Book Review: Chaos Risen – Book 3 of the Aspect by Mark Holloway
Please note, this review will contain spoilers for The Soul’s Aspect and The Soul’s Instruments in this series.
Chaos Risen was a mesmerizing blend of character focus, fantasy horror elements and plot for the final instalment in this arc of the Aspect.
The Aspect is broken, Kehlem can no longer access the powers that used to be between the worlds. A power he and so many others had come to rely on. To make things more dire, each night mists envelop the land, causing the dead to rise in monstrous ways, threatening everything and everyone Kehlem has held dear. Unsure of the path he must take, it still seems that Kehlem is at the centre of them all, will he become the butcher or the hero in this final instalment?
“The Risen will come forth and taste of the flesh of Chaos.
Long Live Chaos.
Long Live the Dead.”
I really loved what Holloway did to tie of the first volume of the Aspect. The execution of the entire series was well planned done well in my opinion. Book one was extremely character focused and fairly light in as a coming-of-age story, magic school tropes where we had some beautiful friendships established that would bring so much meaning to later books. Toward the end of book one, we take a darker turn, leading into a much more plot heavy book two in which the consequences of the magic really shine through. Chaos Risen takes both of those things and takes them up a notch with a character and plot focus blending together to pack a punch.
Being a third book in a series I won’t say too much in terms of spoilers however I think this is Mark’s strongest work to date, and perhaps the riskiest. The author has taken some creative liberties by introducing horror elements which in my opinion absolutely pay off. The Aspect is broken, and manifesting in odd ways, from the Risen who haunt the nights of those in towns shrouded in mists to the life force slowly eating away at our main character. We get to experience the full horror as townsfolk battle monstrosities with everything that they have, see the devastating consequences of harnessing too much power too quickly and feel the panic as these events unfold. It’s no secret, I love some horror elements in nearly every book I read, and I loved them here.
Book three also continued with Holloway’s easy to read prose and exceptional pacing. This story flies off the page, demanding consumption. Story progression coupled with lighter character moments and growth allowed for an easy, addictive read. I had trouble putting this one down and constantly thought “just one more chapter”, before I knew it, I was at the end. Holloway writes with a magical flair that has me wanting to start the series all over again as soon as I had finished this book.
While it saddens me that we will not have another entry into the Aspect for a little while, I am excited to see where the author goes next. I have been blessed with receiving ARC copies for his works so far and will certainly continue to request them in the future. Holloway has really grown over the last few years and it shows beautifully in his craft.
