R. M. GarinoCritiques

Suspense and chaos.

There are a lot of fights in this story, both physical and emotional as the characters that we were introduced to in book one must fight to keep their futures safe. Arielle and Angus have to really come into their own in this story, doing what they can to try and be doing despite Arielle being fated to marry another angel.

Overall, the author does a fantastic job of worldbuilding, creating characters and places that are written with flowing imagery. The characterization is especially well done with the emphasis on character flaws throughout the piece. Plenty of questions I had from book one were answered, but this story left me with a few new ones. I’ll be keeping my eye out for the next book in the series.

As always with Garino’s books, there is plenty to love here. When we first open this book, we’re introduced to a world where Angels have been banished from Heaven and now live in a variety of Realms between their old home and Earth. There are a variety of different angels, each of them holding an important role. Citizens of the city of Sa’Doran depend on a shield to keep their city safe from the dangers lurking just outside. This plan won’t last though, and the city is looking for ways of evacuating the city. Before the can, trouble emerges in the form of two powerful demons who chase a band of angels into the new realm.

Worldbuilding in this story is very complex, but very well done. It took me a little bit to get my worlds and beings sorted out, but once I did, it was a very enjoyable read. Even though I’ve read Gates of Golorath, I found that this story offered a unique backstory of the world as I have come to know it. Just like in Golorath, the battle scenes in this story are all very well fleshed out and so are the characters.

There is a lot going on, and it can be a little tough to follow at times. I recommend reading this book more than once. I found that with the information I had from the first readthrough, it made the second readthrough easier to understand the story more enjoyable. I could easily see this as a television series.

So I always love a good angel story. This one did not disappoint.

The different factions of angels and the way that they interacted was interesting. However, I think my favorite storyline was that of Arielle. I could really her feel her grow throughout the book, and even though there is some romance in her story, it wasn’t immediate. We got to really meet her and root for her before she met the man she spotted at the beginning of the book.

Very complex with lots of worldbuilding, we see both the Realm of Humans, the Realms with Heaven and Hell, and the Realm in between. There are a lot of characters as well but getting a feel for each of who they were and what they wanted was a beautiful part of the story even when it got confusing at times.

While the plot moves slowly at first to introduce us to the characters, it picks up quickly leading for a very engaging read. Even though this is a long book, the writing was so well done that the time flew by.

Recommended for all epic fantasy fans!

A Fantasy as Tension-Producing as Any Fiction Set in the “Real” World

It’s difficult for a fantasy to generate any real tension in a reader … at least, until he/she is totally immersed in the story’s make-believe world. Before that, the threat to life and limb (which may or may not include humans) is often met with a shrug, a roll of the eyes, because, of course, the good guys will have another magical spell up their sleeves to save the day. This limitation, however, is not an issue for Requiem’s Reach. Even without a background in author Garino’s fantasy world, uneasiness rolled over me in waves during the action scenes. Perhaps that’s because these chapters have the feel of a military campaign—gains come only with tremendous personal sacrifice; enemies are allies because they’re less reprehensible than the others. It’s the kind of fantasy you could easily imagine in our world, although you’d rather not. And therein lies the tale’s ability to tie your stomach in a knot.

In a nutshell, the heroes of our story, led by Malachite, are fighting a doomed war against the Apostate, a fallen angel who retains his abilities. To escape his trap, they must cross over to the Patresilen, find the fabled and possibly illusory world of Raqui, align the two realms, and open the Gates of Golorath so the others may escape. Didn’t follow all of that? Well, to help manage this information overload of new worlds, races composed mostly of fallen angels, and our characters, the author provides a brief introduction. Even so, it’s a lot to follow.

I enjoyed the writer’s style. Magical spells were strange amalgamations of science, mathematics, and drawings. Humans were a misunderstood species, despised by some—“At least have the decency to keep the little creatures out of sight when you have company”—and respected by others. About the only concern I have in recommending this novella is whether it is an appropriate introduction to this imaginary realm. The author considers these novellas extensions to the main series, written so that the reader may better understand a character and his or her story. And as I said before, the composition of the world and its inhabitants is a lot to comprehend. My advice, however, is don’t worry about the details too much; the nature of the characters in this book becomes clear with their acts of cruelty or kindness, their betrayals, and their self-sacrifice on an ever-shifting battleground across multiple dimensions, making it a highly enjoyable read on its own.

Books written with lots of names meant to be expressed in an elvish or angelic sort of tongue are always difficult to navigate but just as with a book like “Lord of the Rings”, this sweeping epic is so good that you completely stop focusing on the names after a couple of eventful chapters. I loved the fast pacing, descriptive phrasing and solid characterizations throughout this 400 and something pages of Magi prose.

Here’s a really cool line, “Silence slid across the room with deft precision.” Here’s another, “He let the lesson settle in and find a home within him.” The author spent enough time on each character and event to make me want to keep turning the page as quickly as I could to find out what was going to happen next.

The fight scenes were so rousing they had me cringing with imaginary pain. I kept feeling like I was reading a story about elves but this was really an epic battle between Angels and Demons over the literal fate of humanity at “The Gates of Golorath” which lies between the ethereal world and the earthly one.

The writing was fantastic and I was particularly fascinated with the touching love story between Blademaster trainee, Arielle and the Magi, Angus. Their love was Romeo and Juliet-esque in so many ways.

Lastly, I was glad for the glossary at the back of the book. It was a great and helpful addition and I would suggest reading through it first. Thank you, R. M. Garino, for keeping the reader uppermost in your mind. I am honestly impressed that this is the first book you’ve wrestled to completion. Consider this a solid vindication that your writing addiction should definitely continue.

This book was so good! I really think any fans of Sarah J Maas would be big fans of this as well. I highly recommend this and I can't wait to read more of this world and these characters!