The Bound and the Broken: Of War and Ruin (spoiler free review) by Ryan Cahill

[@RyanCahillAuthor]

Name a time and place, Matt. I'd love to chat on your channel! Thank you so much for your incredible kind words. I'm just happy you were able to find so much to love in the series so far ❤️

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Awesome, I look forward to it! I'll have my people (me) reach out to your people (you)

[@russianblob3157]

Ryan, Matt, you are both awesome. I'm only half way through the first book, and I already ordered the rest of the series. Such an awesome feeling when you start the series and you know its going to be right up your alley.

[@dinocollins720]

yes! Would love to see this!

[@RyanCahillAuthor]

@@MattsFantasyBookReviews I'll have my people (me) answer the phone.

[@0Arman0]

Yesss!

[@FKDotFitzgerald]

I finished OW&R 2 weeks ago and I’ve been fervently awaiting this review. Cahill is insane. These 1100 pages just flew by.

[@liamkelly84]

Matt, you deserve a lot of credit for how seemlessly you seem to do what feels like a worthwhile review without having to discuss spoilers. Feels like a lot of other reviewers really struggle to find things to say when they are doing "spoiler free".

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Thanks so much, that's super kind of you!

[@DrMetalpin]

This series also has at least 2 more big books remaining according to Ryan. I can only imagine how great those next books are gonna be. His writing just keeps improving with each novella and novel. Truly outstanding and I’m so glad I began reading the series a couple months ago. I’ve completely caught up on it and in “wait” mode for the next ones.

[@masterknife8423]

If so that's great. This world he's created has become more and more interesting along with every character

[@tylerblack301]

This series is one of the best in modern day fantasy. So glad to hear you enjoyed this book! 1400 pages sure flies by when it’s written this well!

[@DoNotLookDown]

The biggest book I read last year and it feels like there wasn't a wasted page. Even my least favorite POV, Rist, was very enjoyable. The way the characters split and come together in the end was some of the best I've ever seen it done. I hope you enjoy The Ice. I found it a little unnecessary but still enjoyable.

[@KindlesandKicks]

I’m reading this right now and amazed at how much the lore and world building grew even from the second book. This is also one of the only multi-POV books wherein every POV kept me pretty much interested throughout. I can’t say it’s better than Wheel of Time, but that series has a special place in my heart. However, Ryan Cahill is definitely Jordan’s star pupil.

[@FKDotFitzgerald]

That’s the thing that blew me away. As the list of POVs grew, I was certain that we’d eventually get one that I’d essentially have to trudge through to return to my favorite characters. But nope. Everyone from Calen to Eltoar to Ella to Dayne to Dahlen had me completely invested.

[@DrMetalpin]

Of War and Ruin is absolutely one of the best epic fantasy novels I’ve ever read. The thing about Lord of the Rings is that it basically created the genre and served as a template for pretty much every fantasy series that followed it. You really can’t judge when you read it after reading other series for decades. It’s like saying a current sports athlete is better than one of the legends from a different era. Of course they are better now physically, but you have to judge the athlete by how much more they stand out over their competition at the time they were playing. To me that’s why guys like Chamberlain and Jordan are better than the current ones. They were so far and above better than the athletes they were playing against plus they influenced everyone that followed and also changed styles of play. Tolkien did that. Series are still following that formula. Sure there is better writing now, but perhaps it wouldn’t have existed without Tolkien so many years ago.

[@itsaduck]

Been waiting for this review :D. Probably my favourite book of the last 5-10 years.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Yeah it's so so so good!

[@tabithamiscellania]

Well you've convinced me. On the tbr it goes. I tried the first book last year and it just was that eye of the world deal where nothing had happened for so much in the beginning. I liked the writing but I was getting impatient. I'll give it another try if it's that good!

[@jimfarmar5939]

I’m so pumped to jump into book two! Waiting for “The Fall” special edition from TBB to arrive and then it’s on

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Enjoy!

[@clarkkentnaruto4322]

Hey Matt. Wow, thanks for that review. I loved reading while listening to the Wheel of Time, so I know that I will likely love this series. I also wanted to let you know, that I am 75% into listening to the Bands of Mourning by Brandon Sanderson. I will likely finish it on Wednesday of this week. Wish me luck, for after that, I have it on my list to listen to the Lost Metal. That is, unless you all think that I should start reading while listening to the Stormlight Archive first. I might toss everything aside and listen to Ryan CaHill instead. I just hesitate about not finishing a series.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

I would do lost metal first since the series will be fresh on your mind!

[@grn7522]

Once Cahill finishes up this main story(two more tomes and a novella), he has plans for other stories in the same world. Crazy that he’s self-published.

[@mattamant915]

As much as I enjoy watching all these list videos that we see all the time, I'm grateful that you consistently put out individual review videos. You and Durfee are great at keeping that up.

[@ryansmith8506]

Just finished book 1 and to be honest I loved it so I am so excited for the next books

[@jayrocs]

Another on-going Fantasy series that gives me the same excitement and vibes is The Vagrant Gods series. Book 1 was good and Book 2 just takes off running. Two really good epic high fantasies that I haven't really seen much of in the past decade.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Yeah that one is on my TBR!

[@tedddenzel6769]

Brooo I am so glad someone has read that series...I was so blown away by it. Amazing read

[@jwcarlson]

I am halfway through Of Blood and Fire and it's certainly trope-y. But it's well written and I am enjoying the story and relationships as they develop.

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Yeah I felt very similar!

[@LoneStarViking90]

im a third of the way through this book and loving every page. This series just keeps trending skyward for me and rewards the shit out of the reader. Im a Cahill fan for life.

[@robert_lightsong]

I’ve been hesitant to start book 3. You just convinced me to pick it up immediately. Thanks Matt!

[@jamespringle7408]

I am 60 percent though this right now. It is perfect

[@MargueriteKrux2]

My favorite read of 2023. Loved everything about it

[@Danny_Matson]

Your whole calm tone in this video really gives off honest "mind blown 🤯" vibes.... You're a very effective sell and you've sold me.

[@logangoodner9559]

I just finished this book last night it took me over a month to finish haha. Love the series. The author has talked a lot about how his big influences are John Gwynne and Wheel of Time so it's cool hearing you say that too.

[@noteuser15]

Nice review Man! I really would love to get to this, but I'm usually a pretty slow reader, and I have so many other books I want to read too! I'm jealous that you can read so many books lol

[@theblackberseker1978]

I read The Fall and was hooked but OBAF was nothing special then I saw your ODAL review and I was like I’ll push through. Starting ODAL soon

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Yeah stick with it!

[@ashleyholbird4287]

Reading of Blood and Fire right now. Really hoping books 2 and 3 knock words of radiance out of the nunber 1 spot that its been at for 2 years

[@gnomishviking3013]

I swear every other fantasy book title is now "A______of_____and_____" Then mix in vague foliage and medieval imagery in the background.

[@pizza6464]

The Bound and the Broken has become top 5 series I have ever read. It’s just everything I love about epic fantasy.

[@TomOrange]

Man I read The Fall at the end of 2023. I thought it was good but it didnt really push me to move forward right away but with you singing its praises I need to move it up the tbr

[@taylor-kenny]

Wow alright, I'm currently reading "Of Blood and Fire" and this is really going to help me keep pushing through. I'm enjoying the first book... but I can't help but feel a tad bored sometimes. Like I've read this before. It's nice to know it gets a lot better!

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Yeah I felt VERY similarly on my read of the first book.

[@SamHarrison2099]

This was my #1 book of 2023 and it wasnt even close

[@Ak1193]

Easily my favorite book of 2023! Where would it place in your 2023 rankings?

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

#1!

[@MrHellgate82]

I'm in a camp who read the first book in a series, but haven't picked the next one yet. I'm going to be honest, it's not about quality, because I liked it a lot, but because of the length of these books. I really don't have much time to read, with work and my other hobbies, and I would rather read 3 shorter books than 1 long one. (That's why Wondering Inn is a big no no, as well)

[@rudybotha4398]

I think the best part of this series is that it takes me where I wanted to go in Lord of the Rings and Eragon. I wanted to see more Elves, Dwarves etc. Lord of the rings and Eragon both felt like we were only allowed to peak at the world

[@FibonacciUser-j2w]

Bought all of them cause i just know this is the series for me, thank you for the review

[@sunnythomas9738]

I can’t wait for the interview!

[@dinocollins720]

Another fantastic video! Thank you

[@MaxFidler]

2 of the novellas could each be series by themselves! I love this series.

[@misternegative4918]

Should be reading The Exile this month, then getting to Of War and Ruin soon.

[@akellerhouse83]

Everyone is talking about this series lately! It's on my tbr for 2024 for sure.

[@MimiWhimsy]

Wow. I don't know that I've heard such a compelling sell on a series. TBR...added! Thanks for sharing! (And I love the author's note below!) :o)

[@PsyKotyK]

Hey , I just bought the bound and broken novels got all 3 for like 15 bucks for kindle . Im excited to start them . Have you read age of madness trilogy ? If so how was it

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

Yes, Age of Madness is incredible. But you need to read The First Law trilogy first.

[@totallysick88able]

Although the first book is really well written, I almost quit there because it did feel very cookie cutter unoriginal but I am very glad I pushed on. This series really takes a turn for the better 👍

[@praetorxyn]

Looking forward to this series, but I've got a couple readalongs going that are ftajibg up my tine.

[@rudybotha4398]

The fact that you mention this is not unpredictable like A Song Of Ice and Fire to me makes me want to read it more. 😂 unpredictable can be wow, but it does not necessarily make for a satifying ending. Especially if it's just killing characters... I'd almost say these days it's a trope to take a trope like "here is excalibur" and then they mention it's really just a sword and you gonna die without skill. And then Arthur dies... The only books that were unpredictable where I enjoyed the ending was Faithfull and the Fallen. Five Warrior Angels and Poppy War trilogy was super fun to read to a point... it was unpredictable yes but the endings were not fun to read at all. I am in the minority but i just dont have excitement for A Song Of Ice and Fire.

[@masterknife8423]

Fantastic book and I've still not finished it yet

[@yevgeniyermakov5582]

Ok, sold! Gonna check this trilogy out.

[@eggbert6900]

I didnt like faithful and the fallen. Am i going to struggle with this?

[@ryanfeagin7115]

I'm interested if you'd enjoy the Drizzt Do'Urden fantasy series by R.A. Salvatore, and where they'd rank for you.

[@ryhmetravila8085]

Holy shit a book we agree on

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

The stars have aligned!

[@Follownodobdy]

I am waiting for Dan to come into his own

[@Haney7]

Let's goooo. I Couldn't agree more!

[@thatsci-firogue]

I will eventually continue but the first novel and novella were too Traditional Fantasy for my personal taste, and i didn't love the writing style.

[@DanExploresBooks]

Dang. Ruining my TBR plans again.

[@benbryan4468]

Where's the review of The Bone Shard Daughter my guy? 😝

[@phroz3n]

This series did not click with me. It felt like it was essentially a copy/paste of Eragon/LOTR/WoT (or extremely derivative at best) with a protagonist that has the temperament of an angry toddler.

[@Sir_Misery.]

Yessirrrr

[@favrewanab]

I do not get the love for this series at all. To say this improved upon what Wheel of Time started is quite frankly ridiculous in my opinion. It's a shell of what WoT is. It isn't bad per se but it isn't great either. If I had to describe it in one word it would be MEDIOCRE. It did improve with each book like you said on my comment on your Of Blood & Fire video. This last book was at times pretty good. But even in this one the writing was just too uneven. From cringe worthy dialog to poor narrative decisions there were multiple instances where something just took me out of it and I would have to put the books down for awhile before continuing. There were times that the series made me want to keep reading even though I didn't have time too but those instances were much too few and far between. The mistakes did almost go away in this last book; he either got better editors or more of them or they have gotten better at their jobs as well. Whatever happened it's a drastic improvement over the first book in that regard. I feel like Cahill is improving as a writer but that the story has gotten away from him a bit. I actually rank the novellas ahead of any of the main books; the first two anyway, I have not read The Ice yet. It just feels like he does a better job when concentrating on a smaller scale story. I'm still glad I continued reading it; if I hadn't already bought most of the series I would probably have stopped after book 1. But the story improved enough to make it worth reading overall. But as it stands it won't even be in my top 25 series. Everyone has different tastes but I don't get the love this series is getting here on BookTube. If this is what "great modern fantasy" is becoming then I long for the old days.

[@mdc123-v2v]

Honestly. I had to stop reading. The dialogue, the narrative, the characterization, just became unbearably cliched. Going from this to Will of the Many was like jumping from Eric Carle to Steven Erikson. It reads like a fan fiction or something Chat GPT wrote after consuming the Inheritance Cycle, Stormlight Archive, WOT, GOT and a few John Gwynne books. There's absolutely zero originality. I thought after 2 previous books the story would begin to find it's own voice, but it continues to flat-out copy it's peers. I also don't think Ryan Cahill knows how to write complex character POV's without them being some grandiose expression of emotion. In the third book, the extended character interactions often boil down to soul-baring episodes, swinging between tears and high-fives and post trauma-bonding, with little nuance in between. The emphasis every 2 pages on Calen being a Dralid and his bond with Valerys grew so tiresome, I was rolling eyes at every point he was pressing his head against Valery's and bromancing. I'm just really shocked at how such a derivative, poorly written series is getting so hyped.

[@grn7522]

TLDR: “You can only like what I like or else youre dumb”

[@mdc123-v2v]

@@grn7522 You're" and if that's what you took from my comment, then that's on you. I provided reasoning for my view, not a little sarcastic throwaway comment.

[@grn7522]

@@mdc123-v2v You should probably include the other quotation mark if YOU’RE going to correct my lazy lack of an apostrophe.

[@Speed202]

Faithful and the Fallen....HA...I thought you were going to neglect to mention the inspiration. ...the hat tilt, if you will. But, this book is so so so awesome. People should use it at weddings instead of the Bible. It's just so so perfect.

[@ivorv5063]

chill out

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

no u

[@გიორგიგელაძე-მ4ნ]

Where do people get the idea of calen being a chosen one i will never understand

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

It's a small variation of the chosen one trope, but he's definitely that role in this series.

[@გიორგიგელაძე-მ4ნ]

@@MattsFantasyBookReviews no it is not everything started with accident calen met erik randomly there where no destiny

[@MattsFantasyBookReviews]

The chosen one trope can also start with accidents. It's really just defined as an inevitable hero of the story as a result of either destiny or unique gifts. I mean, Luke Skywalker's journey started with an accident, and he's like the definition of a chosen one.

[@ViriuZ7]

@@გიორგიგელაძე-მ4ნ Valerys chose Calen

[@focusrelax8838]

To much of terry Brook style. This author might be able to write write something else. Pros are okay