Jen Williams: The Poison Song

Hi everyone

The Poison Song is the third and final book in Jen Williams’ The Winnowing Flame Trilogy. I got my copy from Bol.com.

"All is confusion. The Jure'lia are weak, but the war is far from over.Ebora was once a glorious city, defended by legendary warriors and celebrated in song. Now refugees from every corner of Sarn seek shelter within its crumbling walls, and the enemy that has poisoned their land won't lie dormant for long.The deep-rooted connection that Tormalin, Noon and the scholar Vintage share with their Eboran war-beasts has kept them alive so far. But with Tor distracted, and his sister Hestillion hell-bent on bringing ruthless order to the next Jure'lia attack, the people of Sarn need all the help they can get.Noon is no stranger to playing with fire and knows just where to recruit a new - and powerful - army. But even she underestimates the epic quest that is to come. It is a journey wrought with pain and sacrifice - a reckoning that will change the face of Sarn forever."

What a conclusion this was.
Just like with my review of the second book, The Bitter Twins, this book was good, but not as good as the first book in the series, The Ninth Rain.

To me, the story has pacing and tension issues. The book starts out very, very slow. I loved the action scenes and the story, but the further I got into the series, the more I disliked Tor and his moping, complaining personality. Since the second book, almost all his scenes involve him drinking, sulking, moping around, and complaining about his life and the state of the world. And suddenly, he’s apparently the first one ever to come up with the idea to follow the Jure’lia when they go away? Like, really? There’s just too much drama. I enjoy Jen Williams’ writing, it’s easy to read and it flows very nicely but I really disliked the drama, especially from Tor and Noon.

I was glad we finally learned about Noon’s past, even though we kind of already knew. And I loved the warbeasts; they were all very different, with distinct personalities, and they evolved just as much as the human characters.
Hestillion’s arc was predictable, so even though I really liked her character, I was a bit disappointed by that. Chenlo was a great addition to the main cast; I loved her journey and how she changed. I also applaud Williams for the natural way Aldasair became much more self-assured. It could have easily become unbelievable and unrealistic, but instead, it felt natural.

I really loved the action scenes. They were chilling, full of tension, and not too dramatic.
And the ending was great. Not everyone survived, and I really think that’s the way it should be. It’s aggravating when a whole cast of characters comes out of a grand battle only mildly harmed.

All in all, The Poison Song has great ideas and is nicely written, but there’s too much drama for my taste.
Have you read The Poison Song? Did you enjoy it more than I did, or did you feel the same way? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Happy reading!
Helena