It’s been a good while since I did a Theme Thursday post, so I thought it was high time! This time I chose to list what are in my opinion, the best battle scenes in books that I’ve read. Some of these books I’ve read a long time ago, so the details are a little hazy, but I will do my best.
But do be warned! This post will contain spoilers for: Red Rising, Golden Son, Kingdom of Ash, and Crooked Kingdom.
Red Rising – the taking of Olympus
I read Red Rising over the summer and immediately loved it. Sometimes when reading a lot of YA I forget that adult novels are definitely a lot more brutal and graphic and that characters actually die. This book was a great wake up call. It’s absolutely stuffed with amazing fighting scenes, but the battle for Olympus stayed with me the most. Definitely one of the most brilliant battle scenes I’ve ever read.
Golden Son – the battle for Agea
I finished Golden Son last week and I am definitely still emotional. That ending made me feel so many things that I almost threw my e-reader across the room in rage. In a good way, I mean. The battle for Agea was one of those battles that seemed more realistic than other battle scenes I’ve read. As far as being flung from space in a metal suit can be realistic. In contrast with Red Rising, this particular battle scene did not go as planned at all. Characters we knew died. It was gritty, it was grueling, and it was gory. I loved it.
Kingdom of Ash – the battle for Anielle
It’s been a good while since I read Kingdom of Ash, so bear with me here. I do remember loving reading this part. We hadn’t seen anything of Aelin’s powers yet, except minuscule things, so reading it come out all at once was amazing. Even though, once again, this wasn’t the plan at all. Kingdom of Ash was honestly full of great battle scenes. In the beginning of the book, when Aedion and his company are camping out in the dead of winter, the writing was so vivid, that I started to feel cold and uncomfortable, too.
Crooked Kingdom – Kaz kicking everyone’s ass
Okay, this one is a little different, because obviously we are not talking about a large scale war here, with massive armies, and thousands of dead and injured. But, this scene was simply amazing. What I liked about it is that Kaz almost didn’t even make it. He got hurt, too, and he wasn’t some invincible character that could fight off dozens of others; he got beaten too. And yet, he won. On a side note, I really hope they put this scene in the tv series as well, because it’d be amazing to watch.
And that’s it for this post! There are so many more battles that I definitely enjoyed, but it’s been so long since I read the books that I have nothing constructive to say… Some notable examples are the Game of Thrones books, The Hobbit, and all the great battles in The Mortal Instruments. What are some of your favorite battle scenes in books?
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