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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
Actual rating: 3.5 stars
It’s hard to feel as if ~any~ rating would have been fair for this book, as I was not in the best headspace whilst listening to it and it took me nigh on a month to get through it. But - being as objective as possible - it seemed to suffer from the dreaded ‘middle book syndrome’; whereby a lot of the early parts looked back at the events of book one, whilst the second half felt predominantly like set up for book three.
Did I enjoy it? Yes. Is it a brilliant fantasy story that I wholeheartedly believe all fans of the genre would also enjoy? For sure. But was it the best instalment in the series? I’m sure you know by now that it wasn’t.
Still, a solid read despite it all.
It’s hard to feel as if ~any~ rating would have been fair for this book, as I was not in the best headspace whilst listening to it and it took me nigh on a month to get through it. But - being as objective as possible - it seemed to suffer from the dreaded ‘middle book syndrome’; whereby a lot of the early parts looked back at the events of book one, whilst the second half felt predominantly like set up for book three.
Did I enjoy it? Yes. Is it a brilliant fantasy story that I wholeheartedly believe all fans of the genre would also enjoy? For sure. But was it the best instalment in the series? I’m sure you know by now that it wasn’t.
Still, a solid read despite it all.
adventurous
dark
adventurous
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Original rating stands! Loved getting new characters, but I missed having so much Vaelin. Also, poor Frentis.
Blood Song was a great deal better but Tower Lord certainly held its own. It did lack the freshness and urgency the first book had.
The 2nd book effect strikes. It is usually tough to follow up an astounding debut with a great book 2 and thats what happens here. For large parts, the book can be described as, well, Boring. Ryan's easy style of writing keeps you going and there is some payoff towards the end. The biggest problem is moving the book from a 1 PoV style to 4. That kind of slows the book down when all you want to do is follow Vaelin as in Blood Song. A couple of characters are put majorly through the grinder. The comparison set has moved. While 1st book was more Kingkiller than anything, this one has moved far past it
I picked up [b:Blood Song|13569581|Blood Song (Raven's Shadow, #1)|Anthony Ryan|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1421573407s/13569581.jpg|19148922] at the behest of a well-placed sign at my local bookstore, as a stand-in for those of us who are still waiting for Patrick Rothfuss and George R. R. Martin to drop their latest high fantasy tomes. The first novel in the series was an incredibly well-executed, if unimaginative take on the genre.
To Anthony Ryan's credit, the sequel addressed many of my principal complaints with the first book in the series. He did a much better job this time around giving his female characters texture and flavor. Lyrna and a new entrant Reva become POV characters — elevating the women of the world to fully fleshed-out status. Even many of the secondary female characters are stand-outs — and all are fully realized.
The addition of these extra voices enables Ryan to take a step back from his main character Vaelin in a way that makes his Gary Stu nature less harsh and glaring to the trained eye. The guy still makes all the right decisions and wins the adoration of all he comes in contact with, but somehow it jars the careful reader less when his perspective shifts into focus a quarter of the time.
Tower Lord also succeeds at occupying the larger world in a way that the previous book didn't. While many of the lands and peoples the reader comes across seem ripped from the pages of more prominent fantasy authors (a horde of wild people living beyond a barrier of ice? slavers from the east? an impossible siege defense?), but somehow it doesn't seem to matter.
Like I said after I finished Blood Song: this is not a book you read for higher truths or insights into humanity. It's a swords and sorcery page-turner that utterly succeeds at what it sets out to do.
To Anthony Ryan's credit, the sequel addressed many of my principal complaints with the first book in the series. He did a much better job this time around giving his female characters texture and flavor. Lyrna and a new entrant Reva become POV characters — elevating the women of the world to fully fleshed-out status. Even many of the secondary female characters are stand-outs — and all are fully realized.
The addition of these extra voices enables Ryan to take a step back from his main character Vaelin in a way that makes his Gary Stu nature less harsh and glaring to the trained eye. The guy still makes all the right decisions and wins the adoration of all he comes in contact with, but somehow it jars the careful reader less when his perspective shifts into focus a quarter of the time.
Tower Lord also succeeds at occupying the larger world in a way that the previous book didn't. While many of the lands and peoples the reader comes across seem ripped from the pages of more prominent fantasy authors (a horde of wild people living beyond a barrier of ice? slavers from the east? an impossible siege defense?), but somehow it doesn't seem to matter.
Like I said after I finished Blood Song: this is not a book you read for higher truths or insights into humanity. It's a swords and sorcery page-turner that utterly succeeds at what it sets out to do.
4.5 stars since i found it a little less gripping then the first one - but it's still fairly good.
Ich liebe es!! <3
OMG ich liebe es!!! Und dieses Ende!!
Der erste Band war schon gut! Aber der zweite erst*-*
OMG ich liebe es!!! Und dieses Ende!!
Der erste Band war schon gut! Aber der zweite erst*-*
Sale Alert: Kindle Daily Deal 27Jul20 $1.99
Reread before the final book release
Possible Minor Spoilers for BloodSong
While Bloodsong is completely Vaelin’s journey The Tower Lord opens up more of this world by showing the story from multiple PoVs. This was good and bad for me as I am so attached to Vaelin that having to share this book with other characters meant I missed him for a lot of it. The other PoVs are good and some I liked more than others but with most books that have shifting PoV chapters it takes a while for all the stories to build and really pick up momentum. But when things get rolling they really get rolling.
Books with multiple PoVs storylines are the hardest books for me to write reviews for. Things shift so much in the story with some people intersecting and others not but still holding relevance to some of the other people and places and how do you convey that in a review but not give importance things away….AHHHHH.
Again at the beginning of each Part of The Tower Lord the reader is in the present with the historian Vernier. He is in a somewhat different position than in the first book now a slave for the enemy and at their disposal to record the upcoming victory of a city under siege. Even though we all know where the story will eventually lead it isn’t clear until the very end again how it will all play out. It is a great way to create tension for the characters in the story from the very beginning.
The Volarian’s with help from The Ally have come to the Unified Realm to conquer and enslave its people. It is a plan that has been in the works for longer than most have been alive and so many pieces must fall into place. Unlike the Unified Realm the Volarians have no fear of using the dark to obtain their goals. If Vaelin is to help a new friend Reva, Lyrna or the Realm that he has already given up so much for he will need the help of some old friends and unite a few new ones along the way. It is time for Vaelin to be not only the Darkblade and Beral Shar Ur but also earn some new names including The Lord of Blades.
Vaelin - While this is still a lot of his story because he had to share time with other PoVs I really missed him. He is still a compelling character. His time spent alone in prison was well spent learning his song. It was as much a character in this book as he was. Vaelin always has many parts to his section of the story. He is a warrior true, but he is a man who doesn’t want to war again if possible. He doesn’t long for battle in fact most of the time he is really doing everything he can to avoid it. His true wants are simple, the family he was denied in the form of a sister, peace if possible and to find his lost brother Frentis.
Destiny seems to always get in his way though and the bloodsong plays on helping to lead the way. He will earn even more names and fulfill even more prophecies.
Reva - Her chapters were some of the most interesting to me. Bastard daughter of the Trueblade she has been shaped to a fanatical devotion of the World Father and what some believe he would want. She has one of the most interesting journeys as she is taken in and trained by the Darkblade himself then set back out into the world a little broken and looking for answers.
Her journey to find the truth of her past and carve her future was almost as good as Vaelin’s journey in Bloodsong. She is a force to be reckoned with and a powerful surprise in a small package.
Frentis - Oh poor Frentis. His fate at the end of Bloodsong was unknown and the last five years have not been kind to him. I loved and hated his chapters all at the same time. He has been with the enemy for these last five years in the fighting pits. It seems that One Eye left him with a gift that just keeps on giving and the Volarians know how to use it against him. He is forced to travel with ‘the woman’ who has a story probably darker than most and she is bat-shit-crazy. She is the reason the chapters are difficult to read but at the same time you can’t get enough. She is the deadliest woman in the realm, possibly any realm and Frentis is forced to help her in her dastardly deeds. He both sympathizes with her and hates her at the same time.
She is monstrous and crazy and probably the lesser or all the evils presented but it is still an evil more terrible than most can imagine.
Lyrna - spends most of her time traveling, that usually isn’t my favorite fantasy trope which is probably why I liked her sections the least. She was so smart and slightly cold in the last book that I wasn’t sure what to make of her. She has changed a bit from Bloodsong. Lyrna is still the exceptionally smart Keschet player looking at the long game she isn’t as ruthless as she once was, it seems a decision she made in Bloodsong might have changed her more than she realized.
I really enjoy roles with strong women in them and Anthony Ryan has created quite a few between Lyrna, Reva, Davoka, Veliss and Dahrena. Each plays a pretty strong part in the story. Lyrna’s story is only a less interesting due to the fact the other story lines are stronger. She is traveling searching out answers about ‘The Dark’ and negotiating peace with the Lornak. Later she is traveling on a ship, I lose interest sometimes when plot lines go that direction. The best part of her story line was the introduction of Davoka, a Lornak ‘guide’. She was the source of much of the comic relief in this dark tale. The Lornak ways are interesting and different and she was a fantastic character addition to the story.
The friendship that built between Lyrna and Davoka was really a great bond and I’m hoping to see more of them in the next book.
Honestly this book is full of information, great characters, wonderful cultures, dark deeds and a plethora of adventures. This is actually my second time through the book and I picked up even more details. When a book holds my attention wrapped even on a reread I know that it is good. I’m rooting so much for Vaelin and at the end he was amazing although I’m not sure how he will do what needs to be done in the next book. The ending for this was so intense and I was really happy with so much of it. Don’t be confused though this is a dark fantasy. There were deaths of characters I hated and some I loved. It is an emotional journey as well as an exciting one and I’m not sure all my favorite characters will make it through to the very end but I still hold out all hope.
On to Queen of Fire.
Original Read September 2014:
Buddy read with Athena, Armina, Gavin and Desisnka
Well it has been months since I finished this and I still can't seem to find the words I want to use to describe how I feel about this series. It is so strong and while I missed being with Vaelin all the time the introduction of multiple PoVs made the story grow by leaps and bounds.
I loved most of it.
I will attempt a real review when I re-read it (because we all know I will) right before the release of the 3rd book in the series. All I can say for now is I like this series a lot and want to read it all over again.
Reread before the final book release
Possible Minor Spoilers for BloodSong
While Bloodsong is completely Vaelin’s journey The Tower Lord opens up more of this world by showing the story from multiple PoVs. This was good and bad for me as I am so attached to Vaelin that having to share this book with other characters meant I missed him for a lot of it. The other PoVs are good and some I liked more than others but with most books that have shifting PoV chapters it takes a while for all the stories to build and really pick up momentum. But when things get rolling they really get rolling.
Books with multiple PoVs storylines are the hardest books for me to write reviews for. Things shift so much in the story with some people intersecting and others not but still holding relevance to some of the other people and places and how do you convey that in a review but not give importance things away….AHHHHH.
♔ The Story ♔
Again at the beginning of each Part of The Tower Lord the reader is in the present with the historian Vernier. He is in a somewhat different position than in the first book now a slave for the enemy and at their disposal to record the upcoming victory of a city under siege. Even though we all know where the story will eventually lead it isn’t clear until the very end again how it will all play out. It is a great way to create tension for the characters in the story from the very beginning.
Remember this, Queen, when you watch the flames rise high, remember this and ask yourself: would I do this again?”
The Volarian’s with help from The Ally have come to the Unified Realm to conquer and enslave its people. It is a plan that has been in the works for longer than most have been alive and so many pieces must fall into place. Unlike the Unified Realm the Volarians have no fear of using the dark to obtain their goals. If Vaelin is to help a new friend Reva, Lyrna or the Realm that he has already given up so much for he will need the help of some old friends and unite a few new ones along the way. It is time for Vaelin to be not only the Darkblade and Beral Shar Ur but also earn some new names including The Lord of Blades.
♔ The Characters ♔
Vaelin - While this is still a lot of his story because he had to share time with other PoVs I really missed him. He is still a compelling character. His time spent alone in prison was well spent learning his song. It was as much a character in this book as he was. Vaelin always has many parts to his section of the story. He is a warrior true, but he is a man who doesn’t want to war again if possible. He doesn’t long for battle in fact most of the time he is really doing everything he can to avoid it. His true wants are simple, the family he was denied in the form of a sister, peace if possible and to find his lost brother Frentis.
“Justice?” he said as the mirth faded. “I looked for justice once, from a scheming old man. He gave it to me, and all I had to give him was my soul.”
Destiny seems to always get in his way though and the bloodsong plays on helping to lead the way. He will earn even more names and fulfill even more prophecies.
Reva - Her chapters were some of the most interesting to me. Bastard daughter of the Trueblade she has been shaped to a fanatical devotion of the World Father and what some believe he would want. She has one of the most interesting journeys as she is taken in and trained by the Darkblade himself then set back out into the world a little broken and looking for answers.
“Pardon me,” Reva said, pausing.
He was a tall man and she was obliged to look up at him, though not tall enough to be out of reach. “Your nose appears to be bleeding.”
He frowned, fingers coming up to touch his nose, coming away clean. “I don’t . . .”
His head snapped back from the force of the blow, nose breaking, though not with enough force to kill him. He stumbled backwards to collide with the wall, sinking to the floor, blood streaming down his face.
“My mistake,” Reva said, moving on. “Now it’s bleeding.”
Her journey to find the truth of her past and carve her future was almost as good as Vaelin’s journey in Bloodsong. She is a force to be reckoned with and a powerful surprise in a small package.
Frentis - Oh poor Frentis. His fate at the end of Bloodsong was unknown and the last five years have not been kind to him. I loved and hated his chapters all at the same time. He has been with the enemy for these last five years in the fighting pits. It seems that One Eye left him with a gift that just keeps on giving and the Volarians know how to use it against him. He is forced to travel with ‘the woman’ who has a story probably darker than most and she is bat-shit-crazy. She is the reason the chapters are difficult to read but at the same time you can’t get enough. She is the deadliest woman in the realm, possibly any realm and Frentis is forced to help her in her dastardly deeds. He both sympathizes with her and hates her at the same time.
He looked away and she moved closer, her arms slipping around his waist as her head rested on his shoulder.
“I’m going to kill you,” he said. “You must know that.”
She kissed his neck and for once he didn’t flinch, though he had the freedom to do so.
“Then, beloved,” she said in a whisper, breath hot on his neck, “you would doom yourself and every soul in this world.”
She is monstrous and crazy and probably the lesser or all the evils presented but it is still an evil more terrible than most can imagine.
Lyrna - spends most of her time traveling, that usually isn’t my favorite fantasy trope which is probably why I liked her sections the least. She was so smart and slightly cold in the last book that I wasn’t sure what to make of her. She has changed a bit from Bloodsong. Lyrna is still the exceptionally smart Keschet player looking at the long game she isn’t as ruthless as she once was, it seems a decision she made in Bloodsong might have changed her more than she realized.
“It must have been hard,” he said, reclining on his stool, his smile now genuine.
“Hard, my lord Shield? Keschet is very simple in essence . . .”
“Not the game. Pretending all those years. Not being you. After all, who wants the keenest mind in the room to be the princess in the corner?”
I really enjoy roles with strong women in them and Anthony Ryan has created quite a few between Lyrna, Reva, Davoka, Veliss and Dahrena. Each plays a pretty strong part in the story. Lyrna’s story is only a less interesting due to the fact the other story lines are stronger. She is traveling searching out answers about ‘The Dark’ and negotiating peace with the Lornak. Later she is traveling on a ship, I lose interest sometimes when plot lines go that direction. The best part of her story line was the introduction of Davoka, a Lornak ‘guide’. She was the source of much of the comic relief in this dark tale. The Lornak ways are interesting and different and she was a fantastic character addition to the story.
“I’m sorry I hit you,” Lyrna said.
Davoka turned to her with a puzzled frown. “Sorree?”
Lyrna searched for the Lonak equivalent, finding there wasn’t one. “Illeha,” she said. Regret or guilt, depending on the inflection.
“Lonakhim hit each other all the time,” Davoka replied with a shrug. “If you’d tried to knife me, things would be different.
The friendship that built between Lyrna and Davoka was really a great bond and I’m hoping to see more of them in the next book.
♔ Overall ♔
Honestly this book is full of information, great characters, wonderful cultures, dark deeds and a plethora of adventures. This is actually my second time through the book and I picked up even more details. When a book holds my attention wrapped even on a reread I know that it is good. I’m rooting so much for Vaelin and at the end he was amazing although I’m not sure how he will do what needs to be done in the next book. The ending for this was so intense and I was really happy with so much of it. Don’t be confused though this is a dark fantasy. There were deaths of characters I hated and some I loved. It is an emotional journey as well as an exciting one and I’m not sure all my favorite characters will make it through to the very end but I still hold out all hope.
On to Queen of Fire.
Original Read September 2014:
Buddy read with Athena, Armina, Gavin and Desisnka
Well it has been months since I finished this and I still can't seem to find the words I want to use to describe how I feel about this series. It is so strong and while I missed being with Vaelin all the time the introduction of multiple PoVs made the story grow by leaps and bounds.
I loved most of it.
I will attempt a real review when I re-read it (because we all know I will) right before the release of the 3rd book in the series. All I can say for now is I like this series a lot and want to read it all over again.