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faehistory's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
vlynnk89's review against another edition
4.0
So begins the wait for the next book. Arian is such a fantastic character.
onceuponabookcase's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-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? No
5.0
I really enjoyed The Bloodprint, the first book in The Khorasan Archives series by Ausma Zehanat Khan, that I couldn't wait too long before picking up the second book, The Black Khan. For the most part, I was thoroughly impressed with The Bloodprint, but with the sequel, Khan really steps things up a notch. It was absolutely epic!
The Black Khan picks up where The Bloodprint left off. Arian, Daniyar and Sinnia have all been captured in the lands ruled by the Authoritarian. As such, the first part of this book is very dark and disturbing. Each of them suffer at the hands of the Authoritarian and the Khounum, who turned out to be Arian's older sister, Lania. Arian is collared, unable to use the Claim, kept at her sister's side when not being tortured by the Authoritarian. Daniyar is also tortured, and forced to fight to the death for her with the Authoritarian's soldiers night after night. Sinniar is, unsurprisingly, tortured in her prison cell, and injected with drugs she soon finds herself addicted to. It really isn't easy reading at all.
But with The Black Khan, the scope of the story becomes wider. The Bloodprint mainly focused on Arian's Audacy (mission) to find the sacred text of the title, a quest story, staying mainly with Arian, Sinnia and Daniyar as narrators. But with The Black Khan, we see what's going on elsewhere, particularly with the Black Khan himself, Rukh. After his betrayal of Arian and her companions to take the Bloodprint for himself, he returns to the city he rules, Ashfall, to find the Talisman army almost at the gates, and orders left by his commander, Arsalan - who accompanied him to Black Aura for the Bloodprint - neglected. There are no soldiers at the wall, no defences in place, and with war imminent, Ashfall is seriously unprepared and in incredible danger.
Two of my favourite things about high fantasy are court politics and intrigue, and the strategising for war, and The Black Khan has both in spades! I bloody revelled in it! There is so much going on all at once for Rukh. He wanted the Bloodprint because he knew it would be the only thing to defend against the Talisman. As the Black Khan, he is also the Dark Mage, but in his pursuit of the Bloodprint, he's neglected to work on his powers, and is desperate to have his powers woken to defend his city. All the while, his enthusiastic and sweet-hearted younger sister, Darya, is continuing to get things wrong. Darya always seems to manage to talk out of turn, or behave in a way that isn't proper for the Black Khan's sister. She is constantly admonished and rebuked, but she only wants to help her brother, and has the best of intentions - even if Rukh forbids her from joining the Council of Hira, her deepest desire. Arsalan has a huge amount of work on his hands as he has to get the Zhayedan army ready to protect Ashfall from the imminent Talisman onslaught. At the same time, there are others at court who have their own agendas, their cataclysmic machinations taking place right under Rukh's nose.
Honestly, there is so, so much going on in this book, and it's just so epic! There are quite a number of narrators, new characters introduced, and subplots to follow. I'm generally not a fan of more than three prominent narrators, as it tends to get confusing, and you end up having to wait for several chapters to find out what's happening in a certain place with certain characters until you're back with their narration. However, this isn't the case with The Black Khan. While it often switches between narrators, for the majority of the time, the story focuses on one location at a time, rather than jumping around all over the place. So, for example, when the story is focusing on Ashfall, the narration will switch between Rukh, Arsalan, and Darya, and a few other narrators we see less often, events playing out as they would but seen from someone else's perspective. I really, really appreciated this, as we're not left hanging with mini-cliffhangers throughout the story it will take pages and pages to see the outcome of. You're right there, in it continually.
As such, I was constantly sitting on the edge of my seat. The tension in this book just builds and builds. Khan is such an incredible writer; this story is so well plotted, and incredibly gripping, and I just couldn't tear myself away. I absolutely love what Khan does with Rukh. He is not a good guy. He will absolutely use underhand tactics, betray trust, and use people as pawns, and I bloody can't stand him! But I understood him. Rukh has a duty to his people, and he will absolutely do whatever it takes, no matter the cost, to defend his city. I appreciated his sense of duty, and how smart he is to make the maneuvers he does. I don't like the guy, but I respect him, and I can't deny his narration was absolutely one of my favourites, despite how despicable he can be. I also adored Arsalan! He is a guy you want on your side in a fight, most definitely. Also incredibly smart, his strategising was just beautiful! But I also just loved him as a character, and really felt for him and the predicament he's put in. His subplot is heartbreaking. Mate, I just want to give the guy a hug.
Honestly, I could just go on and on about this book, but I'm starting to worry about spoilers. The Black Khan is just bloody incredible and so exciting! Honestly, I loved it so much, I immediately bought the fourth book in the series, The Blue Eye, because I couldn't wait to see what happens next. Do not sit on this series! It's amazing!
The Black Khan picks up where The Bloodprint left off. Arian, Daniyar and Sinnia have all been captured in the lands ruled by the Authoritarian. As such, the first part of this book is very dark and disturbing. Each of them suffer at the hands of the Authoritarian and the Khounum, who turned out to be Arian's older sister, Lania. Arian is collared, unable to use the Claim, kept at her sister's side when not being tortured by the Authoritarian. Daniyar is also tortured, and forced to fight to the death for her with the Authoritarian's soldiers night after night. Sinniar is, unsurprisingly, tortured in her prison cell, and injected with drugs she soon finds herself addicted to. It really isn't easy reading at all.
But with The Black Khan, the scope of the story becomes wider. The Bloodprint mainly focused on Arian's Audacy (mission) to find the sacred text of the title, a quest story, staying mainly with Arian, Sinnia and Daniyar as narrators. But with The Black Khan, we see what's going on elsewhere, particularly with the Black Khan himself, Rukh. After his betrayal of Arian and her companions to take the Bloodprint for himself, he returns to the city he rules, Ashfall, to find the Talisman army almost at the gates, and orders left by his commander, Arsalan - who accompanied him to Black Aura for the Bloodprint - neglected. There are no soldiers at the wall, no defences in place, and with war imminent, Ashfall is seriously unprepared and in incredible danger.
Two of my favourite things about high fantasy are court politics and intrigue, and the strategising for war, and The Black Khan has both in spades! I bloody revelled in it! There is so much going on all at once for Rukh. He wanted the Bloodprint because he knew it would be the only thing to defend against the Talisman. As the Black Khan, he is also the Dark Mage, but in his pursuit of the Bloodprint, he's neglected to work on his powers, and is desperate to have his powers woken to defend his city. All the while, his enthusiastic and sweet-hearted younger sister, Darya, is continuing to get things wrong. Darya always seems to manage to talk out of turn, or behave in a way that isn't proper for the Black Khan's sister. She is constantly admonished and rebuked, but she only wants to help her brother, and has the best of intentions - even if Rukh forbids her from joining the Council of Hira, her deepest desire. Arsalan has a huge amount of work on his hands as he has to get the Zhayedan army ready to protect Ashfall from the imminent Talisman onslaught. At the same time, there are others at court who have their own agendas, their cataclysmic machinations taking place right under Rukh's nose.
Honestly, there is so, so much going on in this book, and it's just so epic! There are quite a number of narrators, new characters introduced, and subplots to follow. I'm generally not a fan of more than three prominent narrators, as it tends to get confusing, and you end up having to wait for several chapters to find out what's happening in a certain place with certain characters until you're back with their narration. However, this isn't the case with The Black Khan. While it often switches between narrators, for the majority of the time, the story focuses on one location at a time, rather than jumping around all over the place. So, for example, when the story is focusing on Ashfall, the narration will switch between Rukh, Arsalan, and Darya, and a few other narrators we see less often, events playing out as they would but seen from someone else's perspective. I really, really appreciated this, as we're not left hanging with mini-cliffhangers throughout the story it will take pages and pages to see the outcome of. You're right there, in it continually.
As such, I was constantly sitting on the edge of my seat. The tension in this book just builds and builds. Khan is such an incredible writer; this story is so well plotted, and incredibly gripping, and I just couldn't tear myself away. I absolutely love what Khan does with Rukh. He is not a good guy. He will absolutely use underhand tactics, betray trust, and use people as pawns, and I bloody can't stand him! But I understood him. Rukh has a duty to his people, and he will absolutely do whatever it takes, no matter the cost, to defend his city. I appreciated his sense of duty, and how smart he is to make the maneuvers he does. I don't like the guy, but I respect him, and I can't deny his narration was absolutely one of my favourites, despite how despicable he can be. I also adored Arsalan! He is a guy you want on your side in a fight, most definitely. Also incredibly smart, his strategising was just beautiful! But I also just loved him as a character, and really felt for him and the predicament he's put in. His subplot is heartbreaking. Mate, I just want to give the guy a hug.
Honestly, I could just go on and on about this book, but I'm starting to worry about spoilers. The Black Khan is just bloody incredible and so exciting! Honestly, I loved it so much, I immediately bought the fourth book in the series, The Blue Eye, because I couldn't wait to see what happens next. Do not sit on this series! It's amazing!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Torture and Violence
aseel_reads's review against another edition
3.0
Okay, so I really enjoyed the first half. I thought it had a clear and direct plot, it was engaging and well written. However, in the second half, we got way too much description, the plot slowed and the characters became very annoying/lost their growth in the first book. I liked the chapter at the end that set up the next book, but disappointed overall
dgrachel's review against another edition
5.0
The Black Khan is the sequel to The Bloodprint, which was released last year. It picks up right where the first book left off and starts with absolutely gut-wrenching action scenes. I spent much of my time reading with my fist between my teeth to keep from gasping or crying or yelling. The plot is dark and twisty and you're never sure who to trust.
The major players from The Bloodprint are here, along with a large cast of new characters. The new characters are well-developed, each with his or her own set of complex motivations. They feel real. That is, perhaps, the best compliment I can give - this feels like a living history. You can see, smell, and hear everything that occurs on the page because Khan breathes life into her world. She carefully crafts this world in such detail that it plays like a film in the reader's mind, but without getting so bogged down that it feels like a dry textbook. At the heart of The Black Khan is the magic of language, The Claim. Khan's own use of language in her storytelling is just as magical.
While The Bloodprint introduces us to Khorasan and a world where women are subjugated by the Talisman, The Black Khan is even darker. Here we get an up close look inside the borders of the Authoritan's lands of North Khorasan, his prisons, and systems of torture. We see the machinations of the courtiers in Rukh's lands of West Khorasan, and get an even more detailed look at the inner workings of Hira. It's dark and violent, but we also meet the resistance groups. The ending promises hope, and that is what will keep me reading. I'm sure there is more death, pain, suffering, destruction, and heartbreak to come, but there is also a light that offers hope, a promise of salvation for the people, and I cannot wait to see what comes next.
This is a planned four book series. I know there are a lot of people who don't like to start series until they are all finished, and I understand that. I do. I hate the wait between finishing a book and the publication of the next installment of the story of a year (or more). I have shed more than one tear over a press release stating a book's publication date has been delayed. But allow me to throw a plug out there for all authors - even if you don't want to start reading the series until all the books are written, buy the ones that are out now and buy the others as they are released. Authors are not guaranteed their subsequent novels will see the light of day, regardless of the plans they have for their fictional world, and publishers make those decisions based on sales of the previous books. If everyone waited until the entire series was published, it would never happen. So, on behalf of one of my favorite authors and, in fact, on behalf of all authors, if you've read a blurb of a book that intrigues you and you are the kind of person who buys books, pick up a copy even if you don't crack the cover until the story is complete. Help ensure we all get to hear the ending.
The major players from The Bloodprint are here, along with a large cast of new characters. The new characters are well-developed, each with his or her own set of complex motivations. They feel real. That is, perhaps, the best compliment I can give - this feels like a living history. You can see, smell, and hear everything that occurs on the page because Khan breathes life into her world. She carefully crafts this world in such detail that it plays like a film in the reader's mind, but without getting so bogged down that it feels like a dry textbook. At the heart of The Black Khan is the magic of language, The Claim. Khan's own use of language in her storytelling is just as magical.
While The Bloodprint introduces us to Khorasan and a world where women are subjugated by the Talisman, The Black Khan is even darker. Here we get an up close look inside the borders of the Authoritan's lands of North Khorasan, his prisons, and systems of torture. We see the machinations of the courtiers in Rukh's lands of West Khorasan, and get an even more detailed look at the inner workings of Hira. It's dark and violent, but we also meet the resistance groups. The ending promises hope, and that is what will keep me reading. I'm sure there is more death, pain, suffering, destruction, and heartbreak to come, but there is also a light that offers hope, a promise of salvation for the people, and I cannot wait to see what comes next.
This is a planned four book series. I know there are a lot of people who don't like to start series until they are all finished, and I understand that. I do. I hate the wait between finishing a book and the publication of the next installment of the story of a year (or more). I have shed more than one tear over a press release stating a book's publication date has been delayed. But allow me to throw a plug out there for all authors - even if you don't want to start reading the series until all the books are written, buy the ones that are out now and buy the others as they are released. Authors are not guaranteed their subsequent novels will see the light of day, regardless of the plans they have for their fictional world, and publishers make those decisions based on sales of the previous books. If everyone waited until the entire series was published, it would never happen. So, on behalf of one of my favorite authors and, in fact, on behalf of all authors, if you've read a blurb of a book that intrigues you and you are the kind of person who buys books, pick up a copy even if you don't crack the cover until the story is complete. Help ensure we all get to hear the ending.
dgrachel's review against another edition
4.0
I read this in print when it came out last year, and just finished my reread via audiobook to refresh my memory of the events of The Black Khan, in preparation for The Blue Eye which released last week. I loved the story, as I love all of Ausma Zehanat Khan's novels, and you can find a longer review of that also on Goodreads. The audiobook I like less. While I appreciate hearing the names of characters and places read aloud, especially words that I am unfamiliar with, there are other common words that the narrator pronounces oddly. This takes me out of the story and is like nails on a chalkboard. Words definitely have power, but I think the narrator does the novel a disservice. If you have never read the book, I strongly recommend reading it in print as I would hate for there to be anything to distract you from the tale itself. As a means to reread, though, the audio is acceptable, and now I'm as ready as I was last year to begin Book 3 and I can't wait to meet the Mage of the Blue Eye.
mitchk's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Lots to love here. The world building is incredibly lush, with customs, costumes, landscapes and architecture really vividly portrayed. The themes of language, faith and loyalty are interestingly played out, posing moral and ethical dilemmas for many of the characters. There were a few scenes that forced me out of the world - the presence of too much beauty and some dodgy decision making in the time of crisis. But a very solid extension of the series and a great set up for book 3.
felizacasano's review against another edition
4.0
Power is a major theme of the series and focused on with more intensity in The Black Khan. The machinations of power, both magical and political, are a focus of both the Authoritan arc in the first act of the novel and the Ashfall assault arc in the third act. Possessing power isn’t what makes a person evil, but rather the desire to gain more power—an idea only emphasized by the key passage of the Claim quoted above. The Black Khan wrestles with power in a very different manner than The Bloodprint: while the latter focused on how power is stripped away via destruction of knowledge and the decline of literacy, the former examines the pursuit of power and the price paid—both by the seeker and by the seeker’s demands.
Read my full review at Tor.com.
Read my full review at Tor.com.
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