Book Review: The Price of Spring by Daniel Abraham (Long Price Quartet #4)

“We say that flowers return every spring, but that is a lie. It is true that the world is renewed. It is also true that that renewal comes at a price, for even if the flower grows from an ancient vine, the flowers of spring are themselves new to the world, untried and untested.

The flower that wilted last year is gone. Petals once fallen are fallen forever. Flowers do not return in the spring, rather they are replaced. It is in this difference between returned and replaced that the price of renewal is paid.And as it is for spring flowers, so it is for us.”

                                        -Daniel Abraham, The Price of Spring

Finally! I finished reading Long Price Quartet!

A great sense of satisfaction flooded my mind, as I turned to the last page in The Price of Spring, the 4^th and the final installment in Long Price Quartet series. Yet, at the same time, I was sorry to see the series end. Long Price Quartet is an epic fantasy series of its kind. Its story is unique, meaningful and bold. Its characterizations are dynamic and vividly portrayed. When this story concluded in The Price of Spring, it concluded in the most elegant manner.

That's right! If I was to use one word to describe The Price of Spring, I would use the word “elegant”. Today, I would like to share my thoughts about this book in a review, to help you decide if you would like to make a commitment to read this series. Let me begin this review, by providing a synopsis.

Synopsis:

Every decision has a consequence and a price to be paid.

Fifteen years ago, the Galt empire invaded the cities of the Khaiem. The Galts seek to destroy the Khaiem poets and their Andats, magical entities capable of unimaginable powers. The people of these two great nations fought a bitter, devastating war. In the end, Andats were destroyed, and the poets were no more. But both Galts and Khaiem paid a heavy price for this war; every Galt man became infertile, while every Khaiem woman lose the ability to bear children.

Otah Machi, now the emperor of the Khaiem, sits on his throne and watches in despair, as his people wither and fade like the falling autumn leaves. Because for 15 years, Khaiem people have had no new born babies. Otah himself is in his twilight years. With his remaining strength, Otah wishes to secure a hope for his people. So he made a plan, to forge an alliance with Khaiem's bitter enemy, the Galts. Where the Khaiem men would intermarry with Galt women, to produce a new generation of children, and a peaceful future.

But Oath's old friend, the poet Maati, harbors great guilt over his contribution to the disastrous ending of the war. Maati thought it was his fault that the world is broken. Against the will of Otah, Maati began to train female poets in secret. Hoping to produce a new generation of female poets capable of binding new andats. He hopes to use the power of andat to restore the world, back to the way it was before the war.

Thus begins the final chapter in Long Price Quartet. Otah and Maati, an emperor and a poet, two life time friends, are now enemies working against each other. Each man believes he has the better solution. Meanwhile, the future of the Khaiem empire and the Galts rest on a threshold, as a rocking boat on the stormy sea....

What I think about this book:

The Price of Spring brought the story of Long Price Quartet to a bitter sweet, but satisfying conclusion. This story spans over a period of 70 years. Readers follow the lives of two characters, Otah Machi and his friend Maati, from the time when they were young, until they were old. This allowed the author to highlight the character development, where readers can closely observe how events in each novel shaped the lives of the characters in a deep, and profound way. The Price of Spring moves at a slower pace, when compared to the previous installment, An Autumn War. Yet, this book will still charm its reader with top notch storytelling, packed with torrents of suspense, building up to an unexpected, and elegant ending.

Long Price Quartet explores a variety of interesting themes. The previous novel, An Autumn War, explored the theme for The Weapon of Mass Destruction. While this theme is still present in The Price of Spring, but this book distinguishes itself from the previous novel, diving deeply into the theme of female oppression and gender inequality. Personally, I absolutely adore the idea of using fantasy novels as thought experiments and social commentaries to explore the injustices in our social arena. Because I believe made-up stories can really mean something, if it can make us think.

Two nights ago, I closed The Price of Spring and put the book back on my shelf. I felt sad waving goodbye to the characters in this book. I must confess, when I began reading this series, I wasn't expecting to be moved this deeply by it. But after 3 weeks, and 4 novels later, I found Long Price Quartet to be a truly moving tale. So at the end of this review, I would recommend this series to fans of the fantasy genre, especially if you are looking for fantasy novels with thoughtful themes.