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4.13 AVERAGE
4.13 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
funny
hopeful
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This really is a fun story but, also, I could have done without a good third of the book.
In this installment, two of the characters are only distinguishable by their names and their companions - both are ailing badass women who were super powerful once but are now dying and just trying to do one last good thing before they kick the bucket.
That doesn't change until almost the very end.
Then there's the manic pixie murder girl and her sort-of redemption but not really but kind of but then, no. Guys really seem to love the hot girl who is unhinged and loves violence. I'm a little tired of her, myself. This part of the series tried to give her a little more dimension but, by the end, she's still the manic pixie murder girl who, as it turns out, isn't nearly as clever as the reader.
Jian/Hiro, the whiny brat from the last book, reminded me, in this one, of Taran Pigkeeper of Prydain fame. He's just a kid who wants to be great but hasn't earned greatness, yet, so he makes mistakes and tries to learn lessons. He, also, is not nearly so clever as the reader.
And then there's the writing. It's not great. Clunky sentences, repetition of words that don't need to be repeated, over-explanation of scenes, and contemporary dialogue all make this a somewhat frustrating reading experience.
That said, it's action packed and there's a lot going on and it's just fun. It's also ginormous and takes awhile to get through.
I'm going to read the next book because I'm invested in finding out how this prophecy resolves itself. I hope some kind editor steps up and gently helps trim and tidy the final product because this story could be phenomenal.
In this installment, two of the characters are only distinguishable by their names and their companions - both are ailing badass women who were super powerful once but are now dying and just trying to do one last good thing before they kick the bucket.
That doesn't change until almost the very end.
Then there's the manic pixie murder girl and her sort-of redemption but not really but kind of but then, no. Guys really seem to love the hot girl who is unhinged and loves violence. I'm a little tired of her, myself. This part of the series tried to give her a little more dimension but, by the end, she's still the manic pixie murder girl who, as it turns out, isn't nearly as clever as the reader.
Jian/Hiro, the whiny brat from the last book, reminded me, in this one, of Taran Pigkeeper of Prydain fame. He's just a kid who wants to be great but hasn't earned greatness, yet, so he makes mistakes and tries to learn lessons. He, also, is not nearly so clever as the reader.
And then there's the writing. It's not great. Clunky sentences, repetition of words that don't need to be repeated, over-explanation of scenes, and contemporary dialogue all make this a somewhat frustrating reading experience.
That said, it's action packed and there's a lot going on and it's just fun. It's also ginormous and takes awhile to get through.
I'm going to read the next book because I'm invested in finding out how this prophecy resolves itself. I hope some kind editor steps up and gently helps trim and tidy the final product because this story could be phenomenal.
Omg I didn't realize this isn't the end :') I need to know what happens!!!
adventurous
medium-paced
More of the same from the first book.
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I'm conflicted by these books. I am invested in the story, I enjoy the vibes of the world, and think the plot has a lot of promise so I will continue. But god they are long. It's difficult to give 4 people the space needed to have well-paced and earned character growth without it swelling the page count. Additionally, with characters scattered across the map, we had a little less tension than in the first book when they could encounter each other at almost any point. While I found some of the perspectives compelling by themselves, I do think this made book 2 less of a page-turner.
Although this book has the same set of perspectives as the first one, I feel as though we spent more time with Salminde and less time with Jian and Taishi. However, that could also be a skewed perception, because I also feel that Salminde had the strongest character arc. It also could be skewed by the fact that I borrowed this from my library, made it to 70% before I had to return it and then had to wait 2 months to continue. So take this with a grain of salt.
Still, most of the plot happens in the last 30% of the book. Prior to that, Jian is training, making occasional ill-advised trips to town, and getting his ass kicked by a newly collected group of teachers and their apprentices. I couldn't really tell you what Salminde and Qisami did before the 70% mark. Salminde is seeking resources and a cure but really only starts to pursuing the cure at the 60% mark. Qisami's cell is blacklisted from good assissin work until they're hired by a Duke and then basically work as normal professionals until 70% in.
Salminde and Qisami both experience changes in their worldview during this book, which I think was well done. The shapes of their arcs are different too. Salminde continues her arc from book 1: loyalty to the eternal Khan to loyalty to her community and a rejection of her society's faith. Qisami, in contrast, wants to regain her and her cell's status until she experiences a different life and begins to wonder if she could live like a normal person. But a betrayal disrupts both options and we're left wondering what path she'll make for herself in book 3.
Jian and Taishi's perspectives were sadly lackluster for me. Jian spends most of his time training and not really improving. Taishi spends most of her time thinking about how she needs to do a better job training him, but also dreading the inevitable completion of his training. She hires a gang of her old comrades to train him and we get some fun world-building about the other war arts styles. Overall though, their perspectives felt the most static and repetitive. Yet suddenly, at the end of the book, Jian somehow starts behaving like "he's ready" and Taishi is ready to give him the test.
This feels unexpected and unsupported. Prior to this Jian had been struggling with windwhisper techniques like walking on air currents and fending off the mind controlling techniques of his new mentors. Suddenly, because he's standing up to Taishi and making decisions, he's ready? I know that the narrative repeatedly said that physically he was ready but mentally he was not, but we never really see him succeed in these techniques that he previously struggled with.
I will continue the series because the world-building is so unique, and I am interested to see how the plot concludes. Our characters are converging, and it will be interesting to see if old enemies become new allies. I expect it to be long (book 1 was long too), but I think it will be much more gripping.
Although this book has the same set of perspectives as the first one, I feel as though we spent more time with Salminde and less time with Jian and Taishi. However, that could also be a skewed perception, because I also feel that Salminde had the strongest character arc. It also could be skewed by the fact that I borrowed this from my library, made it to 70% before I had to return it and then had to wait 2 months to continue. So take this with a grain of salt.
Still, most of the plot happens in the last 30% of the book. Prior to that, Jian is training, making occasional ill-advised trips to town, and getting his ass kicked by a newly collected group of teachers and their apprentices. I couldn't really tell you what Salminde and Qisami did before the 70% mark. Salminde is seeking resources and a cure but really only starts to pursuing the cure at the 60% mark. Qisami's cell is blacklisted from good assissin work until they're hired by a Duke and then basically work as normal professionals until 70% in.
Salminde and Qisami both experience changes in their worldview during this book, which I think was well done. The shapes of their arcs are different too. Salminde continues her arc from book 1: loyalty to the eternal Khan to loyalty to her community and a rejection of her society's faith. Qisami, in contrast, wants to regain her and her cell's status until she experiences a different life and begins to wonder if she could live like a normal person. But a betrayal disrupts both options and we're left wondering what path she'll make for herself in book 3.
Jian and Taishi's perspectives were sadly lackluster for me. Jian spends most of his time training and not really improving. Taishi spends most of her time thinking about how she needs to do a better job training him, but also dreading the inevitable completion of his training. She hires a gang of her old comrades to train him and we get some fun world-building about the other war arts styles. Overall though, their perspectives felt the most static and repetitive. Yet suddenly, at the end of the book, Jian somehow starts behaving like "he's ready" and Taishi is ready to give him the test.
This feels unexpected and unsupported. Prior to this Jian had been struggling with windwhisper techniques like walking on air currents and fending off the mind controlling techniques of his new mentors. Suddenly, because he's standing up to Taishi and making decisions, he's ready? I know that the narrative repeatedly said that physically he was ready but mentally he was not, but we never really see him succeed in these techniques that he previously struggled with.
I will continue the series because the world-building is so unique, and I am interested to see how the plot concludes. Our characters are converging, and it will be interesting to see if old enemies become new allies. I expect it to be long (book 1 was long too), but I think it will be much more gripping.
I want to thank Negalley for allowing me to review this title!
The Art of Destiny by Wesley Chu is the sequel to The Art of Prophecy, one of my favourite books from 2023. It continues the story told between three perspectives: Jiang (the prophecied hero of the Tiandi), Qisami (assassin of the Shadowkill sect) and Salminde (a feared Viperstrike warrior). All three perspectives have their own missions to fulfill, and all from cultures that would eradicate the other if given the chance.
Usually in a fantasy novel there is a clear cut hero. In this series Wesley Chu has weaved a tapestry where all the characters that you follow are interesting and have solid reasons for what they're pursuing. I've loved seeing how each one grows and how the prophesy from the first book deviates from what is expected.
I also really enjoyed the humor that the book is written with. It makes the book a fun read. And having one of the main characters be an old grumpy woman reluctantly taking care of the so called Saviour of the Tiandi just makes it a lot more fun.
I have a feeling there will be more and I am already wating (im)patiently for the next installment!
The Art of Destiny by Wesley Chu is the sequel to The Art of Prophecy, one of my favourite books from 2023. It continues the story told between three perspectives: Jiang (the prophecied hero of the Tiandi), Qisami (assassin of the Shadowkill sect) and Salminde (a feared Viperstrike warrior). All three perspectives have their own missions to fulfill, and all from cultures that would eradicate the other if given the chance.
Usually in a fantasy novel there is a clear cut hero. In this series Wesley Chu has weaved a tapestry where all the characters that you follow are interesting and have solid reasons for what they're pursuing. I've loved seeing how each one grows and how the prophesy from the first book deviates from what is expected.
I also really enjoyed the humor that the book is written with. It makes the book a fun read. And having one of the main characters be an old grumpy woman reluctantly taking care of the so called Saviour of the Tiandi just makes it a lot more fun.
I have a feeling there will be more and I am already wating (im)patiently for the next installment!