3.5 stars. I was going to do full review in the beginning, but I've changed my mind. It's mainly because many things have hindered my reading of this book and it took me a while to finish it. But then "Triumphant Love" was a pretty long book to begin with, and being the last book of Banished Saga, I was eagerly waiting for it until sh!t hit the fan in my personal life, as well as worldwide. Who the hell wants a pandemic tell me? I don't know how to explain my feelings as I read the book but it's been really odd with all that's been affecting my reading life lately. But it's bittersweet to say the least, saying 'goodbye' to a series I've been following since 2013.

If you are a fan of the Saga already, you'll be in for a treat, seeing all of your favorite characters coming together as they gather in Missoula where Gabriel lives. There's also some thrilling moments, suspenseful incidents that are both happy and sad. But everywhere, the tune was the same; it was time to say goodbye. One of the best moments of the story had to be the epilogue of the book. I don't wanna reveal exactly why but it left a big smile on my face. I was so happy for Sophronia and her gang, the girls (Clarissa, Florence, Zylphia, Parthena, Rowena), then felt utterly sad that this maybe the last time I'm going to read about them. It's been raining the whole morning today which kind of reflected my mood as I finished "Triumphant Love".

If I really have to mention it, the only thing that I kind of disliked was Eleanor's character. I didn't precisely hate her but she wasn't the most inspiring person either. I tried my best to sympathize with her due to her past but gosh, it was difficult since she was one of the major characters! I'm still not sure whether she was the correct choice for Jeremy and that kind of affected my enjoyment of the book.

It also occurred to me that another pandemic that happened in 1918, was mentioned in one of the previous installments, where I lost 2 of my favorite characters because of it. Which also almost broke me because I wasn't prepared for it at all. I'm trying hard not to find a connection between that and with our current situation but I can't help myself TBH. Was that a kind of foreshadowing? I don't know. I kept thinking of that the whole time I was reading this book, even if that pandemic isn't mentioned anywhere here. This last story takes place around 2 yrs. after the initial blow of it.

For any newbie to the series, please begin from the very first book that started it all, titled "Banished Love". All the books are very, very much interconnected and needed to be read in order to understand all that have been going on in a tale that spanned almost 20yrs (from 1899-1920).

I'd like to thank Ramona for this wonderful journey that she took us through for the past 7 yrs. It was wonderful and so worth it! I highly recommend this series. Also thanks for sending me a review copy. x

If you’re a fan of Banished Saga by Ramona Flightner as I am, and have read the series so far, you’ll probably know that this series is coming to an end next month with it’s 9^th installment. And although it makes me really emotional, and extremely sad, I know all the good things have to come to an end at one point or the other. I’ve been really enjoying these short snippets of the lives of our favorite characters from the series since Ramona had taken to deliver them to her newsletter subscribers as Christmas gifts for the past few years. Irrepressible Love, being the one before the last installment, makes it even more precious to me.

Irrepressible Love is a short story that focuses on once uppity librarian Hester Loken who has been a recurring character in the Saga for the past few installments. Everybody around her thought she was firmly on the shelf, that she’ll live out her life as a spinster. Even Hester convinced herself that something so magical as the love of a good man is too good to be true for her. She’s not one of those lucky women and never will be, even having friends like Clarissa MacLeod or Araminta Sullivan who have found love in the previous installments of the series. Enter Jim Bailey, a blacksmith who was working for Colin Sullivan, husband to Araminta and brother of Clarissa, and Hester’s life’s plan goes out the window. Only she has no idea whether for better or for worse. Hester longs for this to be a reality, but afraid to hope too much. What will she do?

TBH, I had a hard time remembering Jim from any previous installments so I was a little taken a back with all that has been happening. But it didn’t hinder my enjoyment at all. Hester deserved love and she found someone who adored her back exactly the same, if not more. I couldn’t have been happier for the two.

Irrepressible Love sets the tone for the final installment of the series, Triumphant Love, coming January 2020. I’ll also suggest not reading this story before reading the previous installments because it contains spoilers you may not expect or even like. But highly recommended for the fans of the series.

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My dear Savannah,

In the past 8 installments of Banished Saga, I’ve come to know you so well; felt we’ve become friends as much as I found myself feeling the same for every other member of the McLeod/Sullivan family introduced in this series. I have to admit that initially I found you to be snotty and rather irritating and I liked Clarissa better. :) I wasn’t sure of your match with Jeremy, but despite it all, you’ve found love in one another. And over the course of these 4+ yrs you’ve proved me wrong over and over again.

I knew you’ve found love, but the serenity of life eluded you even when you were with Jeremy. I knew you craved a child so badly that I prayed your wish would come true. Even when it didn’t happen that way, I’d hoped you’d find peace with Jeremy and Melinda in your life. In this installment, I was so excited for you that I can’t even explain. Hoped that finally, after all that you’ve been through, you’d have your wish fulfilled. You’ll finally find peace within yourself and be at peace with life itself.

But alas, that was not to be.

I don’t know if you’re finally at peace now that you’re somewhere no living being can reach you. I just hope you’re doing well as Melinda accompanies you there too.

Abiding Love is the 8th installment of Ramona Flightner’s Banished Saga series. It’s one of my favorite family-centered series, which is also quite aptly titled as we find our favorite characters going through ups and downs like any normal couple will weathering incidents bound to test their love for each-other. This is also one of the more unique attributes of this Saga; that the story of a couple isn’t finished with the HEA. As we find new things to appreciate in this series, the Saga continues as it should showcasing their lives with all its glory, as well as its difficulties.

The Banished Saga, when it began, was onset of suffragist movement of Boston 1901. Along the way we met many characters, including our favorite, the first couple of the series Clarissa and Gabriel in Banished Love. Their story was ongoing in books 2 and 3, Reclaimed Love and Undaunted Love. We also met Clarissa and Gabriel’s family. Clarissa’s own brothers Colin, and Patrick who wasn’t introduced until much later. Her cousin Savannah and best friend Florence, both avid suffragettes and worked with Clarissa throughout. Gabriel’s younger brothers Richard and Jeremy were also introduced, as was their long lost uncle Aidan. Later in the series, Jeremy and Savannah found love, while Richard and Florence, who had an ongoing rift between them, mend it and decided to marry.

Greifbare, gelebte Geschichte ist für den Autor John Gwynne einer der stärksten Faktoren, die sein Schreiben beeinflussen. Das Nachstellen historischer Ereignisse gehört zu seinen Hobbies. Oh ja, Mr. Gwynne hüpft gern in ein Kostüm und spielt Schlachten, Turniere und das mittelalterliche Alltagsleben nach – begleitet von seiner gesamten Familie. Eine herrliche Schrulle. Er erklärt, dass die Erfahrungen, die er dort sammelte, den Entstehungsprozess des High Fantasy – Epos „The Faithful and the Fallen“ entscheidend inspirierten. „Malice“ ist der Auftakt der vierteiligen Reihe, mit dem ich mich vertrauensvoll in die Hände eines Schriftstellers übergab, der tatsächlich weiß, wie es sich anfühlt, einen Schwerthieb abzublocken.

Einst wurden Menschen und Riesen als unsterbliche Herren über die Erde geschaffen. Sie bevölkerten die Schöpfung des Gottes Elyon und lebten in Harmonie. Doch sie wurden beobachtet. Hasserfüllt und eifersüchtig blickte Elyons Gegenspieler Asroth auf die Welt. Bosheit erfasste ihn. Hinterlistig entzweite er Menschen und Riesen. Der Tod, vormals unbekannt, hob sein hässliches Haupt. Ströme aus Blut färbten die Erde und Elyons Zorn war schrecklich. Er entsandte seine Elitekrieger, die Ben-Elim, um seine geliebte Schöpfung auszulöschen. Sein Urteil war fast vollstreckt, als Elyon aus der Anderswelt Asroth‘ Lachen vernahm. Er erkannte, dass er hereingelegt worden war. Bestürzt und von tiefer Trauer überwältigt rettete er die Ruinen seiner ehemals prachtvollen Welt und verschwand. Er kehrte nicht zurück. Noch immer kämpfen die Ben-Elim gegen Asroth und seine Heerscharen, während die Völker der Erde in den Trümmern des Krieges zu überleben versuchen.
Jahrtausende später wächst Asroth‘ Einfluss erneut. Eine Prophezeiung weissagt, dass das Schicksal der Welt zwischen zwei Kämpfern entschieden wird: der Schwarzen Sonne und dem Leuchtenden Stern. Der junge Corban ahnt nicht, dass seine Zukunft eng mit der Prophezeiung verknüpft ist und dass sein Erwachen der Beginn des letzten Krieges sein wird…

„Malice“ ist nicht sehr originell. Leser_innen, die in der High Fantasy bewandert sind, wird schnell auffallen, dass der Reihenauftakt einige Details enthält, die deutlich an andere Vertreter des Genres erinnern. Zwischen den Zeilen lächelten George R.R. Martins „A Song of Ice and Fire“, Peter V. Bretts „Demon Cycle“ und Brandon Sandersons „Mistborn“-Reihe hervor. Es wirkte, als hätte John Gwynne einen Streifzug durch ein High Fantasy Factory-Outlet unternommen und all jene Elemente in seinen Einkaufswagen gepackt, die er für sein eigenes Epos als passend erachtete. Ich scheue mich trotz dessen, von einem Plagiat zu sprechen, weil ich das Ergebnis seiner Shoppingtour durchaus als individuell empfand. Die grundlegenden Ideen sind nicht revolutionär, aber die Geschichte, die Gwynne daraus spinnt, erschien mir dennoch einzigartig. Ich war sogar versucht, „Malice“ mit vier Sternen zu honorieren, konnte jedoch nicht darüber hinwegsehen, dass ich etwa 200 Seiten brauchte, um in die Handlung zu finden. Durch häufige Perspektivwechsel nimmt diese eher langsam Fahrt auf. Den Leser_innen wird viel Zeit gewährt, um die Figuren kennenzulernen und sich im Universum der Verbannten Lande zurechtzufinden. Besondere Aufmerksamkeit erhält natürlich Corban, dessen Aufwachsen ich mit Freude beobachtete. Ich durfte erleben, wie aus einem tollpatschigen Feigling ein mutiger Krieger mit starkem Gerechtigkeitssinn wurde und entwickelte daher eine enge Bindung zu ihm. Der Aspekt des Coming of Age entspricht in der High Fantasy ebenfalls nicht der Neuerfindung des Rades, doch es funktionierte. Die anderen POV-Charaktere dienten meinem Empfinden nach hauptsächlich dazu, einen weitreichenden Eindruck der Verbannten Lande zu vermitteln, die Eigenheiten des Settings vorzustellen und die Rollen der Geschichte zuzuweisen. Für mich war neben Corban vor allem Kastell interessant, durch dessen Augen ich mit den Riesen in Kontakt und Konflikt trat. Meiner Meinung nach ist die prominente Implementierung der Riesen der eine Faktor, der „Malice“ trotz des hohen Wiedererkennungswertes aufgrund genretypischer Strukturen, Figuren und Motive die dringend benötigte Kreativität lieferte. Das Volk der Riesen ist häufig nur eine Randerscheinung – John Gwynne hingegen deutet an, dass sie den Menschen einst gleichgestellt waren und über unschätzbares Wissen und beeindruckende Fähigkeiten verfügten. Die Exemplare, gegen die Kastell kämpfen muss, wirkten bar jeglicher Kultiviertheit oder Weisheit, nichtsdestotrotz stammt die Prophezeiung, die den entscheidenden Krieg um das Schicksal der Erde voraussagt, von einem Riesen. Es bleibt abzuwarten, inwieweit Gwynne das vorurteilsbehaftete Bild dieses Volkes in den Folgebänden korrigieren wird. Ich hoffe sehr, dass er sich auf diesen Punkt konzentriert, denn dort versteckt sich das Potential, „The Faithful and the Fallen“ aus dem tiefen Schatten des Genres heraustreten zu lassen.

Nach der Lektüre von „Malice“ wäre es leicht, anzunehmen, dass „The Faithful and the Fallen“ nicht viel zu bieten hat. Die Geschichte wirkt vorgezeichnet. Episch, aber vorhersehbar und zu genrekonform, um zu überraschen. Trotz dessen behauptet mein Bauchgefühl steif und fest, dass es sich lohnen wird, nachsichtig zu sein und dran zu bleiben. Unbestritten, John Gwynne muss nachlegen. Will er ernstgenommen werden und einen rechtmäßigen Platz in der Riege der High Fantasy – Autor_innen erobern, muss er sich von risikoarm erscheinenden Basiselementen distanzieren und etwas Neues wagen. Er muss seinen eigenen Impulsen vertrauen. „Malice“ lässt erahnen, dass das Potential dazu sowohl in ihm als auch in seiner Geschichte schlummert, denn das Buch begann, mich genau dann zu fesseln, als die Handlung den sicheren Hafen des Bekannten verließ. Das kann kein Zufall sein. Nur Mut, Mr. Gwynne. Wachsen Sie über sich hinaus.

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A very short and sweet Christmas story for the fans of Banished Saga. Christmas in Boston takes place after book 3.5 and 10 or so years before the current books are set (there's a jump in time in book 4, Tenacious Love) but it's written in a way that you can enjoy it whether you've already read the series till the latest installment or you're somewhere in the middle of it.

But Christmas in Boston is NOT recommended until you've read Undaunted Love (PART TWO) because of the connected incidents. The story tells us about one of our favorite characters and McLeod brothers' uncle Aidan, his long lost love Delia, and their daughter Zylphia's first Christmas together. Even in these few pages, there are surprises and revelations that'd melt your heart. If you've already read till book 3.5 then this story will fill in some of the voids and make you smile in pleasure. :) If not, then I highly recommend you dive into this series ASAP!

To recieve a free copy of this and other short stories containing snippets in the lives of Banished Saga's favorite characters, sign up for Ramona's Newsletter.