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raki's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
utopiastateofmind's review
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
One of my favorite lines of A Kingdom for a Stage is, "you think peace requires a victory", because it so fully encapsulates the heart and soul of this series. Sure it examines the bonds of family, winged machines, and blood magic, but it also looks at the very real consequences of colonization. The ways that it becomes about victory requiring defeat. Where just leaving is never an option that comes to mind. A world in which peace requires blood soaked battlefields, not white flags.
A Kingdom for a Stage looks at whether people can be saved. Whether anyone is purely good or bad. It explores the nature of loyalty and being turned, against our will, into a weapon. In this world of ghosts, possessions, and miracles, do intentions and relative goodness mean anything? While this series, as a whole, is certainly slower paced than one might expect, what I love about is that it truly dives into the nitty gritty. There is plenty of action, but it always feels grounded in ethical conversations about the 'right' thing to do.
One of my favorite lines of A Kingdom for a Stage is, "you think peace requires a victory", because it so fully encapsulates the heart and soul of this series. Sure it examines the bonds of family, winged machines, and blood magic, but it also looks at the very real consequences of colonization. The ways that it becomes about victory requiring defeat. Where just leaving is never an option that comes to mind. A world in which peace requires blood soaked battlefields, not white flags.
A Kingdom for a Stage looks at whether people can be saved. Whether anyone is purely good or bad. It explores the nature of loyalty and being turned, against our will, into a weapon. In this world of ghosts, possessions, and miracles, do intentions and relative goodness mean anything? While this series, as a whole, is certainly slower paced than one might expect, what I love about is that it truly dives into the nitty gritty. There is plenty of action, but it always feels grounded in ethical conversations about the 'right' thing to do.
pussreboots's review
5.0
In terms of theme and general atmosphere, Hellig's series is a good companion piece to [b:Steel Crow Saga|43264755|Steel Crow Saga|Paul Krueger|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1553259306l/43264755._SY75_.jpg|67144258] by Paul Krueger (2019). Both have characters who can work with the spirits of the dead. Both are set in worlds the draw on the history and culture of various Asian countries. Both have young would be regents in the fight for their lives while the nations around them suffer under civil unrest and/or occupation.
http://pussreboots.com/blog/2019/comments_11/kingdom_for_a_stage.html
http://pussreboots.com/blog/2019/comments_11/kingdom_for_a_stage.html
onceuponabookcase's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Having adored For a Muse of Fire, I was so excited for Heidi Heilig's second book in The Shadow Players Trilogy, A Kingdom for a Stage, especially as Heilig is one of my favourite authors. But while I really enjoyed it, I was a little disappointed - but my disappointment has absolutely nothing to do with Heilig's story or writing.
A Kingdom for a Stage is an important book for the trilogy; things are discovered, identities are revealed, Jetta learns more about her power, and she becomes more involved with the rebels and a key part in them trying to win back their country. It's fast paced, and intriguing, and complicated. There are times when it's completely devastating, and others where your heart is in your mouth. It feels like a second book in some places - putting things into place so the final book can happen - but while still being exciting and completely gripping. I honestly love this series and these characters, and revelled in seeing where the story took them next.
There's a lot about this book I can't talk about in much detail without giving away major spoilers, but there's one thing I did want to touch on in more detail.It was great to see more of Xavier and Theordora when Jetta is imprisoned, seeing how they think and what their plans are, but also how they can be kind of conflicted. Xavier is now General Legrand as Jetta killed his father at the end of the previous book. But he's also not his father. He wants to make him proud, and he makes choices and decisions with that in mind, but he's also not callously cruel. I very much got the idea if he had been raised by someone who wasn't so evil, he would have been a decent guy. But the subjugation of Chakrana and specifically the rebels, bringing them back under the control of the armée, is his duty. Theodora is actually pretty awesome. She's clever and so inventive, and just wants to create and learn, and she has created things that aren't meant for violence. But she's also the daughter of the former general and sister of the current general, and with her skills, she also has a duty to perform. Though she treats Jetta with more kindness and respect than anyone else. It was awesome getting to know them both better and understand where they're coming from.
Then Jetta is rescued, and the book focuses on travelling to safety, and learning what the rebels are up to and planning once they're there. And danger is imminent the whole time. I loved how Jetta got to learn more about herself and her powers. I loved discovering who the Tiger is, and just how awesome - if sometimes coldly strategic - he is. I loved getting to see the other characters again, especially Cheeky and Tia. I loved learning about Akra and his life now, after being brought back from the dead by Jetta. I loved seeing how everything that was happening effected Jetta's relationship with Leo. I loved being with these people and being in this story.
But there isn't a huge amount that happens in the great scheme of things. What does happen is integral to the story, there just didn't feel like there was a lot of it. It's not that the story was slow, or boring at any point, because A Kingdom for a Stage isn't either. It's not without action, there's actually quite a bit of it. It has a bloody earthshaking conclusion that is going to have epic consequences for the final book in thr trilogy. My issue, I guess, is the length.
The book is 446 pages long. It's a fairly big book, and experience tells me that a hell of a lot goes on in books that are quite long, so I was expecting more. And when I finished, I wanted more. The length is deceptive, because the font of the text is on the larger size. And a fair number of pages are the scripted chapters, the letters, the posters and flyers, and the sheet music, which adds to the length, but takes even less time to read. I flew through A Kingdom for a Stage in no time at all, because of the size of the font and ephemera, and it's not as long as it seems. If the font was smaller, it would probably be the length of your average novel, but because it's been formatted to seem longer, I was left feeling surprised that not as much happened as I expected. Honestly, the story itself is great, it's awesome, I enjoyed (if "enjoyed" is the word to use, a fair number of awful things happen) every second of it. My issue is the design and formatting of the book (and I don't mean the inclusion of the ephemera here, I think they're incredible). If the font was smaller, the book itself would be physically smaller, and so my expectations would have been different. So I did finish feeling somewhat disappointed. I think it's unfair to the readers, because it feels kind of misleading. And I feel it's also unfair to Heilig, too, because the book they wrote doesn't deserve my disappointment. It was brilliant! It's a weird one, because I finished last night thinking, "That's it?" and feeling a little short changed, but also having absolutely no issue with the story itself.
It took writing this review, to actually think about the story I read, to realise that my problem isn't with the story at all, and to separate my disappointment from it. I really, really loved A Kingdom for a Stage. It's fantastic, and really moves the story forward to a place that has left me really excited to see where things will lead in the final book, On This Unworthy Scaffold. Just keep in mind the length of the book deceptive.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Torture
Abduction, imprisonment, a person being burned alive, a massacre.ltorrice's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-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
lostinmylibrary's review
4.0
I love the world of this series! I didn't know it was a trilogy before starting this, but I'm very happy that I'll get to spend more time here. This was kind of a weird reading experience - I spent a lot of the beginning trying to remember what happened in the first book, and I had trouble keeping track of what was going on in the end (which is actually a pretty common problem I have with fantasy books) - but on the whole, I flew through this and really enjoyed it.
bookiejess's review
4.0
I enjoyed this book a heck of a lot more than I did the first one! The stakes have been raised and the characters have made decisions that will have plenty of consequences. Jetta's voice in this one is incredible, and I really enjoyed the rebellion aspect.
I sincerely hope that there will be a third one!
I sincerely hope that there will be a third one!
zarap's review
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I just...love Heidi Heilig a lot. A Kingdom for a Stage was even better than For a Muse of Fire, which is a high standard to begin with. Necromancy and mental health and colonialism and family and SO GOOD. And this one has a couple dragons near the end, which was cute/terrifying.
ruthsic's review
5.0
Warnings: blood use in magic, gun violence, war, colonialism, racism, descriptions of dead bodies, mention of reproductive coercion, mentions of torture, mention of suicide
Rep: Bisexual and mental health rep (bipolar) in main character (ownvoices), biracial love interest, queer and PoC characters, including trans rep
Heilig takes us back into Chakrana fighting for its freedom, with Jetta as a crucial piece in the war between Chakrana and Aquitan. Now that the Aquitans are aware of her necromancy, she is in greater danger, and not just from the wanted posters of hers that gone up. The military applications of her necromancy mean that she is to be a tool that might turn the war. At first, imprisoned by the Aquitans, she seeks to learn all she can about her skills, so that she may have a better understanding of how best to apply it; the medicine made from precious lithium is another benefit in the scenario. Still, she is planning her escape from their clutches, and her brother being her revenant has its perks. Then when she is with the rebels, the fact that they have also rescued Le Trepas means that she has to contend with him throughout their journey to the rebel base camp. With her own guilt in her mind, and his whispers of teaching her more things, Jetta has a complicated journey with her own necromancy in this sequel.
Like the first book, Jetta's first person perspective is regularly interspersed with 'extra content' - conversations between other characters depicted as play script, songs, and letters. Her story in this book is a lot about the depths of her powers, and her complicated feelings on it. With her mother's trauma, and thus her restriction on using her powers, she has always feared necromancy to bring her closer to Le Trepas, the monster of their modern legends. And now, having brought her brother back from the dead, she still has a lot of complicated thoughts about it. Obviously, she also doesn't like using the spirits for violence, as would be used in times of war, and Le Trepas giving her new insight on it makes her more afraid. Alongside this is her fear of her medicine dosages always at risk of running out; so we have a character who is fighting war on two fronts.
I also loved the secondary characters in the story - Leo was of interest from the last book, and in this book, you get to him being conflicted with his actions even more. His desire to help Jetta with her powers and with her illness doesn't always line up well, like when he has to betray her to help her; I still feel there were better ways to communicate that to her. The other two characters I liked were Theodora and the Tiger, who have a nice star-crossed romance subplot going on, but also have a good arc with what and how they help the Chakrana side. The Tiger's own story about his family history was an interesting addition to the plot, and was crucial to the ending. Akran's guilt over serving in the army and the resolution of his arc was done well, as was Jetta's father's disability. Just the simple fact that Jetta's powers could be used to drive mobility aids, as suggested by Theodora, was a good addition to the story. The narrator, Emily Woo Zeller, is brilliant in bringing out all the characters - I think somewhere mid-way while I was busy sketching away while listening to this and was so in the zone, I sort of forgot for a minute that it wasn't a cast of actors, but a single narrator doing the voices!
The central conflict of the Aquitan occupation and their colonialism wiping out the culture of Chakrana was well-written in this book, too. The ways in which machines were used in this novel was interesting, as was exploration of the mythology behind the necromancy. The build-up of the world has been extensive, and yet I love the addition of more details to it. The ending brings a change in the scenario of the war, but also gives the characters a new villain to face in the next book, so can't wait to see what happens!
Rep: Bisexual and mental health rep (bipolar) in main character (ownvoices), biracial love interest, queer and PoC characters, including trans rep
Heilig takes us back into Chakrana fighting for its freedom, with Jetta as a crucial piece in the war between Chakrana and Aquitan. Now that the Aquitans are aware of her necromancy, she is in greater danger, and not just from the wanted posters of hers that gone up. The military applications of her necromancy mean that she is to be a tool that might turn the war. At first, imprisoned by the Aquitans, she seeks to learn all she can about her skills, so that she may have a better understanding of how best to apply it; the medicine made from precious lithium is another benefit in the scenario. Still, she is planning her escape from their clutches, and her brother being her revenant has its perks. Then when she is with the rebels, the fact that they have also rescued Le Trepas means that she has to contend with him throughout their journey to the rebel base camp. With her own guilt in her mind, and his whispers of teaching her more things, Jetta has a complicated journey with her own necromancy in this sequel.
Like the first book, Jetta's first person perspective is regularly interspersed with 'extra content' - conversations between other characters depicted as play script, songs, and letters. Her story in this book is a lot about the depths of her powers, and her complicated feelings on it. With her mother's trauma, and thus her restriction on using her powers, she has always feared necromancy to bring her closer to Le Trepas, the monster of their modern legends. And now, having brought her brother back from the dead, she still has a lot of complicated thoughts about it. Obviously, she also doesn't like using the spirits for violence, as would be used in times of war, and Le Trepas giving her new insight on it makes her more afraid. Alongside this is her fear of her medicine dosages always at risk of running out; so we have a character who is fighting war on two fronts.
I also loved the secondary characters in the story - Leo was of interest from the last book, and in this book, you get to him being conflicted with his actions even more. His desire to help Jetta with her powers and with her illness doesn't always line up well, like when he has to betray her to help her; I still feel there were better ways to communicate that to her. The other two characters I liked were Theodora and the Tiger, who have a nice star-crossed romance subplot going on, but also have a good arc with what and how they help the Chakrana side. The Tiger's own story about his family history was an interesting addition to the plot, and was crucial to the ending. Akran's guilt over serving in the army and the resolution of his arc was done well, as was Jetta's father's disability. Just the simple fact that Jetta's powers could be used to drive mobility aids, as suggested by Theodora, was a good addition to the story. The narrator, Emily Woo Zeller, is brilliant in bringing out all the characters - I think somewhere mid-way while I was busy sketching away while listening to this and was so in the zone, I sort of forgot for a minute that it wasn't a cast of actors, but a single narrator doing the voices!
The central conflict of the Aquitan occupation and their colonialism wiping out the culture of Chakrana was well-written in this book, too. The ways in which machines were used in this novel was interesting, as was exploration of the mythology behind the necromancy. The build-up of the world has been extensive, and yet I love the addition of more details to it. The ending brings a change in the scenario of the war, but also gives the characters a new villain to face in the next book, so can't wait to see what happens!