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A review by hawkeyegonzalez
The Sapphire Altar by David Dalglish
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The Vagrant Gods series continues with this second installment, and it is equally as good as the first but still not without its flaws.
This book picks up where the first left off, with Cyrus striking out on his own after leaving the group. This part is great, and it's exciting to see where the story goes from here. Unfortunately, the middle loses a bit of direction and feels disjointed. We spend a little too much time in areas that don't serve the plot very much. However, that changes towards the end, and the story and action kick into high gear.
All of the characters from the previous book are back, as is their POV chapters. Cyrus is still the central focus, but I still prefer following some of the side characters, particularly Keles and Arn. Both have their own crisis of faith, and it's great to see how they both play out. The big addition this time is the new final boss, the Heir-Incarnate Galvanis, and he is even more terrifying than Magus was in the first book. He truly feels like an unstoppable force for the protagonists to try and overcome.
Of course, the highlight of the book is the action. This is only the second series I've read from Dalglish, but he excels at writing action scenes, particularly one-on-one. It's a testament to his skill that I'm never quite sure who is going to win each fight, and it's not always who I think it is. I also appreciate that characters here will actually retreat when facing an overwhelming opponent instead of keep on fighting because "good will prevail". It gives the storytelling a greater sense of realism and unpredictability.
This is shaping up to be a very good series. If it can stick the landing, then I just might have to read more of Dalglish's bibliography.
This book picks up where the first left off, with Cyrus striking out on his own after leaving the group. This part is great, and it's exciting to see where the story goes from here. Unfortunately, the middle loses a bit of direction and feels disjointed. We spend a little too much time in areas that don't serve the plot very much. However, that changes towards the end, and the story and action kick into high gear.
All of the characters from the previous book are back, as is their POV chapters. Cyrus is still the central focus, but I still prefer following some of the side characters, particularly Keles and Arn. Both have their own crisis of faith, and it's great to see how they both play out. The big addition this time is the new final boss, the Heir-Incarnate Galvanis, and he is even more terrifying than Magus was in the first book. He truly feels like an unstoppable force for the protagonists to try and overcome.
Of course, the highlight of the book is the action. This is only the second series I've read from Dalglish, but he excels at writing action scenes, particularly one-on-one. It's a testament to his skill that I'm never quite sure who is going to win each fight, and it's not always who I think it is. I also appreciate that characters here will actually retreat when facing an overwhelming opponent instead of keep on fighting because "good will prevail". It gives the storytelling a greater sense of realism and unpredictability.
This is shaping up to be a very good series. If it can stick the landing, then I just might have to read more of Dalglish's bibliography.