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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
Never quite lived up to book one for me, which is/was a shame as I was really looking forward to it. Not enough pace and action for my liking.
So many mixed feelings about this book. Everything with the "tower lord" was amazing and really felt right, too bad he was only in about 25% of the book! Frentis was another character that felt right after about 2/3 of the book, before that it was a struggle. I was bored with everyone else after a few chapters in. A mixed bag, I would say closer to 3.5 than 4 but rounding up because I love Al Sorna and this world. Such a shame it fell so far short of the first though.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
I am not sure if I want to give this book a 4. Vaelin was a super strong protagonist and taking that away from the reader in the second book was unfair. Though Frentis' POV was quite gripping and Reva was a good addition to the series, her introduction was super abrupt. And there were soooo many characters. Why oh Why :/
Still, a great book overall. Enough ranting.
Still, a great book overall. Enough ranting.
Reviewed by: Rabid Reads
4.5 stars
The last several fantasy series I've read have all begun excellently, then, at the very least, gone on to have lackluster second installments . . . so I'll admit . . . I was leery of this book.
And in the beginning, I'd thought my fears justified.
Like BLOOD SONG, it opened with Veniers’ historical account, but after that I was treated to a new POV . . . I bloody hate surprise POV changes. HATE them. And not only was this a new POV, but it was a new previously unknown POV.
*flares nostrils*
Who is this Reva and why should I care? Hmm??
Then came a chapter from Frentis’ POV, which should have been amazing (b/c Frentis), but instead was miserable (b/c slave), and it was only after that that we got back to Vaelin, the sole POV from book 1.
*grumbles*
I'll be honest, it took about 20% for me to engage with the new POVs, and not just b/c surly. The development was slow, even for the characters I already knew.
BUT.
Once I crossed the barrier, boy howdy . . . Ryan has a way of infusing just enough casual humor into horrible situations—tangentially related humor. He doesn't make light of the horror, he just manages to carefully distance you from it, so you don't become overwhelmed.
It's truly a gift.
Like in Veniers’ prelude to Part I. We've just learned that he's been captured and enslaved by the Volarians who are intent on conquering the Unified Realm, and then . . . *cues dramatic music * . . . the WORLD.
But seriously, these are nasty people. Nasty people who know who Veniers is, granting him both a certain usefulness and a certain precariousness of situation: the General of the Volarian army requires that Veniers chronicle his military genius and the inevitable demise of Alltor. If this is not accomplished to General’s satisfaction . . . *raises eyebrows significantly*
So pretty awful, right? BUT:
*snickers*
The expanded world-building was also excellent.
I made a determination recently that my favorite type of fantasy world is the extreme-post-destruction-of-highly-advanced-civilization (think Atlantis) world.
Guess what type of world this one is? *grins*
This time we meet the ancient priestess of one of the tribal peoples who requests Lyrna’s presence on her mountain (*coughs* active volcano *coughs*) and reveals much about the nature of the Enemy.
Then, nearly halfway through, we're reunited with who ended up being one of my favorite characters from BLOOD SONG: And Ryan reveals his second extraordinary gift, the ability to punch us in the FEELS with a single word: <------*WAILS*
Beyond that (and in my humble opinion, that is plenty), Ryan managed to shock me, even though I knew—I knew--something terrible was coming:
And finally there's Reva. Yes, that Reva. Much to my chagrin, she became my favorite character. Raised by an abusive zealot priest, she has the unique ability to fight the corrupt priesthood with their own faith.
It's marvelous:
She is a paladin in the truest sense, and I typically don't like paladins. They're boring, rule-following believers. Ugh. BUT. While she is a believer, she is neither boring nor a follower of rules. Plus, when confronted by the Volarians, she meets them blow-for-blow (or decapitation-for-decapitation).
It was glorious. *bloodthirsty-ness sated*
TOWER LORD was a stellar second installment of Anthony Ryan's A RAVEN’S SHADOW series: more heroic characters to love, more monstrous villains to hate (a seriously crazy one, too), more glimpses into the long-fallen civilization whence the enemy sprung, just more. Highly recommended to any fan of fantasy literature.
My other reviews for this series:
Blood Song (Raven's Shadow, #1) by Anthony Ryan
4.5 stars
The last several fantasy series I've read have all begun excellently, then, at the very least, gone on to have lackluster second installments . . . so I'll admit . . . I was leery of this book.
And in the beginning, I'd thought my fears justified.
Like BLOOD SONG, it opened with Veniers’ historical account, but after that I was treated to a new POV . . . I bloody hate surprise POV changes. HATE them. And not only was this a new POV, but it was a new previously unknown POV.
*flares nostrils*
Who is this Reva and why should I care? Hmm??
Then came a chapter from Frentis’ POV, which should have been amazing (b/c Frentis), but instead was miserable (b/c slave), and it was only after that that we got back to Vaelin, the sole POV from book 1.
*grumbles*
I'll be honest, it took about 20% for me to engage with the new POVs, and not just b/c surly. The development was slow, even for the characters I already knew.
BUT.
Once I crossed the barrier, boy howdy . . . Ryan has a way of infusing just enough casual humor into horrible situations—tangentially related humor. He doesn't make light of the horror, he just manages to carefully distance you from it, so you don't become overwhelmed.
It's truly a gift.
Like in Veniers’ prelude to Part I. We've just learned that he's been captured and enslaved by the Volarians who are intent on conquering the Unified Realm, and then . . . *cues dramatic music * . . . the WORLD.
But seriously, these are nasty people. Nasty people who know who Veniers is, granting him both a certain usefulness and a certain precariousness of situation: the General of the Volarian army requires that Veniers chronicle his military genius and the inevitable demise of Alltor. If this is not accomplished to General’s satisfaction . . . *raises eyebrows significantly*
So pretty awful, right? BUT:
“Only ever used on land before, but I saw their potential for bringing us victory here. A successful marriage of land and sea warfare. Write that down.”
*snickers*
The expanded world-building was also excellent.
I made a determination recently that my favorite type of fantasy world is the extreme-post-destruction-of-highly-advanced-civilization (think Atlantis) world.
Guess what type of world this one is? *grins*
This time we meet the ancient priestess of one of the tribal peoples who requests Lyrna’s presence on her mountain (*coughs* active volcano *coughs*) and reveals much about the nature of the Enemy.
Then, nearly halfway through, we're reunited with who ended up being one of my favorite characters from BLOOD SONG:
Spoiler
Nortah!Spoiler
Teacher.Beyond that (and in my humble opinion, that is plenty), Ryan managed to shock me, even though I knew—I knew--something terrible was coming:
Spoiler
Frentis just reached out and snapped the King’s neck. He just . . . grabbed him and snapped it . . . No warning . . . Like a twig and just as easily accomplished. OHMYGAWD!And finally there's Reva. Yes, that Reva. Much to my chagrin, she became my favorite character. Raised by an abusive zealot priest, she has the unique ability to fight the corrupt priesthood with their own faith.
It's marvelous:
“‘ Only peace and love can reside in a house blessed by the Father’s sight.’”
“‘ Turn not your gaze from those in need,’” she countered, calling on the Second Book. “‘ For the Father never will.’ Get out of the way, old man.”
She is a paladin in the truest sense, and I typically don't like paladins. They're boring, rule-following believers. Ugh. BUT. While she is a believer, she is neither boring nor a follower of rules. Plus, when confronted by the Volarians, she meets them blow-for-blow (or decapitation-for-decapitation).
It was glorious. *bloodthirsty-ness sated*
TOWER LORD was a stellar second installment of Anthony Ryan's A RAVEN’S SHADOW series: more heroic characters to love, more monstrous villains to hate (a seriously crazy one, too), more glimpses into the long-fallen civilization whence the enemy sprung, just more. Highly recommended to any fan of fantasy literature.
My other reviews for this series:
Blood Song (Raven's Shadow, #1) by Anthony Ryan
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes