Book Review
The Rise of Magicks
by Nora Roberts
St. Martin’s Press © 2019
Chronicles of The One Book 3
Plot Summary:
The sickness (“The Doom”) spread like wildfire. With a 100% mortality rate, the population was quickly divided into segments: those that are immune, and those that are destined to succumb. Many who survive find themselves with new-found magick. Such a surge in power can, and does, corrupt some survivors. Those that are corrupted by their powers towards the darkness are Uncannys, and they are bent on indiscriminate destruction.
Magicks and those immune to The Doom continue to live in fear as they are hunted on two sides, both the Purity Warriors (working with uncannys) and the US government. What is left of the government continues to capture and experiment upon magicks. The containment centers which hold these prisoners are rife with abuse.
Into this world Fallon Swift is “The One” who came to fight the darkness. She must combine those that are left to fight. She and the residents of New Hope will help survivors find their light and use that light to defeat the darkness once and for all. After years of struggle and living in fear, can she convince those that live in the light to risk everything to take back their world?
My Thoughts:
One caution to readers: these books will not work as stand-alone stories. You will be hopelessly lost in characters and details if you do not start with book one (The One) and proceed through the story as intended.
In today’s COVID world, it may make readers feel uncomfortable to read about an out-of-control epidemic throwing the world into anarchy. Once I separated myself from reality and immersed myself into Nora Roberts’ world, I was truly able to enjoy the story.
This last installment in the Chronicles of the One Series is focused on the strategies of battle. Fallon Swift must amass and train her forces for battle. As they slowly and methodically take strategic bases and continue to build their strength. The analyst in me loved it. I loved the preparation and the strategizing footholds across the country. I can see, however, that this might be tedious to those who are not as methodical as I.
I also enjoyed that each of the characters developed in the series is an integral part of the story here. I enjoyed visiting Fred, Eddie, Rachel and others of the original New Hope settlement. I also appreciated how Mick and others with whom Fallon trained in book 2 came to fight for the light in the final book.
I am a big fan of Nora Roberts, and I (again) love the way she plotted and paced the final tale of this trilogy. Multiple plots were wrapped up with enough finality to satisfy loyal readers, but Roberts also left a few threads which can be pulled, should she ever wish to visit this world again (and I hope she does).