden, but secrets are poison."

I found it remarkable as to how Islington managed to so deftly wove the required exposition into each main character's point-of-view, and hence avoided the dreaded info-dump trap. The many, many revelations were well-paced and well-timed throughout all three books, a lot of which came from a series of flashbacks. I'm aware that some readers find flashbacks disconcerting as it takes them out of the current timeline. However, I found that all the flashbacks in the series to be some of the most engaging and fascinating parts of the overall story as it fleshes out a lot of the history and lore of the world. And as if it's not already complex enough, we also have time travel in the story, one of the trickiest storytelling elements to ever have been invented in the history of speculative fiction. I was initially worried when I first came across time travelling in the first book, as it is one of the most common ways of losing control of the narrative to logical inconsistencies. Just for this one single aspect alone, I applaud Islington for not abusing time travel as a plot device but staying true to its concept established from the beginning.

"A world where all possibilities are promised is, by necessity, a world in which God cannot take part. Cannot choose to affect the world in any way. If He exerts his will even a fraction, He is by definition changing how things could have been. He is removing possible outcomes."

The dominant theme of this series is centred around beliefs and conflicting religious views between fate and free will. Should we believe in a god that allows humans to have free will in choosing their own paths, or one that is guiding us to make the right decisions to a pre-destined outcome? Out of all the main characters, the one who embodied the core theme the most is Caeden. What an extraordinary character he turned out to be; Caeden is not only my favourite of the entire trilogy, he is also one of my all-time fantasy favourites. His arc was an insanely captivating, emotionally powerful and empathetic story about having to live with immense guilt and shame, deep regrets and sorrow while seeking and aspiring to be a better man. There isn't much more that I could mention because his story has the most number of pivotal revelations. All I can say is that Caeden has one of the best redemption arcs I've come across.

"Remember that your past does not define you - no matter the consequences. Choice is meaningless without consequences, and a privilege we do not deserve if we will not face them."

I love reading a series where I'm so thoroughly invested in almost all of the characters; I even care for quite a few of the supporting ones. Davian, Asha and Wirr, the three main characters aside from Caeden, have compelling and strong character arcs throughout the entire series. All of them have come so very far that it didn't even initially occur to me that only one and a half years have gone by since we've first met them in the first book. As each of them faced their own trials and tribulations, they were pushed to their limits of what they were capable of being while staying true to themself. Individually they were great characters, and collectively they were formidable ones. The love and friendship between Davian, Asha and Wirr made their stories even more wonderful. We don't actually get to see them together very much, which made those moments even more precious.

"It's not enough to fight for the right side. You have to figure out how to fight the right way, too. If winning is all that truly matters, then we've lost sight of what's actually right and wrong in the first place."

I can't say this enough; the payoff from this trilogy, and especially in The Light of All That Falls, was tremendous. The complexity and intricacy of the plotting of all the storylines right from the beginning of the series work towards serving the ultimate endgame; what may have appear to be fillers at first glance eventually turned out to be important. Islington employed foreshadowing exceptionally well; sometimes it is so subtle that it could be easily overlooked. He also saved the most jaw-dropping revelation for last. Right until the last chapter, I felt that something was still missing. Then the Epilogue delivered a flawless conclusion by executing one of the finest closing acts of a series I've ever read.

"Be the man I aspire to be."

We also get more heart-pumping action scenes and displays of immense power, and these were more reasons why I thought this was such an incredible final book. I think Islington writes around the action more than writing through it like Brandon Sanderson or John Gwynne. However, even without any major action, he was able to craft some thoroughly intense scenes that kept me on the edge; where I was the verge of grinding my teeth or taking deep breaths to calm down. And to top it all off, the emotional resonance was enormous. It's been a while since I've felt so much heartache and sobbed uncontrollably while reading epic fantasy. But at the same time, there was so much hope and goodness that it made my heart feel full as well. In short, I was an emotional mess that felt completely wrung out when I finished the book.

What more can I say? One thing's for sure, I would eagerly read anything that Islington writes in the future. The Licanius Trilogy has become one of my all-time favourite trilogies. This is a rare feat for a debut trilogy of such vision and ambition, and I cannot recommend this highly enough for fans of epic fantasy.

ARC provided by the publisher—Orbit—in exchange for an honest review.

The Light of All That Falls is an absolute marvel, a prodigious finishing touch to an ingeniously plotted series.

Here’s a little statistic to give you an idea of how much I loved this book and series. If you look at my Goodreads profile, you can take a look at my list of favorite authors. Inside this list are authors who have written three or more books—that I’ve read, of course—to be included in my “favorites” shelf. Before today—out of approximately four hundred books I’ve read—there were eight authors on this list. With one trilogy, and without a shadow of a doubt, I’m going to include James Islington as the ninth author to join my list of favorite authors. Binge reading this trilogy for the first time blew me away, and I’m already looking forward to rereading it in the future. If you stumbled upon this review without having read the previous books in the trilogy, rest assured that this review will be spoiler-free; no details regarding the plot will be mentioned. There is, however, a better option for you, pick up The Shadow of What Was Lost and begin binge-reading this astounding series. Now.

“He stared over the expanse and then closed his eyes, feeling the soft breeze against his face and the gentle silence of the night. These quiet moments were too rare, and went unappreciated too often. How long had it been since he had just stopped and breathed? The past year had been a blur of pressing forward, of learning and planning and obsessing over all the different things he could try, going through every potential strategy and how likely it was to succeed or fail. In all that time, it hadn’t felt like he had once just…paused.”

The Light of All That Falls is the third—and final—book in The Licanius Trilogy by James Islington. Unlike An Echo of Things to Come which starts immediately after the end of the first book, the story in The Light of All That Falls begins approximately one year after the end of the previous book. As much as I loved the previous two books, I do personally believe that The Light of All That Falls is, by far, the best book within the series; Islington has truly saved the best for last. I can’t emphasize how impressed I am by Islington’s feat of crafting this immense trilogy as his first series; it’s exceptionally well-plotted and complex. Complexities wise, in a different way and even though the two series are very different from each other, the complexities of The Licanius Trilogy was slightly reminiscent of Steven Erikson’s Malazan Book of the Fallen. There are Gods, thousands of years of histories that affect the present predicament, immortals, powerful magics, and many more I’ll refrain from mentioning to avoid spoilers. The main differences between the two authors? Islington’s series has only three books rather than ten books, his writing is also less dense than Erikson’s and it’s also so much more accessible to read.

I honestly had my doubts, there was a myriad unresolved storyline for Islington to close in one book, and he nailed it in an extremely satisfying manner; no stones left unturned. All three books in the trilogy are inextricably linked one way or another. Nothing is wasted in this series, simple as that. Every moment of foreshadowing—whether you realized them or not—from the first book are crucial to the all-encompassing story of the series. These are also why it’s quite mandatory to read this trilogy subsequently, or at least not far in between. There are a twenty pages long detailed summaries at the beginning of the books, and a twelve pages long glossary at the end—thank you, Islington and Orbit Books for this—but I’m not sure they would be enough for a series as complex as this if it has been years since you’ve read the previous books. This epic fantasy series with a huge focus on faith, morality, prejudices, fates, friendship, and love as its themes will require your concentration and commitment. And it’s worth your time.

“Faithful people suffer and evil people prosper all the time, Davian—you must know that is true. Besides, if our actions are driven only by reward or punishment—eternal or otherwise—then they are motivated by greed and selfishness, not faith or love. That is where so many people go wrong, even those who say they believe in El. They obey because they think it will make their lives better, rather than themselves. And that is very much the wrong reason.”

It’s astounding how much the main characters have developed throughout the series, and I grew to love all of them as more and more as I progressed through the story. The physical torment they’ve endured was brutal, and the spiritual conflicts they constantly faced were damaging. I wish I can elaborate more on why I’m so emotionally invested in the four main characters, but unfortunately, that would mean going spoiler-fiesta, and I don’t want to do that. Caeden, in particular, has become one of my favorite characters of all time. Caeden made the series shine the most to me. I know some readers will disagree with me on this, but in my opinion, the series—especially in An Echo of Things to Come and this book—has some of the best flashback sections I’ve ever read; they’re on par with The Stormlight Archives by Brandon Sanderson, maybe even better! The juxtapositions of the past and the present have an enormous effect on intensifying the quality of the narrative and the lessons embedded in it. Are we, as a human, guided by destiny? Has everything been pre-destined? Or is it our free will and choices that decide the final result? Islington raised thought-provoking questions and dilemmas regarding the concept of free will, choices, beliefs, redemption, and fates; I found them working incredibly well for the story and the characterizations.

“I don’t doubt His existence, but how could I continue to love, worship, even just accept a god whose plan involved something so precious to me being ripped away?”

The Light of All That Falls features the most stunning display of power within the series. I wouldn’t call The Licanius Trilogy a battle-focused series, at least not when compared to other epic fantasy series. However, this one definitely had plenty of thrilling action sequences. From daring escape, violent torture, pulse-pounding stealth, and explosive display of magic, there’s no shortage of breathtaking scenes and cruel destructions being demonstrated. The vortex of chaos rules, but the glimmering light remains, and the light strives for peace. The flow of the climax sequences—specifically the final 100 pages—was a supercharged adrenaline rush reading experience. I mean it, I was so engrossed that I forgot to have my lunch, not even hunger could stop me from reading. Need I say more on how gripping and climatic it was?

“It is not enough to fight for the right side. You have to figure out how to fight the right way, too. If winning is truly all that matters, then we’ve lost sight of what’s actually right and wrong in the first place.”

This is hands down a spectacular conclusion enhanced by one of the most jaw-dropping epilogues I’ve come across, Islington efficaciously delivered an immaculate full-circle tale with expertise that matches the best of the best authors in the genre. I loved this book and series with all my heart. Heart-wrenching, tension-packed, meticulously crafted, riveting, and gloriously epic, The Light of All That Falls is an unforgettable superlative concluding installment; a page-turning classic fantasy with a modern voice that immediately earns Islington his place among the pantheon of greatest epic fantasy authors, and I’m seriously incapable of imagining a better ending for this mind-blowing series than what’s written here.

To Islington, bravo for such a truly spectacular feat, especially for a debut trilogy. I’ll be waiting patiently for the next book you write, and I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed that the magnificence of this series is an echo of great things to come in your career as an author.

Series Review:

The Shadow of What Was Lost: 4.5/5 stars
An Echo of Things to Come: 5/5 stars
The Light of All That Falls: 5/5 stars

The Licanius Trilogy: 14.5/15 stars

P.S:
The cover art of this series is nothing short of outstanding. Well done to the cover artist, Dominick Saponaro, and I hope he’ll be hired to do Islington’s books again in the future.

You can order the book from: Amazon UK | Amazon US | Book Depository (Free shipping)

You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions

Even if I didn't read the previous instalment in this series I was attracted by the blurb and Robert Jordan name.
It was an engrossing and entertaining read, well written and I was hooked till the end.
I loved the great world building, the amazing cast of characters and the well crafted plot.
I already got the other books in this series because I want to read them.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

The Light of All That Falls wowed me in every way. The story is epic, the characters are fantastic and it was just a little bit heart breaking at the end. It is a novel that just builds and builds over its almost 900 pages until you’re so invested in the story that you want to know how it’s going to end at the same time that you don’t want to actually finish it.

The story picks up from the end of the huge cliff hanger that was the end of book two and it doesn’t ever really stop. The characters spend a lot of time apart so when they all come together at the end it feels like a big moment. Everyone has their part to play in the story and it all comes together to a satisfying conclusion. I did guess how the ending would go down to an extent but it was just so perfectly written that guessing it didn’t take anything away from it for me.

The epilogue is worth five stars on its own. It was a beautiful, bittersweet ending and a little sad. My lip was wobbling. It was such a perfect ending for these characters that we have grown to love and explains the last few remaining questions from the series.

I adored all of the characters but Caeden is undoubtedly the best of them all. Davian, Asha and Wirr are all great POV characters and I loved reading their stories but Caeden is just on another level. He goes full circle throughout the course of the entire series and you can’t help but love and be intrigued by who he is as a person. He is complex and fantastically written. I just adored every moment I got to spend with him.

The Light of All That Falls was worth the wait. Islington has created a spectacular world with a fascinating magic system and a set of wonderful characters that I cared for greatly. The plot is fantastic and I loved seeing everything come together into a satisfying conclusion.

What an amazing conclusion to a fantastic trilogy. I don’t think I breathed for the last 100 pages. Asha is still my firm favourite – what a kick ass character – but I have a place in my heart for the tormented Caedan too. The team strives to stop the boundary from collapsing in this episode but there’s far more going on. Islington is a deep, subtle plotter who draws seemingly disparate threads together in a very satisfying way. Highly recommend this whole series and am bereft that it’s over.

I came to this party late, I had not read the previous books but the description sounded intriguing and interesting and the book was certainly that, if I am honest comparing this author to Robert Jordan is unfair, I much prefer Jordan’s work but this is a solid book with good development and interesting characters, I would advise reading the previous books first as that may improve enjoyment