Murtagh: The World of Eragon

I think this book does exactly what it is meant to do, and that is to drag readers right back into the world of Alagaësia.
Murtagh was always one of my favourite characters in the original Inheritance Cycle and his was one of the stories I desperately wanted more of. To have this wish finally come true is honestly incredible and I was smitten by the deep dive into Murtagh's mind right from the opening page.

What makes Murtagh such an interesting and moving character to me is how completely and utterly broken he is. He's a character who has had one of the most difficult lots in life and he's forced to deal with the fallout of being enslaved to Galbatorix and all of the horrible deeds he was forced to carry out. This has broken him down even further into a bitter, lonely man which is so heartbreaking to read. His one saving grace is his dragon, Thorn, who I was equally happy to see more of. The trauma that these two have to endure and try to overcome through this book is absolutely heartbreaking and it had me so devastated reading of the horrors that have them struggling to find their ways.

There is something so unbelievably powerful about owning up to your actions, even those who shame you, those you regret, those you can blame on others, growing and learning from them, moving forward, and refusing to let yourself be caged in the confines of how others understand you to be.

It was both everything I've always wanted, and get so brutally hard to read about Murtagh and Thorn's time enslaved to Galbatorix. They were so abused by the King and it messed with them both physically and mentally, and scars both visible and not are forcefully on display throughout this book. Every second that one or both of them were brought down by their mental injuries just broke my heart, and it happens frequently and painfully. Murtagh's inner turmoil over feeling he is a bad person for all the bad deeds he was forced into shows how incredibly broken he is from his time enslaved and it's so tough to read about his self-loathing for something he literally had no control over. And even harder is the fact that everyone who knows of his horrid deeds blames him just as much and condemns him for the horrors he partook in, which made me so sad for both Murtagh and Thorn considering they were quite literally incapable of not following Galbatorix's orders. Suffice it to say it could be a very emotional read at times. And not just in the memories of the past. The present had its moments too, so basically I was an emotional wreck constantly.
But through all that is the bond between Murtagh and Thorn which is so pure despite everything the two have endured. It's the most meaningful and beautiful part of this book and I couldn't get enough of it. Even through the tough, heartbreaking moments they are forced to endure in the present in this book, their bond shines through all. There were multiple moments between them that just knocked the breath out of me with feeling, particularly a moment at the end that had me more than a little teary.

Moreso, those few and in between moments of little happiness that both - Murtagh and Thorn - are able to experience with each other are so beautiful and so long in the waiting for them. I just want these two to live a easy and cosy life together without them having to look back all the time.