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Hello everyone! It's good to be back, and this is my first significant audio-book review. We are starting with a huge one, and it's a set of 3 books in one. Today's book took me four months to listen to, and I took a lot of notes; and I hope you all enjoy this. If you are interested in reading or listening to the book, here is the Audible link.
Today I review, "The Complete Sun-Blessed Trilogy" by Carol Beth Anderson, narrated by Carol Beth Anderson. Full Disclosure, Carol Beth did send me a code for this series so that I could listen to it, and I told her I'd give her a true and honest review which she agreed to, in exchange.
Let's get right into the review!
This is a book series centering on a girl named Tavi. On her journey, we go with her as she makes friends, discovers romance, loses it, loses loved ones, and learns about her magic. We also are with her as Tavi learns how people can be corrupt and how it makes her face persecution for her exceptional gifts. We follow her as she deals with so many choices and feelings and learns to cope with growing up and dealing with evil in her life. This is also a story about a man named Ash and how he struggles with his life after making a terrible decision, which was followed by more bad decisions, but he does these things to try to redeem himself in the end. Do they both make it? It's a good question, and one you will have to learn about as you listen/read these wonderful books.
I'm not going to go much more into the details here because those are spoilers, and anyone who has ever read a review of mine knows, I am very anti-spoiler. We start with critiques, and we will end on positive notes.
These are my critiques.
Firstly, This is a very long series of books detailed and layered meticulously. Even if listened to individually, they are very long. There were some pacing issues that by the third book were mostly resolved. Specifically, I want to call out the first book and the first act because it is a long and slow burn. The content indeed makes sense later, but getting through it was tough for me. The burn is worth it, though, but it takes a while to get to it. That first act, the final spark, does not actually hit its notes until the third book in the climax to the 2nd act, so it has a very profound impact, but it just takes a while to get to.
Next is the sole only other issue I had, and it has to do with the cornerstone of the magical system. The entire magic system has an origination with postpartum magic that is unique and fantastic, but my critique here is not about the magic system. This piece alone is a positive. I found that this unique system gets many points from me on how creative and unique the idea is and how well it was incorporated in the story.
But there was a flipside to it. I'm not scoring points down on this part, but I want to make sure that I address it because it caused me a delay in reading—the world's foundation in a very pro-female reproductive setting, to justify the magic system. Education, understanding, and discussions on these concepts are permeated by it. That means that characters, necessary plot points, scenes, scenarios, and even mulligans in the story, were focused on the female reproductive system. I found this overwhelming at times because of my journey issues in this world we have.
On a personal note, I didn't realize just how uncomfortable a constant barrage about female reproduction could make me. I could bring it up further, but I am choosing not to do so partially because of spoilers and partially because I am very uncomfortable with this topic. I found out that I have triggers, and this series hit every single one of them. As a reviewer, I'm making a call, and I decide to bring it up, and it's my call to score or not score on it. I am not scoring down, but I am mentioning it because I realized I might not be the only one with issues like mine. You may have triggers too, and I do reviews for you, the potential consumer. Maybe my letting you know about this will help you approach the books, so you are more comfortable reading it than I was in parts.
While it's ever-present in the story, and these things are the cornerstone of the magic system, you might want to be aware of it and take your pace slow if you find you're at a sticking point. That's what I did. It's okay to acknowledge your feelings when you are reading or listening; honestly, it is. I drank a lot of tea while I got over my issues and pressed forward.
The main point I want to make, I got over my troubles. This story is worth it. Please don't let my trigger warning scare you from an excellent series. That said, be aware of the topics in this book.
With all of that said, I'd like to end this review with the positive things I enjoy about "The Sun Blessed Trilogy." This is a perfect story for pre-teens to enjoy and anyone who wants to read a good adventure series with exciting lore and world-building. I am confident my daughter will love this, and I think it will make her comfortable talking to me about things that bother her. Tavi struggles with many things I see my daughter struggle with, and I found that Carol Beth wrote her characters to be delightful in how they work on their problems.
Next, I enjoy the character arcs that happen through all three books. They are well-formed and have effects on each other while not blending too much for their books. The tension is excellent, the fight scenes are well-executed, and the story is terrific overall.
Every character is whole to themselves, even secondary characters. There are no two protagonists who think the same, nor are there two antagonists who think the same, and I enjoy that. Sometimes in books with this many characters, you have multiple characters who could be made into a single character because they have the same thoughts and behave the same. I am pleased to report that is not the case here.
Next, I enjoy that before every chapter, there is an excerpt of either a book of lore or a play or something that brings the reader/listener into the world of Kormina.
I also want to give major props for the ending. Usually, with a massive series, and the end of a trilogy, an ending can be anti-climatic. The overall arc is often finalized adequately in the closing, and you miss pieces. That didn't happen here. There wasn't an unnecessarily overwhelming ending, but at the same time, there was a proper set of closing notes that answered all the questions and took care of all plot threads. I liked that. I need more closings like this in my life.
The main thing I want to praise is how perfect this set of books would be for a pre-teen to a late teen reader. While I am not the ideal audience, I know that this is targeted for the audience well. As an adult, things that may not be so important are crucial for these books' young characters. I often see with my daughter that she has the same quirks when talking, and I know this will be one of her favorite books.
Moving to the narration, Carol Beth did a great job. She can do the various voices well, and it helps because she's the author, so the listener knows where the emphasis should be. I love this part of the narration. There are pacing issues occasionally, especially where the characters are very excited, and sometimes it makes the sound faster than perhaps it should be. I was grateful I could speed up or slow down passages to enjoy the dialogue more.
I also think that it should be noted, this book is intended heartwarming and comforting despite all that goes on. The comfort of it seeps in slowly, and at the rough parts, you miss those warm moments, and I felt that was intentional. I enjoyed the hominess of these parts of all three books.
Thus this series has gained a beautiful four stars from me, and I hope you enjoy these books. Carol Beth has written very creative books, the characters are rich and wonderful, and all of the stories connect well. Carol Beth also acted them out very well in the audio format, and she's someone I love to listen to all day. It's a pure and chaste tale; it's perfect for the pre-teen to the late teen reader and might be the best set of books you could give your rambunctious teenager.
