Cover Image: The Unbound Empire

The Unbound Empire

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

The third and final installment in Melissa Caruso’s Swords and Fire trilogy is the brilliant finale of a remarkable series, but for me it also firmly places the author in my personal “buy sight unseen” category – which looks even more extraordinary if you consider that this is her debut work. While I was captivated by this series and its characters since Book 1, I had the pleasure of being more and more engaged in the story with each new volume, her mastery of pacing, dialogue and characterization growing literally from chapter to chapter, and The Unbound Empire represents indeed the culmination of this journey.

Storywise, the events take place a short time after Amalia Cornaro’s harrowing experiences in the hostile territory of Vaskandar, where she participated in the Witch Lords’ Conclave, called by the powerful Lord Ruven attempting to create an alliance against Amalia’s own Raverra. Taking advantage of the short respite before the storm, the young Cornaro heiress works to make her Falcon Reform Act a reality: the mage-marked of the Empire will not be subjected to forced conscription anymore and will be able to live wherever they want, provided that they are willing to help their country in time of need.

Amalia’s elation at this success is however short-lived: Ruven launches the first phase of his attack at the very heart of Raverra, undermining the Empire’s political stability with the intent of weakening it from the inside before launching the actual military assault. It will fall on Amalia to implement the first line of defense against the Witch Lord, and to try and remove his threat at any cost, so that in this final battle she will have to learn which lines she is prepared to cross as she balances the survival of her home against that of the people she loves.

When reviewers say they find it difficult to set any given novel aside for a moment, it might seem a hyperbole, but this was certainly not the case with The Unbound Empire: personally I begrudged every single moment in which I had to close my reader to attend to life’s everyday requirements, and in those moments I kept wondering what else would be in store for me once I could reopen the book and keep on reading. The pace is artfully calibrated and increases exponentially as the stakes and dangers keep mounting and the situation takes on the most bleak of overtones: even taking into account the general ruthlessness of Witch Lords, whose powers tend to divest them of many, if not all, of the usual factors that make humans human, Ruven’s callousness surpasses that of his peers by many orders of magnitude.

Moreover, Amalia often finds herself fighting on two fronts, because the political maneuverings in Raverra look as coldblooded as the Witch Lords’ schemes: now that she is gaining political clout and is starting to make her own path in the powerful circles to which she is destined, it becomes clear that she must harden herself to any eventuality and lose the scholar’s naiveté and self-absorption that used to be her comfort zone at the beginning of the story. I have to confess that I was hard-pressed to remind myself that Amalia is a young woman not yet out of her teens: one of my strongest contentions when dealing with YA characters is that they seem condemned to be depicted as whiny, prone to temper tantrums and moody inner dialogue, but Amalia Cornaro is nothing of the sort. Hardships and tragedy only serve to strengthen her resolve, and any sacrifice, any tough decision she is forced to make may grievously wound her soul but they never weaken her spirit.

One of the main themes of this series is the need for a balance between love, friendship and one’s duty – especially in dangerous times – and I enjoyed the way Melissa Caruso was able to blend all these elements into a cohesive and engaging whole, investing me with the intricacies of the sentimental triangle of sorts in which Amalia becomes involved. Again, what in lesser hands could have turned into somewhat annoying angst, does instead give life to several considerations about the weight of commitment to duty against the leanings of the heart, so that both the narrative developments and the characterization come out enhanced by the detours into “romance territory”, so to speak, instead of being weakened by them. And the unspoken but clearly highlighted notion that it’s possible to love two different people with the same depth of devotion, though expressed in different shades, is a great and enjoyable step forward in the exploration of this subject.

As I said in a previous review of this series, Marcello – the captain of the Falconers to whom Amalia is attracted – and Kathe – the mage lord whose courtship Amalia accepted for political expediency before becoming fascinated by his mercurial personality – represent the dual leanings of Amalia’s soul: Marcello is the safe harbor, the dependable, gentle person she could spend the rest of her life with; Kathe is both unfathomable and dangerous, yet here some hidden, more sensitive sides of his personality come into light, forcing Amalia to reassert her previous views on the man. If anything, the uncertainty of the choice she will have to make between these two opposites serves to strengthen Amalia’s character and to show that despite the inevitable heartbreak she is capable to set aside the inclinations of her soul and to listen to the harsh necessities of her mind: I don’t want to spoil the details for you, but there are moments when having to decide between “want” and “must” she is able to weigh all the possibilities – like the true scientist she was at the beginning – and to pick the path that will fulfill the mission she was tasked with. Not without pain, granted, but with an outstanding and admirable clarity of mind.

In this Amalia is supported by her Falcon Zaira, the young woman who can master balefire – the best weapon Raverra possesses against its enemies. The slowly evolving, grudging friendship between them is one of the highlights of the overall story if not its best element. Zaira herself is a fascinating character, one who had to survive on her wits alone while having to deal with the terrifying powers she possesses and which have already caused a great deal of grief in the past. For this reason Zaira tries to avoid any kind of emotional connection, afraid that the slightest lessening of her guard might cause harm to the people she cares for despite herself, and the brittle, skittish personality that comes from this is compounded by a propensity for sarcastic remarks that are both amusing and poignant, because they open a window on Zaira’s bruised soul.

Some of the best moments in this series come out of the interactions between Zaira and Amalia, and I enjoyed the way their friendship evolved – slowly and grudgingly – as these two persons who come from the opposite sides of the social scale move toward each other and become each other’s support in the traumatic events unfolding around them. It’s the guilt they have to deal with – Zaira for the tragic consequences of her unharnessed balefire; Amalia for the deaths caused by the necessities of war – that brings them together and forms a bond neither of them is willing to mention openly but still is a delightful sight to behold.

The Swords and Fire trilogy wraps up nicely with this third volume while leaving the door open for possible sequels, and I for one hope that Melissa Caruso will allow us to return to this world, because I think there are still many stories to be explored in here, and greatly enjoyed just as these three books were.

Was this review helpful?

It’s always bittersweet when a series you enjoy comes to end. The Unbound Empire was no exception for me. The book was full of action, drama, dire threats against the empire, and balanced with great friendships (and yes, romances) that all left me a happy reader.

I enjoy Caruso’s books because for me they strike a great balance of being very easy to read and interesting plot. Sometimes as books get more complex, they get longer and sometimes slower to read because there is more to take in. And sometimes when books are “easy” to read, it can feel like there’s not much there, you just enjoy the ride as it happens. I feel like Caruso is in between. It’s not overly complex. The bad guys are bad guys (well, except Witch Lords who are originally seen as “bad” are given a different light with Kathe), but the antagonist, Lord Ruven, is definitely just a “bad guy”. There’s not really any shades of grey with him, but there doesn’t need to be. The other characters in the book have enough complexity in them to feel like they are more than just caricatures (which is something I often notice in books I find “easy to read”). There are certainly some events in the book that could fall into a “grey” area, which can keep things interesting.

I love Kathe, Amalia’s mysterious Witch Lord suitor. Witch Lords have a nasty reputation in the Serene Empire, so people find the pairing somewhat shocking. And Kathe, with his connection with crows that follow him, and help him, can have a flair for the dramatic. But his sense of humor and playfulness with Amalia makes him incredibly fun to read. The dynamic between these two, with their games, are so much fun, and Kathe’s entire attitude is just something I want more of. If Caruso takes requests for spin-off or standalone books in the series (probably not, but I’m allowed to wishful think, right?), one focused on Kathe would get my vote hands down.

As for the plot in this one, it opens with Amalia working to get her Falcon Reform Law passed. This is a very important step for her as it would make serving as a Falcon voluntary. This is huge as currently mage marked people have no choice. It is either serve or hide, neither option really allows them the choice of a normal life. But getting such a measure to pass with war knocking on the door (or border), is no easy task. The mage marked are invaluable during war time, so its a hard sell to pass a law that could potentially lose some of their greatest assets (especially their fire warlock, Zaira). But Amalia knows first hand how possessing great power and being used as a tool of war, making choices that involve life or death for other people can impact someone. And if that someone is being asked to make those choices against their will, how much harder is it then?

This is just one of the reasons Amalia can’t back down, her personality and drive to do the right thing for her friends just won’t allow it. It’s one of the many traits I love about her. I don’t want to say too much about what happens, because I’m a firm in letting the author tell as much of the story as possible, but as important as this law is, it quickly becomes overshadowed by a shocking tragedy that makes it hard to know who to trust and can shift the power of the empire.

Amalia experiences a real journey of personal growth in this book as well. She has to come to terms with her role as a leader as well as evolving her personal relationships. She gets a better understanding of herself, her position and of her friends in this one. She has come a long way from book 1 in terms of maturity.

Caruso did a wonderful job tying everything together and leaving the reader with a real sense of closure on the various plot points from the series. Everything became so clean that I almost wondered if there was a checklist she used to make sure all the boxes where marked off. Even though I can be a fan of a good open ending here and there, this was satisfying in its conclusion. That said, I would still love to read more because while everything was tied up, I just enjoyed this and wanted to keep reading.

Was this review helpful?

Wow! What an excellent way to finish this trilogy. The action was virtually non-stop from the time that the book started until towards the end. Definitely worth reading!

Threads from the previous books were wrapped up, and lessons were learned by all parties. There was one bit that felt like maybe it was too easy, but in retrospect, that may not actually be the case. However, the best part for me was that the main character truly grew into herself and the power she would wield - and did it in a way that left her beholden to no man. Strong female leads, rejoice!

Was this review helpful?

Reviewing finales is always tough but no question, I was particularly eager to get my hands on this third book of The Swords and Fire trilogy, especially after that bombshell Melissa Caruso left us with at the end of The Defiant Heir. And it appears she’s not done with us yet. The author has saved the best surprises for this final volume, along with some of the toughest battles and most challenging decisions our characters will have to face.

The first book, The Tethered Mage, follows Amalia Cornaro, an heir of one of the most powerful families in Raverra, as she accidentally gets herself stuck in the web of politics and scheming, by becoming the Falconer of a balefire mage, Zaira. A book with a lot of introduction and world building. A story that I highly anticipated to take things to a whole other level.. AND IT DID.

The Unbound Empire has risen the stakes. It covers a lot of ground. The story itself has several peaks as our characters have to deal with multiple disasters in their respective plotlines. The writing style was just as beautiful as the first two and had me basically watching the whole story play out in my head. It's difficult these days to find a book with such great writing that that happens, but this did not fail to disappoint!

Was this review helpful?

(LINK WILL GO LIVE APRIL 10)

I have loved this series from the get-go, so it was with very mixed emotions that I picked up and started this book. On one hand, I was dying to know how everything would be wrapped up in one, admittedly long, book. And on the other hand, I didn't want it to end and had some concerns about whether it would stick the landing. The last book really does make or break a series, and while so far the books have only gotten better and better...you just never know. Luckily, this was a solid landing, and now I'll just have to wait to see what the author has up her sleeve for a next book/series!

Amalia is coming into her own, heading up her first political action with the introduction of a new law that would grant the magic-wielding Falcons unprecedented freedoms. On top of this all, she is still balancing her complicated feelings for Captain Marcello and the witch-lord Kathe, whom she has been courting for months now. Add to that the mad witch-lord Ruven who is making increasing threats to the Empire and may finally push things to the point where Amalia and Zaira will have to confront the harsh reality of using Zaira's balefire in combat. But nothing is too great a challenge for a Cornaro. Or is it?

What makes this series special has been the sheer number of points of interest and enjoyment that have pulled me in throughout story. Not only have I enjoyed Amalia as a main character, but I've loved her relationship with Zaira. The balance between political and military action has always been on point. The romance has gone in unexpected directions, somehow avoiding gaping pitfalls that many series fall into. And throughout it all, the story tackles larger questions regarding duty, loyalty, and the balance between freedom and safety. This book continued to deliver in all of these areas.

To start with characters (because we all know how much I love character-driven stories), Amalia and Zaira have traversed quite a journey throughout this trilogy and we see the dividends of this slowly built relationship pay off big time in this book. On their own, they are each excellent characters. Amalia's sense of duty and her clear-eyed vision of her role in the world and the privileges, sacrifices, and burdens that come with it has never been more clear. She is so blessedly free of angst regarding this all. She sees the true dangers of her role (the hardening of one's heart that comes with making life and death decisions), but doesn't get caught up in any self-pity or dramatic indecision of the kind that we see all too often from YA protagonists. Zaira, too, is still her prickly self. However, she's also come to value the relationships she's built with those around her, and with these connections, she sees her own role in the Empire in a different light. She is still terrified of her balefire and its seeming control over her, but now, with people she loves in danger, she's willing to risk herself in a way that would never have been true of the self-focused Zaira from the first book.

And together, Amalia and Zaira have come so far. They don't where BFF bracelets or anything, but the respect and genuine love and friendship between them feels earned and true after the struggles of the first two books. And it's only through that slow-growth that the almost impossible choices they must face in this book can be believable.

Ruven is also an excellent villain. Not only is he fun to hate, but he is actually given a bit more depth to make him, well, not relatable, but a bit more understandable. And his abilities are legitimately challenging to the point that a way through the threat he presents is never quite clear until the very end, and even then readers are left on the edge of their seat.

And then, of course, we have the romance. In the second book, the author somehow managed to introduce a love triangle that I didn't hate. I honestly didn't think this was possible. Much of it comes down to, again, Amalia and her dramatic-free, pragmatic approach to her life and the requirements that come with it. It is believable that she would have feelings for both Kathe and Marcello, and that these feelings could exist at the same time and still be wholly separate from each other. I was incredibly nervous to see how this would ultimately play out, and I was so pleased to find that the resolution presented felt natural and satisfactory. I guess this goes to show that even the most hated tropes don't always hold true!

This is a long book, however, and it is this length that forces me to drop it down from a perfect 10. There's a bunch of story here, and it's not that I was bored at any point. However, especially in the beginning with the ins and outs of Amalia's political actions to get her Falcon bill approved, there were a few points where I feel like a bit of editing could have been done to streamline the story. When there are all of these greater factors swirling around, this beginning portion almost felt like it was from a different book at times. But not a bad book, even then! Just a different one.

Other than that small, very tiny quibble, I absolutely loved this book and this series as a whole! I so hope that it gets all the attention that it so rightly deserves, and if you haven't read any of these books yet, just you wait! You have an excellent ride ahead of you!

Rating 9: Perfectly sticks the landing in what turned into one of my favorite trilogies to read in a long time!

Was this review helpful?