I got this free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I’m over 10 years late delivering but here it goes:
This was book 24 of what I’m sure is a very detailed and beloved series. I got through 6% before I couldn’t take the info dump anymore. Without connections to the characters (this is my first or Salvatore’s books) I was lost and impatient for something to happen. The prose was a little melodramatic for my taste. I might try again with book 1 (the REAL book 1) - but not for a while. Apologies to NetGalley for my negligence and ADHD. But honestly— what is book 24 doing on NetGalley to begin with?

Thank you for sending me the review copy. Unfortunately, I was unable to read it, and as a result, I could not leave a review on social media.

I really enjoy R A Salvatores writing. It is beautiful story telling that sucks you into the these amazing worlds.
In this new series, Drizzt into a new era of the Forgotten Realms. As his fate is hamging in the balance, he reflects on all his relationships and journeys. All if this is happening and so is the sunderings first rumbles.
This made me want to go back and read all of he other stories.

Where I found it: NetGalley

Why I picked it up: There were a few little reasons that caused me to pick this book up. The first was that I recognized the author's name, even though I have never read a book by RA Salvatore. And then there was the small fact that it was associated with Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale (at the time, I had not played either, but I knew they were the beginning of the games I do play). Finally, it just had a good description and seemed like a great epic fantasy to get me started along all of the Baldur's gate stories as I begin the game.TL;DR: It fit my interests in multiple ways.

What’s It All About? The Companions of the Hall are no more. The one surviving member is being chased by a demon. likely to die, and hasn't been seen in several decades. The other four Companions find themselves together again in a ... temporary afterlife created by a goddess. Once the four are drawn together here, they are given a choice. They can either return to the world of the living, to be born again, and hopefully save their friend, Drizzt. They will be born again, starting an entire new life (new parents, new places, new bodies). Or, they can continue on to the afterlife in which they believe. No strings attached either way. Those who choose to return must survive 21 years of life in a dangerous world in order to meet again at the coldest point known to living beings on the spring equinox. What troubles will lay in their way before they even reach the meeting point? Will they all make it? And will it have been worth the experience?

My thoughts: This was a great entry into the whole Baldur's Gate mythology. I know there are many books before this one that tell the history of these characters, but their rebirth is a perfect jumping in place. I found the approach to the rebirth unique in that they retained the complete memories from their first lives. One of the most challenging aspects of early life deciding what they could do or say that was age appropriate. (Tips: don't talk immediately after birth, young dwarves can't execute advanced maneuvers, and normal children don't cast arcane magic without training.) The worldbuilding is a lot of fun! Every place is different, each fantasy race is unique (while staying true to the Dungeons and Dragons source material). Unlike many epic fantasies, this one did not get bogged down in details. The action kept coming and the pages kept turning. Exactly the kind of book that has me suddenly sitting up, or bouncing in anticipation. 

Genre: Epic Fantasy
Intended Audience: Adults
Series: The Sundering: #1 (This is part of the larger Legend of Drizzt series (Book 27) set in the Forgotten Realms.)
Themes: Friendship, loyalty, family, history, hope, revenge. A little bit of everything in life.
Recommended For: Fans of D&D style roleplaying, epic fantasy readers, family saga readers
Star Rating: 4.5

Cleaning up my NetGalley account. Unfortunately, I had a few titles I could not get to before they were published. Should I read the title in the future, I will be sure to promote a review via my Goodreads and/or my blog. Thank you for the opportunity.

This is listed as book one in a series but then the description says it is an instalment in a series, for this reason I was confused by the book and could not get into it.

Love Drizzt. Love Salvatore. This was awesome. I enjoyed it much more than even I had expected to. it was great to see Drizzt develop even further than he had in the previous stories, all while retaining his internal sense of self..

This was pretty formulaic and not so memorable. Before I read this, I read the first 5 books involving Drizzt, but none of the other ones. Because of the wide gap (this is something like the 30th or 208350th Drizzt book by Salvatore, I don't know), I'm sure I missed out on some - or a lot of - the back story. It's not terrible writing. How's that for a glowing review?

My rating (****) -- The topic is the reborn lives of Drizzt Do'Urden's friends. I enjoyed the book itself, which ends as the companions finally meet again. I think this book should have been a stand-alone, rather than tethering it to two other unrelated books to make a trilogy.

The Companions is a great read. R.A. Salvatore is such a good writer, weaving the story with skill.