Series: Master & Mages #3
Release Date: August 22nd 2019
Publisher: Gollancz
Pages: 448
Find it on: Goodreads. BookDepository. Waterstones.
Source: The publisher kindly sent me a copy of this book to review

Synopsis

Every war come down to the flash of bright steel.

Even when the air is full of magic . . .

Aranthur and his friends have come together across different continents and realms with one purpose: to strike back against the forces which have torn a hole in the heavens and threaten to tear the world beneath them apart as well.

With time running short, and treason at home, there are battles to be fought on the field, in the magical arena, and in the ever-deadly realm of politics, and they cannot fail anywhere or everything will fall. Victory will require enemies to trust one another, old foes to fight together, spies to reveal the truth and steadfast allies to betray long-corrupt rulers.

Is Aranthur, a twenty-year-old student, really the master strategist to bring it all together? And can he and his friends build enough trust to overcome aeons of lies when their plans inevitably fall to pieces?

Do they even know, for sure, who the enemy is . . .

Review

The Master and Mages trilogy has been one of my favourite series of late, and I’ve absolutely loved each instalment in this fast paced and enjoyable tale. In Bright Steel Miles Cameron takes this epic story to even new heights, and I loved every minute of it. This is a brilliant series from start to end, and definitely should not be missed.

It’s difficult to talk about the plot of the third book in a series without giving away spoilers, but we continue to follow Aaranthur our protagonist from the previous two books. Aaranthur makes for a wonderful hero in this story and it’s really fascinating seeing him develop and grow over the course of the story. He is constantly pushed to the limit, and fighting that line good and bad. I really liked that he’s not your absolutely perfect hero, he makes mistakes, questions his judgement and grows as a person.

One of my favourite aspects of this series is definitely the writing. Cameron really sucks you in and Bright Steel has a really engaging plot that will keep you wanting more. It’s so easy to fall back into the story and the world building is incredibly well done. The story has something for everyone with plenty of action, politics, betrayal and magic.

If you’ve read the previous two instalments, you are definitely not going to be disappointed in the conclusion. If you haven’t had a chance to start this brilliant series yet, now is the perfect time to binge the entire series.