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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
After reading Blood Song I was excited to read the next book in the series and it didn't didn't disappoint. It's much different than the first as it's told from multiple view points of the characters and their various factions and doesn't focus solely on Vaelin. I was a little overwhelmed at first with the amount of factions to keep up with but after a while this went away as I read deeper into the characters personalities and their stories.
I loved the fact that other characters stories were expanded upon I really appreciate this in a fantasy book as it enriches the experience. The trials the characters undergo is rewarding to read as is discovering what the characters have been doing since the first book. The new characters and their stories that are introduced are equally joyful to read.
It's hard to sum up how I feel about this book without spoiling it for others as I found it emotionally engaging on many different levels. There's never a dull moment. To summarise this is a satisfying sequel to the first book told from many different points of view which enrich the readers experience and leaves you wanting more..
I loved the fact that other characters stories were expanded upon I really appreciate this in a fantasy book as it enriches the experience. The trials the characters undergo is rewarding to read as is discovering what the characters have been doing since the first book. The new characters and their stories that are introduced are equally joyful to read.
It's hard to sum up how I feel about this book without spoiling it for others as I found it emotionally engaging on many different levels. There's never a dull moment. To summarise this is a satisfying sequel to the first book told from many different points of view which enrich the readers experience and leaves you wanting more..
Disappointed. The first book in this series I thought well done. Book two seemed incongruous. There was a clash of time lines. The chronology was "off." The fatal move was to leave the reader with a 'you have to read the next book to find out what happens.' I could care less. Sorry, Mr. Ryan. You just lost a reader.
Thank you GR friend. You know who you are. I appreciated the warning.
Thank you GR friend. You know who you are. I appreciated the warning.
Still a readable grimdark military fantasy and it does not suffer any usual weaknesses from a sequel. Strong, relatable characters. Wished there are more Vaelin's POV but I am glad with Vyrna's (I love her) and Frentis's. The new POV, Reva, I warmed up to her a bit but I found her siege commander ability was way too unbelievable in such a short time. Thank goodness the action bits were great and the battles engaging. Overall, the book is a bit slow at the beginning but the second half was quite fantastic. I enjoyed the magic part but still not sure whether the mysterious supreme magical evil is necessary to the plot. But hell, color me intrigued for now. Onward to the last book!
Review Posted from Tenacious Reader: http://www.tenaciousreader.com/2014/0...
I know everyone is wondering: Is this as awesome as Blood Song? I had a hard time comparing because the formats are so different. But...
Here it is, I’ll say it early for anyone with a short attention span: this is great book in its own right. For me, it may not have had quite the same addictive quality, the kind that keeps me reading way too late at night, and compels me to pick right back up too early in the morning, that I had with Blood Song, but honestly, I read maybe two books a year that achieve that. Not to say I don’t stay up too late reading with many others (this one included), it’s just not quite as furtive of a need. And I don’t know if I have ever had it happen with a book that has multiple POVs.
That’s right. If you haven’t already heard, the book is not centered on Vaelin. He’s still a central figure in the overall story arc, but every page in the book is not devoted to solely his perspective and plights. Tower Lord is broken into five parts, each of with starts with a Verniers entry, which are all great fun. I’m honestly not sure if I appreciated Verniers as much in the Blood Song as I should have and as I did in this one. Perhaps because I was so anxious to continuously read about Vaelin, and the journal entries were the only intermissions I had from that. But this time, I definitely fully appreciated Verniers’ wry wit.
In addition to Vaelin, we get POV chapters from 2 familiar characters from Blood Song: Frentis and Lyrna. And then we also get a new character with a POV, Reva. The four POVs, paired with Vernier’s journal entries, give the reader a great opportunity to see a much clearer picture of the overall story. And understand the movement of battle from all fronts in addition to the different people and cultures involved. I think it also leant a stronger air of anticipation as you experience the trials of all involved across the land. I was also quite appreciative of the maps in Tower Lord. I don’t too often find myself referencing maps, but in this one, with the story so spread out, so many characters on the move, I often would flip to them for reference.
Reva was an interesting addition. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t sure I was going to like her in the beginning. I started having flashbacks of Renna from The Daylight War and was quite concerned Reva’s character might go in that direction (for those not familiar, I found Renna to be grating and a distraction). I am quite happy to say it did not. Not at all. I am actually quite a fan of Reva and really liked seeing her character growth through the book. She was faced with loyalty issues that challenged her to reevaluate her Faith as it had been taught to her versus how she believes Faith should be. In addition to that, she also becomes critical to the story in ways I’d rather you read for yourself to find out.
I remember a while back, some fellow fantasy fans, either on twitter or a forum, using the term ‘siege porn’ (probably in regard to The Red Knight by Miles Cameron). Seven hells, if you are looking for an incredible, down and dirty, gritty ‘siege porn’ fix, then look no further. Some truly great siege action in this one!
My only real disappointment in the book is that at the end of Blood Song, I was quite curious about Caenis, and am sad to say he is not really featured in Tower Lord. However, I am consoled by the fact that it seems he will be again (he is mentioned. We know he’s out there still). I would love to have Caenis POVs in future books, but since I still really enjoyed this one, I can’t really complain either. It just gives me something to look forward to.
If you enjoyed Blood Song, by all means, you have to read this. I think the strengths of this book are different than Blood Song, but it works so well. Blood Song was the coming of age story of Vaelin and setup for the grander story. This book gives you a much clearer picture of the impressive scale of the conflict, introduces you to more characters. And it has siege porn! And prepare yourself. The first thing you will want to do you finish reading this, is look to find out when the next book is going to be released! Absolutely brilliant ending that leaves you both satisfied and on the edge of your seat for what happens next. Loved it.
I know everyone is wondering: Is this as awesome as Blood Song? I had a hard time comparing because the formats are so different. But...
Here it is, I’ll say it early for anyone with a short attention span: this is great book in its own right. For me, it may not have had quite the same addictive quality, the kind that keeps me reading way too late at night, and compels me to pick right back up too early in the morning, that I had with Blood Song, but honestly, I read maybe two books a year that achieve that. Not to say I don’t stay up too late reading with many others (this one included), it’s just not quite as furtive of a need. And I don’t know if I have ever had it happen with a book that has multiple POVs.
That’s right. If you haven’t already heard, the book is not centered on Vaelin. He’s still a central figure in the overall story arc, but every page in the book is not devoted to solely his perspective and plights. Tower Lord is broken into five parts, each of with starts with a Verniers entry, which are all great fun. I’m honestly not sure if I appreciated Verniers as much in the Blood Song as I should have and as I did in this one. Perhaps because I was so anxious to continuously read about Vaelin, and the journal entries were the only intermissions I had from that. But this time, I definitely fully appreciated Verniers’ wry wit.
In addition to Vaelin, we get POV chapters from 2 familiar characters from Blood Song: Frentis and Lyrna. And then we also get a new character with a POV, Reva. The four POVs, paired with Vernier’s journal entries, give the reader a great opportunity to see a much clearer picture of the overall story. And understand the movement of battle from all fronts in addition to the different people and cultures involved. I think it also leant a stronger air of anticipation as you experience the trials of all involved across the land. I was also quite appreciative of the maps in Tower Lord. I don’t too often find myself referencing maps, but in this one, with the story so spread out, so many characters on the move, I often would flip to them for reference.
Reva was an interesting addition. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t sure I was going to like her in the beginning. I started having flashbacks of Renna from The Daylight War and was quite concerned Reva’s character might go in that direction (for those not familiar, I found Renna to be grating and a distraction). I am quite happy to say it did not. Not at all. I am actually quite a fan of Reva and really liked seeing her character growth through the book. She was faced with loyalty issues that challenged her to reevaluate her Faith as it had been taught to her versus how she believes Faith should be. In addition to that, she also becomes critical to the story in ways I’d rather you read for yourself to find out.
I remember a while back, some fellow fantasy fans, either on twitter or a forum, using the term ‘siege porn’ (probably in regard to The Red Knight by Miles Cameron). Seven hells, if you are looking for an incredible, down and dirty, gritty ‘siege porn’ fix, then look no further. Some truly great siege action in this one!
My only real disappointment in the book is that at the end of Blood Song, I was quite curious about Caenis, and am sad to say he is not really featured in Tower Lord. However, I am consoled by the fact that it seems he will be again (he is mentioned. We know he’s out there still). I would love to have Caenis POVs in future books, but since I still really enjoyed this one, I can’t really complain either. It just gives me something to look forward to.
If you enjoyed Blood Song, by all means, you have to read this. I think the strengths of this book are different than Blood Song, but it works so well. Blood Song was the coming of age story of Vaelin and setup for the grander story. This book gives you a much clearer picture of the impressive scale of the conflict, introduces you to more characters. And it has siege porn! And prepare yourself. The first thing you will want to do you finish reading this, is look to find out when the next book is going to be released! Absolutely brilliant ending that leaves you both satisfied and on the edge of your seat for what happens next. Loved it.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Raven's Shadow is quickly becoming one of my favorite fantasy series to date, behind A Song of Ice and Fire and The Kingkiller Chronicle.
I thoroughly enjoyed Tower Lord. I know that many fans of Blood Song were disappointed with Tower Lord because of a perceived shift in focus and scope. The first 2/3 of Blood Song is a uniquely compelling and intimate coming-of-age tale with seeds of a greater story being planted in the background. However, I would argue that Tower Lord is very much in keeping with the last 1/3 of Blood Song, both tonally and thematically speaking, as we follow Vaelin and the Unified Realm's army on their suicide mission to conquer the norther coast of the Alpiran Empire.
Anthony Ryan's prose is still engaging this time around and the plot moves along at a steady pace. I also enjoyed each additional point of view character which -- contrary to many opinions -- I felt necessary and served the story quite well.
That being said, I did have a couple of issues with the novel. 1) Our "heroes" come across as too perfect. They never fail at anything, and they quickly become experts at everything. 2) I enjoyed Reva, one of the new point of characters, but -- without giving away spoilers -- her character development was rushed. 3) The action and fighting was slightly over-the-top compared to Blood Song. As I recall, the action, fighting, and violence in Blood Song felt grounded, whereas in Tower Lord many of the characters' abilities depicted them as super heroes straight out of a comic book.
Ultimately, is Tower Lord another Blood Song? No. But I don't believe it has to be. Tower Lord only needs to serve as a novel who's narrative fits nicely into the overarching plot of the Raven's Shadow series, which I believe it accomplishes. I look forward to the conclusion of the trilogy with Queen of Fire; next summer can't get here soon enough!!
I thoroughly enjoyed Tower Lord. I know that many fans of Blood Song were disappointed with Tower Lord because of a perceived shift in focus and scope. The first 2/3 of Blood Song is a uniquely compelling and intimate coming-of-age tale with seeds of a greater story being planted in the background. However, I would argue that Tower Lord is very much in keeping with the last 1/3 of Blood Song, both tonally and thematically speaking, as we follow Vaelin and the Unified Realm's army on their suicide mission to conquer the norther coast of the Alpiran Empire.
Anthony Ryan's prose is still engaging this time around and the plot moves along at a steady pace. I also enjoyed each additional point of view character which -- contrary to many opinions -- I felt necessary and served the story quite well.
That being said, I did have a couple of issues with the novel. 1) Our "heroes" come across as too perfect. They never fail at anything, and they quickly become experts at everything. 2) I enjoyed Reva, one of the new point of characters, but -- without giving away spoilers -- her character development was rushed. 3) The action and fighting was slightly over-the-top compared to Blood Song. As I recall, the action, fighting, and violence in Blood Song felt grounded, whereas in Tower Lord many of the characters' abilities depicted them as super heroes straight out of a comic book.
Ultimately, is Tower Lord another Blood Song? No. But I don't believe it has to be. Tower Lord only needs to serve as a novel who's narrative fits nicely into the overarching plot of the Raven's Shadow series, which I believe it accomplishes. I look forward to the conclusion of the trilogy with Queen of Fire; next summer can't get here soon enough!!
I picked up Blood Song, the first book in this series, back when it was being self-published by the author. I was surprised by how much I like it, and by how well-written it was. Nothing has changed now that these books are under a real publisher except for the surprise. This book was awesome.
As always for me, it was the author's character work that really made the book worthwhile. In this installment, Ryan took time to branch out away from Vaelin and give some other, formerly supporting characters a major voice. He also introduced Reva, who kicks just as much ass as any of the boys, which I loved. My only complaint with the new format is that it took time away from Vaelin. I wish that we had the chance to see more of him, and see how his 5 years in the Alpiran dungeons, and not just war, changed him.
Bascially, I just wish the book was longer, which is the best compliment I can give to any book.
As always for me, it was the author's character work that really made the book worthwhile. In this installment, Ryan took time to branch out away from Vaelin and give some other, formerly supporting characters a major voice. He also introduced Reva, who kicks just as much ass as any of the boys, which I loved. My only complaint with the new format is that it took time away from Vaelin. I wish that we had the chance to see more of him, and see how his 5 years in the Alpiran dungeons, and not just war, changed him.
Bascially, I just wish the book was longer, which is the best compliment I can give to any book.