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A review by bellatora
Any Other Name by Emma Newman
5.0
I could read about Cathy and Will all day long. I found myself skipping the sections focused on the other characters, just to read more about Cathy and Will.
The machinations and political intrigue get darker and twistier in this book. From the fae lords, to the insidious Agency, to the corruption in the Arbiter chapters, to the power-plays in Nether society, there are a lot of challenges for the characters. Newman does an excellent job of infusing a sense of real danger and dread in her series - especially concerning the Fae and their world of Exilium. Lord Poppy, the Fae patron of Cathy's family, is like a powerful toddler - mercurial and jovial and petulant. Depending on his mood, he will bless you or curse you just as easily. Lord Iris, the Fae patron of Will's family, is a cold, manipulative bastard who will always use you for a precise plan, perhaps centuries in the making. Neither is safe to encounter. Both of them are meddling intensely in Cathy's and Will's lives and it is extremely worrisome.
Newman managed to avoid the sophomore slump with this novel, and it actually felt like an improvement on the first book. Likely because Newman had already introduced her world and now was able to delve deeper into it. And because there was more Cathy and Will, although still not enough (never enough).
The machinations and political intrigue get darker and twistier in this book. From the fae lords, to the insidious Agency, to the corruption in the Arbiter chapters, to the power-plays in Nether society, there are a lot of challenges for the characters. Newman does an excellent job of infusing a sense of real danger and dread in her series - especially concerning the Fae and their world of Exilium. Lord Poppy, the Fae patron of Cathy's family, is like a powerful toddler - mercurial and jovial and petulant. Depending on his mood, he will bless you or curse you just as easily. Lord Iris, the Fae patron of Will's family, is a cold, manipulative bastard who will always use you for a precise plan, perhaps centuries in the making. Neither is safe to encounter. Both of them are meddling intensely in Cathy's and Will's lives and it is extremely worrisome.
Newman managed to avoid the sophomore slump with this novel, and it actually felt like an improvement on the first book. Likely because Newman had already introduced her world and now was able to delve deeper into it. And because there was more Cathy and Will, although still not enough (never enough).