Valor by John Gwynne

Valor by John Gwynne

Valor is the second novel in John Gwynne's The Faithful and the Fallen series. This review will contain spoilers for the first book in the series, Malice, starting....now! We ended the first book not knowing what would happen to the people we followed, and not sure if some of them were even still alive. I have been eager to read this book but also not trying to go through the series too quickly. Valor deals with animal death, child death, adult death, all kinds of death, genocide, rape, slavery, suicidal thoughts, torture, violence, blood, kidnapping, grief, enslavement, fire, gaslighting, colonization, war, and injury detail.

When we left the first book, Malice, those that we follow were scattered across the Banished Lands. Corban flees from Ardan with a motley group of companions including his mother and Gar, but they leave his sister Cywen behind believing that she is dead. Nathair is stationed at Ardan but without his trusted advisors Calidus and Veradis, who just finished fighting against the Hunen giants. And as for Maquin and Kastell, it is unknown if they are alive or dead after being betrayed in the tunnels of the Hunen giants. As the Banished Lands continues to sink into chaos and war, we begin to see the true colors of people as they let their true loyalties be known. Corban wonders if any place is truly safe, Veradis begins to question his faith in those he follows, and others quest for vengeance against those that they've loved and lost.

I have been trying to get somebody, anybody, that I know to read this book so that I can talk about it at length without spoiling anything. This series gives the same complex, high fantasy vibes as A Song of Ice and Fire but without the extreme rambling of the author. John Gwynne keeps it succinct and yet so much happens in this book that it is still pretty lengthy. The characters in this book are so complex and I love it. I love them and yearn for them to make good choices. The problem is that the characters are so deep and nuanced that you care about people on both sides of the God-War, which is a difficult position to be in. The plot is fast moving and the setting is detailed but John Gwynne often refreshes us on what is happening elsewhere in the book, which I really appreciate. I did not find it particularly hard to follow though I did find myself referencing the map a fair number of times. We get new characters in this book, which I always enjoy, and the end of this book was beautiful. It ended in a way that tore my heart out, ripped it up, and then had it trampled by Nathair's draig, but after that it was beautiful and I cannot wait for the third novel, Ruin. In short, read it. Please. And then email me.

I'm giving Valor by John Gwynne 4.5 stars out of 5 and I am eager to see where the series goes from here, but I am trying very hard not to read them all in a row and to draw out my enjoyment. If you're looking for a summary of the books in the series or a study guide to keep the character's straight, check out our The Faithful and the Fallen series page.

For more from the author, check out https://www.johngwynneauthor.co.uk/

Pairs well with honey cakes and having a mom with words of wisdom like Tahir.

My favorite quote:

"'Balur One-Eye,' Dath whispered. 'He's ancient. Even older than Brina.' 'I heard that,' Brina snapped."

Review of Malice by John Gwynne - The Faithful and the Fallen book 1