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elros451's review
5.0
4.5 stars
A Contract in Sol Forne is just as good, if not better than it's predecessor Seasons of Albadone. It has a more traditional, narrower, story structure but loses nothing by diving into the heads of the two best characters in the series yet. Vaelin is an ancient djinn who is finally at the end of her long quest to ensure her freedom and Dorovan is a young man brought up on the tales of his dissolved noble heritage. In the midst of a conspiracy to control the port city of Sol Forne the two are forced to work together to achieve their goals. How both Vaelin and Dorovan change throughout the book and how they are portrayed (including the bad *cough cough Dorovan) is a huge highlight of this sequel.
Sol Forne also continues Albadone's tradition of being a complete stand alone story with hints at a larger narrative. Series that consist of standalone novels are always huge favorites of mine and The Eighth Chant is no exception. It knows how to give the reader the right number of hints at the larger narrative and how to slowly build tension between different sections of the world. I need the sequel! There are too many questions I'm interested in.
Thank you to the authors for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review! Sol Forne is a fantastic book. If you are thinking about picking it up (or Albadone) you should! I highly recommend them and I have a feeling that the story will only continue to get better from here.
A Contract in Sol Forne is just as good, if not better than it's predecessor Seasons of Albadone. It has a more traditional, narrower, story structure but loses nothing by diving into the heads of the two best characters in the series yet. Vaelin is an ancient djinn who is finally at the end of her long quest to ensure her freedom and Dorovan is a young man brought up on the tales of his dissolved noble heritage. In the midst of a conspiracy to control the port city of Sol Forne the two are forced to work together to achieve their goals. How both Vaelin and Dorovan change throughout the book and how they are portrayed (including the bad *cough cough Dorovan) is a huge highlight of this sequel.
Sol Forne also continues Albadone's tradition of being a complete stand alone story with hints at a larger narrative. Series that consist of standalone novels are always huge favorites of mine and The Eighth Chant is no exception. It knows how to give the reader the right number of hints at the larger narrative and how to slowly build tension between different sections of the world. I need the sequel! There are too many questions I'm interested in.
Thank you to the authors for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review! Sol Forne is a fantastic book. If you are thinking about picking it up (or Albadone) you should! I highly recommend them and I have a feeling that the story will only continue to get better from here.
_tomeraider's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
gay's review
adventurous
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
joelee__'s review
adventurous
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
yak_attak's review
4.0
The second book in the Eighth Chant takes a turn from the first, moving from almost folk-tale vignettes to now a more typical epic fantasy scenario, though one with one heck of a nice twist.
I think that's one of the best strengths of Marche and Warman's storytelling instincts - full awareness of what the tropes and easy answers might be, but a resolution not to step neatly into them. Characters choose things that disappoint you, that aren't the easy win, or the fist pumping victory... but that honestly feel more realistic and honest for it. In this case, that comes in the form of the two main characters, who use, abuse, but also must rely on each other in order to succeed - but even what that success looks like or might mean to either isn't a straightforward answer.
Along with these relationships there's a really neat investigation of heroism, power, and - especially nicely done I think - the draw of the promise of heroism contributing to doing wrong. The temptation of youth looking for easy answers, for good vs. bad.
The one spot where I have to say this falls short of the previous book is in its magic - Albadone kept everything distant, mystical, strange, and that and its tone contributed wonderfully to its folk magic feeling. Here, there's a little more strict depiction of ideas and powers - one of the main characters is adept with magic so it makes sense - but the overt depiction of the magic in strict terms became a bit by the numbers by the end, without really giving us enough to guess what was going to happen next.
Maybe that's a taste though, I prefer the previous style enough to give Albadone the clear edge, but don't get me wrong, if you enjoyed book 1, or are just looking for a really damn well done indie fantasy, look no further.
I think that's one of the best strengths of Marche and Warman's storytelling instincts - full awareness of what the tropes and easy answers might be, but a resolution not to step neatly into them. Characters choose things that disappoint you, that aren't the easy win, or the fist pumping victory... but that honestly feel more realistic and honest for it. In this case, that comes in the form of the two main characters, who use, abuse, but also must rely on each other in order to succeed - but even what that success looks like or might mean to either isn't a straightforward answer.
Along with these relationships there's a really neat investigation of heroism, power, and - especially nicely done I think - the draw of the promise of heroism contributing to doing wrong. The temptation of youth looking for easy answers, for good vs. bad.
The one spot where I have to say this falls short of the previous book is in its magic - Albadone kept everything distant, mystical, strange, and that and its tone contributed wonderfully to its folk magic feeling. Here, there's a little more strict depiction of ideas and powers - one of the main characters is adept with magic so it makes sense - but the overt depiction of the magic in strict terms became a bit by the numbers by the end, without really giving us enough to guess what was going to happen next.
Maybe that's a taste though, I prefer the previous style enough to give Albadone the clear edge, but don't get me wrong, if you enjoyed book 1, or are just looking for a really damn well done indie fantasy, look no further.
podanotherjessi's review
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I have been struggling to write this review for a day and a half. I really loved this book, and when I love a book it's often hard to explain why.
Let's start with the setting, which is undoubtedly my favorite part. This doesn't have the same fairy tale feel to it as Seasons of Albadon, but it has it's own charms. The world is expanded, and we learn about more of the history of the world and the geopolitical conflicts. Sol Forne is a fascinating city with a guild structure not unfamiliar to fans of fantasy video games, but developed in a really interesting way that makes it feel unique. And we learn even more about the magic and how it ties to the world itself that really solidifies the stakes.
The other shining star in this book was the main character, Vaelin. She is an absolute delight. You can really feel her pain at the situation she's in, the anger, and more than anything just the complete and utter exhaustion. She has a wit to her as she observes the people around her that I really loved. Pluse, something I found unique in an immortal being thousands of years old, it was really resreshing to see her wonder and interest at how the world changes rather than any negative emotion (although, there is some of that too, but with very good reason).
Dorovan is another story. He's also a well-wrtten character. Warman and Marché do a brilliant job walking the line between him being entirely insufferable and ...well, never sympathetic. But understandable. Not hatable. That said, I feel like his arc was a weaker point of the book. Without spoiling the details, there was a lot of really good growth and slow build to a change, but then the change itself felt a little abrupt.
All and all, this is a fantastic book, and I cannot wait to see what comes next in the Eighth Chant.
Let's start with the setting, which is undoubtedly my favorite part. This doesn't have the same fairy tale feel to it as Seasons of Albadon, but it has it's own charms. The world is expanded, and we learn about more of the history of the world and the geopolitical conflicts. Sol Forne is a fascinating city with a guild structure not unfamiliar to fans of fantasy video games, but developed in a really interesting way that makes it feel unique. And we learn even more about the magic and how it ties to the world itself that really solidifies the stakes.
The other shining star in this book was the main character, Vaelin. She is an absolute delight. You can really feel her pain at the situation she's in, the anger, and more than anything just the complete and utter exhaustion. She has a wit to her as she observes the people around her that I really loved. Pluse, something I found unique in an immortal being thousands of years old, it was really resreshing to see her wonder and interest at how the world changes rather than any negative emotion (although, there is some of that too, but with very good reason).
Dorovan is another story. He's also a well-wrtten character. Warman and Marché do a brilliant job walking the line between him being entirely insufferable and ...well, never sympathetic. But understandable. Not hatable. That said, I feel like his arc was a weaker point of the book. Without spoiling the details, there was a lot of really good growth and slow build to a change, but then the change itself felt a little abrupt.
All and all, this is a fantastic book, and I cannot wait to see what comes next in the Eighth Chant.
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