In the third installment of The Inheritance Cycle, Eragon and Saphira find themselves once again with their loyalties stretched in all directions. There is the promise Eragon made to Roran, his cousin. Beyond that they must also help to protect humans, elves, dwarves, and urgals. It is a heavy load for two so young to be carrying. Will they be able to protect everyone as well as continue on their way to defeating Galbatorix? Will they fail?

I was eager to start reading this book after finishing Eldest, and I am happy to say that I enjoyed this book even more than Eldest. The beginning is much smoother, and it wasn't at all hard for me to fall into the story. I was actually trying to read faster in order to see what was going to happen next!

My favorite part of this entire book were the few chapters in Saphira's point of view. It was incredibly interesting to finally learn more about her thought process. I've heard her that her attitude could be compared with that of a cat, and I'd have to agree. She's very sure of herself and quite proud of her abilities.

The ending was beautiful, intermingling feelings of sadness and hope. You know when you're reading a book and you get this sense of foreboding? That's what happened to me. I guessed that I knew what was going to happen, yet from that point on I hoped it wouldn't. It did happen, though, and it hurt. There are battles throughout the book with people dieing, but when these beings died and the book ended, I felt the sense of hopelessness, yet also that this would give Eragon and Saphira a push they needed to defeat Galbatorix and end his rule over the empire. I guess I'll have to wait on the fourth book in order to finally see!

Overall, this was a really great read! This series as a whole really captured me, which is pretty impressive considering that I am not much of a fantasy lover. So many things were left open in this book, and I'm really curious to see if the author will be able to wrap up this series satisfactorily in just one more book.

My rating- 4/5 stars

Posted by Melanie at 8:07 AM    

Labels: 4 stars, Brisingr, Christopher Paolini