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mollyxgp's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-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
5.0
blodeuedd's review against another edition
3.0
I liked the book, but I did not think it was as great as book 1. I do hope there will be more (it looks bad on that end, a shame really cos it book ends, not with a cliffhanger, more like a dagger over everyone. It might fall now, or in a few years.)
Two years has passed. There was a siege. Now they have moved on. Jovan is still working in the shadows, I do like him, he is trying his best to save this damn city, and no one is listening! Because something is still going on, there is still an enemy coming for them.
Kalina, Jovan's sister, is, ok now when I think about it what did she do? She tried to snoop around. Maybe I do not like her? Why can't I remember what she was up to? Weird.
Terrorism is bringing to city to its knees. Who are the bad guys? Who is behind it? And then a bloody cliffhanger. All is well...for now, but they are still out there so, I do hope she writes more.
I liked it, but it did feel slower than book 1
Two years has passed. There was a siege. Now they have moved on. Jovan is still working in the shadows, I do like him, he is trying his best to save this damn city, and no one is listening! Because something is still going on, there is still an enemy coming for them.
Kalina, Jovan's sister, is, ok now when I think about it what did she do? She tried to snoop around. Maybe I do not like her? Why can't I remember what she was up to? Weird.
Terrorism is bringing to city to its knees. Who are the bad guys? Who is behind it? And then a bloody cliffhanger. All is well...for now, but they are still out there so, I do hope she writes more.
I liked it, but it did feel slower than book 1
bookguyinva2022's review
5.0
MORE
Will there be a third? Please tell me there will be a third! I am way more invested in these characters than I expected
Will there be a third? Please tell me there will be a third! I am way more invested in these characters than I expected
pilebythebed's review against another edition
5.0
Australian author Sam Hawke’s debut City of Lies was one of the best fantasy books of 2018. A fact confirmed by its haul of nominations and awards. That book told a complete story of a civil war in the city of Sjona and the role of siblings Jovan and Kalina in not only ending that war but exposing the exploitation that was partly its cause. But there was more to the war that mere civil unrest. Hanging over the resolution of City of Lies was a feeling that Jovan and Kalina had only peeled back one layer of the onion. Readers were left satisfied that matters had been resolved but left hanging by all of the questions that were left unanswered. Given that City of Lies was subtitled as “A Poison War” novel, it could only be assumed that this was not actually the end.
The sequel, Hollow Empire, opens two years and four months after the end of City of Lies. For those who may be a little hazy on the events of City of Lies, Hawke delivers a recap in an enjoyable and non-exposition way, having her main cast attend a play based on those events (a similar technique used to great effect in the Avatar, the Last Airbender episode “The Ember Island Players”).
Jovan, himself trained and secretly employed as poison taster to the Chancellor, has started training his heir and younger cousin Didja, who is thirteen when the narrative rejoins the action. His sister, Kalina, trained in more of the craft of espionage, is slated to be the next ambassador to the neighbouring misogynistic and worryingly expansionist Talafan Empire.
The bulk of the action of this book takes place during and just after the karodee festival. Karodee is a week long celebration involving sport, art and masquerade to which Chancellor Tain has invited representatives of all of Silasta’s trading partners. (While maps are overused in fantasy novels, now that the story has referenced so many places beyond Silasta, a map of the world in the next volume might be useful). The chaos and free-wheeling nature of the festival makes it more difficult for Jovan and Kalina to protect Tain from a suspected assassin and there is an emerging feeling that wheels are turning to bring them down especially when an attempt is made to frame Jovan for a drug-fuelled murder.
As with the previous book, Hawke does not spare her characters from pain or tough decisions as they struggle to understand the threat facing them and their city. What initially felt a little YA in City of Lies, given the main characters ages and experience, moves into decidedly more adult territory here with drug use, blackmail, gruesome deaths and as the book goes on, some big scenes of destruction and devastation. But there is also plenty of diplomatic manoeuvring and tentative alliance building both within the city council, full of people who still have reason to hate the pair, and with the foreign dignitaries also caught up in the mayhem. This is fantasy more along the lines of the scheming and negotiation of Game of Thrones rather than epic Lord of the Rings-style models – while it is set in a fantasy world and there is a smattering of magic and the calling of spirit forces, Hawke’s primary focus is on people and how they interact with each other personally and politically.
Hollow Empire is a great entry in this series. It tops City of Lies for its complexity and its capacity to payoff long running plot threads. Hawke has supreme understanding of her world and how it works, including the various different types of magic and magic users. She also once again delivers what feels like a complete story in which all of the short-term, internal mysteries are solved and some long running secrets are revealed but leaves the danger hanging in the distance and the feeling that there is much more to be learnt as the series progresses.
The sequel, Hollow Empire, opens two years and four months after the end of City of Lies. For those who may be a little hazy on the events of City of Lies, Hawke delivers a recap in an enjoyable and non-exposition way, having her main cast attend a play based on those events (a similar technique used to great effect in the Avatar, the Last Airbender episode “The Ember Island Players”).
Jovan, himself trained and secretly employed as poison taster to the Chancellor, has started training his heir and younger cousin Didja, who is thirteen when the narrative rejoins the action. His sister, Kalina, trained in more of the craft of espionage, is slated to be the next ambassador to the neighbouring misogynistic and worryingly expansionist Talafan Empire.
The bulk of the action of this book takes place during and just after the karodee festival. Karodee is a week long celebration involving sport, art and masquerade to which Chancellor Tain has invited representatives of all of Silasta’s trading partners. (While maps are overused in fantasy novels, now that the story has referenced so many places beyond Silasta, a map of the world in the next volume might be useful). The chaos and free-wheeling nature of the festival makes it more difficult for Jovan and Kalina to protect Tain from a suspected assassin and there is an emerging feeling that wheels are turning to bring them down especially when an attempt is made to frame Jovan for a drug-fuelled murder.
As with the previous book, Hawke does not spare her characters from pain or tough decisions as they struggle to understand the threat facing them and their city. What initially felt a little YA in City of Lies, given the main characters ages and experience, moves into decidedly more adult territory here with drug use, blackmail, gruesome deaths and as the book goes on, some big scenes of destruction and devastation. But there is also plenty of diplomatic manoeuvring and tentative alliance building both within the city council, full of people who still have reason to hate the pair, and with the foreign dignitaries also caught up in the mayhem. This is fantasy more along the lines of the scheming and negotiation of Game of Thrones rather than epic Lord of the Rings-style models – while it is set in a fantasy world and there is a smattering of magic and the calling of spirit forces, Hawke’s primary focus is on people and how they interact with each other personally and politically.
Hollow Empire is a great entry in this series. It tops City of Lies for its complexity and its capacity to payoff long running plot threads. Hawke has supreme understanding of her world and how it works, including the various different types of magic and magic users. She also once again delivers what feels like a complete story in which all of the short-term, internal mysteries are solved and some long running secrets are revealed but leaves the danger hanging in the distance and the feeling that there is much more to be learnt as the series progresses.
pilebythebed's review against another edition
5.0
Australian author Sam Hawke’s debut City of Lies was one of the best fantasy books of 2018. A fact confirmed by its haul of nominations and awards. That book told a complete story of a civil war in the city of Sjona and the role of siblings Jovan and Kalina in not only ending that war but exposing the exploitation that was partly its cause. But there was more to the war that mere civil unrest. Hanging over the resolution of City of Lies was a feeling that Jovan and Kalina had only peeled back one layer of the onion. Readers were left satisfied that matters had been resolved but left hanging by all of the questions that were left unanswered. Given that City of Lies was subtitled as “A Poison War” novel, it could only be assumed that this was not actually the end.
The sequel, Hollow Empire, opens two years and four months after the end of City of Lies. For those who may be a little hazy on the events of City of Lies, Hawke delivers a recap in an enjoyable and non-exposition way, having her main cast attend a play based on those events (a similar technique used to great effect in the Avatar, the Last Airbender episode “The Ember Island Players”).
Jovan, himself trained and secretly employed as poison taster to the Chancellor, has started training his heir and younger cousin Didja, who is thirteen when the narrative rejoins the action. His sister, Kalina, trained in more of the craft of espionage, is slated to be the next ambassador to the neighbouring misogynistic and worryingly expansionist Talafan Empire.
The bulk of the action of this book takes place during and just after the karodee festival. Karodee is a week long celebration involving sport, art and masquerade to which Chancellor Tain has invited representatives of all of Silasta’s trading partners. (While maps are overused in fantasy novels, now that the story has referenced so many places beyond Silasta, a map of the world in the next volume might be useful). The chaos and free-wheeling nature of the festival makes it more difficult for Jovan and Kalina to protect Tain from a suspected assassin and there is an emerging feeling that wheels are turning to bring them down especially when an attempt is made to frame Jovan for a drug-fuelled murder.
As with the previous book, Hawke does not spare her characters from pain or tough decisions as they struggle to understand the threat facing them and their city. What initially felt a little YA in City of Lies, given the main characters ages and experience, moves into decidedly more adult territory here with drug use, blackmail, gruesome deaths and as the book goes on, some big scenes of destruction and devastation. But there is also plenty of diplomatic manoeuvring and tentative alliance building both within the city council, full of people who still have reason to hate the pair, and with the foreign dignitaries also caught up in the mayhem. This is fantasy more along the lines of the scheming and negotiation of Game of Thrones rather than epic Lord of the Rings-style models – while it is set in a fantasy world and there is a smattering of magic and the calling of spirit forces, Hawke’s primary focus is on people and how they interact with each other personally and politically.
Hollow Empire is a great entry in this series. It tops City of Lies for its complexity and its capacity to payoff long running plot threads. Hawke has supreme understanding of her world and how it works, including the various different types of magic and magic users. She also once again delivers what feels like a complete story in which all of the short-term, internal mysteries are solved and some long running secrets are revealed but leaves the danger hanging in the distance and the feeling that there is much more to be learnt as the series progresses.
The sequel, Hollow Empire, opens two years and four months after the end of City of Lies. For those who may be a little hazy on the events of City of Lies, Hawke delivers a recap in an enjoyable and non-exposition way, having her main cast attend a play based on those events (a similar technique used to great effect in the Avatar, the Last Airbender episode “The Ember Island Players”).
Jovan, himself trained and secretly employed as poison taster to the Chancellor, has started training his heir and younger cousin Didja, who is thirteen when the narrative rejoins the action. His sister, Kalina, trained in more of the craft of espionage, is slated to be the next ambassador to the neighbouring misogynistic and worryingly expansionist Talafan Empire.
The bulk of the action of this book takes place during and just after the karodee festival. Karodee is a week long celebration involving sport, art and masquerade to which Chancellor Tain has invited representatives of all of Silasta’s trading partners. (While maps are overused in fantasy novels, now that the story has referenced so many places beyond Silasta, a map of the world in the next volume might be useful). The chaos and free-wheeling nature of the festival makes it more difficult for Jovan and Kalina to protect Tain from a suspected assassin and there is an emerging feeling that wheels are turning to bring them down especially when an attempt is made to frame Jovan for a drug-fuelled murder.
As with the previous book, Hawke does not spare her characters from pain or tough decisions as they struggle to understand the threat facing them and their city. What initially felt a little YA in City of Lies, given the main characters ages and experience, moves into decidedly more adult territory here with drug use, blackmail, gruesome deaths and as the book goes on, some big scenes of destruction and devastation. But there is also plenty of diplomatic manoeuvring and tentative alliance building both within the city council, full of people who still have reason to hate the pair, and with the foreign dignitaries also caught up in the mayhem. This is fantasy more along the lines of the scheming and negotiation of Game of Thrones rather than epic Lord of the Rings-style models – while it is set in a fantasy world and there is a smattering of magic and the calling of spirit forces, Hawke’s primary focus is on people and how they interact with each other personally and politically.
Hollow Empire is a great entry in this series. It tops City of Lies for its complexity and its capacity to payoff long running plot threads. Hawke has supreme understanding of her world and how it works, including the various different types of magic and magic users. She also once again delivers what feels like a complete story in which all of the short-term, internal mysteries are solved and some long running secrets are revealed but leaves the danger hanging in the distance and the feeling that there is much more to be learnt as the series progresses.
dhee_reads's review
5.0
I love it when the big problem is not fixed so easily. Hawke brilliantly takes us back to the city and shows us the after effects of bk 1 and what is left to be done. Our characters are growing, and trying to step up as their world views get bigger. Again, they're not afraid to be wrong and make amends. Ofc signature chaos, and mystery. Hawke takes us to the ends of devastation and loss along the way. (Sounds like an exaggeration but isn't. I was shit scared for my faves.) Adventurous, and emotional. And beautifully written. Con: I thought there was another bk on the way and apparently not. I feel like Hadea's arc and Tain's ending opened up more questions.
kevinscorner's review against another edition
4.5
Hollow Empire is a great follow-up to City of Lies. Although without the siege giving it a fast pace, Hollow Empire loses some of the tension and high stakes that I so enjoyed about the first book. The first part took awhile to set up the plot and characters, but once the big event (avoiding spoilers) happens, I was completely on board once again. The conspiracy and mystery was compelling, and there were some genuine surprises.
frogggirl2's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-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? No
4.5
This book is dramatic, the stakes are high, the main characters are very compelling and the world building is rich and intriguing. My only criticism is the pacing; this is a very slow read and it would be better with a little less filler throughout. The ending, on the other hand, feels rushed, incomplete and a bit of a cheat.
emiann2023's review against another edition
5.0
I can't decide what I love most about these books. The plot twists, the characters, or the incredible cultures and world we inhabit in the pages of these books. I think I may even like this one more than the previous book. I hope there will be more books in this series.
debchan's review against another edition
4.0
imagine you're the chancellor of silasta and your best friend in the whole world risks his life for you every single day and that's his whole identity and then he leaves you to save silasta and comes back and saves your life and then proceeds to save your life one more time by binding himself to you
i said it last book and i'll say it again: MORE TAIN!
plot
ooh the plot thickens. after saving silasta from a visible threat, it is plagued by another threat two years later. except this one is bigger, badder, and a repercussion of silasta's history which i enjoyed immensely. silasta's problems don't just arise from nowhere to provide the plot with a bad guy - it's a gradual downward slope that has been growing ever since silasta's ancestors fled their home country years ago.
but in the meanwhile, jovan has begun training his niece, dija, to be the next proofer. and all the while, the whole city of silasta is coming to a realization of jovan's role as tain's proofer and suspicion is cast upon him over and over again as a paranoid spy lurking in the shadows of tain and slowly poisoning his mind.
on the other hand, kalina becomes much more involved in this book and as an ambassador, she is able to smoothly navigate the many other ambassadors that have come to silasta during one of its biggest celebrations.
one thing i will say is that this was SUCH a page-turner. in City of Lies i was really interested, but Hollow Empire took that up a notch. i literally could not put this book down AND i was so nervous the whole time reading it, as if i were part of the plot. it was just such a good book.
characters
jovan oromani: i don't know why no one listens when jovan has suspicions. the man clearly has the best intuition on the whole council. jovan is just such an interesting character and his relationship with dija was so sweet to read. another relationship is with hadrea and it is apparently fra
ying because of spoiler reasons. jovan's still the kind-hearted person he always was but this book really tests the limits of his graciousness to others when they threaten the people he loves. and i love the way he attacks people with poison - that's pretty cool.
kalina oromani: she honestly had the best chapters. kalina infiltrated the other delegations and ambassadors that arrived in silasta with ease and it was nice to see other cultures and how they viewed women that was vastly different than how silasta treated women. another pretty cool part was her relationship with abae! it was just so perfect - what a power couple.
tain iliri: and my favorite character! tain is beginning to hide secrets and act strangely and the oromani siblings know he's hiding something but with all the plots they have to uncover, there is no time to discuss such things. not only that, but he is surrounded by people he cannot trust and he must constantly rely on jovan and kalina, and that strain is wearing him thin. but that one line with jovan when jovan is about to leave - are we supposed to make an assumption about that? as well as
hadrea: hadrea is beginning to experiment with outside forces to help her magic and apparently is also dabbling in magic that the general public does not agree with. her secrets further divide her relationship with joron. however! they still learn to work together and be an actual power couple to save silasta. i don't know if they'll be as romantically inclined towards each other in the future but i do want to see hadrea using her magic. that part when she faced off the "bad guy" in the end was insanely cool.
abae: her love for language was so refreshing and fun to read. the way she's so sweet and is exactly what kalina needs to figure out the plot against silasta! i need more of her talking about what she's passionate about.
dija: dija is so smart and capable. she's literally a superhero. at like thirteen, she constantly saves jovan's life and i just think she's neat and we need more books about her.
overall, i would have been more satisfied if there was a third book. i know hawke said that it would be a duology BUT how can it end like that?? i need more tain obviously, but also more of kalina and abae being really cool. it would be nice if we had all the answers, because i cannot handle the jovan/hadrea vs jovan/tain battle.
beside all that, what an incredible series! i don't think i've ever been so hooked to a plot that i couldn't stop turning the pages. and the characters were such fun to read as well. please please please give us third book!
i said it last book and i'll say it again: MORE TAIN!
plot
ooh the plot thickens. after saving silasta from a visible threat, it is plagued by another threat two years later. except this one is bigger, badder, and a repercussion of silasta's history which i enjoyed immensely. silasta's problems don't just arise from nowhere to provide the plot with a bad guy - it's a gradual downward slope that has been growing ever since silasta's ancestors fled their home country years ago.
but in the meanwhile, jovan has begun training his niece, dija, to be the next proofer. and all the while, the whole city of silasta is coming to a realization of jovan's role as tain's proofer and suspicion is cast upon him over and over again as a paranoid spy lurking in the shadows of tain and slowly poisoning his mind.
on the other hand, kalina becomes much more involved in this book and as an ambassador, she is able to smoothly navigate the many other ambassadors that have come to silasta during one of its biggest celebrations.
one thing i will say is that this was SUCH a page-turner. in City of Lies i was really interested, but Hollow Empire took that up a notch. i literally could not put this book down AND i was so nervous the whole time reading it, as if i were part of the plot. it was just such a good book.
characters
jovan oromani: i don't know why no one listens when jovan has suspicions. the man clearly has the best intuition on the whole council. jovan is just such an interesting character and his relationship with dija was so sweet to read. another relationship is with hadrea and it is apparently fra
ying because of spoiler reasons. jovan's still the kind-hearted person he always was but this book really tests the limits of his graciousness to others when they threaten the people he loves. and i love the way he attacks people with poison - that's pretty cool.
kalina oromani: she honestly had the best chapters. kalina infiltrated the other delegations and ambassadors that arrived in silasta with ease and it was nice to see other cultures and how they viewed women that was vastly different than how silasta treated women. another pretty cool part was her relationship with abae! it was just so perfect - what a power couple.
tain iliri: and my favorite character! tain is beginning to hide secrets and act strangely and the oromani siblings know he's hiding something but with all the plots they have to uncover, there is no time to discuss such things. not only that, but he is surrounded by people he cannot trust and he must constantly rely on jovan and kalina, and that strain is wearing him thin. but that one line with jovan when jovan is about to leave - are we supposed to make an assumption about that? as well as
Spoiler
jovan's chest hurting after they save tain's life??? like seeing jovan being completely empty after tain died - that hurt. and even kalina not being enough to save him. they had to use jovan's blood to bring tain back to life but it also wasn't enough. and then magically tain comes back to life and jovan is rubbing his chest as if it hurts?? did they bind their lives together? are they in love? what's happening, sam hawke?!hadrea: hadrea is beginning to experiment with outside forces to help her magic and apparently is also dabbling in magic that the general public does not agree with. her secrets further divide her relationship with joron. however! they still learn to work together and be an actual power couple to save silasta. i don't know if they'll be as romantically inclined towards each other in the future but i do want to see hadrea using her magic. that part when she faced off the "bad guy" in the end was insanely cool.
abae: her love for language was so refreshing and fun to read. the way she's so sweet and is exactly what kalina needs to figure out the plot against silasta! i need more of her talking about what she's passionate about.
dija: dija is so smart and capable. she's literally a superhero. at like thirteen, she constantly saves jovan's life and i just think she's neat and we need more books about her.
overall, i would have been more satisfied if there was a third book. i know hawke said that it would be a duology BUT how can it end like that?? i need more tain obviously, but also more of kalina and abae being really cool. it would be nice if we had all the answers, because i cannot handle the jovan/hadrea vs jovan/tain battle.
beside all that, what an incredible series! i don't think i've ever been so hooked to a plot that i couldn't stop turning the pages. and the characters were such fun to read as well. please please please give us third book!