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griffdog's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
grimdark_dad's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Child death, Violence, Gore, Death of parent, Cannibalism, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Confinement, Death, Murder, Grief, War, and Medical content
shandyt's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
4.5 stars!
When reviewing The Lost War, the first book in the series, I complained that the first 90% seemed to be setup for the last 10%. I am happy to say that with this sequel, we are fully into the meat of the story, and gosh, does the character work really shine! I would compare it favorably to Robin Hobb's Realm of the Elderlings, in that every character feels meticulously drawn, real, and flawed—sometimes to my immense, if temporary, frustration. All the characters are in the wrong, and no one is right... or is everyone in the right, and no one's wrong? Seriously, I would be fully convinced I hated a particular character, or convinced they'd lost their mind, until I read a chapter from their point of view, and suddenly all their choices made sense. And because these characters are all so abominably bad at speaking their full and honest feelings, they spend a lot of time thinking they're all on the same page, only to discover they're not. "Betrayals" to one character are just difficult choices to another. Their plans fall apart. (And let me tell you, as an avid TTRPG player, no plan ever survives contact with the players, even if it's the players' plan.) People are messy. They hold things back. If everyone isn't on board and clear with every step of the plan, there's bound to be missteps and miscommunication. And so, even though there were a lot of trainwrecks, I stayed invested in the story, the plans, and the characters executing them.
I suppose I should take some time to comment on those characters. (For any fellow audiobook readers, I asked for and was very graciously given a list of the characters to assist with spelling, which you can find here: link.) Spoilers ahead.
SpoilerAh, dear, sweet Aranok. He really got put through the wringer in this book, didn't he? Since it feels like we've spent the most time in his head, I felt the most connection with him, and I tended to agree with his decisions. Well, the majority of them, anyway. I share his disinclination toward executing criminals, and his drive to consider all options before cutting off potential pathways to success. I especially thought he had the right of trying to work with Janaeus against Anhel Weyr. Even if not, I do think Nirea owed it to Aranok to fully hear him out before making the unilateral decision to murder Janaeus in front of the entire court. But again, I have been part of a TTRPG campaign where someone did just that, blowing up our party's plans by assassinating someone in front of all his men, so it's not exactly out of keeping with the way certain people will behave in that scenario. Anyway, I sympathized greatly with Aranok and his cause, and I shared his frustrations with a lot of the decisions the people around him made. I was fascinated by the reveal that it was his own drunken ramblings that may have inspired the Hellfires to rise up, though I don't think he truly bears even 1/10th the responsibility for their actions that he seems to think he does. RIP to Korvin, who seemed like a real one. And can I say how much I enjoy that our "main" protagonist is a guy in his 40's with chronic knee pain and PTSD? I like a character with some mileage on him, who's seen some shit, but still needs his parents' love and approval. More characters like Aranok, older Fitz Farseer, Logen Ninefingers, and Whiskeyjack, please.
Thank Samily's god for Allandria being around to take care of Aranok and serve as the true voice of reason in the party. I can't say she actually did much in this book, but I enjoyed her POV chapters nonetheless. She's got such a good head on her shoulders. I especially liked the trial chapter in the Reivers' territory (not even going to attempt spelling that location, even if I could remember how it sounded). The young clan leader's sneaky gambit was fun, if I did see the reveal coming a long way off.
As for Nirea, I'll admit to not remembering much about her from my read of the first book, which was the self-published version, four years ago. (Goodness, has it really been that long?) This time, she made a much larger impression, for good or ill. I found a lot of her choices to be mercenary and rash, although when she explained her point of view, I could see why she'd chosen to make them. I thought she and Quell were beginning to form an interesting rapport at the end, and I enjoyed getting to see Nirea be truly vulnerable and real, so I was as disappointed as Nirea was that Quell chose to leave. But, it was the right thing to do to give her the choice.
Rasa!! She was a delight in this book. Even-tempered, kind, and quietly committed to draoidh causes. I very much enjoyed her friendship and/or mutual squish with Samily. I'm not sure whether we were meant to read it this way, but I thought Rasa's comment that her body is not the one she was born with could be taken to mean that she is trans, and I enjoyed the idea of that. I wonder what the fallout will be when Nirea discovers Rasa disobeyed her orders not to go to Mournside.
When it comes to Samily, I find it difficult to get into her head sometimes, as I do not tend to make snap judgments that black and white. Nor am I particularly religious, though I did grow up attending church. However, I do empathize with her struggle to understand personal interactions sometimes, even if my own struggles are usually from a different angle. In her last chapter with Rasa, it clicked for me that she's always been so calm, perfect, and considered in her choices, and so unaccustomed to making monumental ones, that it's possible she had never done anything she'd needed even gentle correction for. So, I can see how confused and hurt she'd feel to be rebuked and attacked by Aranok. I hope that with time, Samily is able to empathize more with Aranok, and they can go back to being friends. Aranok needs friends. Lastly, I wonder if Samily taking on Morienne's curse will have any fallout. (As an aside, I can't rightly remember what her curse actually was, and nowhere in this book is it ever directly described... which it probably should have been, for returning readers.) All I can confidently surmise is that Samily's plan to heal the Cured will not go as well as she expects.
Finally, Mynygogg. I've yet to really warm to him. I find him a bit generic as a king and leader, and though I want to like him, there is a cynical part of me that worries he'll end up betraying his promises to Aranok to outlaw draoidh persecution. I think it's telling that we don't get Gogg's POV. I don't expect him to become an outright villain, buuut... I can see his conflict with Aranok going one of two ways. Either we've already reached rock bottom in their relationship, and from here on they'll patch things up—or, for whatever reason, they'll split up and each go their own way trying to achieve the same goals of killing Anhel Weyr and restoring the kingdom. Either way, I have a sneaking suspicion that Mynygogg might feel bland because he's not actually expected to survive to the end of the series. Some scenario will arise to put the ultimate question to Aranok—when presented with the chance to assume the throne... would he?
(For the record, my prediction is that it will be Allandria on the throne in the end, with Aranok as her consort.)
All in all, this book felt much more well-rounded than the previous one, and so I'm pleased. In addition to the strong character work, the writing is smooth, and the author's narration was pleasant to listen to, even if it took a moment for me to parse a word here and there through the accent. I read there was a conflict getting Euan Morton back for this one, and I'm guessing it was because Morton was recording The Will of the Many. I think things worked out well this way. This book deserved another reader who could bring life to all the lovely Scots Gaelic names and words, and Anderson naturally did a stellar job. I very much look forward to the next book in the series, and seeing where he takes us!
Just for fun, here's how I'd class out the major characters in D&D 5e:
-Aranok: Sorcerer, Storm Sorcery origin with a level or two in Rogue
-Allandria: Ranger, Hunter archetype
-Nirea: Swashbuckler Rogue
-Samily: Paladin, Oath of Devotion
-Meristan: Eldritch Knight Fighter (for that green flame blade, yo) or Champion Fighter
-Mynygogg: Fighter, Battle Master archetype
-Rasa: Druid, Circle of the Moon
-Janaeus & Quell: School of Enchantment Wizard or Aberrant Mind Sorcerer
-Anhel: Warlock, pacted with either the Fiend or the Hexblade (can't remember too much about him)
-Vastin: beloved tagalong NPC
When reviewing The Lost War, the first book in the series, I complained that the first 90% seemed to be setup for the last 10%. I am happy to say that with this sequel, we are fully into the meat of the story, and gosh, does the character work really shine! I would compare it favorably to Robin Hobb's Realm of the Elderlings, in that every character feels meticulously drawn, real, and flawed—sometimes to my immense, if temporary, frustration. All the characters are in the wrong, and no one is right... or is everyone in the right, and no one's wrong? Seriously, I would be fully convinced I hated a particular character, or convinced they'd lost their mind, until I read a chapter from their point of view, and suddenly all their choices made sense. And because these characters are all so abominably bad at speaking their full and honest feelings, they spend a lot of time thinking they're all on the same page, only to discover they're not. "Betrayals" to one character are just difficult choices to another. Their plans fall apart. (And let me tell you, as an avid TTRPG player, no plan ever survives contact with the players, even if it's the players' plan.) People are messy. They hold things back. If everyone isn't on board and clear with every step of the plan, there's bound to be missteps and miscommunication. And so, even though there were a lot of trainwrecks, I stayed invested in the story, the plans, and the characters executing them.
I suppose I should take some time to comment on those characters. (For any fellow audiobook readers, I asked for and was very graciously given a list of the characters to assist with spelling, which you can find here: link.) Spoilers ahead.
SpoilerAh, dear, sweet Aranok. He really got put through the wringer in this book, didn't he? Since it feels like we've spent the most time in his head, I felt the most connection with him, and I tended to agree with his decisions. Well, the majority of them, anyway. I share his disinclination toward executing criminals, and his drive to consider all options before cutting off potential pathways to success. I especially thought he had the right of trying to work with Janaeus against Anhel Weyr. Even if not, I do think Nirea owed it to Aranok to fully hear him out before making the unilateral decision to murder Janaeus in front of the entire court. But again, I have been part of a TTRPG campaign where someone did just that, blowing up our party's plans by assassinating someone in front of all his men, so it's not exactly out of keeping with the way certain people will behave in that scenario. Anyway, I sympathized greatly with Aranok and his cause, and I shared his frustrations with a lot of the decisions the people around him made. I was fascinated by the reveal that it was his own drunken ramblings that may have inspired the Hellfires to rise up, though I don't think he truly bears even 1/10th the responsibility for their actions that he seems to think he does. RIP to Korvin, who seemed like a real one. And can I say how much I enjoy that our "main" protagonist is a guy in his 40's with chronic knee pain and PTSD? I like a character with some mileage on him, who's seen some shit, but still needs his parents' love and approval. More characters like Aranok, older Fitz Farseer, Logen Ninefingers, and Whiskeyjack, please.
Thank Samily's god for Allandria being around to take care of Aranok and serve as the true voice of reason in the party. I can't say she actually did much in this book, but I enjoyed her POV chapters nonetheless. She's got such a good head on her shoulders. I especially liked the trial chapter in the Reivers' territory (not even going to attempt spelling that location, even if I could remember how it sounded). The young clan leader's sneaky gambit was fun, if I did see the reveal coming a long way off.
As for Nirea, I'll admit to not remembering much about her from my read of the first book, which was the self-published version, four years ago. (Goodness, has it really been that long?) This time, she made a much larger impression, for good or ill. I found a lot of her choices to be mercenary and rash, although when she explained her point of view, I could see why she'd chosen to make them. I thought she and Quell were beginning to form an interesting rapport at the end, and I enjoyed getting to see Nirea be truly vulnerable and real, so I was as disappointed as Nirea was that Quell chose to leave. But, it was the right thing to do to give her the choice.
Rasa!! She was a delight in this book. Even-tempered, kind, and quietly committed to draoidh causes. I very much enjoyed her friendship and/or mutual squish with Samily. I'm not sure whether we were meant to read it this way, but I thought Rasa's comment that her body is not the one she was born with could be taken to mean that she is trans, and I enjoyed the idea of that. I wonder what the fallout will be when Nirea discovers Rasa disobeyed her orders not to go to Mournside.
When it comes to Samily, I find it difficult to get into her head sometimes, as I do not tend to make snap judgments that black and white. Nor am I particularly religious, though I did grow up attending church. However, I do empathize with her struggle to understand personal interactions sometimes, even if my own struggles are usually from a different angle. In her last chapter with Rasa, it clicked for me that she's always been so calm, perfect, and considered in her choices, and so unaccustomed to making monumental ones, that it's possible she had never done anything she'd needed even gentle correction for. So, I can see how confused and hurt she'd feel to be rebuked and attacked by Aranok. I hope that with time, Samily is able to empathize more with Aranok, and they can go back to being friends. Aranok needs friends. Lastly, I wonder if Samily taking on Morienne's curse will have any fallout. (As an aside, I can't rightly remember what her curse actually was, and nowhere in this book is it ever directly described... which it probably should have been, for returning readers.) All I can confidently surmise is that Samily's plan to heal the Cured will not go as well as she expects.
Finally, Mynygogg. I've yet to really warm to him. I find him a bit generic as a king and leader, and though I want to like him, there is a cynical part of me that worries he'll end up betraying his promises to Aranok to outlaw draoidh persecution. I think it's telling that we don't get Gogg's POV. I don't expect him to become an outright villain, buuut... I can see his conflict with Aranok going one of two ways. Either we've already reached rock bottom in their relationship, and from here on they'll patch things up—or, for whatever reason, they'll split up and each go their own way trying to achieve the same goals of killing Anhel Weyr and restoring the kingdom. Either way, I have a sneaking suspicion that Mynygogg might feel bland because he's not actually expected to survive to the end of the series. Some scenario will arise to put the ultimate question to Aranok—when presented with the chance to assume the throne... would he?
(For the record, my prediction is that it will be Allandria on the throne in the end, with Aranok as her consort.)
All in all, this book felt much more well-rounded than the previous one, and so I'm pleased. In addition to the strong character work, the writing is smooth, and the author's narration was pleasant to listen to, even if it took a moment for me to parse a word here and there through the accent. I read there was a conflict getting Euan Morton back for this one, and I'm guessing it was because Morton was recording The Will of the Many. I think things worked out well this way. This book deserved another reader who could bring life to all the lovely Scots Gaelic names and words, and Anderson naturally did a stellar job. I very much look forward to the next book in the series, and seeing where he takes us!
Just for fun, here's how I'd class out the major characters in D&D 5e:
-Aranok: Sorcerer, Storm Sorcery origin with a level or two in Rogue
-Allandria: Ranger, Hunter archetype
-Nirea: Swashbuckler Rogue
-Samily: Paladin, Oath of Devotion
-Meristan: Eldritch Knight Fighter (for that green flame blade, yo) or Champion Fighter
-Mynygogg: Fighter, Battle Master archetype
-Rasa: Druid, Circle of the Moon
-Janaeus & Quell: School of Enchantment Wizard or Aberrant Mind Sorcerer
-Anhel: Warlock, pacted with either the Fiend or the Hexblade (can't remember too much about him)
-Vastin: beloved tagalong NPC
mels_reading_rook's review
5.0
4.5 stars
The character work in this installment was absolutely stellar! Also, the pacing of this story was much improved over The Lost War. The emotional tension was almost becoming too much for me, but it did manage to diffuse it pretty well. The story does end on a major cliffhanger, however, so watch out for that.
The character work in this installment was absolutely stellar! Also, the pacing of this story was much improved over The Lost War. The emotional tension was almost becoming too much for me, but it did manage to diffuse it pretty well. The story does end on a major cliffhanger, however, so watch out for that.
qjbrown96's review
2.0
2.5 ✨
I always hate giving bad reviews when I get a book for free from Net galley but here we are. After absolutely loving the first book I was very excited to read the sequel. It took me forever to get into this one and then it started catching my interest and then got boring again to me. I can’t really pinpoint anything exactly that made me not like this book but something isn’t clicking for me and I won’t be continuing with the series I think.
I always hate giving bad reviews when I get a book for free from Net galley but here we are. After absolutely loving the first book I was very excited to read the sequel. It took me forever to get into this one and then it started catching my interest and then got boring again to me. I can’t really pinpoint anything exactly that made me not like this book but something isn’t clicking for me and I won’t be continuing with the series I think.
xhikari's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Great followup to the first book, really appreciated the style of the recap done in the first chapter and straight going into action in the second chapter.
weecore's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25