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A review by ladytiara
Kinslayer by Jay Kristoff
4.0
I loved Stormdancer, the first book in Jay Kristoff's Lotus War trilogy, so I had high hopes for Kinslayer. I'm glad to say that it didn't disappoint.
The second book in a trilogy is always a little worrisome. It has to live up the first book, and it has to be interesting enough to keep the reader's attention, but still leave plenty of plot for the final installment. Kinslayer avoids the middle book curse. It's got lots of action, many of the characters from the first book are back, and we're introduced to a few new characters.
Our heroine Yukiko is suffering under the growing burden of her ability to communicate with animals, and her connection with the thunder tiger Buruu is both a blessing and a curse. The aftermath of the Shogun's death has left Shima on the verge of chaos. The Guild has a new candidate to take the Daimyo's place, the rebels are planning their next move, and Yukiko is drinking away her sorrows.
There are political machinations, angry rebels, plots and counterplots, a set of interesting new characters (Hana, her brother, and his boyfriend are the stand-outs), and some major surprises (there's a big reveal near the end that I didn't see coming at all). We see our first glimpse of the Gaijin. That was one of my favorites parts of the book, and it left me wanting more. I assume we'll see more of them in the final installment.
If you liked Stormdancer, you will definitely like Kinslayer, and if you haven't tried this series yet, what are you waiting for? You can't go wrong with this steampunk, dystopian, Shogun--ish fantasy.
I received an ARC from Amazon Vine.
The second book in a trilogy is always a little worrisome. It has to live up the first book, and it has to be interesting enough to keep the reader's attention, but still leave plenty of plot for the final installment. Kinslayer avoids the middle book curse. It's got lots of action, many of the characters from the first book are back, and we're introduced to a few new characters.
Our heroine Yukiko is suffering under the growing burden of her ability to communicate with animals, and her connection with the thunder tiger Buruu is both a blessing and a curse. The aftermath of the Shogun's death has left Shima on the verge of chaos. The Guild has a new candidate to take the Daimyo's place, the rebels are planning their next move, and Yukiko is drinking away her sorrows.
There are political machinations, angry rebels, plots and counterplots, a set of interesting new characters (Hana, her brother, and his boyfriend are the stand-outs), and some major surprises (there's a big reveal near the end that I didn't see coming at all). We see our first glimpse of the Gaijin. That was one of my favorites parts of the book, and it left me wanting more. I assume we'll see more of them in the final installment.
If you liked Stormdancer, you will definitely like Kinslayer, and if you haven't tried this series yet, what are you waiting for? You can't go wrong with this steampunk, dystopian, Shogun--ish fantasy.
I received an ARC from Amazon Vine.