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A review by breabooks
In the Wake of the Wicked by V.B. Lacey
5.0
Wow. What a whirlwind! This book put me through a slew of emotions, even making me cry a little bit.
This story is hard to summarize. At almost 700 pages long, the story is complicated and hard to minimize to a few sentences, but I’ll try!! A kingdom is overcome by a curse that randomly puts people in an everlasting sleep. The provinces of the kingdom are at odds with each other, each vying for more magical power. Rose is from a providence of Alchemist but is an outcast because of her past. She’s forced into a trial in which she never even expected to compete. Rose must overcome her past to bring down that which keeps the curse alive.
The world building is insane. The writing is immersive, making you feel like you’re part of the dual narrators’ psyche. The author can spend a long time on the character’s inner turmoil, but it makes the story that much better. I will say that the story started off pretty slow and doesn’t really pick up until at least the 30% point. I believe this is sort of expected with such a long and complicated world and story. The magic is fantastic. Each province contains a different speciality of magic.
I freaking LOVE how Lacey develops her characters. The main characters are very emotionally intelligent. We readers get to watch them work through their problems, feelings, and trauma in their head. THIS is what made me cry- the specific (spoilery so vague) revelations of letting one’s walls down to let others in.
The last 100ish pages were brutal. Great, but brutal. Be prepared for an emotional roller coaster.
I cannot wait for the next in the series of interconnected standalone.
Thank you to the author for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!
This story is hard to summarize. At almost 700 pages long, the story is complicated and hard to minimize to a few sentences, but I’ll try!! A kingdom is overcome by a curse that randomly puts people in an everlasting sleep. The provinces of the kingdom are at odds with each other, each vying for more magical power. Rose is from a providence of Alchemist but is an outcast because of her past. She’s forced into a trial in which she never even expected to compete. Rose must overcome her past to bring down that which keeps the curse alive.
The world building is insane. The writing is immersive, making you feel like you’re part of the dual narrators’ psyche. The author can spend a long time on the character’s inner turmoil, but it makes the story that much better. I will say that the story started off pretty slow and doesn’t really pick up until at least the 30% point. I believe this is sort of expected with such a long and complicated world and story. The magic is fantastic. Each province contains a different speciality of magic.
I freaking LOVE how Lacey develops her characters. The main characters are very emotionally intelligent. We readers get to watch them work through their problems, feelings, and trauma in their head. THIS is what made me cry- the specific (spoilery so vague) revelations of letting one’s walls down to let others in.
The last 100ish pages were brutal. Great, but brutal. Be prepared for an emotional roller coaster.
I cannot wait for the next in the series of interconnected standalone.
Thank you to the author for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!