Scan barcode
A review by btwnprintedpgs
Kingdom of Blood and Gold by Joyce Chua
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
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? Yes
5.0
Fast-paced and full of action and intrigue, I really enjoyed Kingdom of Blood and Gold.
While book 1 was more setup and getting to know the characters, book 2 jumped straight into the action. I love how the world is fleshed out more and the relationships deepen between our four MCs (yup, four! Windshadow gets her own POV in this one!).
Though much of it takes place away from court, this installment seemed to have more intrigue - more backstabbing, questions of loyalty and friendship, and surprises. I loved the little twists and how they built up each character, even giving time to secondary characters to shine.
I adored Wei so much more in this one and his friendship (and more???) with Desert Rose. I also liked seeing Meng at work in this one. He gave us some surprises, despite his "destiny" falling apart before our eyes. And Windshadow, I loved getting to know her more through this one. Her POV really showed off her quick mind and her sentimentality, despite her denial around caring for anyone else but herself.
Desert Rose is an absolute baddie, and she's a force to reckon with throughout this book. Seeing her powers grow and develop has been a treat and I love how the magic is described and built into the world. Her character plus the lore make this story so fascinating.
Again, I love how much Joyce Chua is able to cover in such a short time. With less than 300 pages, this book builds on the world, the characters, the politics, and the magic so well, giving us a rich follow up that both pays out what was set up in book 1 while also setting us up for book 3. I'm so excited for the finale, but I also know I'm woefully unprepared for the pain, because we all know that at least one of our beloved MCs has to go.
TW: death of a parent, blood, injury detail, violence, fire injury/death, murder, death, war; mentions torture
While book 1 was more setup and getting to know the characters, book 2 jumped straight into the action. I love how the world is fleshed out more and the relationships deepen between our four MCs (yup, four! Windshadow gets her own POV in this one!).
Though much of it takes place away from court, this installment seemed to have more intrigue - more backstabbing, questions of loyalty and friendship, and surprises. I loved the little twists and how they built up each character, even giving time to secondary characters to shine.
I adored Wei so much more in this one and his friendship (and more???) with Desert Rose. I also liked seeing Meng at work in this one. He gave us some surprises, despite his "destiny" falling apart before our eyes. And Windshadow, I loved getting to know her more through this one. Her POV really showed off her quick mind and her sentimentality, despite her denial around caring for anyone else but herself.
Desert Rose is an absolute baddie, and she's a force to reckon with throughout this book. Seeing her powers grow and develop has been a treat and I love how the magic is described and built into the world. Her character plus the lore make this story so fascinating.
Again, I love how much Joyce Chua is able to cover in such a short time. With less than 300 pages, this book builds on the world, the characters, the politics, and the magic so well, giving us a rich follow up that both pays out what was set up in book 1 while also setting us up for book 3. I'm so excited for the finale, but I also know I'm woefully unprepared for the pain, because we all know that at least one of our beloved MCs has to go.
TW: death of a parent, blood, injury detail, violence, fire injury/death, murder, death, war; mentions torture
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: War, Violence, Death, and Murder
Minor: Torture