Table of Contents

“I am the weapon.

Eskara is free of the Pit, but far from safe. She is beset by the ghosts of those she has killed, and plagued by the ancient horror that possesses her. Enemies dog her heels, determined to see the last Orran Sourcerer dead. Worse still, there is new player in the game, one far more dangerous than anything she has faced before.

But there is one place that might offer her both the safety she needs to survive, and the power she needs to strike back; Ro’shan, the flying home of a God.

Eska will soon learn that all power comes with a cost, and some prices are too high.”

Title: The Lessons Never Learned

Series: The War Eternal #2

Author: Rob J. Hayes

Page Count: 383

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 5.0/5.0

Date Read: January 27th, 2023

 I’ve finally gotten back around to the War Eternal by Rob J. Hayes. I read book one in the series last year as a buddy read and though I did enjoy it I felt many of the others were keen on that first book just a bit more than I was. I liked it enough to want to continue and I’m glad I did. The second book The Lessons Never Learned definitely connected with me more than the first. I’ve pondered this for a bit and I think I finally pinpointed the reason why. This goes back to 2021 when I really started reading a lot again. I noticed I struggle with books at times when the main characters are on the younger side. By no means is this series Young Adult but I think I had trouble connecting to our characters in their younger times.
 
This is just a personal struggle I’ve noticed with at times. Book two picks up where the first left off. I think diving into the world beyond the Pit really helped me connect with the story more this time around as well. I will add that I have been using the audio version of this book which Moira Quick does an amazing job throughout this series so far.
 
The pacing is smooth in book two. We have plenty of action along with a heaping helping of emotion as we did in the first book. There really isn’t much to complain about here as these aren’t long or difficult reads. They very easy reads. Rob does well in keeping our attention through the ebb and flow of the book without difficult vocabulary or names which can tend to trip me up at times.
 
The character building continues to shine onto the second book (I’m on the third as of writing this review). As previously mentioned we have now left the Pit and are beginning to learn far more of this world, it’s cultures and races that we’ve been hinted to. We have plenty of new characters to discover in The Lessons Never Learned as well as learning more about Eskara.
 
The world building is becoming some of my favorites parts of The War Eternal. Not only are we beginning to understand more on where the name of the series itself comes from but also more of the deities, floating cities and even other planes of existence!
 
All in all I’m definitely growing fonder of this series as I progress. I already mentioned I’m currently onto book three of the series as typing this. I would recommend this series and this book to fantasy readers who enjoy their stories a bit more on the darker side. Both due to language as well as some of what I’d describe as just raw emotion from our characters.

World Building 4.5/5
Pacing 5/5
Character Development 5/5

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Chad Barnard

Owner/Operator of The Hiking Reader Blog. Sharing thoughts on books and hiking trails and trying to find ways to continue to incorporate both hobbies together.

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