Review: The Skull Throne by Peter V. Brett

Genre: Fantasy 
Series: Book Four of The Demon Cycle 
Pages: 681 
Copyright: 2015 
Publisher: Penguin Random House LLC 
Buy: Amazon

Summary: from Good Reads

The first three novels in New York Times bestselling author Peter V. Brett’s groundbreaking Demon Cycle series--The Warded Man, The Desert Spear, and The Daylight War--set a new standard for heroic fantasy. The powerful saga of humans winnowed to the brink of extinction by night-stalking demons, and the survivors who fight back, has kept readers breathless as they eagerly turned the pages. Now the thrilling fourth volume, The Skull Throne, raises the stakes as it carries the action in shocking new directions.

The Skull Throne of Krasia stands empty.

Built from the skulls of fallen generals and demon princes, it is a seat of honor and ancient, powerful magic, keeping the demon corelings at bay. From atop the throne, Ahmann Jardir was meant to conquer the known world, forging its isolated peoples into a unified army to rise up and end the demon war once and for all.

But Arlen Bales, the Warded Man, stood against this course, challenging Jardir to a duel he could not in honor refuse. Rather than risk defeat, Arlen cast them both from a precipice, leaving the world without a savior, and opening a struggle for succession that threatens to tear the Free Cities of Thesa apart.

In the south, Inevera, Jardir’s first wife, must find a way to keep their sons from killing each other and plunging their people into civil war as they strive for glory enough to make a claim on the throne.

In the north, Leesha Paper and Rojer Inn struggle to forge an alliance between the duchies of Angiers and Miln against the Krasians before it is too late.

Caught in the crossfire is the duchy of Lakton--rich and unprotected, ripe for conquest.

All the while, the corelings have been growing stronger, and without Arlen and Jardir there may be none strong enough to stop them. Only Renna Bales may know more about the fate of the missing men, but she, too, has disappeared...

Feelings: 
Like the other books in this series, I was drawn to and amazed by the world the Peter V. Brett creates. This series is on scale, at least in my opinion, with Song of Ice and Fire. Both kill characters when you least expect and don't when you wish they would. They tell the story from different characters perspectives switching between regions to tell the story of the whole world.

The Skull Throne engaged me emotionally, I was angry, excited, sad, and frustrated. I found there were times when I had to remember back to previous books, and it has been a while since I read The Daylight War, so I think I would have seen more depth in the story if I had read the previous book more recently. Even with the lapses in memory, this book was amazing. I was pleased with the arc in the story and surprised by the characters may times. I was very please to come to the ending without wanting to scream knowing the next book isn't due out until some time in 2018. I don't feel like there is much I can say about this book that won't give away key events, for this book or the previous books in the series. My advice is read the series. It is amazing.