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A review by orbitingpluto
Blackthorne by Stina Leicht
5.0
Earlier this year, I was looking for a proper fantasy book, and ended up picking up 'Cold Iron'. And I ADORED it. Honestly, I loved the plot, the characters, the writing...
Upon finishing the book, I immediately raced to my nearest bookseller and asked them when the sequel would be out, and, oh my god, it was going to be out in less than a month! Imagine my excitement!
Sadly, lots of stuff happened since then (including moving to two different countries), and even though I got the book the day it came out, I just finished it yesterday.
Every time I start a book with expectations as high as they were, I'm terrified. Because how can this book live up to them? I expected it to be as good as the first one, while (at the same time) it would have to be different from it. So, as you can imagine, I was half-excited, half-terrified.
But, thankfully, there was absolutely no need to worry! I devoured every single page of this gorgeous book, loving every second of reading it. Even though it's massive (thank god for that), for me, it could be twice the size.
The first thing I've got to say is that I love how this book throws you right into the action. There's no slow build-up - immediately, you're immersed. For me, at least, that means a fair bit of confusion during the first couple of chapters, until I've completely sorted out what's going on, but I loved it!
'Blackthorne' follows the three main characters from the first book, in addition to giving you the POVs of a couple of other characters (some from the first book, some completely new). Two plotlines (New Eledore and Acrasia) run in parallel for the first part of the story, before merging in the end. The new characters (and their unknown backstories) add something new to the book, while (ever so often) you return to the familiar faces.
While the first book only brushed the 'malorum gates', the malorum threat becomes more dominant in this story, starting to overshadow the wars between the kingdoms. While the countries are on the brink of a second war, the military focus of the first book isn't as profound in 'Blackthorne' (sadly - I loved that part of book 1), but instead you're getting the slow rebuild of New Eledore and the entirely new POV from the inside of Acrasia. This book manages what all sequels try - being incredible, without being the same as the first book.
Another thing I love about Stina Leicht's writing is the representation. It's a fault of many high fantasy book that they are whitewashed/inherently and unreflectedly racist/straight... Not so here! While problematic behaviours still occur, it's always reflected and commented upon, with struggling characters and great dialogues. This book honestly does it so well - the only comparable example I can think of (in fantasy, at least) is 'All the Birds in the Sky'. So, massive thumbs up!
As you can probably tell, I could talk about this book for AGES, but I'll try to leave it here. 'Blackthorne' is an incredible, well-researched, wonderfully written book with great characters and a plot that will keep you on your toes the entire way through. I definitely cannot wait for the next book!
Upon finishing the book, I immediately raced to my nearest bookseller and asked them when the sequel would be out, and, oh my god, it was going to be out in less than a month! Imagine my excitement!
Sadly, lots of stuff happened since then (including moving to two different countries), and even though I got the book the day it came out, I just finished it yesterday.
Every time I start a book with expectations as high as they were, I'm terrified. Because how can this book live up to them? I expected it to be as good as the first one, while (at the same time) it would have to be different from it. So, as you can imagine, I was half-excited, half-terrified.
But, thankfully, there was absolutely no need to worry! I devoured every single page of this gorgeous book, loving every second of reading it. Even though it's massive (thank god for that), for me, it could be twice the size.
The first thing I've got to say is that I love how this book throws you right into the action. There's no slow build-up - immediately, you're immersed. For me, at least, that means a fair bit of confusion during the first couple of chapters, until I've completely sorted out what's going on, but I loved it!
'Blackthorne' follows the three main characters from the first book, in addition to giving you the POVs of a couple of other characters (some from the first book, some completely new). Two plotlines (New Eledore and Acrasia) run in parallel for the first part of the story, before merging in the end. The new characters (and their unknown backstories) add something new to the book, while (ever so often) you return to the familiar faces.
While the first book only brushed the 'malorum gates', the malorum threat becomes more dominant in this story, starting to overshadow the wars between the kingdoms. While the countries are on the brink of a second war, the military focus of the first book isn't as profound in 'Blackthorne' (sadly - I loved that part of book 1), but instead you're getting the slow rebuild of New Eledore and the entirely new POV from the inside of Acrasia. This book manages what all sequels try - being incredible, without being the same as the first book.
Another thing I love about Stina Leicht's writing is the representation. It's a fault of many high fantasy book that they are whitewashed/inherently and unreflectedly racist/straight... Not so here! While problematic behaviours still occur, it's always reflected and commented upon, with struggling characters and great dialogues. This book honestly does it so well - the only comparable example I can think of (in fantasy, at least) is 'All the Birds in the Sky'. So, massive thumbs up!
As you can probably tell, I could talk about this book for AGES, but I'll try to leave it here. 'Blackthorne' is an incredible, well-researched, wonderfully written book with great characters and a plot that will keep you on your toes the entire way through. I definitely cannot wait for the next book!