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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
Well, this book certainly didn't suffer from the second book syndrome. Staveley's first book of this trilogy, the Emperor's Blades I thought was somewhat like re-inventing the wheel. Almost cookie-cutter characters, and a coming-of-age plot, with some gruesome twists thrown in.
The Providence of Fire can also be accused of something like that I think, but only a little. The secondary characters are given some place to shine, and what looked like mind-numbingly stupid training of one of the protagonists in the previous book is nicely developed to build a gripping story.
I read this as an audiobook, and the narrator, Simon Vance has done a brilliant job. This is definitely going to turn into an audio only series for me.
So couple of other quick things I liked about this book:
The plot with its various arcs had a nice symmetry to it. All the main characters, and some of the minor ones face similar choices, especially regarding trust, responsibilities, and truth. The choices they make had major impacts on the plot, and how sometimes these choices mirrored each other, and sometimes they didn't, but as a reader, you will notice them, and hopefully enjoy them while thinking about them.
The villains, especially a race of super-beings were mildly interesting, but Staveley cleverly showed that humans don't need the help of some godlike aliens to be awful to each other. We can butcher each other, giving perfectly plausible explanations without any outside help.
Finally, the book was fun. A definite step-up from its predecessor, and I think, it is set up brilliantly for the concluding book.
The Providence of Fire can also be accused of something like that I think, but only a little. The secondary characters are given some place to shine, and what looked like mind-numbingly stupid training of one of the protagonists in the previous book is nicely developed to build a gripping story.
I read this as an audiobook, and the narrator, Simon Vance has done a brilliant job. This is definitely going to turn into an audio only series for me.
So couple of other quick things I liked about this book:
The plot with its various arcs had a nice symmetry to it. All the main characters, and some of the minor ones face similar choices, especially regarding trust, responsibilities, and truth. The choices they make had major impacts on the plot, and how sometimes these choices mirrored each other, and sometimes they didn't, but as a reader, you will notice them, and hopefully enjoy them while thinking about them.
The villains, especially a race of super-beings were mildly interesting, but Staveley cleverly showed that humans don't need the help of some godlike aliens to be awful to each other. We can butcher each other, giving perfectly plausible explanations without any outside help.
Finally, the book was fun. A definite step-up from its predecessor, and I think, it is set up brilliantly for the concluding book.
Good solid fantasy. Needs a little more light and reasons to fight but well done characterization and driven plot. Story telling lacking in relationships but strong in premises
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
“Fuck Gwenna said, glancing over at Annick. The sniper's lips tightened. "Fuck,” she agreed tersely.
What a Kent-kissing rollercoaster!
Kaden begrudgingly decides he has to take the throne rather than sit on a rock all day. Between him and Valyn, they split up to try and gather knowledge about their history, the state of their empire, and who’s out to stab them in the back.
Siblings pitted against each other. Wars assembled against friends and enemy. Alliances shifting as loyalties are pledged.
Adare plays a more pivotal role in this book compared to the last one - a classic getting a backbone as she decides her gender shouldn’t be a hindrance.
”Yer history is all about men, your ritual is about men. Unless you're plannin' to strap on a terra-cotta cock and go back to Annur thwackin' people in the face with it--which I don't recommend-- ya need to tip the whole board full of history directly into the piss bucket and start over. You need people to see you, not the man you're not."
Gwenna gets her own pov! It’s not as strong as I remember as her story in the Unhewn Empire, yet it’s exciting to see the development in both her characters and Staveley’s writing.
I preferred book one to this one, there was just a lot of journeying and fighting and getting from A to B. Also, since Kaden’s whole emotionless state, his chapters can sometimes be a little dry, especially as his story takes a more political approach.
Valyn also seemed to have a step back from always doing the right thing to hanging back and playing safe which seemed out of sorts of the trouble he got himself into in book one.
“There is more than one fight here," Valyn ground out. "The fact that one is evil doesn't make the other good.”
What a Kent-kissing rollercoaster!
Kaden begrudgingly decides he has to take the throne rather than sit on a rock all day. Between him and Valyn, they split up to try and gather knowledge about their history, the state of their empire, and who’s out to stab them in the back.
Siblings pitted against each other. Wars assembled against friends and enemy. Alliances shifting as loyalties are pledged.
Adare plays a more pivotal role in this book compared to the last one - a classic getting a backbone as she decides her gender shouldn’t be a hindrance.
”Yer history is all about men, your ritual is about men. Unless you're plannin' to strap on a terra-cotta cock and go back to Annur thwackin' people in the face with it--which I don't recommend-- ya need to tip the whole board full of history directly into the piss bucket and start over. You need people to see you, not the man you're not."
Gwenna gets her own pov! It’s not as strong as I remember as her story in the Unhewn Empire, yet it’s exciting to see the development in both her characters and Staveley’s writing.
I preferred book one to this one, there was just a lot of journeying and fighting and getting from A to B. Also, since Kaden’s whole emotionless state, his chapters can sometimes be a little dry, especially as his story takes a more political approach.
Valyn also seemed to have a step back from always doing the right thing to hanging back and playing safe which seemed out of sorts of the trouble he got himself into in book one.
“There is more than one fight here," Valyn ground out. "The fact that one is evil doesn't make the other good.”
The Emperor’s Blades was one of my favorite debut novels in recent years. A fast-paced narrative and fantastic characterization (for most of the characters) made the pages fly by. The novel had a few issues particularly that the world-building was a little bit light and the only female character felt like a secondary consideration. Thankfully those issues are resolved with the release of the second book in the Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne, The Providence of Fire. Picking up just after the conclusion of the first novel it follows Kaden as he is escorted by Valyn and his Kettral wing on a mission to hopefully get more information on the Csestriim threat that has suddenly rematerialized. Meanwhile, Adare comes to terms with the snake who engineered her father’s downfall and seeks new allies in a dangerous bid to secure her family’s imperial position.
My biggest complaint in the previous novel was Adare’s lackluster characterization is, to my great relief, forcefully addressed in The Providence of Fire. The Adare seen here is independent, passionate, if at times stubborn and a bit rash. You see her struggling with the truth of her family’s ruling, and dealing with the repercussions of decisions made not only during her father’s reign but also during the ongoing interregnum. Adare has a wonderful turning point in the novel as she forced to make a difficult decision regarding her personal bodyguards. Staveley plays the events that transpire very close to her vest leaving you wondering if the events spawned by Adare’s decision are really the result of divine intervention or merely freak coincidence. Of all the characters in The Providence of Fire Valyn seems to have things the hardest as the repercussion of his actions in the previous novel and his decisions in this novel see him on a very dark path. Staveley also manages to create a vibrant cast of secondary characters who shine more here than they did in previous novels. The courtesan Triste, the Skullsown assassin Pyrre, the cantankerous Nira, and all of Valyn’s Kettral wing are drawn vividly. Of all the secondary characters seen I enjoyed Pyrre the most; sworn to the goddess of death she manages to maintain an intriguing aura of mystery while displaying a disturbing level of competence with her abilities. Pyrre is a character who cries out for a little more attention and I’d love to see her in a short story of some kind in the future. However, Nira was by and large my favorite character introduced in this novel. The sharp-tongued, razor-witted wise old woman is not a character new to fantasy but it is one that I consistently manage to find enjoyable. In the case of Nira the enjoyment only grows as your learn more about her.
The combination of Adare’s perspective, Valyn’s miraculous change in The Emperor’s Blades, the Urghul chieftain Long Fist, and the character of Triste that start to really sketch out the scope of what Staveley is building. Staveley is unfolding the plot at a very deliberate pace even as the action never seems to slow down. Learning more about Ishien was a fascinating part of The Providence of Fire and seeing the fanatical martial counterparts to the meditative Shin was a disturbing experience. It would have been so easy for the Ishien to be a simple order of monastic warriors who take in the “chosen one” Kaden; it’s exactly what I expected. However, that couldn’t be further from the truth presented in the novel and I love how that works out. The effect that truth has on Kaden is impressive and his moves, cold and calculating as he improves his proficiency in the vaniate, show a child quickly coming into his own as an adult. Staveley’s handling of Kaden, Valyn, and Adare in The Providence of Fire defies the expectation I had after the previous novel; and it has me desperately excited to see how things are going to play our next.
The Providence of Fire ups the ante in every conceivable way. The familiar elements present in The Emperor’s Blades aid Staveley in a clever bit of legerdemain as he reveals a story with a greater degree of complexity and a grander scope than expected. For all its blistering action The Providence of Fire serves to line up the pieces for the next volume. For all the revelations within Providence of Fire it remains uncertain which revelations are truths and which are misdirects. All of this precludes the fact that the true scope of the threat isn’t entirely clear. I can’t wait for the next volume.
My biggest complaint in the previous novel was Adare’s lackluster characterization is, to my great relief, forcefully addressed in The Providence of Fire. The Adare seen here is independent, passionate, if at times stubborn and a bit rash. You see her struggling with the truth of her family’s ruling, and dealing with the repercussions of decisions made not only during her father’s reign but also during the ongoing interregnum. Adare has a wonderful turning point in the novel as she forced to make a difficult decision regarding her personal bodyguards. Staveley plays the events that transpire very close to her vest leaving you wondering if the events spawned by Adare’s decision are really the result of divine intervention or merely freak coincidence. Of all the characters in The Providence of Fire Valyn seems to have things the hardest as the repercussion of his actions in the previous novel and his decisions in this novel see him on a very dark path. Staveley also manages to create a vibrant cast of secondary characters who shine more here than they did in previous novels. The courtesan Triste, the Skullsown assassin Pyrre, the cantankerous Nira, and all of Valyn’s Kettral wing are drawn vividly. Of all the secondary characters seen I enjoyed Pyrre the most; sworn to the goddess of death she manages to maintain an intriguing aura of mystery while displaying a disturbing level of competence with her abilities. Pyrre is a character who cries out for a little more attention and I’d love to see her in a short story of some kind in the future. However, Nira was by and large my favorite character introduced in this novel. The sharp-tongued, razor-witted wise old woman is not a character new to fantasy but it is one that I consistently manage to find enjoyable. In the case of Nira the enjoyment only grows as your learn more about her.
The combination of Adare’s perspective, Valyn’s miraculous change in The Emperor’s Blades, the Urghul chieftain Long Fist, and the character of Triste that start to really sketch out the scope of what Staveley is building. Staveley is unfolding the plot at a very deliberate pace even as the action never seems to slow down. Learning more about Ishien was a fascinating part of The Providence of Fire and seeing the fanatical martial counterparts to the meditative Shin was a disturbing experience. It would have been so easy for the Ishien to be a simple order of monastic warriors who take in the “chosen one” Kaden; it’s exactly what I expected. However, that couldn’t be further from the truth presented in the novel and I love how that works out. The effect that truth has on Kaden is impressive and his moves, cold and calculating as he improves his proficiency in the vaniate, show a child quickly coming into his own as an adult. Staveley’s handling of Kaden, Valyn, and Adare in The Providence of Fire defies the expectation I had after the previous novel; and it has me desperately excited to see how things are going to play our next.
The Providence of Fire ups the ante in every conceivable way. The familiar elements present in The Emperor’s Blades aid Staveley in a clever bit of legerdemain as he reveals a story with a greater degree of complexity and a grander scope than expected. For all its blistering action The Providence of Fire serves to line up the pieces for the next volume. For all the revelations within Providence of Fire it remains uncertain which revelations are truths and which are misdirects. All of this precludes the fact that the true scope of the threat isn’t entirely clear. I can’t wait for the next volume.
Maybe an unpopular opinion, but this book díd suffer from second book syndrome for me. Yes, there was a lot of character development and the plot was exciting. But: I found this part of the series a lot more predictable than the first one. Not much surprised me anymore since suddenly everything seemed possible. There were no more rules to this world and the craziest most intense situations always ended up working out instead of killing everyone involved.
Nothing really got resolved in this book and it took a lot of pages to get to this sort of 'non conclusion'. There were just more pivotal players introduced into the whole chessgame of the plot. *spoiler**: yes there are still immortal being who play a part in the world, and yes the gods are back. But why? What are their motives and what does it have to do with the individual Malkeenians? What was the point of the whole 'starting a republic'(Kaden) or 'saving the empire'(Adare)? Why was Adare hit by lightning if she ended up joining her enemy anyway? Is interra also a player in this game?*end spoiler**
It only gave me more questions (and not in the 'wow this is interesting' way more in the: 'at some point I would like to know what is really going on' way). The book just set everyone up for the last part of the series. Which, I guess it was supposed to do.
The whole tone of it just seemed a little off. Like Staveley was trying to stretch and show off how much he could make his main characters suffer and how many more surprises he could pull on his readers.
I did like that I never knew while reading who was on the 'right side' of things. I really ended up rooting for the different main characters that seemed real and flawed but still smart and strong. It was well written although at points a little slow in pacing.
Nothing really got resolved in this book and it took a lot of pages to get to this sort of 'non conclusion'. There were just more pivotal players introduced into the whole chessgame of the plot. *spoiler**: yes there are still immortal being who play a part in the world, and yes the gods are back. But why? What are their motives and what does it have to do with the individual Malkeenians? What was the point of the whole 'starting a republic'(Kaden) or 'saving the empire'(Adare)? Why was Adare hit by lightning if she ended up joining her enemy anyway? Is interra also a player in this game?*end spoiler**
It only gave me more questions (and not in the 'wow this is interesting' way more in the: 'at some point I would like to know what is really going on' way). The book just set everyone up for the last part of the series. Which, I guess it was supposed to do.
The whole tone of it just seemed a little off. Like Staveley was trying to stretch and show off how much he could make his main characters suffer and how many more surprises he could pull on his readers.
I did like that I never knew while reading who was on the 'right side' of things. I really ended up rooting for the different main characters that seemed real and flawed but still smart and strong. It was well written although at points a little slow in pacing.
He raised a hand, held up two fingers. “How many?”
Adare stared. “What?”
“How many fingers am I holding up?”
She shook her head. “Two.”
“How do you know?”
“I just—”
“Did you count?”
“Of course not. I just … see them.”
The kenarang nodded. “In the same way, I just see”—he waved a hand at the slaughter taking place behind him—“all this.”
Technically you did count them,even if it was subconsciously, wtf.
I spent most of the book just being angry and infuriated by some of the characters. A step down from the first book. Lets hope book 3 picks up.
Adare stared. “What?”
“How many fingers am I holding up?”
She shook her head. “Two.”
“How do you know?”
“I just—”
“Did you count?”
“Of course not. I just … see them.”
The kenarang nodded. “In the same way, I just see”—he waved a hand at the slaughter taking place behind him—“all this.”
Technically you did count them,even if it was subconsciously, wtf.
I spent most of the book just being angry and infuriated by some of the characters. A step down from the first book. Lets hope book 3 picks up.
Plot (Story / Pacing / Ending): 4/5
Characters (Characters / Development): 4/5
Writing (Prose / Dialogue / Style): 5/5
Other (Enjoyment / Read Pace / Worldbuilding / Etc): 4/5
Characters (Characters / Development): 4/5
Writing (Prose / Dialogue / Style): 5/5
Other (Enjoyment / Read Pace / Worldbuilding / Etc): 4/5
This book totally took me by surprise. I am one of the few who didn't absolutely love The Emperor's Blades, and I honestly wasn't sure I was going to read this follow-up. But seeing the praise from a few of my friends convinced me to give it a try. And amazingly, starting around page 100, I was hooked. I'm so glad I gave this series another chance!
Book 2 follows Valyn, Kaden, and Adare, all trying to save their empire and father's legacy from corrupt usurpers. I'll admit I found the two brothers' stories to be initially more interesting, but Adare's story soon became just as good once she started her journey and met up with a few new interesting characters.
Suffice it to say, this is a richly detailed story. But, I'll warn you, it's also very brutal. I had to skip a few passages because of the violence. Even so, I stayed up late many nights reading The Emperor's Blades. I'm now anxiously awaiting the next one!
Book 2 follows Valyn, Kaden, and Adare, all trying to save their empire and father's legacy from corrupt usurpers. I'll admit I found the two brothers' stories to be initially more interesting, but Adare's story soon became just as good once she started her journey and met up with a few new interesting characters.
Suffice it to say, this is a richly detailed story. But, I'll warn you, it's also very brutal. I had to skip a few passages because of the violence. Even so, I stayed up late many nights reading The Emperor's Blades. I'm now anxiously awaiting the next one!
Wow. I'm glad I decided to continue the story. The first book interested me but I had my doubts about how well the series could hold me. To my surprise, the second book in the series improves upon everything the first book did. The pacing is better and it's overall written better. Diminished are those lengthy info dumping passages. Gone (for the most part) are those annoying scenes where the male characters (most notably Valyn) are more fixed on the female body than the task at hand. Overall, a sequel that exceeded my expectations. Gonna start reading the next book asap.