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A review by bubblewombat
The Bloods of a Withering Kingdom by Corey Ratliff
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
“May your spears outreach your enemy’s blades, my queen.”
No no no no no no no absolutely not, there's no way it ended like that, I refuse to believe it...WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO WITH MY LIFE NOW???
If after book one you thought it couldn't get any wilder, YOU THOUGHT WRONG! This book is bananas, but in the best way. I feel as if I've been thrown into a washing machine on the highest setting, spat back out and I'm still saying thank you at the end. I could've also said roller-coaster like a normal person, but where's the fun in that?
Anyway yes, if you want to experience the full spectrum of emotions, you have to read this series. You will laugh, you will cry, you will scream in frustration and curse the author's name and you will be in pain for all eternity, BUT it'll be worth it.
Bloods of a Withering Kingdom has never heard of second book syndrome, it's, dare I say, even better than Whispers of a World Breaker which I didn't think was possible, because that book is perfection.
We get expanded lore (dwarves!), family drama (did not see any of it coming 10/10), Moro gets more PoVs (as he should), there's a dash of romance (oh la la) but not huge so romance besties don't get your hopes up, Eldras and Aric train with the man the myth the legend Tirian (if bad why cool) but ultimately discover he's not completely sane in the membrane (bummer). And that's just a fraction of this amazing absolutely brilliant book that you need to pick up RIGHT NOW.
There's so much action that it's hard to catch a breath, the battle scenes are expertly written and I can never get enough, except when, you know, my favourite characters are on the brink of death.
Which reminds me, I read in the acknowledgements that the author can't promise us our faves will remain safe throughout the series...I know that's a little jokey joke Mr Ratliff, you would never hurt me like that, right? Exactly.
(Yes, that's me crying in the distance)
Both books so far (and the novella) are really fast paced and trust me when I say, it's super easy to get into the series, Corey's made it even easier for you by including a recap at the start!! That actually came in handy, even though I've constantly been thinking about this world since the first book.
The twists are just magnificent, if Ratliff ever wrote a thriller I'd be first in line to read it because I know I'd never guess a thing. I love how shocked I was at each reveal, it made me feel like a little kid finding presents under the Christmas/New Years tree.
Now the character development...wow. As a fan of Tirian since the prequel (which you should read if you haven't yet), I am both crushed and in love with the direction his character is going in. The signs were there for sure. He's becoming more unhinged by the day and it's really fun to read, despite him being very wrong in his beliefs.
Aric, Eldras and Moro grew so much over the course of the book, I feel like a proud mother, those are my babies, look at them go!! Aric and Eldras found their rhythm for the most part, but Moro went through A LOT. I'm so curious how he'll continue to develop considering recent events.
Circling back to the ending to let you know that it's the mother of all cliffhangers and you will cry. Words cannot describe how I'm feeling right now.
If you would like to go through a similar degree of emotional damage, then I can't recommend this series enough.
*Huge thank you to the author for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*
No no no no no no no absolutely not, there's no way it ended like that, I refuse to believe it...WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO WITH MY LIFE NOW???
If after book one you thought it couldn't get any wilder, YOU THOUGHT WRONG! This book is bananas, but in the best way. I feel as if I've been thrown into a washing machine on the highest setting, spat back out and I'm still saying thank you at the end. I could've also said roller-coaster like a normal person, but where's the fun in that?
Anyway yes, if you want to experience the full spectrum of emotions, you have to read this series. You will laugh, you will cry, you will scream in frustration and curse the author's name and you will be in pain for all eternity, BUT it'll be worth it.
Bloods of a Withering Kingdom has never heard of second book syndrome, it's, dare I say, even better than Whispers of a World Breaker which I didn't think was possible, because that book is perfection.
We get expanded lore (dwarves!), family drama (did not see any of it coming 10/10), Moro gets more PoVs (as he should), there's a dash of romance (oh la la) but not huge so romance besties don't get your hopes up, Eldras and Aric train with the man the myth the legend Tirian (if bad why cool) but ultimately discover he's not completely sane in the membrane (bummer). And that's just a fraction of this amazing absolutely brilliant book that you need to pick up RIGHT NOW.
There's so much action that it's hard to catch a breath, the battle scenes are expertly written and I can never get enough, except when, you know, my favourite characters are on the brink of death.
Which reminds me, I read in the acknowledgements that the author can't promise us our faves will remain safe throughout the series...I know that's a little jokey joke Mr Ratliff, you would never hurt me like that, right? Exactly.
(Yes, that's me crying in the distance)
Both books so far (and the novella) are really fast paced and trust me when I say, it's super easy to get into the series, Corey's made it even easier for you by including a recap at the start!! That actually came in handy, even though I've constantly been thinking about this world since the first book.
The twists are just magnificent, if Ratliff ever wrote a thriller I'd be first in line to read it because I know I'd never guess a thing. I love how shocked I was at each reveal, it made me feel like a little kid finding presents under the Christmas/New Years tree.
Now the character development...wow. As a fan of Tirian since the prequel (which you should read if you haven't yet), I am both crushed and in love with the direction his character is going in. The signs were there for sure. He's becoming more unhinged by the day and it's really fun to read, despite him being very wrong in his beliefs.
Aric, Eldras and Moro grew so much over the course of the book, I feel like a proud mother, those are my babies, look at them go!! Aric and Eldras found their rhythm for the most part, but Moro went through A LOT. I'm so curious how he'll continue to develop considering recent events.
Circling back to the ending to let you know that it's the mother of all cliffhangers and you will cry. Words cannot describe how I'm feeling right now.
If you would like to go through a similar degree of emotional damage, then I can't recommend this series enough.
*Huge thank you to the author for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*