Inheritance (The Inheritance Cycle #4) by Christopher Paolini: Review

RATING: 5/5 stars!

Author: Christopher Paolini

Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf

Source: Bought

Publication date: November 8th, 2011

Find it on Goodreads here!

SUMMARY (from Goodreads):

It began with Eragon... It ends with Inheritance.

Not so very long ago, Eragon — Shadeslayer, Dragon Rider — was nothing more than a poor farm boy, and his dragon, Saphira, only a blue stone in the forest. Now the fate of an entire civilization rests on their shoulders.

Long months of training and battle have brought victories and hope, but they have also brought heartbreaking loss. And still, the real battle lies ahead: they must confront Galbatorix. When they do, they will have to be strong enough to defeat him. And if they cannot, no one can. There will be no second chance.

The Rider and his dragon have come further than anyone dared to hope. But can they topple the evil king and restore justice to Alagaësia? And if so, at what cost?

This is the spellbinding conclusion to Christopher Paolini's worldwide bestselling Inheritance cycle.

REVIEW:

Oh, what a series. I am so glad that I finally chose to read it this summer. An epic, absolute thrill ride of a series. 

But what exactly makes this series so good? 

The story line is very basic. Boy is a nobody, finds a mysterious object in the woods, turns out to be a dragon egg, becomes a dragon rider, finds out he's the last of the dragon riders and must defeat a bad guy. You've probably heard of a story similar to this before. But it is the language that Paolini uses that gives this series its character.

"Who is it who decides that one man should live and another should die? My life wasn't worth any more than his, but he's the one who's buried, while I get to enjoy at least a few more hours above the ground. Is it chance, random and cruel, or is there some purpose or pattern to all this, even if it lies beyond our ken?”

 He uses a style similar to Tolkien, but it is still his own. This series is so beautifully written. I found myself highlighting passages and sentences (which I never do) so I could come back and read them later. It's hard to believe that Paolini was 15 when he started to write this series. His writing shows a maturity that some authors never achieve. 

He also did an amazing job wrapping up the series. I felt so satisfied with the ending...but it left enough open that I'm still hoping there will be a spin-off series at this point. Do not know if it will ever happen...but I can still hope, right?

Overall, THE INHERITANCE CYCLE was an absolutely epic series. I highly recommend it!