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4.22 AVERAGE
4.22 AVERAGE
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I’m parting ways with this book as I’m refining my TBR, and it didn’t quite fit with what I’m looking for right now.
He will be the human in myth who forced their own fate despite the will of the gods.
Whereas #1 Prince of the Sorrows was the perfect introduction to the Rowan Blood series, #2 Lord of Silver Ashes sadly didn't deliver. I was expecting much more cunning and way higher stakes. All this book managed to do was leave me frustrated and disappointed...
What I liked:
- The worldbuilding was as magnificent as in Prince of the Sorrows (I mean, I'm simply obsessed with the pixies, they're such a fascinating species and their behaviour always felt mesmerising and ethereal)
- The way magic works in this universe:
What almost had me not finish this book:
- Most of the plot made absolutely no sense: why would Taran allow Saffron and Cylvan to be together so often and for so long? Why wouldn't he choose another beantighe to do his bidding? Honestly, too many things happened at once...
- The way torture, both physical and psychological, was solely used for shock value Also Saffron being treated in such a continuously brutal manner was deeply annoying, there wasn't a fun moment to enjoy because I couldn't stop thinking about what would go wrong
- The lack of communication between the two protagonists
- Ending every other chapter with Saffron asking himself half a dozen ~deep questions didn't make the plot more interesting
- The many grammar/spelling mistakes that made me stop reading to try and understand what the author meant
- The modern slang peppered throughout such sophisticated writing
- The total absence of character development of the main characters: by the end of Lord of Silver Ashes, I couldn't recall a single plot twist that made either Saffron or Cylvan grow
Whereas #1 Prince of the Sorrows was the perfect introduction to the Rowan Blood series, #2 Lord of Silver Ashes sadly didn't deliver. I was expecting much more cunning and way higher stakes. All this book managed to do was leave me frustrated and disappointed...
What I liked:
- The worldbuilding was as magnificent as in Prince of the Sorrows (I mean, I'm simply obsessed with the pixies, they're such a fascinating species and their behaviour always felt mesmerising and ethereal)
- The way magic works in this universe:
Spoiler
Taran's power coming from the bones of his ancestor? Yes. The balance between the two worlds? Yes. The memory threads? Yes. The second school for humans. YES. I desperately wanted more of all of this...What almost had me not finish this book:
- Most of the plot made absolutely no sense: why would Taran allow Saffron and Cylvan to be together so often and for so long? Why wouldn't he choose another beantighe to do his bidding? Honestly, too many things happened at once...
- The way torture, both physical and psychological, was solely used for shock value
Spoiler
(breaking Saffron's fingers? burning the bookstore down?)- The lack of communication between the two protagonists
Spoiler
(Cylvan being so gullible whenever Saffron is used against him? every empty threat making Saffron do dumb stuff?)- Ending every other chapter with Saffron asking himself half a dozen ~deep questions didn't make the plot more interesting
- The many grammar/spelling mistakes that made me stop reading to try and understand what the author meant
- The modern slang peppered throughout such sophisticated writing
- The total absence of character development of the main characters: by the end of Lord of Silver Ashes, I couldn't recall a single plot twist that made either Saffron or Cylvan grow
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-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
Amazing and gorgeous and lovely.
I finished a different book by Kellen Graves (A Bone In His Teeth) before starting this one so I already knew Kellen had improved so much as a writer since Prince of the Sorrows—and I adored POTS, it was already an amazing start for a debut novel—but seeing that improvement in the same series with the same characters is magical.
Thought on why this is dear to my heart as someone from a storytelling culture:
I'm so excited to see that improvement continue! I'm mixed indigenous and storytelling and storytelling culture and dear to my heart. Written stories have a little sorrow attached to them because they're dead in a way oral tales aren't, even when they're alive too. This is one of the dearest to my heart examples of how written stories live in the way oral tales do and how the fact they're born with their own death is a uniquely lovely thing in a uniquely lovely way.
There are old tales woven into this, changing and finding new life like oral tales do, and extending that life beyond what so many of those would otherwise get. And Kellen Graves is as much as a storyteller as any of them who never commit their stories to a fixed shape on paper, just as responsible for keeping dear parts of history and culture alive and changing.
Highly recommend this to everyone forever and ever.
Also I have a crush on Asche. <3
I finished a different book by Kellen Graves (A Bone In His Teeth) before starting this one so I already knew Kellen had improved so much as a writer since Prince of the Sorrows—and I adored POTS, it was already an amazing start for a debut novel—but seeing that improvement in the same series with the same characters is magical.
Thought on why this is dear to my heart as someone from a storytelling culture:
There are old tales woven into this, changing and finding new life like oral tales do, and extending that life beyond what so many of those would otherwise get. And Kellen Graves is as much as a storyteller as any of them who never commit their stories to a fixed shape on paper, just as responsible for keeping dear parts of history and culture alive and changing.
Highly recommend this to everyone forever and ever.
Also I have a crush on Asche. <3
dark
mysterious
tense
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Full review once I process everything!!! I am crying
UPDATE 10/28/22
it's release day!! thank you kellen for sending me the arc <3 i have now read it twice and feel like i have finally processed all my emotions. i'm going to keep this spoiler free for book 2!
LOSA completely blew me away. I had high expectations going in from POTS but kellen really knocked this one out of the park. even though i had to take breaks, the pacing always felt spot on and the character development hit me right in the gut. saffron continues to be such a wonderful narrator, even when he made decisions that had me screaming. the entire time i wanted to wrap cylvan in a blanket and protect him from the world. also, the new characters!! no spoilers but you will fall in love with them so quickly.
the cliff hanger definitely isn't as bad as pots but i can't want to see where kellen takes us for the rest of the series <3
UPDATE 10/28/22
it's release day!! thank you kellen for sending me the arc <3 i have now read it twice and feel like i have finally processed all my emotions. i'm going to keep this spoiler free for book 2!
LOSA completely blew me away. I had high expectations going in from POTS but kellen really knocked this one out of the park. even though i had to take breaks, the pacing always felt spot on and the character development hit me right in the gut. saffron continues to be such a wonderful narrator, even when he made decisions that had me screaming. the entire time i wanted to wrap cylvan in a blanket and protect him from the world. also, the new characters!! no spoilers but you will fall in love with them so quickly.
the cliff hanger definitely isn't as bad as pots but i can't want to see where kellen takes us for the rest of the series <3
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
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
emotional
funny
sad
tense
medium-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 ⭐️
Did this book make me result to giggling as a coping mechanism when everything kept going so so wrong? Yes. Did I binge read the entire thing? Also yes.
Did this book make me result to giggling as a coping mechanism when everything kept going so so wrong? Yes. Did I binge read the entire thing? Also yes.