The Art of Legend by Wesley Chu delivers the fate of the Enlightened States and Katuia in a legendary conclusion. The prophecy set in motion three books ago will see itself through, and we must follow powerful war artists on all sides of the conflict to see how their legacy is made on the world. Spoilers ahead for the War Arts series.
Sunri, the ambitious Duchess of Caobiu, has conquered almost every city on her war path, and she’s arrived at the walls of Vauzen to claim yet another. Behind those walls is the Prophesied Hero of the Tiandi, hiding among the citizens, where he continues to train as heir to the Windwhispering School of the Zhang Lineage until the day he must reveal himself and defeat the Khan of Katuia. Across the other side of the world, Qisami the shadowkill rots away in an isolated penal colony after the disastrous events of book two. And Salminde the Viperstrike hunts in the grass sea to find support for her cause in hopes of overthrowing the Spirit Shamans before a new Khan rises again.
In book two, I expressed my frustration with Jian and his lack of progress as the chosen one, but it’s a sentiment I no longer hold after finishing the series. I have a better appreciation for the story that Chu was trying to tell, and I have a better understanding of Jian’s constant failure to live up to such a huge mantle. Chu was challenging my expectations of the chosen one’s typical arc, and I fell too easily into the well-worn groove of watching a young hero develop and emerge triumphant. Jian’s unique journey made me love the War Arts series even more because it defies tradition and asks us to grapple with the insane weight placed on this young boy’s shoulders. Jian is untested and far from perfect, and we get to see him fail a lot with devastating consequences. Even in a masterfully built fantasy-adjacent world, Legend felt grounded in reality and laughed in my face for putting all my hope in one person to save the world.
Our leading ladies continue to shine brightly and kick some serious ass in The Art of Legend, and I will forever worship the ground they walk on. Taishi is almost unrecognizable from the war artist we met in book one. She had aged significantly, and she no longer has the stamina or ability to fight. While her physicality was reduced, her fiery personality, sharp mouth, and brilliant mind were still present and clawing for every advantage to see this story through. Qisami also had an interesting evolution in book three, thanks to serving some hard time in an arctic tundra. She’s still a deadly war artist, but she’s lost her edge. Book three introduces us to a somewhat run-down and softened version of this elite assassin. Honorable Sali remained as steady as ever, fighting for her people and holding onto her values at great cost. I could feel her fortitude emanating from the book, and I love the confidence and resoluteness that she carried in this story after struggling so much with her place in the world in book two.
Chu’s writing continued to delight me three books in. I love the humor that he infuses into the story, and he adeptly avoids any pitfalls of making the fun and levity feel forced or cheesy. His characters were perfect champions for the tone he crafted in Legend and the series overall. The mains are such well-written characters full of depth that they can believably act out with both severity and inanity. It is not often that a book makes me laugh out loud, but Chu earned a laugh from me time and time again in this series. And even after coming to know these characters so well after three books, the humor still caught me off guard and charmed me. It goes to show how well Chu can paint intense scenes and detailed action to draw you in. I would be sitting on the edge of my seat and then be completely blindsided by a well-timed joke or remark. The dark and light are so perfectly balanced in Legend that one could not overtake and sour the other.
I dreaded writing my review of The Art of Legend because I didn’t want to say goodbye, but I am so happy with how the series ended. This book continued to blow away my expectations on a strong gust of air from its honored Windwhispers and shock me up until the very last page. The entire series is a breath of fresh air and an absolute blast. The Wars Arts series is truly laugh-out-loud funny, overflowing with action, pulls you into immersive fight scenes, and features some of the most memorable women I’ve had the honor of meeting. Don’t you want to see how this prophecy ends?
Rating:
The Art of Legend: 10/10
War Arts Saga: 9.0/10
-Brandee
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. The thoughts on this story are my own.
