The Rise of Magicks, Chronicles of the One #3, by Nora Roberts
ISBN: 9781250123039 (hardcover)
ISBN: 9781250123060 (ebook)
ISBN: 9781531834630 (audiobook)
ASIN: B07L2QR5WD (Kindle edition)
Publication date: November 26, 2019
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
After the sickness known as the Doom destroyed civilization, magick has become commonplace, and Fallon Swift has spent her young years learning its ways. Fallon cannot live in peace until she frees those who have been preyed upon by the government or the fanatical Purity Warriors, endlessly hunted or locked up in laboratories, brutalized for years on end. She is determined to save even those who have been complicit with this evil out of fear or weakness—if, indeed, they can be saved.
Strengthened by the bond she shares with her fellow warrior, Duncan, Fallon has already succeeded in rescuing countless shifters and elves and ordinary humans. Now she must help them heal—and rediscover the light and faith within themselves. For although from the time of her birth, she has been The One, she is still only one. And as she faces down an old nemesis, sets her sights on the enemy’s stronghold, and pursues her destiny—to finally restore the mystical shield that once protected them all—she will need an army behind her…
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Book one of The Chronicles of the One, Year One, introduced the Doom and the apocalypse that caused a catastrophic change in humanity and reintroduced magick, both light and dark, to the world. The virus known as “the Doom” wiped out over 80% of the population in just months and caused at least half of the remaining population to manifest various magickal properties, either faerie, elfin, witch, shifter, etc. Most could handle this change and became aligned with light or white magick but many couldn’t handle the change and lost their grip with reality or became overwhelmed with their powers and became aligned with dark magick. Many unaffected by the virus became aligned with a group known as the “Purity Warriors” that blamed the “magickal” folk for the “Doom” and wanted to kill or enslave them all.
Max Fallon, an acclaimed author, and Lana Bingham, a chef, were both witches before the apocalypse with mild powers. Afterwards, their powers blossomed and they both became much stronger and along with numerous others, they survived and made it safely to begin a new life in New Haven. Max died protecting Lana and their unborn child in an epic battle against his brother and dark magick and Lana safely escaped from those seeking to do her unborn child harm. In the second book, Of Blood and Bone, 13 years have passed and Lana has made a new life for herself with a new husband and more children. Her eldest child and only daughter, Fallon aka “the Chosen One,” is preparing to go off with a magickal warrior to be taught what she needs to prepare for the ultimate battle between good and evil. Fast forward a few years and Fallon has returned to her family and is ready to not only do battle but take back Washington D.C. and New York from dark magicians and the “purity warriors” but also retrieve magickal beings that have been incarcerated, experimented upon, and taken as slaves. Fallon, her family, and those at New Haven are prepared for the worst and hoping for the best in book three, The Rise of Magicks.
The Rise of Magicks was a fast-paced read and much like both the Harry Potter and Hunger Games series, a story of young people, with the help of their elders, fighting to overcome evil and overthrow a corrupt regime. This series is definitely post-apocalyptic and dystopian in nature and the second and third books have all the hallmarks of being YA or NA in nature, with the The Rise of Magicks adding some romance to the equation. I’ve read and enjoyed almost every Nora Roberts and J.D. Robb book out there, but I’m somewhat torn about this series. I thoroughly enjoyed the first book, Year One which set everything up and heavy on the surviving the apocalypse. The second book, Of Blood and Bone was a bit heavier on the magick and describing the post-apocalyptic world but still enjoyable. The Rise of Magicks had to have the epic battle of good versus evil but there was just something about it that felt a bit off for this reader. Don’t get me wrong, I did enjoy reading it and liked the conclusion well enough but it felt a bit contrived or forced. I felt I knew what was going to happen well before I read about it and therefore wasn’t very surprised with too much of the action. Was it a good read? Yes, it was still a good read and it nicely tied up the loose ends from the previous books. I enjoyed getting to read about the characters we were introduced to in the previous books, especially Arlys, Fred, Rachel, Jonah, Katie, etc. Perhaps I expected a little too much from this final book, although I enjoyed reading it I was just expecting to be blown away by the conclusion and I wasn’t. That didn’t detract from my overall enjoyment, but it didn’t rank as high as I had hoped. If you’ve read the first two books in this series, then I recommend you read The Rise of Magicks so you’ll know how things end. If you’re a Nora Roberts fan and enjoy reading her paranormal writings, then you’ll definitely want to add this trilogy to your TBR list. I’m happy I read all three books. Who knows, I may reread this trilogy in a few months and be pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoy all three books.
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