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A review by alr16
The Thousand Eyes by A.K. Larkwood
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-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? No
5.0
The only reason I'm ranking this lower than the first book is because Tal 👏🏻 deserved 👏🏻 better 👏🏻. And I know he got a happy ending in the end but he was pretty miserable up until that point. I was screaming when he went back to Sethennai. It wasn't the story I was at all expecting after part 1, but I did find myself enjoying it, especially the extended time with Tal. For a sequel that didn't technically need to happen, it had a good premise and didn't feel forced.
I've sat on this book/series a few days and I've come back and changed my rating because, after thinking on it, this really is the best replica I've seen in fiction of how a powerful man creates a sphere of influence/cult of personality. The funniest part, is I started reading a book on the 2024 US presidential election right after this one, and there was a chapter about the inner workings of the Trump campaign, infighting among confidants, that was so reminiscent of Csorwe and Tal's relationship throughout book 1. And obviously I knew Sethennai was a powerful man that draws you in, Tal outright says that multiple times, but the similarities to the real world were not so obviously that they were screaming at me. Sethennai is not the kind of powerful man we're used to seeing these days, so the real world comparisons can slip the obvious notice. And when I actually need to use my reading comprehension skills to figure something out, I'm genuinely so happy, even if it takes me a few days.
Also, this book is on my mind multiple days later AND through the conclusion of another whole book that I've read. Books don't usually linger beyond the day or two I allow them to sit before starting my next book but I can't get this one off my mind so...5/5.
I've sat on this book/series a few days and I've come back and changed my rating because, after thinking on it, this really is the best replica I've seen in fiction of how a powerful man creates a sphere of influence/cult of personality. The funniest part, is I started reading a book on the 2024 US presidential election right after this one, and there was a chapter about the inner workings of the Trump campaign, infighting among confidants, that was so reminiscent of Csorwe and Tal's relationship throughout book 1. And obviously I knew Sethennai was a powerful man that draws you in, Tal outright says that multiple times, but the similarities to the real world were not so obviously that they were screaming at me. Sethennai is not the kind of powerful man we're used to seeing these days, so the real world comparisons can slip the obvious notice. And when I actually need to use my reading comprehension skills to figure something out, I'm genuinely so happy, even if it takes me a few days.
Also, this book is on my mind multiple days later AND through the conclusion of another whole book that I've read. Books don't usually linger beyond the day or two I allow them to sit before starting my next book but I can't get this one off my mind so...5/5.