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ks0113's review against another edition
adventurous
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? It's complicated
3.5
morkskittar's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
sunandaj's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Aaaaaah this is even better than the first one, and I'm dying for the next book. It's everything from the first book, with more characters, more story growth. I love this kind of fantasy book which has such political relevance, about propoganda and how it can be so deeply embedded that we don't even realise, the dreams of the people and the obstacles to achieving those dreams, and the resulting desperation leading to people making hard and harsh decisions... But all wrapped up in a fantastical world, through the emotions of the characters... So we learn, without it feeling like learning, because, to me, it felt like I was living it.
faehistory's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
aileron's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, and Death
Moderate: Animal death, Blood, Death of parent, and Violence
Minor: Abandonment and Vomit
bookishplantmom's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
fletcher's review against another edition
2.5
I’m so depressed. I was not expecting the sequel of one of my favorite books to put me in a month-long reading slump.
The characters I loved from the first book had incredibly frustrating arcs and lost most of the aspects I adored about them. So many new PoVs were introduced for a ~425-page book that it was impossible to keep track of everything, and with so much of the book being set on the road, I couldn’t connect to the cities or people everyone was fighting for—or even get a grasp of the power those cities and people might give them. I also just couldn’t get in the heads of several of the new characters and some non-PoV characters felt just so blank too. I had a hard time caring about anything. It really feels like this suffered from middle book syndrome.
Some other misc things that irked me: extremely uncomfortable themes around childbirth and pregnancy, a few moments that made me feel kind of gross around female sexuality written by a male author especially with Nem and Esheme (but I’m not sure if me coming from such a different cultural background is causing that), and just so. much. waffling. So many characters lacking motivation and spending pages in internal monologue made this a true slog for me.
Some things I did like: the worldbuilding is still stellar, Nem’s political machinations continued to be my favorite part of the story, the Ninki Nanka was so fucking cool, and when there was action it was gripping. The glossary and plot summary included in the book were also necessary and very useful.
I’m hoping that all this setup will make the last book easier to get through.
The characters I loved from the first book had incredibly frustrating arcs and lost most of the aspects I adored about them. So many new PoVs were introduced for a ~425-page book that it was impossible to keep track of everything, and with so much of the book being set on the road, I couldn’t connect to the cities or people everyone was fighting for—or even get a grasp of the power those cities and people might give them. I also just couldn’t get in the heads of several of the new characters and some non-PoV characters felt just so blank too. I had a hard time caring about anything. It really feels like this suffered from middle book syndrome.
Some other misc things that irked me: extremely uncomfortable themes around childbirth and pregnancy, a few moments that made me feel kind of gross around female sexuality written by a male author especially with Nem and Esheme (but I’m not sure if me coming from such a different cultural background is causing that), and just so. much. waffling. So many characters lacking motivation and spending pages in internal monologue made this a true slog for me.
Some things I did like: the worldbuilding is still stellar, Nem’s political machinations continued to be my favorite part of the story, the Ninki Nanka was so fucking cool, and when there was action it was gripping. The glossary and plot summary included in the book were also necessary and very useful.
I’m hoping that all this setup will make the last book easier to get through.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy
Minor: Vomit
claire_michelle18's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A good sequel but it felt like half a story in places, mostly positioning all the characters for the next book.
alysha714's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
slow-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
2.5
bibliophilicwitch's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
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
While I still would not mind a glossary to track the castes, factions, and players of this story, I did deeply appreciate the inclusion of a recap for the first book at the beginning of this sequel. I can not speak to how well it did its job as I reread the first and then jumped right into the sequel so it was very fresh in my mind. But one will always appreciate the effort and inclusion of a recap at the beginning of an SFF sequel.
The story itself holds up to the first book with continued intricate threads of many people and their motivations weaving into a broad tapestry. The complexity of the characters continues to develop as they learn more details in addition to dealing with the consequences of the actions of themselves and others. I look forward to seeing how this story and these characters continue to develop.
The story itself holds up to the first book with continued intricate threads of many people and their motivations weaving into a broad tapestry. The complexity of the characters continues to develop as they learn more details in addition to dealing with the consequences of the actions of themselves and others. I look forward to seeing how this story and these characters continue to develop.