review: munda's 'the aurelian cycle'

i'll spare you the love-letter to eragon, but know that this series had me questioning my unparalleled adoration for fourth wing.

the first book is careful to build our world in an entertaining, riveting manner. munda gives us hints and moments to build a story, all of which are incredibly well-crafted and sensical. we meet our core characters here, learning their backgrounds and history as it pertains to the story.

our second novel gives a little more drama than the first; it shows how juvenile the characters are and still provides great development to the story. my favorite parts of this novel are where our fmc must develop- she must decide and make black-and-white decisions in her newfound greyscale world. this novel also delves deeper into the rider to dragon relationships that are the foundation of this new republic. it's incredibly fascinating to learn with the riders about their other halves. the book is also brimming with plot development- important aspects of the series that set our final book up to be a doozy.

the final book of the trilogy puts a messy, half tied bow on the world- and does it so satisfyingly well. i was incredibly content to end the series on something of a cliffhanger. the love, trust, and pride nurtured through the books comes to a conclusion here. i was also incredibly excited to have the plot point of the entire series occur believably and still allow for development.

SPOILERS BELOW:

what i loved:

- annie's character arc, especially where she faces the possibility of pregnancy and how she handles it.

- annie and leo's explosion of feels.

- power's character arc and completion

- atreus' character

what i could have done without:

- pallor dying

- the childish drama, especially about leo and crissa

- the giant dragons; i wish we would have had another coup and battle between the triarchy and the new riders

i will be recommending this series (and already have) to any- and every-one.