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A review by rosienreads
Darksoul by Anna Stephens
4.0
Summary
Darksoul is the sequel to Anna Stephens’ 2017 novel Godblind. It picks up shortly after the cruel cliff-hanger ending of the first book and revolves almost primarily around the siege of Rilporin. It follows the characters we came to love (and hate) from Godblind, from both sides as the fight for the Kingdom of Rilpor comes to a head, characters start to step into their destinies and the Red Gods gain strength.
Plot
Whereas Godblind was fairly widespread, Darksoul ups the anti by creating a more claustrophobic, more tension-filled atmosphere with its focus primarily on the siege. Indeed, the entire novel takes place around Rilporin, between the two sides. We see the Mireces as they fight to break the walls, take the city, and worship their Red Gods through torture and death. We see Commander Korridam desperately trying to keep the city alive, the battle raging while also having to deal with the palace politics as Prince Rivil, heir to the throne, stands on the other side of the all. With the entire focus on the siege, the pacing is done so that you are constantly gripped with bursts of action mixed in with a few breather breaks, but also with enough variation to keep the interest alive as the siege wears on. There are certainly a few shocking moments, particularly where the gods of this world are involved, and the nature of the series where no-one is truly safe really keeps you on your toes.
Characters
One of the main driving forces of these novels are the characters. There is a large cast of PoV characters and even more on the side that it is difficult to keep up with who everyone is at times. With the array of PoV characters, and the shift in tone of the story, a few do get more page time than others. Rillirin, for example, is rarely seen in this book, despite being a large part of Godblind, whereas Crys gets to be more center-stage. The equal focus on the Mireces and those defending Rilporin ensures that the mix of characters is always interesting and you never know who is going to come out on top. In particular, I really liked how Anna Stephens captured the flawed humanity of every character – no single one is perfect, and each are driven by different things, be it the throne, love for a fellow soldier or even divine madness. Each character has to make difficult choices and face the consequences.
Final Thoughts
Darksoul really captures war. It is dark, there are deaths aplenty and, even though there is a clear ‘good side’, there is no guarantee that they will win. If anything, while the book focuses on the siege, it is more about the characters than anything else. It brings them into an environment where there is very little room to hide and forces them to grow in ways which will have unknown effects on the events in the next book. It does very much have the middle-book feel to it and I think it does the job of taking what happened in Godblind and lining it up ready for the third book. The series so far is rich and alive and I cannot wait, but also live partially in dread, to see what will unfold in the third and, I believe, final book in the series.
My feet are on the path.
Darksoul is the sequel to Anna Stephens’ 2017 novel Godblind. It picks up shortly after the cruel cliff-hanger ending of the first book and revolves almost primarily around the siege of Rilporin. It follows the characters we came to love (and hate) from Godblind, from both sides as the fight for the Kingdom of Rilpor comes to a head, characters start to step into their destinies and the Red Gods gain strength.
Plot
Whereas Godblind was fairly widespread, Darksoul ups the anti by creating a more claustrophobic, more tension-filled atmosphere with its focus primarily on the siege. Indeed, the entire novel takes place around Rilporin, between the two sides. We see the Mireces as they fight to break the walls, take the city, and worship their Red Gods through torture and death. We see Commander Korridam desperately trying to keep the city alive, the battle raging while also having to deal with the palace politics as Prince Rivil, heir to the throne, stands on the other side of the all. With the entire focus on the siege, the pacing is done so that you are constantly gripped with bursts of action mixed in with a few breather breaks, but also with enough variation to keep the interest alive as the siege wears on. There are certainly a few shocking moments, particularly where the gods of this world are involved, and the nature of the series where no-one is truly safe really keeps you on your toes.
Characters
One of the main driving forces of these novels are the characters. There is a large cast of PoV characters and even more on the side that it is difficult to keep up with who everyone is at times. With the array of PoV characters, and the shift in tone of the story, a few do get more page time than others. Rillirin, for example, is rarely seen in this book, despite being a large part of Godblind, whereas Crys gets to be more center-stage. The equal focus on the Mireces and those defending Rilporin ensures that the mix of characters is always interesting and you never know who is going to come out on top. In particular, I really liked how Anna Stephens captured the flawed humanity of every character – no single one is perfect, and each are driven by different things, be it the throne, love for a fellow soldier or even divine madness. Each character has to make difficult choices and face the consequences.
Final Thoughts
Darksoul really captures war. It is dark, there are deaths aplenty and, even though there is a clear ‘good side’, there is no guarantee that they will win. If anything, while the book focuses on the siege, it is more about the characters than anything else. It brings them into an environment where there is very little room to hide and forces them to grow in ways which will have unknown effects on the events in the next book. It does very much have the middle-book feel to it and I think it does the job of taking what happened in Godblind and lining it up ready for the third book. The series so far is rich and alive and I cannot wait, but also live partially in dread, to see what will unfold in the third and, I believe, final book in the series.
My feet are on the path.