Recently, I started reading Kagen The Damned series and finally have reached the final book in the trilogy. Keep reading to read our review of The Dragon in Winter by Jonathan Maberry and what we thought of the conclusion to this adult fantasy trilogy.
The Dragon in Winter Summary
In the third book, Kagen finally has an army to fight against the Witch-king of Hakkia and the fight is on. But the Witch-king of Hakkia has a few tricks up his sleeve and will make Kagen and his friends go through hell. The epic war between Kagen and the Witch-king of Hakkia will finally come to an end and the future of the kingdoms will be decided in blood.

Everything Kagen has went through has led to this moment and he can finally see his chance to avenge his family and friends that were killed as his kingdom was overthrown. But dark secrets come bubbling to the surface and Kagen has to accept them for what they are. And the Witch-king of Hakkia isn’t going down without one last trick up his sleeve. Will Kagen finally get his revenge or will the Witch-king of Hakkia finally become the ruler that he has dreamt of becoming?
Commentary
After the second book, I was eager to read The Dragon in Winter and see it all come together. And Maberry does that, setting up an unforgettable ending. It was a good conclusion to a great series and I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. There were some good plot twists that kept the novel interesting in this book and gave me the closure I wanted.
As someone who has been reading Jonathan Maberry novels for the past 15 years, I enjoyed seeing him return to the fantasy genre and write a memorable fantasy series. I will say, seeing zombies in this series was entertaining and made me laugh because I know how much Maberry loves them. They felt believable and played a big part but not overshadowing the main villian of the novel.
There are so many amazing concepts in this novel that I am sad to see go. I do hope Maberry revisits them in the future because I would love to read more about the other realms and what creatures inhabit them. Kagen was a fun protagonist and Maberry is one of the better writers when it comes to fighting scenes and that showed. If you are a fan of Maberry’s novels or enjoy adult fantasy novels, then this book and series is worth reading!
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I’ve been wanting to read Jonathan Mayberry what book would you recommend I start with?
I really enjoyed the Rot and Ruin series a lot. You can’t go wrong with any of his books.
Thank you