Review: We Three Heroes

We Three Heroes by Lynette Noni
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**Re-Read Feb 19**

Let me reaffirm my original statement that THIS IS SUCH AN IMPORTANT BOOK.

Now, since I'm re-reading, let me go into a little more detail of each story as I finish them. You can read my original gushing a little further down.

WARNING: This review contains spoilers for the first four books in the series

FIRST UP!

Crowns & Curses
The book opens with DC at age 13, trying to deal with an episode of bullying that occurred five years earlier. I haven't hugely connected with DC over the series but this is the story that softened my heart towards her. She's actually such a strong character, and knowing this history tugs at the heart! Bullying is a widespread problem and this little story gives some insight into how to handle bullies, which is fantastic for a YA novel. Maxton is a turd who we can't help but hate, but even still there's allusion to the bad things he's been through that led him down that path, without taking away from the pain he's caused. Add to that guest appearances from some of our faves, and Alex's arrival from DCs point of view and we have a fantastic little story of how a princess became the BFF of our beloved heroine. It doesn't re-tell things we already know, but it does give us a different angle to view the story from.

NEXT UP:

Scars & Silence

Look, if you're not on board ship Jordix you may find yourself rolling your eyes a fair bit. But it's important to remember that this story is pretty much the reason this book exists, and it's a meaningful story.

This story runs parallel to the early events of Graevale, and explores how Jordan heals after his experiences at the end of Draekora. It deals with trauma, and even though no one can really relate to being mind-controlled by a Meyan, trauma is familiar enough a concept.

Trauma is ugly, and dealing with it is a process unique to each person. But this short story explores the depths of trauma, and how it can affect many aspects of a person's thoughts and behaviours. How Jordan deals with his experiences may or may not be relatable to other trauma survivors, but it does give insight and I think it sends a pretty important message about using pain to grow.

I love this story. It's still our favourite characters in a fictional, magical world, but there's a reality to Jordan's experiences and it's an important character development for the whole series. But it's not all dark and depressing - there's still some fantastic light-hearted moments and joking around to keep things balanced.

FINAL ACT:

Hearts & Headstones

Guh. As if our hearts weren't going to get hurt with a title like that!

Again, we're running parallel to Graevale, just a little further along. This one probably relates the most to the rest of the series, with things that happen in this story being likely to play a role in the final installment. At the same time, Bear's story looks more at the weight of protecting loved ones, and the lengths people will go to. This one has a strong family vibe, which is unsurprising since we've all grown to love the friendly Ronnigans over the course of the previous novels. Bear is dedicated to his friends, but he's also getting to know Declan a little better, so we can expect to see more of that blossoming relationship in Vardaesia, I imagine. It's nice to get further insight into who Bear is, as opposed to his inseparability from Jordan.

Some more heavy themes in this one but ultimately it feels more like a perfect setup for the final showdown.

So I guess this is it.

*deep breath*

Vardaesia, here I come.


**Original Review**

Let me delay my gushing over how much I love this series to say, THIS IS SUCH AN IMPORTANT BOOK.

Fantasy stories always have bad things happening to good people. Death, torture, imprisonment ... our heroes all go through some pretty rough times.

What they rarely have is a full appreciation of the aftermath. Our heroes overcome all these things in maybe a page or two of feeling bad then deciding to get on with things. We rarely get the detailed psychological process that would be involved for us mortals in the Real World.

The four previous books in this series are told from Alex's POV, and her three friends play a major role, which means they all experience bad things. The three novellas in this book, told from the viewpoints of DC, Jordan and Bear, explore what it takes to recover from trauma, and just how complicated the process is. I'm sure there will be differing opinions as to how well it was done, but I think the important thing here is that it's actually spoken of.

Fantasy is such an escape, and I'm sure many of us have moments of wishing our life was like that of our heroes. Wanting to explore wonderful places, cast magic spells, meet supernatural (and often super hot) beings. So it is a breath of fresh air to believe that maybe our fantasy heroes experience similar pain and suffering that can be found in our own lives. That it takes work to overcome these things.

So that's my first big thumbs up for this book: thank you for talking about the seriousness of these things.

Now, please, allow me to gush.

I love this series. It's got such a good blend of fantasy setting with real world problems and characters. Alex has always been an endearing hero because she's not all, 'I must save the world and I am the only one who can'. She's sassy AF, loves her friends and is more like, 'aw man, why do I have to be the one to do it?' and 'well then I'm bringing all my friends and you can't stop me'. She appreciates the support she has around her. I love that.

DC, Jordan and Bear have been by her side through the past four books, experiencing a lot of the nasty stuff.

YOU ARE NOW ENTERING THE SPOILER ZONE
The rest of this review may contain spoilers for the previous four books of the series

So the first novella is DC's. I gotta be honest - she has never really been my favourite character. I mean, she was kinda rude in the first book, and then kinda just meh because she's less sassy than everyone else. I liked her, but that was about it.

Crowns and Curses has given me newfound respect for her. It explores why she was such an ice queen when we met her in Akarnae and it actually made my heart hurt a little. Particularly when she met Jordan and Bear for the first time. <3 This novella takes a closer look at bullying, and it is really interesting to see the psychological impact of it. Really enjoyed it.

The second novella, Scars and Silence, is the most powerful, and looks at how Jordan is recovering after (I ALREADY WARNED YOU ABOUT SPOILERS) being Claimed by Aven then released by Alex. He bounces back pretty quick in Graevale so it was really great to read this more detailed account of what was actually going on in his head. There's some interesting stuff regarding his brother, too, and I really appreciated the way it was dealt with so open-mindedly. Plus Jordix for the win! They're so cute together! Bless.

The third story, Hearts and Headstones begins with familiar events from Graevale however we're given Bear's point of view so it's a different take. His story is more about the drama of its last few chapters, but it was still interesting to see the budding friendship between him and Declan. (I'm secretly hoping it doesn't turn into romance though because then everyone is coupled up and I hate it when that happens. I'm totally here for the bromance, though.)

Yeah, this whole book gave me another case of the feels.

Apparently there's stuff in this book that will be important for the next, but nothing felt hugely important to the story progression (except for maybe that lil scene with Marcus). This is more like going back and seeing how the pieces were picked up and put back together, so that we can appreciate the scars and the trauma everyone has overcome and become stronger from.

Devastating lack of Kaiden, though. I miss him.

Summary: Same lovable characters with greater depth, and Alex is barely in it at all so this is firmly a 'Sidekicks' story. It reflects on some serious issues that readers may actually experience themselves so it's quite an important addition to the series to show how these things can be overcome.

Like I wasn't already impatient enough for Vardaesia!

Review for Akarnae here
Review for Raelia here
Review for Draekora here
Review for Graevale here

View all my reviews