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celeste329's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Slavery
Moderate: Emotional abuse
alana_readsbooks's review against another edition
I spent too long away from this series and have no desire to go back and read it again
thebibliophilechronicles's review against another edition
slow-paced
5.0
Anna Stephens is back with the next installment in her brilliant Songs of the Drowned series and we pick up with our main characters two years after the events of The Stone Knife – Lilla is a slave warrior, training to be part of the biggest and most ruthless army the world has ever known. He secretly hopes to spark a rebellion amongst his fellow slaves, but how can they overcome the might of the Empire? Xessa is a slave in the fighting pits, tasked with providing entertainment to those she despises, she knows she will never get out alive, but can she help her fellow Tokob survive long enough to claim freedom? Tayan is stuck in the heart of the Empire, surrounded by the most ruthless and power hungry people, but the Singer’s magic speaks to him in a way no one thought possible – can he survive long enough to understand how to wield it? Meanwhile, on the other side of the conflict, Pilos and Enet are at each other’s throats, each one determined to outwit the other.
Anna Stephens is one of my favourite authors so this book was one of my most anticipated releases for 2023. It has all the things that I love about her books – incredible world building, an intriguing plot with some surprises I didn’t see coming, and brilliant, complex characters you can’t help but become attached to. Despite the book being over 600 pages I raced through this and I am already desperate for more. Stephens has created such an interesting world in this series. The magic is so fascinating and I loved learning more about the song and the world as the story progressed.
I would say that this is a bit more on the slower paced side compared to The Stone Knife, but if anything that gives the reader the chance to become even more attached to the characters. It was fascinating to see how things changed for the characters compared to book one and there was so much growth and evolution for them. I absolutely adore Xessa (and Ossa), she is one of my favourite characters and I am terrified of how things might go for her in book three. All of the POV characters are really fascinating and I really liked Enet’s chapters as she’s so ruthless and determined to make all her plans come to fruition.
Just like The Stone Knife, The Jaguar Path is dark, gritty and has more than a few gruesome moments. Stephens does a brilliant job writing dynamic fighting scenes, with moments that practically leap off the page. I enjoyed every second of this book and I cannot wait to see how the story ends.
Anna Stephens is one of my favourite authors so this book was one of my most anticipated releases for 2023. It has all the things that I love about her books – incredible world building, an intriguing plot with some surprises I didn’t see coming, and brilliant, complex characters you can’t help but become attached to. Despite the book being over 600 pages I raced through this and I am already desperate for more. Stephens has created such an interesting world in this series. The magic is so fascinating and I loved learning more about the song and the world as the story progressed.
I would say that this is a bit more on the slower paced side compared to The Stone Knife, but if anything that gives the reader the chance to become even more attached to the characters. It was fascinating to see how things changed for the characters compared to book one and there was so much growth and evolution for them. I absolutely adore Xessa (and Ossa), she is one of my favourite characters and I am terrified of how things might go for her in book three. All of the POV characters are really fascinating and I really liked Enet’s chapters as she’s so ruthless and determined to make all her plans come to fruition.
Just like The Stone Knife, The Jaguar Path is dark, gritty and has more than a few gruesome moments. Stephens does a brilliant job writing dynamic fighting scenes, with moments that practically leap off the page. I enjoyed every second of this book and I cannot wait to see how the story ends.
kitvaria_sarene's review against another edition
5.0
Anna Stephens - one of my favourite authors. And I hate her as much as I love her! My poor soul...
The first book in this series, especially the ending, was already grim and gritty. This one is a lot more traumatizing yet. Have comfort food ready!
When I started The Jaguar Path I was a bit afraid about having forgotten a lot from The Stone Knife as it's been so long. However that wasn't a problem at all. I quickly remembered all of these characters again and was sucked right back into it. There's was enough memory jogging to get you back on track, but it was done in such a seamless way you didn't even notice it.
The absolute strength in this book is two fold: the characters and the unpredictability that comes along with it!
And believe me, this book does NOT go where you expect it to go. The characters all go through so much, and it's adapt or die. How far can you adapt though, and still stay true to your core? How much can you take before you break? Once you're broken, can you be mended?
Stephens really doesn't coddle her characters, oh no. They go through the most horrendous things, and they are tested to their utter limits. However, she masterfully handles these situations. Instead of it being gratuitous, they all further the character depth and development, and are integral to the story. The trauma is written incredibly realistically and handled sensitively, which makes it all the more painful when reading, but it also makes you care for them even more. I loved how much this book made me think and ponder, and how I had to take breaks just to digest things.
(And I won't spoil what, but I can tell you we don't just get horrible news, there's a few bright moments of hope and light as well.)
From all these challenges they are changed beyond who they were, and this makes the story deviate from what you were expecting in the most surprising, but fascinating ways. Some people end up on the opposite side of where they started, some people get pitched against their former allies, some nemesis are suddenly on your side, and in all the chaos you completely lose sight of who's side your even on. The "good guys" do horrible things to survive, the villains are actually quite human, and in fact there's so much more than just two sides to this story. By the end I really couldn't say who I was rooting for. Everyone and no one at the same time - in the best of ways. I adore stories that don't give you an easy choice, or tell you what to think.
What else was amazing about this?
I loved the world building that seems inspired by Aztec society, and the deep ideas behind it.
The prose is smooth, easy to fall into, with some really nice turns of phrase that had me back track to really appreciate them.
I actually can't point to anything I did not like, outside of it being over...
The first book in this series, especially the ending, was already grim and gritty. This one is a lot more traumatizing yet. Have comfort food ready!
When I started The Jaguar Path I was a bit afraid about having forgotten a lot from The Stone Knife as it's been so long. However that wasn't a problem at all. I quickly remembered all of these characters again and was sucked right back into it. There's was enough memory jogging to get you back on track, but it was done in such a seamless way you didn't even notice it.
The absolute strength in this book is two fold: the characters and the unpredictability that comes along with it!
And believe me, this book does NOT go where you expect it to go. The characters all go through so much, and it's adapt or die. How far can you adapt though, and still stay true to your core? How much can you take before you break? Once you're broken, can you be mended?
Stephens really doesn't coddle her characters, oh no. They go through the most horrendous things, and they are tested to their utter limits. However, she masterfully handles these situations. Instead of it being gratuitous, they all further the character depth and development, and are integral to the story. The trauma is written incredibly realistically and handled sensitively, which makes it all the more painful when reading, but it also makes you care for them even more. I loved how much this book made me think and ponder, and how I had to take breaks just to digest things.
(And I won't spoil what, but I can tell you we don't just get horrible news, there's a few bright moments of hope and light as well.)
From all these challenges they are changed beyond who they were, and this makes the story deviate from what you were expecting in the most surprising, but fascinating ways. Some people end up on the opposite side of where they started, some people get pitched against their former allies, some nemesis are suddenly on your side, and in all the chaos you completely lose sight of who's side your even on. The "good guys" do horrible things to survive, the villains are actually quite human, and in fact there's so much more than just two sides to this story. By the end I really couldn't say who I was rooting for. Everyone and no one at the same time - in the best of ways. I adore stories that don't give you an easy choice, or tell you what to think.
What else was amazing about this?
I loved the world building that seems inspired by Aztec society, and the deep ideas behind it.
The prose is smooth, easy to fall into, with some really nice turns of phrase that had me back track to really appreciate them.
I actually can't point to anything I did not like, outside of it being over...
insideoutreviews's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
reflective
tense
slow-paced
5.0
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