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Available
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Publication
Tor (2015), Edition: Main Market Ed., 737 pages
Description
"The conspiracy to destroy the ruling family of the Annurian Empire is far from over. Having learned the identity of her father's assassin, Adare flees the Dawn Palace is search of allies to challenge the coup against her family. Few trust her, but when she is believed to be touched by Intarra, patron goddess of the empire, people rally to help her retake the capital city. As armies prepare to clash, the threat of invasion from barbarian hordes compels the rival forces to unite against their common enemy. Unknown to Adare, her brother Valyn, renegade member of the empire's most elite fighting force, has allied with the invading nomads. The terrible choices each of them has made may make war between them inevitable. Between Valyn and Adare is their brother Kaden, rightful heir to the Unhewn Throne, who has infiltrated the Annurian capital with the help of two strange companions. The knowledge they possess of the secret history that shapes these events could save Annur or destroy it"--… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member stefferoo
You can always tell when I really like a book by how fast I devour it. I gave myself plenty of time to read Brian Staveley’s The Providence of Fire, anticipating it would take me at least a week or more to finish this huge honking tome of a novel, but it turned out I made short work of it,
I just loved this book, couldn’t put it down. This incredible sequel to The Emperor’s Blades was everything I hoped for – bigger and better in every way. In fact, I went back to my review of the first book and practically everything I had an issue with there was amended in this second installment. As a reader, you just can’t ask for more than that.
The Providence of Fire picks up where The Emperor’s Blades left off, following the diverging paths of the slain Emperor Sanlitun’s three surviving children. After spending many years training with the empire’s elite Kettral forces, youngest brother Valyn is in the position to safeguard his older brother Kaden’s succession to the Unhewn Throne – though now he and his wing members are labeled renegades and traitors. Kaden himself has his own destiny to follow. He has spent the last eight years sequestered in a remote monastery in the mountains, learning the mysteries of the monks who live there. With the help of his mentor Tan, Kaden is now ready to use all that knowledge to uncover the truth of those behind Sanlitun’s murder, but being his father’s rightful heir makes him the target of those who want to overthrow the Malkeenian line.
However, oldest sister Adare, whom as you may recall spent most of the last book languishing in the capital being manipulated and treated with disdain by palace flunkies, is probably the one to see the greatest change to her character and storyline out of all of them. Having learned the identity of her father’s assassin, Adare formulates a plan to escape the city in the hopes of removing herself from the enemy’s grasp. Not knowing what has become of her brothers, she is also determined to find allies to secure the throne and keep Sanlitun’s killer from ever taking it.
Adare was my absolute favorite in this book, and I enjoyed her chapters the most. This young woman who has spent her whole life within the walls of the Dawn Palace is not as helpless as you would think she’d be. She may be ignorant of much of the world, but her quick thinking allows her to get quite far in her quest, and I always love to see a female character with brains and ambition. I also have to say, she has the most entertaining companions – just wait until you meet Lehav, Oshi, and the indomitable Nira. In this sequel, Adare is a far cry from who she was back in The Emperor’s Blades, and as one of my biggest criticism in that book was the underrepresentation of her character, I am happy and amazed at how far she has come now. I like Adare’s character very much, not only because I think she’s the strongest and most level-headed of Sanlitun’s children, but also because I had a feeling deep down that Staveley would have great things in store for her. I’m thrilled to see she’s finally getting her moment in the spotlight.
The other gripe I had about the first book was that for an epic fantasy, the story just didn’t feel quite big enough. Kaden’s everyday life seemed to revolve being beaten silly by the monks, and for Valyn it was being beaten silly by his trainers and other rival wings. Adare hardly appeared at all. Well, no problems with any of that here. Whereas in The Emperor’s Blades our settings were mostly restricted to the mountain monastery for Kaden, the Kettral training island for Valyn, and the Dawn Palace for Adare, The Providence of Fire opens the world right up as all three royal siblings travel far and wide on their quests. And rather than dealing with their immediate personal problems, the conflicts they face in this novel are far more urgent and significant as well, with far-reaching consequences for the whole empire and not just our three main protagonists.
With a major war against a new threat is on the horizon, the siblings’ roles in it make for a much more dynamic, fast-paced and action-filled plot. It is also worth noting that Staveley adds another point-of-view character partway through the novel, giving us insight into the motivations and actions of Gwenna, the demolitions specialist in Valyn’s wing. With the boys sent off on a wild goose chase and Valyn losing control of his team, it is up to the female Kettrals (and a Skullsworn assassin who is practically an honorary member) to take care of things. Though Gwenna’s chapters came in later in the second half of the novel, they were one of the highlights of this book for me and there were some very memorable scenes in them.
I’m now more intrigued than ever about where this series will go. I admit the plot became more addicting when Adare, Kaden and Valyn were all unaware of the fates of the others, so each sibling had to act on their own using what information they had available. As a result, Adare, Kaden and Valyn now each have their own individual goals. None of them are all that noble or perfect when it comes to making the tough decisions; I found myself dismayed as often as I was proud of some of their choices, but that is to be expected given the circumstances. I’m actually glad that they each have their strengths and shortcomings.
As such, the relationship between the three siblings also fascinates me. Sanlitun was no doubt a great emperor and a wise leader, setting his children off on very different paths for them to experience new things and widen their worldview. But doing so also left huge gaps in their knowledge. Adare knows very little about the outside world but understands politics and the ways of the palace, and yet she was never meant to sit upon Unhewn Throne. Kaden’s eight years in isolation with the monks taught him the specialized mystical abilities that every emperor needs to know, but that also left him woefully ignorant of the ways of his future empire, including the laws of the land and cultures of his people – that and he has no idea at all how to fight and protect himself. In contrast, Valyn’s time with the Kettral taught him how to fight, survive, and form battle strategies, but unfortunately not much else. When it comes to what makes a great leader, it seems that each sibling has only a piece of the whole. But their years spent away from each other doing their different things also made them drift apart, leading to mistrust and suspicion. Whether they will end up working together or be divided remains to be seen, and that’s one of the main things I’m looking forward to finding out in the future of this series.
While The Emperor’s Blades was a pretty good book, like I said, everything about The Providence of Fire just feels even bigger, deeper and more improved. It’s almost like Brian Staveley took the doors to the series and flung them wide open, vastly expanding upon the world, the story and all the characters. In my review of the first book, I summed it up by saying that it was a promising start and in the sequel I would like a deeper look into the history and magic of the Annurian Empire, as well as a larger role for Adare. Well, you can bet I got everything I wanted and more in The Providence of Fire. The fate of the empire hangs in the balance, not to mention the futures of Adare, Kaden, and especially Valyn. Once again, the author ties everything up while teasing a lot more to come in the next installment, except now I’m even more excited for the next book.
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chomping through 600+ pages of this in a little more than three days.I just loved this book, couldn’t put it down. This incredible sequel to The Emperor’s Blades was everything I hoped for – bigger and better in every way. In fact, I went back to my review of the first book and practically everything I had an issue with there was amended in this second installment. As a reader, you just can’t ask for more than that.
The Providence of Fire picks up where The Emperor’s Blades left off, following the diverging paths of the slain Emperor Sanlitun’s three surviving children. After spending many years training with the empire’s elite Kettral forces, youngest brother Valyn is in the position to safeguard his older brother Kaden’s succession to the Unhewn Throne – though now he and his wing members are labeled renegades and traitors. Kaden himself has his own destiny to follow. He has spent the last eight years sequestered in a remote monastery in the mountains, learning the mysteries of the monks who live there. With the help of his mentor Tan, Kaden is now ready to use all that knowledge to uncover the truth of those behind Sanlitun’s murder, but being his father’s rightful heir makes him the target of those who want to overthrow the Malkeenian line.
However, oldest sister Adare, whom as you may recall spent most of the last book languishing in the capital being manipulated and treated with disdain by palace flunkies, is probably the one to see the greatest change to her character and storyline out of all of them. Having learned the identity of her father’s assassin, Adare formulates a plan to escape the city in the hopes of removing herself from the enemy’s grasp. Not knowing what has become of her brothers, she is also determined to find allies to secure the throne and keep Sanlitun’s killer from ever taking it.
Adare was my absolute favorite in this book, and I enjoyed her chapters the most. This young woman who has spent her whole life within the walls of the Dawn Palace is not as helpless as you would think she’d be. She may be ignorant of much of the world, but her quick thinking allows her to get quite far in her quest, and I always love to see a female character with brains and ambition. I also have to say, she has the most entertaining companions – just wait until you meet Lehav, Oshi, and the indomitable Nira. In this sequel, Adare is a far cry from who she was back in The Emperor’s Blades, and as one of my biggest criticism in that book was the underrepresentation of her character, I am happy and amazed at how far she has come now. I like Adare’s character very much, not only because I think she’s the strongest and most level-headed of Sanlitun’s children, but also because I had a feeling deep down that Staveley would have great things in store for her. I’m thrilled to see she’s finally getting her moment in the spotlight.
The other gripe I had about the first book was that for an epic fantasy, the story just didn’t feel quite big enough. Kaden’s everyday life seemed to revolve being beaten silly by the monks, and for Valyn it was being beaten silly by his trainers and other rival wings. Adare hardly appeared at all. Well, no problems with any of that here. Whereas in The Emperor’s Blades our settings were mostly restricted to the mountain monastery for Kaden, the Kettral training island for Valyn, and the Dawn Palace for Adare, The Providence of Fire opens the world right up as all three royal siblings travel far and wide on their quests. And rather than dealing with their immediate personal problems, the conflicts they face in this novel are far more urgent and significant as well, with far-reaching consequences for the whole empire and not just our three main protagonists.
With a major war against a new threat is on the horizon, the siblings’ roles in it make for a much more dynamic, fast-paced and action-filled plot. It is also worth noting that Staveley adds another point-of-view character partway through the novel, giving us insight into the motivations and actions of Gwenna, the demolitions specialist in Valyn’s wing. With the boys sent off on a wild goose chase and Valyn losing control of his team, it is up to the female Kettrals (and a Skullsworn assassin who is practically an honorary member) to take care of things. Though Gwenna’s chapters came in later in the second half of the novel, they were one of the highlights of this book for me and there were some very memorable scenes in them.
I’m now more intrigued than ever about where this series will go. I admit the plot became more addicting when Adare, Kaden and Valyn were all unaware of the fates of the others, so each sibling had to act on their own using what information they had available. As a result, Adare, Kaden and Valyn now each have their own individual goals. None of them are all that noble or perfect when it comes to making the tough decisions; I found myself dismayed as often as I was proud of some of their choices, but that is to be expected given the circumstances. I’m actually glad that they each have their strengths and shortcomings.
As such, the relationship between the three siblings also fascinates me. Sanlitun was no doubt a great emperor and a wise leader, setting his children off on very different paths for them to experience new things and widen their worldview. But doing so also left huge gaps in their knowledge. Adare knows very little about the outside world but understands politics and the ways of the palace, and yet she was never meant to sit upon Unhewn Throne. Kaden’s eight years in isolation with the monks taught him the specialized mystical abilities that every emperor needs to know, but that also left him woefully ignorant of the ways of his future empire, including the laws of the land and cultures of his people – that and he has no idea at all how to fight and protect himself. In contrast, Valyn’s time with the Kettral taught him how to fight, survive, and form battle strategies, but unfortunately not much else. When it comes to what makes a great leader, it seems that each sibling has only a piece of the whole. But their years spent away from each other doing their different things also made them drift apart, leading to mistrust and suspicion. Whether they will end up working together or be divided remains to be seen, and that’s one of the main things I’m looking forward to finding out in the future of this series.
While The Emperor’s Blades was a pretty good book, like I said, everything about The Providence of Fire just feels even bigger, deeper and more improved. It’s almost like Brian Staveley took the doors to the series and flung them wide open, vastly expanding upon the world, the story and all the characters. In my review of the first book, I summed it up by saying that it was a promising start and in the sequel I would like a deeper look into the history and magic of the Annurian Empire, as well as a larger role for Adare. Well, you can bet I got everything I wanted and more in The Providence of Fire. The fate of the empire hangs in the balance, not to mention the futures of Adare, Kaden, and especially Valyn. Once again, the author ties everything up while teasing a lot more to come in the next installment, except now I’m even more excited for the next book.
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LibraryThing member Strider66
Pros: lots of intrigue, lots of action, lots of unexpected plot twists, fascinating characters, brilliant writing
Cons: middle drags a bit, lots of swearing
Note: this is book two of the Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne, and as such both the synopsis and review contain spoilers for book one. If you
Picking up immediately where The Emperor’s Blades left off, the novel continues to follow the murdered Emperor Sunlitan’s children: Kaden, heir to the throne, is now able to enter the vaniate and use the Kenta gates built by the Csestriim; Valyn, is considered a traitor by the Ketral under whom he studied for the past 10 years, learning how to kill to protect the Empire; and Adare, who leaves the capital to find an army she can use to wrestle power from the general il Tornja.
There is so much going on in this book. The characters all travel a lot to get closer to their various aims, discover those aims need to change, and in the course of the book change drastically as people. It’s fantastic seeing characters react to situations based on limited and often faulty information, make decisions that affect their future - often very negatively - and watch them muddle through. The book feels more like reading history than a structured work of writing. Alliances change, trust is misplaced and/or broken, characters do things they regret and see things they’re helpless to stop.
Several battles pepper the book and the climax revolves around a war. There’s a lot of action, blood and gore. There’s also a lot of politicking, much of which went in directions I did not expect, especially in Kaden’s storyline.
The characters are varied in how they act, react and change. They remain entertaining and engaging throughout the novel, though I did find that the middle of the book dragged a bit, especially around some of Adare’s arc. The ending was fantastic though, and sets things up for what ought to be an amazing third book.
There is a lot of swearing, which fits the characters but isn’t something I’m particularly keen on. I’d place this on the lighter side of grimdark, because most of the characters remain sympathetic, even as they often end up doing horrible things. It feels like a cross between Joe Abercrombie’s First Law trilogy and Daniel Abraham’s Dagger and the Coin series.
I really recommend this series.
Cons: middle drags a bit, lots of swearing
Note: this is book two of the Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne, and as such both the synopsis and review contain spoilers for book one. If you
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haven’t read The Emperor’s Blades, it’s a fantastic fantasy novel.Picking up immediately where The Emperor’s Blades left off, the novel continues to follow the murdered Emperor Sunlitan’s children: Kaden, heir to the throne, is now able to enter the vaniate and use the Kenta gates built by the Csestriim; Valyn, is considered a traitor by the Ketral under whom he studied for the past 10 years, learning how to kill to protect the Empire; and Adare, who leaves the capital to find an army she can use to wrestle power from the general il Tornja.
There is so much going on in this book. The characters all travel a lot to get closer to their various aims, discover those aims need to change, and in the course of the book change drastically as people. It’s fantastic seeing characters react to situations based on limited and often faulty information, make decisions that affect their future - often very negatively - and watch them muddle through. The book feels more like reading history than a structured work of writing. Alliances change, trust is misplaced and/or broken, characters do things they regret and see things they’re helpless to stop.
Several battles pepper the book and the climax revolves around a war. There’s a lot of action, blood and gore. There’s also a lot of politicking, much of which went in directions I did not expect, especially in Kaden’s storyline.
The characters are varied in how they act, react and change. They remain entertaining and engaging throughout the novel, though I did find that the middle of the book dragged a bit, especially around some of Adare’s arc. The ending was fantastic though, and sets things up for what ought to be an amazing third book.
There is a lot of swearing, which fits the characters but isn’t something I’m particularly keen on. I’d place this on the lighter side of grimdark, because most of the characters remain sympathetic, even as they often end up doing horrible things. It feels like a cross between Joe Abercrombie’s First Law trilogy and Daniel Abraham’s Dagger and the Coin series.
I really recommend this series.
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LibraryThing member Chris_El
The first book in this series was good but didn't impress me as being incredible. Characters were well formed and the world building was decent. The story progress was solid and left me wanting to know what happens next. Naturally I picked up book 2.
In book 2 Staveley took his story telling to a
In book 2 Staveley took his story telling to a
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whole new level. Any possibility of this series being an average entry in the fantasy genre has been left behind as the author subverts your expectations of what is probably coming next with plot twists and revelations that change the course of the story in unexpected ways. And, perhaps changing who you think the bad guy is. I love it when a book is better than expected and Staveley does not disappoint. Show Less
LibraryThing member GSB68
I like this series a lot and the last book was one of my favorites last year, but while this one was very good and it expands the world-building in interesting ways I didn't enjoy the direction some of the characters took in this volume.
I want to see where this is heading and its definitely
I want to see where this is heading and its definitely
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possible that every thing will weave back together in the next book. Show Less
LibraryThing member nbmars
This complicated fantasy series is based on a rather simple premise: the Emperor, Sanlitun, has been killed by an act of treachery, and his kingdom is in turmoil. His two sons have been off acquiring extracurricular skills: the heir, Kaden, 17, has been at a monastery, and his brother Valyn has
The chapters take us back and forth between how the competing forces unleashed after the death of the Emperor affect his three children. There is a lot of brutality and violence, some competing gods that manipulate the chess pieces on the earthen board, and some interesting ideas about what is to be valued about life in this fantasy universe. And, although civilization is at a fairly primitive level, there are gates that allow people to tele-transport through “thousands of leagues in the blink of an eye.”
This series has some superficial features in common with the Robin Hobb “Farseer" books, but with none of the expert character development and “heart” that makes Hobb such a beloved writer. It’s also interesting that, unlike the Hobb books, there are no characters in this series that - so far, at any rate - are truly admirable or heroic. On the contrary, even the “heroes” are very, very flawed. (I’ve seen a lot of criticism about how Staveley has written his female characters, but in truth, I don’t see the males as being all that much better, although they get more “air time” in the series.)
Nevertheless, there are some aspects to the plot that are unique and worth consideration. Does a world without the extremes of emotion function more smoothly? And if it does, is this world without hope, courage, fear, hate, and love, worth living in?
Evaluation: This book picks up right where the first left off and ends also in a bit of a cliff-hanger; it is definitely not a standalone. We learn a lot of the secrets not revealed in the first book, and lose some of the best characters, but the author definitely gained my attention with the plot developments, and I eagerly await the third volume.
Get ready for lots of torture and killing. As one of the characters argues:
“People kill to get power, they kill to keep power, and they kill if they think they might lose it, which is pretty much always.”
And that pretty much summarizes much of the story.
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been training to be one of the elite special forces. The oldest child, Adare, is a female and therefore ineligible to succeed Sanlitun, but she is the only one actually in residence at the Dawn Palace, and so has to deal with the turmoil in the government.The chapters take us back and forth between how the competing forces unleashed after the death of the Emperor affect his three children. There is a lot of brutality and violence, some competing gods that manipulate the chess pieces on the earthen board, and some interesting ideas about what is to be valued about life in this fantasy universe. And, although civilization is at a fairly primitive level, there are gates that allow people to tele-transport through “thousands of leagues in the blink of an eye.”
This series has some superficial features in common with the Robin Hobb “Farseer" books, but with none of the expert character development and “heart” that makes Hobb such a beloved writer. It’s also interesting that, unlike the Hobb books, there are no characters in this series that - so far, at any rate - are truly admirable or heroic. On the contrary, even the “heroes” are very, very flawed. (I’ve seen a lot of criticism about how Staveley has written his female characters, but in truth, I don’t see the males as being all that much better, although they get more “air time” in the series.)
Nevertheless, there are some aspects to the plot that are unique and worth consideration. Does a world without the extremes of emotion function more smoothly? And if it does, is this world without hope, courage, fear, hate, and love, worth living in?
Evaluation: This book picks up right where the first left off and ends also in a bit of a cliff-hanger; it is definitely not a standalone. We learn a lot of the secrets not revealed in the first book, and lose some of the best characters, but the author definitely gained my attention with the plot developments, and I eagerly await the third volume.
Get ready for lots of torture and killing. As one of the characters argues:
“People kill to get power, they kill to keep power, and they kill if they think they might lose it, which is pretty much always.”
And that pretty much summarizes much of the story.
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LibraryThing member renbedell
A fantastic continuation of the story of the three siblings on their quest to regain their throne. The book has a lot more exploration of the world and the different civilizations. It follows the three siblings more equally and lets each shine in their own, individual way. Not only are the
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protagonists great, the supporting characters are even better. The only character that is a bit weak in development is Adare. While she was one of my favorites in the beginning, eventually nothing she did made much sense. The writing is great, with descriptions of scenery, emotions, and action being very engaging. The storyline is incredible with no clear villain or hero. The ending isn't as clean as the first book, leaving quite an opening for the next book to take over. I'm really enjoying this series. Show Less
LibraryThing member Kiddboyblue
This could very well shape out to be one of my favorite fantasy series, if it continues on the path Staveley has begun. While I found the first book in this series good, I found the second even better.
While the first book set the stage and introduced us to the main players, this second installment
The story started at a run and never let up, throwing in twists and turns that were wholly unexpected along the way. He is weaving such an intricate adventure here, that is hard to figure out, which makes for such an excellent read. I tend to be good, I like to think, at figuring things out early in books, and this one had me guessing. Who is the villain? Just when you think you know, Staveley makes you question it. He has kept you on your toes with this novel.
The characters are strong and unique and captivating, making you so invested in where their story lines take them. Most notably the story arc for Adare was the strongest of the book in my opinion. In Emperor's Blade she is barely seen and has very little character development or progression, while in this book her character really comes a long way and seems to have the most growth. Her brothers though, while perhaps having less change or growth, still feel like completely fleshed out and unique characters. One of my favorite aspects is that even though the three main protagonists are siblings, they are completely different and nothing alike, which creates such a great dynamic for storytelling.
Some new side characters are brought into the mix as well that add a new dynamic that wasn't in the first installment. Even characters like Triste, who in the first book felt almost like a throwaway character takes on a much bigger role here, that was completely unexpected.
Stavely includes some great fantasy elements in his world that just feel so epic and intriguing in a unique and new way. While at times I began to think, I've read this before, he would throw something new into the mix that would shake it all up. The writing is just top notch here.
This is a series to read, most definitely and I cannot wait to continue on to the third installment!
While the first book set the stage and introduced us to the main players, this second installment
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has completely changed the entire game and has shifted the story in such a new way, I was completely blown away. I did not want to put the book down!The story started at a run and never let up, throwing in twists and turns that were wholly unexpected along the way. He is weaving such an intricate adventure here, that is hard to figure out, which makes for such an excellent read. I tend to be good, I like to think, at figuring things out early in books, and this one had me guessing. Who is the villain? Just when you think you know, Staveley makes you question it. He has kept you on your toes with this novel.
The characters are strong and unique and captivating, making you so invested in where their story lines take them. Most notably the story arc for Adare was the strongest of the book in my opinion. In Emperor's Blade she is barely seen and has very little character development or progression, while in this book her character really comes a long way and seems to have the most growth. Her brothers though, while perhaps having less change or growth, still feel like completely fleshed out and unique characters. One of my favorite aspects is that even though the three main protagonists are siblings, they are completely different and nothing alike, which creates such a great dynamic for storytelling.
Some new side characters are brought into the mix as well that add a new dynamic that wasn't in the first installment. Even characters like Triste, who in the first book felt almost like a throwaway character takes on a much bigger role here, that was completely unexpected.
Stavely includes some great fantasy elements in his world that just feel so epic and intriguing in a unique and new way. While at times I began to think, I've read this before, he would throw something new into the mix that would shake it all up. The writing is just top notch here.
This is a series to read, most definitely and I cannot wait to continue on to the third installment!
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LibraryThing member R.E.Stearns
Just plan on picking up the third book immediately after you finish this one. Budget for it, reserve a credit, do what you have to do.
LibraryThing member quondame
Decent middle book in the series, lots of action and surprises. Some of the elements seemed just thrown in to make a bigger, epic-sized volume - I rather wish more authors would be happy with 400 page segments at 600 this one seemed very padded.
LibraryThing member High_Enginseer
The middle book of the Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne made some significant improvements from the first. The three siblings have more balanced time in the spotlight, and some chapters get Gwenna (the demolitions expert of Valyn's wing) as the POV.
Kaden and Valyn are more active in moving the plot
Many questions are answered, which open up new ones for the finale. The book also begins to set up two siblings against each other for the fate of the empire. While all this is happening, others begin to reveal plans of their own.
Kaden and Valyn are more active in moving the plot
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now that they are free of their earlier obligations. Adare is still playing a major part in the politics of the empire. All three make some blunders along the way, whether due to brashness, lack of confidence, or inexperience. One at least, begins to learn how to maneuver their opponents against each other and is fun to read as the plans unfold. Many questions are answered, which open up new ones for the finale. The book also begins to set up two siblings against each other for the fate of the empire. While all this is happening, others begin to reveal plans of their own.
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LibraryThing member jrg1316
The second book in this series, while not as good as the first in my opinion, is still really, really good. There are lots of surprises in it, some of them predictable and others not, but all of them are believable and don't just come out of nowhere.
There are a slew of new characters introduced,
On my review of the previous book, I said I wished there was more story focusing on Adare. We definitely got that in this book, but unfortunately, I ended up not liking her at all. She makes some maddening idiotic decisions even when she knows better. I know she's supposed to be a pretty sheltered and naive character, but it's still frustrating to read.
Overall, this has been one of the better series that I've read in quite awhile. I'm very much looking forward to the conclusion.
There are a slew of new characters introduced,
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but my favorites are Nira and Kiev. These two have very different personalities, but both are fascinating characters, and I want to know more about them. However, I think Pyrre and the Flea are still my favorite characters.On my review of the previous book, I said I wished there was more story focusing on Adare. We definitely got that in this book, but unfortunately, I ended up not liking her at all. She makes some maddening idiotic decisions even when she knows better. I know she's supposed to be a pretty sheltered and naive character, but it's still frustrating to read.
Overall, this has been one of the better series that I've read in quite awhile. I'm very much looking forward to the conclusion.
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LibraryThing member tatere
If Book 1 was Varyn's - subtitle, "The Idiot" - then Book 2 is Adare's - subtitle, "The Fool".
Part of what got me started on this set was thinking that it was complete. My mistake. The force of "must complete!" might have been enough to take me through a book I could start now. But waiting for Book
Part of what got me started on this set was thinking that it was complete. My mistake. The force of "must complete!" might have been enough to take me through a book I could start now. But waiting for Book
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3 ... not sure if Kaden's story is sufficient. Show Less
LibraryThing member jercox
Still compelling, still some good characters and story, a lot more going on that I didn't love. The desire to know what will happen next is still strong, but making sense of it seems harder. Enjoying the world less as this goes on.
Definitely some places where the dialogue about a character's inner
Definitely some places where the dialogue about a character's inner
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mind state went on way too long. Show Less
LibraryThing member Belana
It's a great sequel to the first volume. Brilliant performance by Simon Vance! Can't wait for the third volume.
LibraryThing member jazzbird61
So....I stayed up too late and ignored the family just to finish this one. Scary good but a bummer and a half that I have a very, very long time before this story is finished. Normally, I'd caution anyone to wait til book 3, but the first two are so good that you really shouldn't wait.
My problem
My problem
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now will be to find worthy of reading after this one... Show Less
Language
Original publication date
2015
ISBN
9780230770447