Nearly three years ago I first picked up the first book in the “The Runes of Issalia” trilogy, The Buried Symbol by Jeffrey L. Kohanek. To this day I still remember how I felt when I read that book and its sequels, the author not only crafted a unique magic system based upon balance and chaos but a truly gripping world for it to reside within with varied cast of interesting characters.

Now here we are with A Kingdom Under Siege, the final book in the Wardens of Issalia quartet. To me this book almost seems like the end of an era because when we finished the last book in The Runes of Issalia we somewhat knew there was going to be a follow up series, however bar one small piece of information the Wardens of Issalia finishes the story and its plot points very well.

One aspect of A Kingdom Under Siege I enjoyed the most is getting extended periods of story with certain characters that were only lightly touched upon throughout the previous books in the quartet. It was great to see how they interacted with the new generation of characters and how they fit in.

Upon until this book I wasn’t enjoying the Wardens of Issalia as much as I did The Runes of Issalia, however this book changed that for me and it truly goes to show that a great final book can change how you feel about the other books in the series and the story overall. One thing I have noticed about how Jeffrey L. Kohanek does final books is that he gives them a bit of a darker tone, this to me helps give this book more depth and importance to what is occurring as it helps draw your into the world and characters more.

The only slight negative I could say about this book is there were some slower paced areas and at times this made the pacing feel slightly uneven but at the same time I think they were needed for what A Kingdom Under Siege was building towards. As a whole I loved the quick pace of this book and how it flowed, once I picked it up I found it hard to put down.

I don’t think there is much more I can say about A Kingdom Under Siege without spoiling it, what I will say though is that it is a brilliant conclusion to the quartet. Even though I still prefer The Runes of Issalia I still think the Wardens of Issalia is still a good and solid series in its own right, it had a very satisfying ending that tied up a lot of the loose ends and it had a lot of emotional depth to it.

If you haven’t read any of Jeffrey L. Kohanek’s work then I would highly recommend you do so as you will not only discovering great books but a great author as well.