Dream Reigns

Book 1 is good, but books 2 & 3 are fantastically epic! I got the first book at a convention. It took a minute to get to it, but once I started, I had to grab the other two. This is a phenomenal and diverse series. Not only are the characters, plot, and worldbuilding amazing, but the lyrical styled prose and descriptions too. I fell in love with Itai, Symeon, and Dani. There’s so much going on with so many characters, I couldn’t stop reading. Don’t even get me started writing about super-bad Thalassa and the awesome battles. Are there dragons? No. The dessu beasts and giants more than make up for that. I only wish there was more of them and their origins in the 1st book. After meeting Arinak and Zandi, I wanted them to do some serious damage to a few people. The Nazillians turned out differently than I originally thousht. They rule Falondul and even enslave some of the human population. But when you get into it, you see most of them are fairly good people, but the leaders would put Ramsey Bolton to shame. Yeah, they like flaying, too. One thing I really liked was the magic, or lack of too much magic. I hate reading fantasy when magic gets people out of everything. It gets boring. The nazil books have magic, but the real magic lies in the characters and the struggles they go through to overcome or try to overcome some serious situations. Naturally, it can’t be all good. I thought book 1 dragged in the beginning. I get that you have to set things up, but it took several chapters to get there. Maybe it was worse because Brahanu got on my nerves with her conflicting inner thoughts and behavior. I’m team Itai all the way. Pentanimir is great, but Itai is my man! It's hard to sum up this trilogy in a review. So many things happen that you can't focus on just one event or character. It's a unique work with elements reminiscent of The Game of Thrones, The Wheel of Time, Lord of the Rings, and even Shakespeare. This isn't just epic fantasy. The Nazil series encompasses several genres, blending the best of each into a magnificent story. The characters are unforgettable, and there's even a language created for the books. The author touches on every aspect - epic battles, cool beasts, political intrigue, new deities, diverse fighting styles & weapons, magic, romance, betrayal, treachery - you name it and it's in there. I haven't read a book in years with this kind of depth in every facet. If you enjoy unique and intense epic fantasy, this would be a great series for you to try. It's not light fantasy you can speed-read through. Each chapter builds the story and the characters connect. There are a lot of twists and surprises too.