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alwaysbooking's review against another edition
see my full review at alwaysbooking.wordpress.com
I definitely enjoyed this copy better than City of Stairs. I’m not sure if it was because I was used to his writing style or if I ignored all of the little bits of information dumps at the beginning of each chapter. Either way this one was way more captivating than the last one.
This story follows General Turyin Mulaghesh (yup that’s a mouthful) after Shara sends her on a journey to find a missing agent. Of course this agent went missing in one of the most violent areas in the continents. There is more to her going missing than just this though. There may or may not be divinities at work here when there are not to be any more divinities. Turyin has to be secretive with all she does since she is supposed to be at this location just filling in time until her retirement. I really enjoyed Turyin’s character she is strong willed woman. She says what she means and she’s not afraid to take on anything. She doesn’t know who is an enemy and who is a friend. Then Sigurd arrives. Was this another pawn of Shara’s to enter the game or is he just there by luck. I loved seeing more of him and Turyin I definitely enjoyed their characters more. Here’s a little tidbit from the book itself that really struck a cord with me…
These books can be read as standalone books you do not need to read them together to understand what is going on. Thank you to blogging for books and broadway books for sending me this copy for my honest review.
I definitely enjoyed this copy better than City of Stairs. I’m not sure if it was because I was used to his writing style or if I ignored all of the little bits of information dumps at the beginning of each chapter. Either way this one was way more captivating than the last one.
This story follows General Turyin Mulaghesh (yup that’s a mouthful) after Shara sends her on a journey to find a missing agent. Of course this agent went missing in one of the most violent areas in the continents. There is more to her going missing than just this though. There may or may not be divinities at work here when there are not to be any more divinities. Turyin has to be secretive with all she does since she is supposed to be at this location just filling in time until her retirement. I really enjoyed Turyin’s character she is strong willed woman. She says what she means and she’s not afraid to take on anything. She doesn’t know who is an enemy and who is a friend. Then Sigurd arrives. Was this another pawn of Shara’s to enter the game or is he just there by luck. I loved seeing more of him and Turyin I definitely enjoyed their characters more. Here’s a little tidbit from the book itself that really struck a cord with me…
These books can be read as standalone books you do not need to read them together to understand what is going on. Thank you to blogging for books and broadway books for sending me this copy for my honest review.
sashas_books's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
What an unexpected sequel this is, unexpected in ways that turn out to be the right ones. City of Blades is darker, grittier, more cruel, more tragic, more personal than the first book. There are many deaths. There is a lot of heartbreak. It made me feel so much, so deeply.
Our main POV character this time is Mulaghesh. Tough, snarky, stubborn. She has PTSD after the Battle of Bulikov in the first book. She is so damaged, yet unbroken.
“You do what you feel is right not because it is satisfying, but because you find any other option to be intolerable.”
Mulaghesh has mysterious events to investigate and goes to Voortyashtan, a forbidding place that has worshiped war, death, grief, and destruction for hundreds of years. As the mystery unfolds and the stakes climb higher and higher (of course they do), we see the unfolding of Mulaghesh’s backstory, which is horrific.
I loved seeing Sigrud again. The dark spaces this book occupies needed things such as
“How the hells did you get in here?”
“I picked the lock?”
“I have booze hidden all over the place. Dead drop training has its uses beyond espionage.”
Sigrud’s character arc goes to a horrible place, too, though.
War is another main character. The idea of war as something perpetual, something inevitable, something progressive, something glorious (Mulaghesh comes to reject this so wholeheartedly.) War crimes that make everyone into a victim, both the victims and the perpetrators – this is hard for me to stomach, even as I acknowledge that it’s true.
“But a soldier, a true soldier, I think, does not take. A soldier gives.”
“Gives what?”
“Anything,” says Mulaghesh. “Everything, if asked of us. We’re servants, as I said. … A good soldier does everything they can so they do not have to kill.”
“Killing echoes inside you. It never goes away. Maybe some who have killed don’t know that they’ve lost something, but they have.”
Robert Jackson Bennett has put me through a grinder, he has taken me on a roller-coaster ride of darkness, adventure, tragedy, and badass action (go, Mulaghesh). The ending was riveting.
Our main POV character this time is Mulaghesh. Tough, snarky, stubborn. She has PTSD after the Battle of Bulikov in the first book. She is so damaged, yet unbroken.
“You do what you feel is right not because it is satisfying, but because you find any other option to be intolerable.”
Mulaghesh has mysterious events to investigate and goes to Voortyashtan, a forbidding place that has worshiped war, death, grief, and destruction for hundreds of years. As the mystery unfolds and the stakes climb higher and higher (of course they do), we see the unfolding of Mulaghesh’s backstory, which is horrific.
I loved seeing Sigrud again. The dark spaces this book occupies needed things such as
“How the hells did you get in here?”
“I picked the lock?”
“I have booze hidden all over the place. Dead drop training has its uses beyond espionage.”
Sigrud’s character arc goes to a horrible place, too, though.
War is another main character. The idea of war as something perpetual, something inevitable, something progressive, something glorious (Mulaghesh comes to reject this so wholeheartedly.) War crimes that make everyone into a victim, both the victims and the perpetrators – this is hard for me to stomach, even as I acknowledge that it’s true.
“But a soldier, a true soldier, I think, does not take. A soldier gives.”
“Gives what?”
“Anything,” says Mulaghesh. “Everything, if asked of us. We’re servants, as I said. … A good soldier does everything they can so they do not have to kill.”
“Killing echoes inside you. It never goes away. Maybe some who have killed don’t know that they’ve lost something, but they have.”
Robert Jackson Bennett has put me through a grinder, he has taken me on a roller-coaster ride of darkness, adventure, tragedy, and badass action (go, Mulaghesh). The ending was riveting.
nomiii's review against another edition
3.0
I did not like moulagesh, she made so many mistakes that I was yelling at her in the car
audio
audio
seasonedreadings's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Gore
lilyunterreiner's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
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
4.0
john_huppenthal's review
5.0
I really liked City of Stairs, but I had no idea that the author had something this incredible waiting to come out. I usually try to use a critical eye on the things I read/watch/play but I was so immersed in this story that that became impossible to do. Not often does a book make me completely forget where I am or what time of day it is, but during the last 250 pages it happened multiple times. City of Miracles cannot come soon enough.
claytell's review against another edition
4.0
I am enjoying the series. So much so, no time for a review. Just onwards to the next book.
midwichtriffid's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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
florinese_expert's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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
beeeeg's review against another edition
5.0
Enjoyed this more than the first book, great world building.