Title: The Consumption of Magic (Tales from Verania: Book Three)
Author: TJ Klune
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Length: 450 Pages
Category: High Fantasy
At a Glance: I loved how Klune wrapped things up in this one and setup up the next chapter of the story. A Wish Upon the Stars is undoubtedly going to blow us away. I can’t wait.
Reviewed By: Jules
Blurb: Sam of Wilds faced the Dark wizard Myrin and lived to tell the tale. Granted, the battle left him scarred, but things could be a hell of a lot worse.
It’s not until he reunites with Morgan of Shadows and Randall that he realizes just how much worse things could be.
Because the scars have meaning and hint at Myrin’s true plans for Sam and the Kingdom of Verania.
With time running out, Sam and his band of merry misfits—the unicorn Gary, the half-giant Tiggy, Knight Commander Ryan Foxheart, and the dragon known as Kevin—must travel to the snowy mountains in the North and the heart of the Dark Woods to convince the remaining dragons to stand against Myrin. Along the way, Sam learns secrets of the past that will forever change the course of the future.
A reckoning is coming for Sam of Wilds, and there is nothing he can do to stop it.
Review: What is there to say about the epicness that is The Consumption of Magic? And, really, this series in its entirety. Consumption is the third book in the Tales From Verania series, and the second book in what the author affectionately calls the ‘Destiny FUCK YEAH!’ trilogy. That’s not the “official” name, though, because the publisher wouldn’t let him call it that. Pfffft. Weird. But, anyway…back to the epicness… In this installment, Sam of Wilds is in the midst of collecting the other dragons—the mated pair in the mountains, and the Great White in the Dark Woods—who are a part of his destiny of dragons, and a piece of the puzzle that is the prophecy he is a part of. So far Sam has Kevin, of course, and now Zero, the Desert Dragon, who has also agreed to join up with Sam to fight against Myrin and the dark forces threatening to take over Verania.
I can’t say much about the twists and turns this book takes. You guys know the drill. But, suffice it to say, I think other readers will be shocked at some of the secrets that come out, and some of characters’ actions. One thing I was NOT surprised about, however, was how completely BADASS Sam is. I am such a Sam Girl, you guys. You don’t even know. As much as I’ve always thought he was adorable, and hilarious, and sassy, and amazing, in this book he is a whole new level of awesome. He speaks his mind, obvs, and doesn’t back down from anyone or anything. He sticks to his guns, right or wrong, and there are things he absolutely refuses to compromise on. One of which, of course, is anything to do with his cornerstone.
Knight Commander Ryan Foxheart is another major part of what makes this book so fantastic. And, the love story…my god…Sam and Ryan’s love story is so perfect in this book. HaveHeart forever, motherfuckers. If there is anyone out there who is not completely on board with this OTP, I don’t even know what to say to them. TJ Klune got this so, so right. Underneath all the talk of Ryan being a power bottom, and how they want to constantly ruin each other, is a whole lot of swoon. These. Guys. Are. Swoony. I love them so hard.
In fact, all of the relationships really take center stage in this part of the journey. Sam and Ryan, and Sam and Morgan perhaps being the most significant, of course, but Sam’s bond with everyone is important in its own way. His bond with his parents, with Gary, Tiggy, and Kevin, with Justin (best friends 5eva), with Zero and the new dragons he collects, and, yes, even with Randall. They all play an important part in getting him ready to face what he needs to face with Myrin. I grew to respect Randall so much in this book. It was nice getting to know him on the level we did here. Also, Justin had a few chances to shine in this book, too, which I loved. I can’t wait for him to get his own book, eventually. That should be tons of fun.
The tone of Consumption is decidedly darker than that of the previous two books. There are those ridiculously hilarious moments we’ve come to expect from the series; don’t fret, but overall, it’s much heavier than especially The Lightning Struck Heart. Sam is pretty weighed down with all this destiny crap, and there isn’t much time for levity. Myrin is super creepy and evil. Sam’s arch nemesis, Lady Tina DeSilva, has started a group called the We-Hate-Sam-A-Lots, who are protesting all over Verania and generally causing trouble. The Great White doesn’t want to come easily into the fold. And, Sam has had to endure being separated from his people. And, that’s all in the first half! Seriously, there were a lot of points where I had to buckle up. Especially at the end.
So, yeah, this one was definitely rough in quite a few places. My feels were shredded at the end. Shredded. But, there was so much that was great about it. Oh! Speaking of awesome things about this book…A quick shout out to the EPIC prologue. Klune paints the whole picture for us of when Morgan came to get Sam and his parents out of the slums and, guhhhhh. It was so good, guys. Morgan is beyond amazing. His love for Sam or his intentions should just never be questioned. Also, the dragons are all so fabulous and cool, and I loved how Klune wrapped things up in this one and setup up the next chapter of the story. A Wish Upon the Stars is undoubtedly going to blow us away. I can’t wait.
You can buy The Consumption of Magic here:
[zilla_button url=”http://bit.ly/2zSZaPL” style=”blue” size=”medium” type=”round” target=”_blank”] Dreamspinner Press [/zilla_button][zilla_button url=”http://authl.it/B07779PRB8?d” style=”blue” size=”medium” type=”round” target=”_blank”] Amazon [/zilla_button][zilla_button url=”http://bit.ly/2zTgfZD” style=”blue” size=”medium” type=”round” target=”_blank”] Barnes & Noble [/zilla_button][zilla_button url=”http://apple.co/2zTWuRM” style=”blue” size=”medium” type=”round” target=”_blank”] iBooks [/zilla_button][zilla_button url=”http://bit.ly/2zVv3XK” style=”blue” size=”medium” type=”round” target=”_blank”] Kobo [/zilla_button]