Reviews

Wow. City of Stairs was excellent and when I started reading this one I was sad that Shara wasn’t the main character. But as I got into it, I saw why Mulaghesh is the only choice for a protagonist for this one and I learned to love her even more as a protagonist than as a secondary character. What a masterful story told in such a rich, detailed world. The characters, as in the first book, are all very believable and even if I don’t completely understand how some of the miracles and Divine events work, I was completely engrossed and invested in the unraveling of the mystery. I can’t wait to read the final book in the trilogy.

Read if you like mystery plot lines set in richly built-out fantasy worlds.

lamisosoup's review against another edition

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3.0

didn't live up to city of stairs imo, but still an engaging read. I found myself wanting to skim large portions of this in a way that I did not with city of stairs - I guess an indication that the writing and pacing could've used some tightening up. I still have lingering questions from the first book about the implications of everyone's races that weren't really answered in this one either. maybe the third book will finally shed some light?

nclcaitlin's review against another edition

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4.0

Five years on from the events of The City of Stairs, Mulaghesh has retired to the island of Javrat. However, in order to receive her full pension, she must embark on a touring shuffle of the Continent, the land where she fought a war in her youth, wasted decades of her life in bureaucracy, and lost a hand, all in the shadow of that nation's dead gods.

In fact, that’s merely a cover story in order for Mulaghesh to work covertly for prime minister Shara to find out the truth about a new material that has surfaced that seems to possess Divine qualities.

“Chains are forged of many strange metals. Poverty is one. Fear, another Ritual and custom are yet more. All actions are forms of slavery, methods of forcing people to do what they deeply wish not to do."

Mulaghesh is a fascinating character to follow. Not only is she an older protagonist, is one-handed and uses a prosthetic; she also suffers acutely from PTSD and guilt.

We get graphic flashbacks to her horrific experiences- from when she was in the Yellow Company, hiding her true age of fifteen years old at enlistment and all the atrocities she carried out in the name of war and victory.

“You aren't born this way. None of us are. We're made this way, over time. But we might be able to unmake some of what was done to us, if we try."

This was like a sudden adventure to the main plot to show the larger world, political climate, and give us an awesome side character story.

This was a lot more emotionally heavy and poignant, dark and insightful. This was an intense study of what it means to be a soldier, to serve, to be a hero. To remember, to be remembered. To forget, to pave a future.

A soldier serves not to take, they don't strive to have something, but rather they strive so that others might one day have something. And a blade isn't a happy friend to a soldier, but a burden, a heavy one, to be used scrupulously and carefully.

I haven’t been this enraptured by a book series in a while!

rachel281's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective 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

5.0

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