War of the Twelve by Alex Robins

AUTHOR: Alex Robins

GENRE: Epic Fantasy

RATING: 4 Stars

BOOK 1-4 OF WAR OF THE TWELVE SERIES

Cover & Interior Design : Damonza

CONVINCING YOU TO READ THIS IN 6 WORDS: Found-Family, Adventure, History, Immortals among mortals, truth and lies, Epic battles

SERIES REVIEW:

It was the first time I read the author; I am sure he is on my list. I am now coming to the series. I am glad I binged the whole series because the books are related and continue the entire time.
I enjoyed that this series was a little like a mini-epic fantasy. Like low, high stakes? I like calling books that. The story was interesting. The characters were dynamic. There was a newness to the story. There were stakes, so many, but at the same time, they didn’t seem too much. This book is a perfect transition from YA to Epic Fantasy. Let’s get into the details.

The four books in War of the Twelve series are a perfect combination of books. The story is very well-written and, more than that, very well-planned. What won me over was the intrinsic layering. Truth upon truth, truth upon lies, lies upon half-truths – everything was very thoughtful. The story as a whole was a big win. This was a story-driven rather than a character-driven series. I prefer character-driven stories; that is probably one reason this is not in my God-tier ranking.

The characters in this story were very diverse. They were from different stages of their life, and their personalities differed, rightly so. I like how each character had their voice and their reason. I love how their characteristics were hidden in plain sight. It takes lots and lots of effort to have characters of different ranking, mortals and immortals alike, to have their own space. Robbins did it all well. I felt we just scratched the surface. They had so much more potential. But as I said, The War of Twelve is more of a plot-driven story than a character. Speaking of characters, it is without any doubt, and Reed was my absolute favourite. I love how much he grew as a person.

The writing of the story was so simple and easy to visualise. This series is easy to read, especially when new to Epic Fantasy. With all the different places to travel and characters to know, the straightforward writing makes the story worth it.

I loved how the story of the twelve shifted over the period. How their positions, emotions, their truth? Everything was a perfect match. (It loosely relates to people who loved the Licanius trilogy.) And more than that, what message it gave as a humanity won my heart—I loved it.

I have a small problem. And that is the romance aspect. I love that romance was not a focus. But despite that, the liaison between the two main characters didn’t sit well with me. I felt it forced. It wasn’t at times, but it seemed too rushed. A little more slow burn for me, please? But as I said, this is a personal view.
Overall, I loved war of the twelve, and I recommend this completed series to lovers of fantasy and beginners in Epic Fantasy as a genre.

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You can read the review for Blood over bright haven by M.L.Wang here.