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courtlytea's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
In the sequel to Winter Be My Shield, the protagonists continue to be thrown from one crisis to another while somehow managing to scramble toward triumphs against the Akharan invaders and Team Kell/Valeria. I was so tense racing through the story at one point I gave myself a headache from gritting my teeth. A core value of the series that really appealed to me was found family, and the group's unwavering determination to protect each other kept me warm during the bitter conflicts with their adversaries.
The puzzle of Vasant's cache was a fascinating new setpiece and I enjoyed the characters' time there discovering its ancient secrets.
Though he is profoundly disabled Isidro plays an active role in the clan's survival, contributing his strategical skills and developing his magecraft. Soon he is fighting alongside Sierra and Rasten as they psychically communicate and exchange power across distances, making for exhilarating combat scenes where each one channels the power of the other two to pull off great feats of magecraft as needed. Way cool.
As he developed, the villain Rasten became my favourite character. Before long I couldn't help picturing him as Tom Hiddleston's Loki – like the same smooth strategist in manner and disposition, only a thousand times more tormented.
The puzzle of Vasant's cache was a fascinating new setpiece and I enjoyed the characters' time there discovering its ancient secrets.
Though he is profoundly disabled Isidro plays an active role in the clan's survival, contributing his strategical skills and developing his magecraft. Soon he is fighting alongside Sierra and Rasten as they psychically communicate and exchange power across distances, making for exhilarating combat scenes where each one channels the power of the other two to pull off great feats of magecraft as needed. Way cool.
As he developed, the villain Rasten became my favourite character. Before long I couldn't help picturing him as Tom Hiddleston's Loki – like the same smooth strategist in manner and disposition, only a thousand times more tormented.
Though I initially wanted Sierra not to stray from Isidro I became increasingly curious about her compatibility with Rasten the more I learned about him.
Closing the pages after the satisfying ending, I was dismayed to discover that there is no fandom for this series lurking in any of the usual places. I can't bear it on my own!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gore, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Rape
Minor: Suicide attempt and Pedophilia
pearlc's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
marktimmony's review against another edition
3.0
One of Australia's bright new stars Jo Spurrier's sequel to her debut novel 'Winter Be My Shield' doesn't disappoint. Picking up the story Spurrier strides forward expanding on threads where only peripheral in book one and continues to open up the incredible wintry world that is so real your hands will freeze while holding the book.
Many writers can suffer from 'second book syndrome', where in the second book reads like a place-holder for the third/final book in the series. Fear not, you will experience no such lethargy here. Spurrier bursts into action from page one and doesn't let up as we race forward towards the Demon Spire and the hidden trove of knowledge that the Akharian's are searching for. Characters who were secondary in Winter Be My Shield find their feet in unexpected ways and one villain suddenly becomes more much interesting and sympathetic.
Jo Spurrier is a talent the Australian genre scene should be proud of.
Many writers can suffer from 'second book syndrome', where in the second book reads like a place-holder for the third/final book in the series. Fear not, you will experience no such lethargy here. Spurrier bursts into action from page one and doesn't let up as we race forward towards the Demon Spire and the hidden trove of knowledge that the Akharian's are searching for. Characters who were secondary in Winter Be My Shield find their feet in unexpected ways and one villain suddenly becomes more much interesting and sympathetic.
Jo Spurrier is a talent the Australian genre scene should be proud of.
barbarahowe's review
4.0
Didn't like it quite as much as the first book in the series (Winter Be My Shield) but it's still a very gripping story, and I dove right on into the third book (North Star Guide Me Home) straight afterwards. Intense; not for the faint-hearted.
tsana's review
5.0
Black Sun Light My Way by Jo Spurrier is the sequel to Winter Be My Shield, which I absolutely loved when I read it last year. This review contains minor spoilers for book one.
Before I started writing this review, I went and read over my review of the first book and I was struck by something I hadn't realised when I was reading. Although the two books follow the same characters and are linked by a logical sequence of events, they actually explore very different themes. While the first book dealt a lot with ostracism, particularly of mages, the second book deals much more strongly with difficult choices and personal sacrifices.
The torture (of various characters at the hands of the evil Blood-Mage Kell) is also dealt with differently. It seemed to me that in the first book all the torture was near the start and used to establish that Kell was in fact pretty evil. Black Sun Light My Way does something similar with recently enslaved people being raped (well, threatened by rape, I don't think any of it took place on the actual page) and beaten by the invaders. But the most horrific (to me) bits were later on in the book when Kell's torture dungeon was revisited. I didn't think any of the violence was gratuitous but if affected me more than in the first book, partly because of elements of choice Spurrier incorporated into the story (I can't be more specific without spoilers). This is not a book for the faint of heart.
I also found Rasten's character much more interesting in Black Sun Light My Way than in the previous book. In Winter Be My Shield we saw him as the torture-conditioned and brain-washed apprentice to the Blood-Mage. In this book, we see a lot more of him and his point of view. The way he thinks in contrast with how Sierra (and, y'know, most saner people) thinks is often quite stark. There was a powerful moment whenSierra resists a particularly horrible punishment (easily the most sickening start to a scene) and Rasten can't understand why she wouldn't just submit and bide her time. It's impossible for the reader not to be on Sierra's side (I hope) and the whole scene was a stark and frustrating demonstration of just how much psychological damage Kell has inflicted on Rasten in four years.
On a cheerier note, Delphine, a mage from the invading country, becomes an interesting prominent character. Her role evolves significantly over the book and I found it most interesting when she was used to give an outsider's perspective on the characters we know and love. Spurrier uses her to great effect to highlight some of the differences between her culture and the other main characters', at the same time helping the reader understand how aspects of both cultures work. She was a character that at different times I cheered for and against, and that I could feel that way is a mark of Spurrier's excellent writing skills.
The last thing I want to mention is that I loved the ending. No details because spoilers, but it's not your usual book two ending. More got resolved than I expected, but there's no shortage of problems left for the characters to deal with in book three.
Black Sun Light My Way was an excellent read. I don't recommend skipping Winter Be My Shield, so if you haven't read the first book, do that first. In general, though, I highly recommend this series to all lovers of epic/high/big fat/whatever you want to call it fantasy. As I said earlier, it's not for the faint of heart, but on the other hand it's not significantly worse (in terms of ick and violence) than a lot of the genre.
4.5 / 5 stars
You can read more of my reviews on my blog.
Before I started writing this review, I went and read over my review of the first book and I was struck by something I hadn't realised when I was reading. Although the two books follow the same characters and are linked by a logical sequence of events, they actually explore very different themes. While the first book dealt a lot with ostracism, particularly of mages, the second book deals much more strongly with difficult choices and personal sacrifices.
The torture (of various characters at the hands of the evil Blood-Mage Kell) is also dealt with differently. It seemed to me that in the first book all the torture was near the start and used to establish that Kell was in fact pretty evil. Black Sun Light My Way does something similar with recently enslaved people being raped (well, threatened by rape, I don't think any of it took place on the actual page) and beaten by the invaders. But the most horrific (to me) bits were later on in the book when Kell's torture dungeon was revisited. I didn't think any of the violence was gratuitous but if affected me more than in the first book, partly because of elements of choice Spurrier incorporated into the story (I can't be more specific without spoilers). This is not a book for the faint of heart.
I also found Rasten's character much more interesting in Black Sun Light My Way than in the previous book. In Winter Be My Shield we saw him as the torture-conditioned and brain-washed apprentice to the Blood-Mage. In this book, we see a lot more of him and his point of view. The way he thinks in contrast with how Sierra (and, y'know, most saner people) thinks is often quite stark. There was a powerful moment when
On a cheerier note, Delphine, a mage from the invading country, becomes an interesting prominent character. Her role evolves significantly over the book and I found it most interesting when she was used to give an outsider's perspective on the characters we know and love. Spurrier uses her to great effect to highlight some of the differences between her culture and the other main characters', at the same time helping the reader understand how aspects of both cultures work. She was a character that at different times I cheered for and against, and that I could feel that way is a mark of Spurrier's excellent writing skills.
The last thing I want to mention is that I loved the ending. No details because spoilers, but it's not your usual book two ending. More got resolved than I expected, but there's no shortage of problems left for the characters to deal with in book three.
Black Sun Light My Way was an excellent read. I don't recommend skipping Winter Be My Shield, so if you haven't read the first book, do that first. In general, though, I highly recommend this series to all lovers of epic/high/big fat/whatever you want to call it fantasy. As I said earlier, it's not for the faint of heart, but on the other hand it's not significantly worse (in terms of ick and violence) than a lot of the genre.
4.5 / 5 stars
You can read more of my reviews on my blog.
cassanette's review
5.0
"He's had no part in this filth—"
"Are you mad? Of course he has!"
"But it wasn't his choice! He never wanted it."
"And we did?"
I had this brilliant plan of writing a review of this book as soon as I finish while it's still fresh in my mind.
I also had a plan of writing an articulate piece, to give justice to the author's craft.
Well, I've just finished, it's midnight,* and words fail me.
* It's actually almost 2am as I finish typing this. Good times.
Basically, for me this was the perfect second book. Brilliant character development, story that remained consistently gripping, twists and turns galore. Controversial opinion alert: I think middle books are superior, so there's that. I was destined to love this book. And yet Black Sun Light My Way not only met my sky-high expectations, but managed to surpass them, becoming my favourite read of 2020.
Quickly about twists: oh boy were there a lot of surprises in here, starting from surprising relationship developments and team-ups
But there were three events which actually shocked me.
Now let's talk characters, because I love them all.
Sierra is such a solid, interesting protagonist. She's very dramatic (I wonder who might have inspired that in her...), I mean look at this absolute badass.
Sierra appeared, dripping wet and surrounded by writhing, twisting lightning. There was an axe in her hands, the head rippling with Black Sun's Fire.
But she's more than just her powerful abilities, she feels deeply human with her insecurities and faults. With her mistakes, and decisions so hard I wouldn't wish them on anyone. But she makes them. She perseveres, and I admire her so much.
Isidro's journey takes him so far from the man we met in the first book. He struggles so much, he always will struggle with his disability and emotional trauma after what was done to him, but keeps going. Keeps proving with his actions that he's not the "useless cripple" he believed himself to be, that he's not defined by his weakness but by his strengths. It's so amazing to read, truly, how he gains the respect and admiration of others with his accomplishments. How he's forced to face his absolute worst fears head-on, and fights the urge to end it all.
Rasten is such a fascinating character, and he shines in this book. His development is GOD TIER. It's an art to not only create a good villain, but to give them this kind of dimension. I wasn't a huge fan of his in the first book but the sequel completely changed my mind.
I will put Cam and Mira together because while they are complex and interesting characters in their own right, they don't get the kind of attention the others do. For example, I was disappointed that at the beginning of the novel, we didn't get to deal with Mira's feelings about Issey's betrayal. She struggles with her feelings about her clan and tradition, but at the same time deems her personal sacrifice worth it to keep the support of her clan. Cam is a more static and reactive character, not that there's anything wrong with that imo. He still gets some really nice development when forced to adjust to new conditions and conflicts thrown at him.
And last but not least, the biggest surprise for me in this book - Delphine. I did not particularly like her going in, didn't like her storyline and didn't like where I thought it was going. About 100 pages in, I changed my mind about her character completely, a 180, and her development became very compelling. In this novel Delphine as a character is deconstructed when
Aleksar - he had another name but she refused to acknowledge it - closed his eyes. 'Delphine, hold your wretched tongue.'
'You will address me as madame!' she thundered.
'No. You're my prisoner, and I'll call you what I like. You're lucky I'm willing to pay you the courtesy of using your own name instead of assigning you another.'
When she finally
Which brings me to the main star of this book for me... the changes and reversals of power dynamic in various relationships. OH MY GOD THEY WERE SO GOOD.
Sierra started out hounded by Rasten, deathly afraid of him. Then she became the torturer and saw how easy it was to derive a sort of pleasure from another's suffering.
In the last few weeks she'd loathed him, been disgusted by him, had dreamed longingly of ripping out his throat with her teeth. When she'd stood over him, bound, naked and helpless, relief and fear both warred within her against a sickening, buoyant glee, that there at last was the man who'd tormented and terrified her for so long, powerless and under her complete control.
Isidro started the series wounded, sick and at his brother's mercy. Here, Cam is the one who is kidnapped and tortured and needs rescuing by his brother. Finally he sees how helpless Isidro felt being told he's too weak to do anything but lie in bed and rest.
The worldbuilding continues to be of high quality (for example we learn more about Ricalani marriage customs, and see that socierty from the point of view of an outsider). The magic is developed more but still remains pretty vague, which doesn't bother me at all as I don't like too many rules in my magic.
Now the one problematic thing I can't overlook. The major villain of the series is Kell, who is homosexual. There is other queer representation here too, but it is very much of the background kind: mentioned in passing in a positive light, but nothing beyond that. In a series so otherwise diverse and sex-positive, it's troubling that the only acts of queer sex given attention within the narrative are the deviations of a rapist and pedophile.
tl;dr WOW. What a book. I don't think I'll ever forget that one of the biggest developments in it was caused by a four-way mental sex gone wrong.
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