Here, in the midst of rusting cars and cracked asphalt, we are shown a magic that is wild and mysterious and is somehow seamlessly joined to the broken world from which it sprang. The training sequences and quests that the One must complete are the elements that reminded me so strongly of epic fantasy. We see the One grow and learn and near their thirteenth year, when they must leave home and beginning their training in earnest. Of Blood and Bone picks up a few years after the end of Year One. The fact that she not only pulled it off by absolutely nailed it commands respect. The fact that Nora, after decades of writing romance laced with tendrils of the supernatural, would take such a giant leap into writing a radically different story, is commendable. Chronicles of the One is a perfect blending of post-apocalyptic dystopia and epic fantasy. I am completely blown away by Nora’s newest venture. Without further ado, here is what I thought of the book upon first reading it in December of 2018. As with Year One, I'm keeping my original review untouched in its original state. I also really love how much this is inspired by Irish mythology while still maintaining its originality.

I love the magic here, and how light magic demands sacrifice and rewards those who put others before themselves. Community and family remain important building blocks in Nora's world, and I love that she shows how the idyllic doesn't come easy, but demands effort from every member of the community. It's a great coming of age story that emphasizes how much hard work The One must put in before they are ready to lead the charge of light to save the world from the dark. I love that Nora dedicated an entire volume of this trilogy to the childhood and growth and training of The One. As with its predecessor, it just gets stronger upon rereading.

November 2019: I still absolutely adore this. For until she grows into the woman she was born to be, the world outside will never be whole again. And when the time is right, she will take up the sword, and fight. She will learn the old ways of healing study and spar encounter faeries and elves and shifters and find powers within herself she never imagined. In a mysterious shelter in the forest, her training is about to begin under the guidance of Mallick, whose skills have been honed over centuries. Those like Fallon, in possession of gifts, are hunted-and the time is coming when her true nature, her identity as The One, can no longer be hidden.

Traveling anywhere is a danger, as vicious gangs of Raiders and fanatics called Purity Warriors search for their next victim. But beyond the edges of this peaceful farm, unimaginable forces of light and dark have been unleashed.įallon Swift, approaching her thirteenth birthday, barely knows the world that existed before-the city where her parents lived, now in ruins and reclaimed by nature since the Doom sickened and killed billions. They look like an everyday family living an ordinary life.

Nora roberts year one series