Temple of Valor is the third book in Joe Lyon’s Astar’s Blade series. In this third installment, we finally get to see the titular character of the series wield the blade in question as the story that had started two books ago finally comes to a dramatic and in some ways surprising climax. With all the loose ends tied up, Lyon wraps up his gift to the fantasy world with a pretty little ribbon on top, another cliffhanger! One I can genuinely say I did not know was coming. I will not go into the fine details and risk ruining this fantastic turn of events, but I know it will leave you wanting to read more of what Joe Lyon has planned for this amazing world he has created.

In Temple of Valor, we start with a young adult Astar, a boy of eighteen as he is referred to in the book, as inexperienced but once he comes into his own, we see him grow into the character that he has been destined to become from the start of the series when aspects that we had no idea would come to play worked into the complicated web that finally resulted in this tale. We go deeper than just Astar finally having his blade, however, nor the people who work with him. We are also given a down and dirty view of the Zorn and his demon followers and their connections to one another and those who have been their sworn enemies for hundreds of years. The children of the gods have failed the people of this world. Now it is time for mortals to try their hand at it. A bit of a Tolkien-esque concept but a satisfying note to end a story on. As with the previous books in this series, it is a must-read for every fan of fantasy.

I received this arc copy on Reedsy Discovery, you can find the book here.