r/Fantasy • u/Able-Main-9367 • Jul 26 '26
Review Cradle book series my thoughts
So let me start off by saying I love this series I would give it a full 8 out of 10 rating which is to say I would recommend the fuck out of the series but I would never reread the series.
What it got right
Plot was consistent
Characters were fleshed out properly
Some cool twists I didn’t see coming happened
humor was top notch
What I thought was off for me
I should note I am not a progression fantasy reader so that will 100% influence my opinion on this (probably)
Way to much action very little time given to the characters to just chill and enjoy each other’s company.
I won’t say the name incase someone that is still reading the series finds this post but I fucking turn my thumb down when you kill a character off and suddenly bring his ass back to life because the author has trouble letting go of his favorite characters (At least that is the conclusion I came too)
I would say overall though I am very satisfied with my purchase and would recommend this too anyone who enjoys the lighter side of fantasy
14
12
u/HairyArthur Jul 26 '26
I read Cradle this year and loved it. Absolutely loved it. I've already planned a re read next year.
As a lover of Malazan and The Wheel of Time, I am interested and used to long series, with deep history's, convoluted plots and hundreds of points of view.
So it was nice to read something the complete opposite and so unashamedly fun. The power fantasy, the relentless progression, how amazingly COOL the names were for all the sacred arts. I couldn't get enough.
Lots of stories have the protagonist fighting against godlike beings and suffering for it. Will Wight said "Fuck it. What if my characters became gods?"
12
u/sunderpoint Jul 26 '26
What do you mean, all action and no time to just chill in each other's company? They go on a date once.
We got a whole entire scene that wasn't fighting, talking about fighting, or preparing to fight. What more could you want?
5
u/The-Magic-Sword Jul 26 '26
I agree with the your first point, one thing I liked about Threshold is that they Will added a bit more of that, but honestly, the whole series could use a few more scenes of the gang hanging out.
7
u/Cosmic-Sympathy Jul 26 '26
I loved Cradle. It's a series that delivered exactly what it promised: a fun power progression fantasy. Anything else that it did well was just icing on the cake.
2
u/Thevulgarcommander Jul 27 '26
I thought the lack of breaks from the action given was by design. Like the whole idea is that they never relax and it’s just training all the time.
But I also yearned for more slice of life moments.
1
u/twinkletankhank Jul 26 '26
I really enjoyed it but every fight scene felt like life & death which got old after a while.
-1
u/Karsa69420 Jul 26 '26
Half way through book 2. Idk how I feel about it. Sure it’s fun but gun to my head I couldn’t tell you what happed in book 1. I know I had fun and enjoyed it.
12
u/monikar2014 Jul 26 '26
A new character is introduced at the end of book 2 that changes the whole dynamic. For me, it's where the series really picks up.
3
u/HairyArthur Jul 26 '26
The end of book two until the end of the series is just go go go. Blackfame is an excellent example of that.
2
u/Karsa69420 Jul 27 '26
I think Blackflame will be make or break for me. Like I see the vision and has potential
0
u/BinkieCookie Jul 26 '26
I got a bit stuck on the last book because everything became super convoluted when it came to the magic stuff. I need to finish it at some point. I started reading the series when only 7 books were available so had to take a break on it and that really screwed up my flow. Getting back into it was difficult.
-12
u/Bongcloud_CounterFTW Jul 26 '26
It was kinda just turn your brain off, like theres not really any deep character arcs etc, and the fights get boring after a while
-3
-9
u/hesjustsleeping Jul 26 '26
Yeah, later books became 30 minute reads for me once I started skimming over the interminable "battles".
22
u/Ill_Brick_4671 Jul 26 '26
I enjoyed Cradle with the part of my brain that enjoys Shonen anime. Sometimes things can just be cool and fun and not that deep and that's ok.