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anxiousnachos's review
adventurous
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
I really wasn’t sure what to expect from the sequel to one of my favourite fantasy books ever, but this totally took me by surprise in the best way! It brought my favourite elements of the first book, added some excellent new characters and topped it off with some godly destruction.
This book retains the feel of a video game I loved so much from the first one: the worldbuilding is so expansive, and there is always such an ease too to, it never feels too complex. The dialogue and prose are filled with so much banter and snark, it brings me so much joy, I absolutely love this style of writing in SFF, there is just such a relaxed *fun* about it all.
But the star of this book, as the first book, is of course the characters. They are incredible. They remain some of my favourite characters in fantasy, with the new addition of Tsereg who was absolutely wonderful! They’re relationship with Tal is an absolute highlight of my entire reading year so far.
So yes, fabulously fun sequel!!
Content warnings: mentions of torture, death, snakes, murder, blood and gore, violence, brief mention of self-cannibalism
This book retains the feel of a video game I loved so much from the first one: the worldbuilding is so expansive, and there is always such an ease too to, it never feels too complex. The dialogue and prose are filled with so much banter and snark, it brings me so much joy, I absolutely love this style of writing in SFF, there is just such a relaxed *fun* about it all.
But the star of this book, as the first book, is of course the characters. They are incredible. They remain some of my favourite characters in fantasy, with the new addition of Tsereg who was absolutely wonderful! They’re relationship with Tal is an absolute highlight of my entire reading year so far.
So yes, fabulously fun sequel!!
Content warnings: mentions of torture, death, snakes, murder, blood and gore, violence, brief mention of self-cannibalism
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Gore, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Torture, Confinement, and Cannibalism
bluejayreads's review against another edition
I misunderstood book one (The Unspoken Name) and thought this series was, fundamentally, Csorwe's story. It isn't, and Csorwe herself was barely in this book. Tal and Shuthmili are good characters, but Csorwe was the one I really loved, and without her driving the story, I didn't quite care enough to finish reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Blood
Moderate: Confinement, Violence, Gore, and Self harm
Minor: Child death, Torture, and Body horror
Mind controlbeforeviolets's review
adventurous
challenging
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
<b>Thank you SO MUCH to TOR for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Still in awe that you sent me one of my most anticipated books! </b>
CW: blood, violence, gore, death, murder, animal death, amputation (offscreen), implied autocannibalism, vomit, suicidal thoughts (brief)
I LOVE THESE CHARACTERS MORE THAN I LOVE MYSELF.
This was an absolute roller-coaster of a novel. I had no idea what to expect, considering the first book ended up on a pretty wrapped-up note, but A.K. Larkwood delivered an incredible story, weaving new elements, characters, and plot points with those of the previous novel. This book makes a huge departure from the first story in terms of narrative style - the first mainly being a sort of coming-of-age adventure for Csorwe with a few other POVs - instead using a range of narrators and plot lines all tangling together and unveiling a much larger storyline.
This would've been an easy 5 star read, except that the first half of the book was really hard to get into and took me a considerable amount of time to read. So much so that I almost considered not finishing it. I think A.K. Larkwood struggles to start their books. They work so hard to keep it action-packed while infodumping and world-building and it just makes everything really muddy and confusing. Too often I felt like the words were just swimming on the page, or like I couldn't really tell what I was meant to be looking at or rooting for.
I also wish this book was more character-driven, because the characters are just SUCH a show-stopping element, but instead it's just too world-driven and sometimes I ended up feeling like I needed more. (TBH, I think I just need a novella filled with Tal and Csorwe banter.)
But the second half of A.K. Larkwood's books are always more than worth the trek through the literary sludge. Riveting action, packed with plot-twists, and told through the perspective of enrapturing characters, this series is one I'm undeniably obsessed with. If you like godpunk fantasy worlds, diverse and queer casts, fascinating religious systems, sapphic romances, and laugh-out-loud dialogue, I really can't recommend this series enough.
CW: blood, violence, gore, death, murder, animal death, amputation (offscreen), implied autocannibalism, vomit, suicidal thoughts (brief)
I LOVE THESE CHARACTERS MORE THAN I LOVE MYSELF.
This was an absolute roller-coaster of a novel. I had no idea what to expect, considering the first book ended up on a pretty wrapped-up note, but A.K. Larkwood delivered an incredible story, weaving new elements, characters, and plot points with those of the previous novel. This book makes a huge departure from the first story in terms of narrative style - the first mainly being a sort of coming-of-age adventure for Csorwe with a few other POVs - instead using a range of narrators and plot lines all tangling together and unveiling a much larger storyline.
This would've been an easy 5 star read, except that the first half of the book was really hard to get into and took me a considerable amount of time to read. So much so that I almost considered not finishing it. I think A.K. Larkwood struggles to start their books. They work so hard to keep it action-packed while infodumping and world-building and it just makes everything really muddy and confusing. Too often I felt like the words were just swimming on the page, or like I couldn't really tell what I was meant to be looking at or rooting for.
I also wish this book was more character-driven, because the characters are just SUCH a show-stopping element, but instead it's just too world-driven and sometimes I ended up feeling like I needed more. (TBH, I think I just need a novella filled with Tal and Csorwe banter.)
But the second half of A.K. Larkwood's books are always more than worth the trek through the literary sludge. Riveting action, packed with plot-twists, and told through the perspective of enrapturing characters, this series is one I'm undeniably obsessed with. If you like godpunk fantasy worlds, diverse and queer casts, fascinating religious systems, sapphic romances, and laugh-out-loud dialogue, I really can't recommend this series enough.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Violence, Gore, Death, and Animal death
Minor: Vomit and Suicidal thoughts
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