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stuffsamdoes_'s review
4.0
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway a few months back and I finally took the time to open it up. When I entered for this I wasn't sure what it was about- I just loved the cover. When I read the back and I saw it had to do with wizards I immediately thought it was going to be terrible.
After reading this book I thought it was really good. It had a great love story and it also showed how strong some people can really be. I would recommend this book to people who are opened minded and don't judge a book by it's cover. Would I read this book again? Probably not, once is enough.
After reading this book I thought it was really good. It had a great love story and it also showed how strong some people can really be. I would recommend this book to people who are opened minded and don't judge a book by it's cover. Would I read this book again? Probably not, once is enough.
crtsjffrsn's review
3.0
Synopsis
Ennek took a huge risk in saving Miner from Stasis. Even the son of the Chief must obey the laws of the land. But the thought of Miner spending more time suspended in a dreamless sleep troubled him too much. Of course, so did the idea of becoming the puppet of his mentor, a man who wished to see Ennek on the throne so he could control him.
And now, Ennek and Miner find themselves on the run. Their mission is to get as far away from Praesidium as possible. What they don't realize right away, though, is that they may be in more danger from those they come across than anyone who might be following them. And if they have any hope of staying together, they will both need to be strong--in mind, body, and spirit.
Review
This is an interesting follow up to the first book. The previous installment took place mostly in the castle, and largely in Ennek's room. Here, we're on quite a journey, both by land and by sea. And the cast of characters that Ennek and Miner run into are more varied, and in some cases more unstable, than anyone they've encountered before.
I did enjoy the journey aspect of this story quite a bit. And the uncertainty that Ennek and Miner face was rather apparent as the story went along. I did feel like they kept playing out the same scenario in different ways, however, so I would have liked to see just a bit more variation.
That said, it's an enjoyable m/m fantasy romance, and I look forward to picking up the final installment in the series.
[Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]
Ennek took a huge risk in saving Miner from Stasis. Even the son of the Chief must obey the laws of the land. But the thought of Miner spending more time suspended in a dreamless sleep troubled him too much. Of course, so did the idea of becoming the puppet of his mentor, a man who wished to see Ennek on the throne so he could control him.
And now, Ennek and Miner find themselves on the run. Their mission is to get as far away from Praesidium as possible. What they don't realize right away, though, is that they may be in more danger from those they come across than anyone who might be following them. And if they have any hope of staying together, they will both need to be strong--in mind, body, and spirit.
Review
This is an interesting follow up to the first book. The previous installment took place mostly in the castle, and largely in Ennek's room. Here, we're on quite a journey, both by land and by sea. And the cast of characters that Ennek and Miner run into are more varied, and in some cases more unstable, than anyone they've encountered before.
I did enjoy the journey aspect of this story quite a bit. And the uncertainty that Ennek and Miner face was rather apparent as the story went along. I did feel like they kept playing out the same scenario in different ways, however, so I would have liked to see just a bit more variation.
That said, it's an enjoyable m/m fantasy romance, and I look forward to picking up the final installment in the series.
[Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]
the_novel_approach's review
4.0
Can we talk for a minute about the titles in this series? I love what Kim Fielding has done with them—first Stasis and now Flux—and how they not only describe events as they unfold in the story arc but how they also apply to the characters, both Ennek and Miner, and most especially how they pertain to Ennek’s magic. Being in a state of flux is exactly what this second book in the Ennek trilogy is about, and it is a piece of the puzzle that serves to draw a clearer picture of not only the world in which Ennek and Miner live but also builds upon the love they discovered for each other in book one. I can only imagine the final book, Equipoise, will bring about the balance its title promises.
Flux offers the two men some much needed alliances and a shared vision for the sort of future they hope to build with each other. Along with that, however, comes a dark force bent upon exacting a price for a bargain struck under the worst possible circumstances for both Ennek and Miner. This provides the foundation for the storyline, and nearly everything that happens to them along the way has its roots planted in fulfilling this promise—without Ennek somehow losing his humanity in the process.
While I liked getting to know Miner a bit better in this installment of the trilogy, through the memories he shared about the life he’d left behind when he was forced into Stasis three-hundred years before, I’m not sure that what I learned about him built upon his character as much as it was a means of him growing his bond with Ennek. Theirs is a lovely and innocent sort of romance, one that’s drawing out a side of Ennek he wasn’t aware he possessed—though it’s a side that isn’t always welcome because of what it could mean for him as a powerful wizard—and while I loved seeing the immersion of this awesome magic and the ways in which Ennek used it, I was a thousand times more glad when Miner was finally able to emerge from his “damsel in distress” role and got the chance to show his own strength. His role as a former slave continues to be a huge sticking point and factor in so much of what happens to him, he has so little control over so much of his life, and I can’t say I’ll be sorry to watch him crawl out from under that stigma, hopefully sooner rather than later.
The pace of Flux did a good job of reflecting the novel’s title—there were some intense and emotionally desperate moments in the book that ebbed and flowed amongst more sedate scenes that slowed the narrative down perhaps a bit too much for my taste, but it’s in those idyllic moments that Ennek and Miner share some of their most intimate thoughts and feelings. The book reads very much like the bridge between books one and three, advancing their roles in each other’s lives and following them from the world they left behind as they begin to move toward the one they want to build with and for each other.
While Stasis grabbed me much quicker and didn’t let up through the entirety of the book, Flux is still just as impactful in the way these two men balance each other, and I have a feeling that balance is going to be a big part of the next and final book in the trilogy.
Reviewed by Lisa for The Novel Approach Reviews
Flux offers the two men some much needed alliances and a shared vision for the sort of future they hope to build with each other. Along with that, however, comes a dark force bent upon exacting a price for a bargain struck under the worst possible circumstances for both Ennek and Miner. This provides the foundation for the storyline, and nearly everything that happens to them along the way has its roots planted in fulfilling this promise—without Ennek somehow losing his humanity in the process.
While I liked getting to know Miner a bit better in this installment of the trilogy, through the memories he shared about the life he’d left behind when he was forced into Stasis three-hundred years before, I’m not sure that what I learned about him built upon his character as much as it was a means of him growing his bond with Ennek. Theirs is a lovely and innocent sort of romance, one that’s drawing out a side of Ennek he wasn’t aware he possessed—though it’s a side that isn’t always welcome because of what it could mean for him as a powerful wizard—and while I loved seeing the immersion of this awesome magic and the ways in which Ennek used it, I was a thousand times more glad when Miner was finally able to emerge from his “damsel in distress” role and got the chance to show his own strength. His role as a former slave continues to be a huge sticking point and factor in so much of what happens to him, he has so little control over so much of his life, and I can’t say I’ll be sorry to watch him crawl out from under that stigma, hopefully sooner rather than later.
The pace of Flux did a good job of reflecting the novel’s title—there were some intense and emotionally desperate moments in the book that ebbed and flowed amongst more sedate scenes that slowed the narrative down perhaps a bit too much for my taste, but it’s in those idyllic moments that Ennek and Miner share some of their most intimate thoughts and feelings. The book reads very much like the bridge between books one and three, advancing their roles in each other’s lives and following them from the world they left behind as they begin to move toward the one they want to build with and for each other.
While Stasis grabbed me much quicker and didn’t let up through the entirety of the book, Flux is still just as impactful in the way these two men balance each other, and I have a feeling that balance is going to be a big part of the next and final book in the trilogy.
Reviewed by Lisa for The Novel Approach Reviews
luvyoumore82's review
4.0
3.5, I did enjoy the first one more as I feel it had more of a story, this one feels more of what happened to people after a story. I can say for certain that people who aren't comfortable with any kind of Power Imbalances (literally) or hints of codependency won't connect with this book. But for those of us that really liked the first book? Be prepared, the Author spent her November coming up with ways to torture them, lol. Once again, it ends with this part of the story wrapped up enough that it doesn't make you feel like a cliffhanger, but it also feels like an absolute set up for the ending.
haunted_by_humans's review
3.0
Ennek and Miner’s personalities seemed a bit more fleshed out in this book, but I honestly just couldn’t see a driving point in the plot. It was a nice and easy read, but it lacked motivation.
jjcrafts's review
4.0
This was a 3.5 out of 5 but I'm going up instead of down purely because of the improvement from the first book in the series. I really didn't like it that much but I already had the second book so gave it a go.
I'm really glad I read this book. Ennek and Miner grow so much as characters. I found them extremely passive and a bit bland in the first book but they come into their own here. They both bring something to the story and are on a much more equal footing than in the first book. The other characters and cultures we meet along the way are also great.
I'll be picking up the last book in this series. Maybe that one will be even better. It makes a nice change from books getting worse as series go on!
Also posted on Ever The Crafter
I'm really glad I read this book. Ennek and Miner grow so much as characters. I found them extremely passive and a bit bland in the first book but they come into their own here. They both bring something to the story and are on a much more equal footing than in the first book. The other characters and cultures we meet along the way are also great.
I'll be picking up the last book in this series. Maybe that one will be even better. It makes a nice change from books getting worse as series go on!
Also posted on Ever The Crafter
mrella's review
4.0
I am not sure about this book. Ennek was so smart in the first one, so quick to react. In this one he waits each time until Miner is in deep trouble before summoning his powers. I understand his reluctance, but he ends up using the magic anyway, so what's the point?
So much trouble could have been avoided by removing Miner's collar. It kind of irked me all the way through the book, but then again, maybe it saved his life in Donghe, where he was to be sold as a slave, rather than killed outright.
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