- Title:
- Heirs of Vanity: The Complete First Trilogy
- Author:
- R. J. Hanson
- Release:
- November 16, 2020
- Format:
- Audiobook
- Narrator:
- Terry F. Self
- Series
- Heirs of Vanity Series (Books 1 – 3)
- Bloodlines Reforged Saga series 1
If you read my review of Fires That Forge, then you’ll notice that much of this review will be the same praise and criticism. They’re different series in the same saga. One minor gripe I have with this is the audible/Goodreads description. It makes no mention of the greater saga. Had I not read the Fires that Forge description previously and took notice of this, I might not have noticed at all.
All my life, I’ve read and re-read the same few books. One of those reasons was I always found it difficult to keep track of all the books and extended work in a series.
To start off with, this trilogy starts off with endless name drops. Not just names but titles, ranks, positions, relations, etc. I have an extremely difficult time remembering names. I have 3 hours, 45 minutes left at the time of writing this (listening at 2.55x speed), and I only know one character’s name.
As he does with Fires that Forge, the narrator speeds up combat. While this makes combat more intense and I appreciate it, be warned if you listen to audiobooks at increased speed like I do, as it can be difficult to follow along entirely.
Another returning complaint I have is there’s too much “(character name) said” for my liking. Though in all fairness, this is likely an audiobook-only issue. If you’re reading, you don’t have the benefit of a narrator doing voices. While on the topic of voices, the narrator is absolutely incredible at doing voices and making each and every character feel like a real person. He has a real talent there.
One thing I appreciated greatly is how each book picks up where the previous one left off. I’ve always found it tiring when series feel the need to give you an introduction to the world (again), several books in.
While at times it felt to me like the journey the characters go on is a bit aimless and meandering; I was no less invested in it. The combat is exciting and I love learning more about the world. I really love the idea of multiple series set in the same world from different perspectives. That’s something I’ve wished from other series I enjoy.
I’ve enjoyed getting to follow the protagonists around for the last two days and I feel invested in their lives. As the story goes on, they grow as people at a believable rate. The characters don’t feel like “the chosen ones”, destined to conquer all opposition. It’s a fantasy story, sure; but it feels grounded in reality.
This is a rare instance of an audiobook that I’ve enjoyed so much, I’ll be picking up physical copies of all 3 books.
NOTE: This copy was provided to me free of charge as a digital review copy. The opinions stated in this review are mine and mine alone, I was not paid or requested to give this book a certain rating, suggestion, or approval.