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queenterribletimy's review
5.0
Actual rating: 4.5 stars
The full review with my picked song can be found on my blog: https://starlitbook.com/2018/08/28/shattered-hopes-by-ulff-lehmann/
I’ve received an ARC from the author in exchange of an honest review. I’d like to thank Ulff Lehmann for providing me a copy 🙂
A friendly advice: reread the last two chapters of Shattered Dreams before you get into Hopes. Also, this review may contain spoilers for those who didn’t read Shattered Dreams of which my review can be found here.
Shattered Hopes takes up the story right where Shattered Dreams dropped it. The room of the Cahill house is in ruins and Drangar is in no shape to provide help for Kildanor and Ealisaid who try to put together the picture about what took place. Meanwhile Mireynh and the troops of Chanastardh are still camping outside of the walls of Dunthiocagh, trying to figure out how to get the city under their rule. The General also has to deal with the bickering, incompetent, sometimes cruel lords who cause more problems than they are helpful.
As in Shattered Dreams, here we also follow the events through several point of views. First of all Drangar, who at the end of Dreams finally learns who is out to get him and intends to get to the end of things. But Dunthiocagh is under attack, and until the Chanastardhian army remains he has not much chance to get south where the answers are. Besides, he owns his service to Sir Cahill and his family based on guest rights and the fact that Cahill paid for his freedom. Not having much choice in the matter, Drangar focuses on trying to be helpful: he teaches the ladies how to defend themselves in case of an attack, makes friends with Kildanor, Lesganagh’s Chosen and discovers part of him he didn’t really know about. We also learn a bit more about his past through Coinharrim the Upholder of Lliania’s law and Rhea, one of the riders of Nerran as well as his own actions and the Lightbringer’s visions. While trying to be helpful, Drangar also keeps fighting with his demons, his guilt, his fear, despite Cahill’s and Kildanor’s support and encouragement. While I could understand his feelings, and the battle he fought with himself, toward the end he started to wear me down with his self tormenting. Sometimes I felt the urge to throw his big boy pants at him so he could snap out of it. Even so, I’m not sure that Kildanor’s and Cahill’s solution was the best one out there, despite it being a necessity. Nonetheless, Drangar Ralgon’s past is quite intriguing and I can’t wait to find out more.
Kildanor plays the role of a contact person in this book kind of. He builds a relationship with Drangar during their training sessions, but he also gets closer to Ealisaid – whom I still can’t seem to like, but it’s maybe because of her affair with Culain – setting his prejudice aside, realising how rewarding it can be if they work together. The same goes for his and Braigh’s relationship, which continues after their comradeship developed in Dreams.
There are several other side characters in Shattered Hopes I could write several more paragrahps about. Let’s just say, I particularly liked Rhea for her fiercness and wittiness, and Jasgar, because with his character Lehmann breaks away from the trope and has a spy who becomes one not because he choses so and is quite reluctant to learn the profession. I wish there were more scenes about him taking lessons to develop his character a bit more.
As for the Chanastardhian side, the most important characters are Mireynh and Anne accompanied by Gwen. Mireynh is an interesting character. He has strong ideals and once he gets something in his head, he won’t let it go. It’s hard to change his mind and punishes brutally those who cross him. He doesn’t really care who will die as long as he can reach his goal. But of course his personality is more layered than that. There are some driving forces behind his actions. Anne and Gwen make a good pair and I’m looking forward to read more about their adventures.
Another plotline takes us to the Eye. We only get glimpses but things aren’t looking good. They are in need of a strong leader more than ever, but Darlontor is anything but. This is where Lloreanthoran heads after learning as much about the world as he can.
Well, as you can tell, Shattered Hopes is no less intricate than Shattered Dreams was. Curiously, while I wouldn’t say it is fast paced, it’s still a damn interesting read, which makes you turn the pages. Especially if you take the time to think about the little info crumbs Lehmann lays down for you. This book has a few more layers than you can see at first glance. Ultimately everything is linked with everything, and my statement about this story being a treasure hunt still stands. And once you figure out some connections between the different terminologies the races use, you’ll start to put together the pieces. Even though there are several more waiting along the way. Until then, be prepared for your mind to be blown every once in a while.
Shattered Hopes is a cleverly written second book, which not only grew up to the first one, but managed to surpass it. Aside from Drangar starting to wear me down by the end, and the fact that I have to wait to find out some answers, I can’t really complain. Maybe that some things happened too fast, and there wasn’t enough time to develop – like Jasgar’s training or Ealisaid’s experiments. Although under the circumstances… This book had a lot to cover and it did well, but we are left with more questions than answers. Which is not necessarily a bad thing. If you have the patience to wait for the next book to be released.
Shattered Hopes is a character driven, intriguing and multi layered epic fantasy novel, which you don’t want to miss.
The full review with my picked song can be found on my blog: https://starlitbook.com/2018/08/28/shattered-hopes-by-ulff-lehmann/
I’ve received an ARC from the author in exchange of an honest review. I’d like to thank Ulff Lehmann for providing me a copy 🙂
A friendly advice: reread the last two chapters of Shattered Dreams before you get into Hopes. Also, this review may contain spoilers for those who didn’t read Shattered Dreams of which my review can be found here.
Shattered Hopes takes up the story right where Shattered Dreams dropped it. The room of the Cahill house is in ruins and Drangar is in no shape to provide help for Kildanor and Ealisaid who try to put together the picture about what took place. Meanwhile Mireynh and the troops of Chanastardh are still camping outside of the walls of Dunthiocagh, trying to figure out how to get the city under their rule. The General also has to deal with the bickering, incompetent, sometimes cruel lords who cause more problems than they are helpful.
As in Shattered Dreams, here we also follow the events through several point of views. First of all Drangar, who at the end of Dreams finally learns who is out to get him and intends to get to the end of things. But Dunthiocagh is under attack, and until the Chanastardhian army remains he has not much chance to get south where the answers are. Besides, he owns his service to Sir Cahill and his family based on guest rights and the fact that Cahill paid for his freedom. Not having much choice in the matter, Drangar focuses on trying to be helpful: he teaches the ladies how to defend themselves in case of an attack, makes friends with Kildanor, Lesganagh’s Chosen and discovers part of him he didn’t really know about. We also learn a bit more about his past through Coinharrim the Upholder of Lliania’s law and Rhea, one of the riders of Nerran as well as his own actions and the Lightbringer’s visions. While trying to be helpful, Drangar also keeps fighting with his demons, his guilt, his fear, despite Cahill’s and Kildanor’s support and encouragement. While I could understand his feelings, and the battle he fought with himself, toward the end he started to wear me down with his self tormenting. Sometimes I felt the urge to throw his big boy pants at him so he could snap out of it. Even so, I’m not sure that Kildanor’s and Cahill’s solution was the best one out there, despite it being a necessity. Nonetheless, Drangar Ralgon’s past is quite intriguing and I can’t wait to find out more.
Kildanor plays the role of a contact person in this book kind of. He builds a relationship with Drangar during their training sessions, but he also gets closer to Ealisaid – whom I still can’t seem to like, but it’s maybe because of her affair with Culain – setting his prejudice aside, realising how rewarding it can be if they work together. The same goes for his and Braigh’s relationship, which continues after their comradeship developed in Dreams.
There are several other side characters in Shattered Hopes I could write several more paragrahps about. Let’s just say, I particularly liked Rhea for her fiercness and wittiness, and Jasgar, because with his character Lehmann breaks away from the trope and has a spy who becomes one not because he choses so and is quite reluctant to learn the profession. I wish there were more scenes about him taking lessons to develop his character a bit more.
As for the Chanastardhian side, the most important characters are Mireynh and Anne accompanied by Gwen. Mireynh is an interesting character. He has strong ideals and once he gets something in his head, he won’t let it go. It’s hard to change his mind and punishes brutally those who cross him. He doesn’t really care who will die as long as he can reach his goal. But of course his personality is more layered than that. There are some driving forces behind his actions. Anne and Gwen make a good pair and I’m looking forward to read more about their adventures.
Another plotline takes us to the Eye. We only get glimpses but things aren’t looking good. They are in need of a strong leader more than ever, but Darlontor is anything but. This is where Lloreanthoran heads after learning as much about the world as he can.
Well, as you can tell, Shattered Hopes is no less intricate than Shattered Dreams was. Curiously, while I wouldn’t say it is fast paced, it’s still a damn interesting read, which makes you turn the pages. Especially if you take the time to think about the little info crumbs Lehmann lays down for you. This book has a few more layers than you can see at first glance. Ultimately everything is linked with everything, and my statement about this story being a treasure hunt still stands. And once you figure out some connections between the different terminologies the races use, you’ll start to put together the pieces. Even though there are several more waiting along the way. Until then, be prepared for your mind to be blown every once in a while.
Shattered Hopes is a cleverly written second book, which not only grew up to the first one, but managed to surpass it. Aside from Drangar starting to wear me down by the end, and the fact that I have to wait to find out some answers, I can’t really complain. Maybe that some things happened too fast, and there wasn’t enough time to develop – like Jasgar’s training or Ealisaid’s experiments. Although under the circumstances… This book had a lot to cover and it did well, but we are left with more questions than answers. Which is not necessarily a bad thing. If you have the patience to wait for the next book to be released.
Shattered Hopes is a character driven, intriguing and multi layered epic fantasy novel, which you don’t want to miss.
nick_borrelli's review
5.0
9/10
The events of SHATTERED HOPES take place pretty much immediately following the action that ended book one. There is a tremendous amount of tension as an invading army from Chanastardh waits patiently outside the gates of Dunthiocagh looking for the perfect moment to attack. Their goal is to ultimately sweep into the battered city and grasp control in an effort to extend their own territory.
Whether or not they are successful is largely dependent on whether Drangar Ralgon can gather his wits enough after a vicious attempt on his life. Drangar may very well be the only one who can find the answers needed to possibly repel this attacking horde and save the beleaguered Dunthiocagh before its too late. The problem is that the answers he seeks may be found on the other side of that amassing army.
Meanwhile, the Chosen Kildanor has found himself an unlikely ally in Drangar. The immortal warrior realizes that he has the same aims as Drangar, so the best course of action could be to combine their forces in the hopes of finding a way to defeat their common enemy. There's still a little bit of distrust there, but Kildanor understands that going it alone isn't really an option and Drangar is the best chance he has.
Also in the mix is the powerful sorceress Ealisaid, whose powers have been significantly drained while trying to shelter and hide a group of people from attack. Her gift could be a valuable weapon in the war that may be about to unfold, but can she even help in that regard when she finds herself so sapped of strength? The answers to so many of these questions will come soon enough as the time of reckoning approaches swiftly.
I don't want to get into too many specifics as this is book 2 in the Light in the Dark and I'm avoiding spoilers for those who didn't read the first book Shattered Dreams. What I will say is that you should definitely read that book immediately because I continue to maintain that this series is a true hidden gem in the genre. If you are looking for a fantasy that has it all including: dazzling magic, complex characters, a plot that repeatedly surprises you, and world-building that is of the highest quality, then this is the series you should be reading.
SHATTERED HOPES was a much darker book than its predecessor. Where book one set things up masterfully and introduced the characters and history of this amazing story, this book takes all of that foundation and ramps up the action and suspense to a dizzying degree. The constant threat of the invading troops of Chanastardh is like a harbinger hanging over the reader with every turn of the page and this only serves to make the main story involving Drangar, Kildanor, and Ealisaid that much more urgent. We constantly hear that clock ticking as they attempt to gain the answers they seek before time inevitably runs out.
Lehmann has penned one of the better fantasy series going right now and this installment just solidifies that even more in my opinion. I'm continually impressed by his grasp of character development and also his ability to create the tension that I believe is essential in getting the reader invested in the story. Get ready for a brilliant adventure of dark fantasy should you choose to jump into Lehmann's world. This book and series are will cause you to put many aspects of your life on hold to read it. It's really that great.
A fair bit of warning though, you really have to pay attention to every word, sentence, and paragraph in these books because Lehmann doesn't hold your hand and make things abundantly clear in many cases. This is actually my favorite method of storytelling though because the reader is asked to do a bit of work before the payoff. But that work will definitely be rewarded, I assure you. I simply can't wait to crack open book three Shattered Fears to see how Ulff Lehmann continues this utterly fantastic series!
The events of SHATTERED HOPES take place pretty much immediately following the action that ended book one. There is a tremendous amount of tension as an invading army from Chanastardh waits patiently outside the gates of Dunthiocagh looking for the perfect moment to attack. Their goal is to ultimately sweep into the battered city and grasp control in an effort to extend their own territory.
Whether or not they are successful is largely dependent on whether Drangar Ralgon can gather his wits enough after a vicious attempt on his life. Drangar may very well be the only one who can find the answers needed to possibly repel this attacking horde and save the beleaguered Dunthiocagh before its too late. The problem is that the answers he seeks may be found on the other side of that amassing army.
Meanwhile, the Chosen Kildanor has found himself an unlikely ally in Drangar. The immortal warrior realizes that he has the same aims as Drangar, so the best course of action could be to combine their forces in the hopes of finding a way to defeat their common enemy. There's still a little bit of distrust there, but Kildanor understands that going it alone isn't really an option and Drangar is the best chance he has.
Also in the mix is the powerful sorceress Ealisaid, whose powers have been significantly drained while trying to shelter and hide a group of people from attack. Her gift could be a valuable weapon in the war that may be about to unfold, but can she even help in that regard when she finds herself so sapped of strength? The answers to so many of these questions will come soon enough as the time of reckoning approaches swiftly.
I don't want to get into too many specifics as this is book 2 in the Light in the Dark and I'm avoiding spoilers for those who didn't read the first book Shattered Dreams. What I will say is that you should definitely read that book immediately because I continue to maintain that this series is a true hidden gem in the genre. If you are looking for a fantasy that has it all including: dazzling magic, complex characters, a plot that repeatedly surprises you, and world-building that is of the highest quality, then this is the series you should be reading.
SHATTERED HOPES was a much darker book than its predecessor. Where book one set things up masterfully and introduced the characters and history of this amazing story, this book takes all of that foundation and ramps up the action and suspense to a dizzying degree. The constant threat of the invading troops of Chanastardh is like a harbinger hanging over the reader with every turn of the page and this only serves to make the main story involving Drangar, Kildanor, and Ealisaid that much more urgent. We constantly hear that clock ticking as they attempt to gain the answers they seek before time inevitably runs out.
Lehmann has penned one of the better fantasy series going right now and this installment just solidifies that even more in my opinion. I'm continually impressed by his grasp of character development and also his ability to create the tension that I believe is essential in getting the reader invested in the story. Get ready for a brilliant adventure of dark fantasy should you choose to jump into Lehmann's world. This book and series are will cause you to put many aspects of your life on hold to read it. It's really that great.
A fair bit of warning though, you really have to pay attention to every word, sentence, and paragraph in these books because Lehmann doesn't hold your hand and make things abundantly clear in many cases. This is actually my favorite method of storytelling though because the reader is asked to do a bit of work before the payoff. But that work will definitely be rewarded, I assure you. I simply can't wait to crack open book three Shattered Fears to see how Ulff Lehmann continues this utterly fantastic series!
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