Reviews with content warning for Classism - The Fires of Vengeance

This is an epic and intense sequel. It was hard to put down and easy to inhale.
The pace stays fast and engaging. The main character's revenge quest continues and he also gets wrapped up in bigger picture events of the rebellion that took place at the end of the first book.
The world gets some interesting new background lore that was compelling.
In a pivotal part of the story, the point of view changes to a side character which added depth and perspective to the actions of the main character in a worthwhile moment. The characters continue to be written well even if the main one gets most of the page time. The book is more about the action than the characters but it all works.
The ending is satisfying on it's own, while at the same time setting up what promises to be an even more intense book 3. There are some interesting threads set up here with great potential to develop in the next book. A great heroic fantasy series so far.

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cognitivedisaster's review against another edition

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challenging dark 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? Yes

4.5

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ehmannky's review

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adventurous dark emotional tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

So! Good! It's just as fast-paced and intense as book one. I loved the further development of the characters, the plot moved at the right pace, and it was just so! good! Everything I liked about book 1 is here, but now there's more female characters and they are all so different and awesome. One additional thing that I love about this book is that even though it is so bloody and violent, there's not really any rape/sexual assault other than some references. Like, we have this brutal world and you aren't subjected to multiple women being hypersexualized or brutalized (other than the death). Like, again if you don't like war books, it's not going to be something you particularly enjoy, but I couldn't stop reading it.

Also,

I just about shrieked when we learn that Uduak, my favorite background character, is gay and in a relationship with Hadith! And it did feel like a natural revelation since so much of book 1 is just Tua being a "no thoughts just vengeance vibes" character that he only just barely starts paying attention to his friends in this book.

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