Souls Reckoning (Broken Well, #3) by Sam Bowring

Souls Reckoning (Broken Well, #3) Reviews

• 
  Josh

  The conclusion to the Broken Well Trilogy is a fitting end to what is a very enjoyable (and easy-to-read) fantasy story written by Sam Bowring.
  
  There's no real surprises here with Bel (of the light) and Losara (the shadows) bringing the might of their respective armies against one another in a battle which consumes the vast majority of the novel.
  
  The plot lines were laid clear in earlier installments with all paths heading towards the reckoning of the respective souls with one set to rule over the land while the other is either cast into oblivion or left to be a backseat passenger; for which, you'll need to read the book.
  
  My rating: 4/5 stars; Soul's Reckoning, while not as good as the previously two books is still very entertaining and well written. The trilogy is accessible to readers who aren't into the traditional fantasy epic but want a surrealist story with well written and interesting fantastical characters.
• 
  Kirstie

  Bel and Losara - the two halves of a prophecised champions soul torn in two - approach the final battle which will decide if light or shadow is the victor and face their possible reunion.
  
  I just can't seem to make my mind up about this book right now (having finished it all of 10 minutes ago. One moment I applaud the steps it took in being bold and different, in turning fantasy standards (even tropes) around to be something new (for example that the shadow is not evil, just another ecosystem living in shadow), but then there were still certain things that left me unsatisfied.
  
  The majority of the book continues on as the second, with interesting impetus, and the final battle is as one would hope should be, but the ending itself... hmmm, well I liked it in some ways but it wasn't really satisfying for me. It boils down to I like what happened - that was cool - but there was so very much left unanswered and up in the air.
  
  I liked reading particularly the parts with Fahren and Elessa
  
  If you need to know preciesly my thoughts on the end, here they are: here there be ending spoilers. Ye've been warned:
  
  ENDING SPOILERS:
  While I loved (and hoped for) Losara to be the dominant personality upon reunion of the soul I think what left me unsatisfied was how little we saw of what he did. Yes, he beat the light. I'm cool with that, but there's only the vaugest references to how he left sun over the desert for the Saurians and over the Whisperwood. It's implied from the conversation he has with Fahren that he has left the people of the light to live their lives unthreatened now they have no God, but if there's no sun anywhere but the desert he's killing them all because no sun equals no produce from farmlands. I remember Losara admiring the creatures that lived on the border between the shadow and the light, and how he worried for their survival too. Did he lose too much of himself to care about all that?
  
  It was established that the well of souls for the light and light magic was forever gone, so when they died the creatures of the light would go to the shadow well instead to be reborn - but does that mean they come back as shadow creatures, or as light creatures but with shadow souls? Maybe I missed the answer there - but isn't he still ultimately destroying them if it's the former and not the latter - something he said he didn't want to do?
  
  Not only was the world's fate in general a little too up in the air for me, but there was no real answer as to which lover he would be keeping, and weirdest still the tiny flash you did get to see of the two young women there didn't seem to be much fuss in them about it - whereas that had been a major thing - I mean Lalenda tried to kill Jaya over it, she had a goddamn prophecy about it that implied the girls would be the deciding factor, but nothing felt very decided on that front.
  
  I was also hoping for a revelation of what precisely went down with the Gods, how the whole rift started. And having the shadow Gods just break the light God's well in the sky in the space of a paragraph felt terribly unclimactic and (here's that word again) unsatisfying.
  
  In general, I liked the outcome but needed a lot of questions answered, hence my unsettled feeling.
  
  To me it feels like there's still more story to come.
• 
  Shan

  Terrific conclusion to the series.
  Although the ending was a bit hastey.
  One of the problems faced through out the 2nd and 3rd book go unanswered and somewhat confusing.
  It left me unsatisfied, I wish the author delved deeper into it.
• 
  Upsilon Arts

  I enjoyed these books until the end. Too predictable, what I thought would happen did, in the most plod along exact way, no twist, nothing hidden. Sadly this transparency has jaded my view of the series.
• 
  Alexandra Fowler

  an unsatisfying and rushed ending to an otherwise enjoyable series
• 
  Nichole

  "It's about your supposing to know the difference between good and evil, and attributing them to the lands, when in fact they are hard enough to discover in individuals..."
  
  This sums up why I adore this book series, through splitting of the Blue Haired boys soul, we are able to grow up and see both worlds. While in Tolkien, Rowling and many other authors we have the two defined sides of good and evil, we are allowed to explore the murky shadows of both sides. Bowring's trilogy has wonderful, tender and frightening characters and once you have the cover of conviction he will pull that away to reveal uncertainty.
• 
  Sean Nicholls

  So much potential, such disappointment. Infuriating Deus Ex Machina, gradually unlike-able characters and forcibly trying to make me like the two irritating main characters got very annoying very quickly, especially when the underlying and very compelling storyline was sidelined in the cop-out ending.
  
  Second book was almost as bad, and the fact that both of the only compelling characters either became irrelevant or died in the prologue of the first book (which, mind you, was my favourite part of the series) shows that Sam Bowring simply tried too hard, it seems.
  
  Won't read again.
• 
  Ros

  I loved the series and think it is a breath of fresh air in the world of fantasy. I was left wanting more of a resolve at the end but could't put it down.
  
  Great fantasy read that is really quiet a different world.
• 
  Emelie

  Awesome end to an awesome trilogy. A lot of action, fast paced story and answers to many questions.
  The ending was a bit surprising. It was better than I expected it to be. It just left me with one question unanswered.
  
  Just read it if you like good fantasy!!!
• 
  Ellen

  The best and final book in the Broken Well Trilogy. I couldn't put it down.
  
  This one will challenge the way you think about good and evil.
  
  Brilliant!
• 
  Chrissy

  Really liked this book and series, wish it could go on for a few more books, great chatacters and world, will miss the character.