The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
erinarkin20's review against another edition
4.0
Empire of Dust is the second book of the Blood of Gods and Royals series by Eleanor Herman and if you haven’t yet started this series and you enjoy an epic historical fantasy, you need to read! Also, when I say epic, I mean it. There are a lot of characters and a lot of things happening in these books but once I finished book one, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on book two. Considering everything that goes on in these books, I will tell you up front that I will most likely not cover everything and everyone...I'm ok with it. What I will say is that I enjoyed this second book and thought it was well done!
Empire picks up shortly after the end of Legacy of Kings and things are changing for all of the characters. Alexander knows about Katerina and it is now clear that Alexander and Katerina are linked by blood. As they continue to grow closer, Alexander’s friendship with Heph is suffering due to the actions Heph took on the battlefield. Because of this doubt he has in Heph, Alexander is struggling to determine who he can trust. As Alex begins to assert his power in order to unearth a spy in the council, he starts to do things that he can’t be proud of.
While Alex is dealing with all of that, he also believes that the Aesarian Lords have kidnapped Cynane…which is true. Despite my feelings for Cynane (I DON’T like her at all) I did feel bad for her due to the things she was being put through with the Lords. The only thing that helps her is that Jacob is now with the Lords and while under his watch, she manages to escape. I’m not saying anything about this as I don’t want to give anything away…just trust me, it creates an interesting twist. With that said, when she gets away, Cyn goes back to her scheming ways.
Now that Alex’s mother knows who Kat really is, she also has an agenda. As Heph and Kat find out her entire foster family was killed by Olympias, Alex decides to send Heph and Kat away to secure a military alliance since the princess he was originally supposed to marry is now missing or dead. As they face a few dangers, their friendship strengthens and they begin to rely on each other. Once they find Princess Laila and learn what really happened in the City of Sharuna, things become clearer.
The other character I will talk about here is Zofia. As the princess who was supposed to marry Alexander, she is now on a very different path. If you remember from book one, she is determined to get back to Cosmas, the man she loves and the father of the child she carries. As her story progresses, it is clear that things are still changing for Zo and her relationship with Ochus is definitely changing. As he reveals what he knows, he lets her go and Zo finds herself wandering on her own again trying to survive.
In addition to the characters, Herman does a wonderful job building the world out. Some of my favorite bits of this is when Heph and Kat are in Sharuna. I could imagine everything they were seeing very clearly.
Overall I thought this was a solid book two. There were some parts that felt a bit slow but all of the pieces are coming together to link all of the characters so I am really looking forward to seeing where Herman goes with the next book. Not only for the full story but because the ending of this book was definitely one that had me flipping pages wondering why Herman would be so cruel as to end the book the way she did! Just kidding – it only is cruel to me because it was a great ending and I NEED to know what is in store for everyone. If you are looking for a historical fantasy about the younger years of Alexander the Great, definitely check this book out. I myself will be waiting anxiously for the next book in this series.
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy!
Empire picks up shortly after the end of Legacy of Kings and things are changing for all of the characters. Alexander knows about Katerina and it is now clear that Alexander and Katerina are linked by blood. As they continue to grow closer, Alexander’s friendship with Heph is suffering due to the actions Heph took on the battlefield. Because of this doubt he has in Heph, Alexander is struggling to determine who he can trust. As Alex begins to assert his power in order to unearth a spy in the council, he starts to do things that he can’t be proud of.
While Alex is dealing with all of that, he also believes that the Aesarian Lords have kidnapped Cynane…which is true. Despite my feelings for Cynane (I DON’T like her at all) I did feel bad for her due to the things she was being put through with the Lords. The only thing that helps her is that Jacob is now with the Lords and while under his watch, she manages to escape. I’m not saying anything about this as I don’t want to give anything away…just trust me, it creates an interesting twist. With that said, when she gets away, Cyn goes back to her scheming ways.
Now that Alex’s mother knows who Kat really is, she also has an agenda. As Heph and Kat find out her entire foster family was killed by Olympias, Alex decides to send Heph and Kat away to secure a military alliance since the princess he was originally supposed to marry is now missing or dead. As they face a few dangers, their friendship strengthens and they begin to rely on each other. Once they find Princess Laila and learn what really happened in the City of Sharuna, things become clearer.
The other character I will talk about here is Zofia. As the princess who was supposed to marry Alexander, she is now on a very different path. If you remember from book one, she is determined to get back to Cosmas, the man she loves and the father of the child she carries. As her story progresses, it is clear that things are still changing for Zo and her relationship with Ochus is definitely changing. As he reveals what he knows, he lets her go and Zo finds herself wandering on her own again trying to survive.
In addition to the characters, Herman does a wonderful job building the world out. Some of my favorite bits of this is when Heph and Kat are in Sharuna. I could imagine everything they were seeing very clearly.
Overall I thought this was a solid book two. There were some parts that felt a bit slow but all of the pieces are coming together to link all of the characters so I am really looking forward to seeing where Herman goes with the next book. Not only for the full story but because the ending of this book was definitely one that had me flipping pages wondering why Herman would be so cruel as to end the book the way she did! Just kidding – it only is cruel to me because it was a great ending and I NEED to know what is in store for everyone. If you are looking for a historical fantasy about the younger years of Alexander the Great, definitely check this book out. I myself will be waiting anxiously for the next book in this series.
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy!
zenithharpink's review against another edition
5.0
Wow.
This book was amazing-there was also a lot to be impressed about. Told in a revolving sort of format, the story hops to key characters in each chapter, which kept me frantically turning pages to find out what happened next. Additionally, this book is thoroughly well-researched (not surprising, given Herman's background) and I found myself reading up on characters through Wikipedia occasionally, just to get a better understanding of where they fit in the political and geographical context-a most unusual circumstance for general historical fiction.
Being so firmly grounded in documented history, while still adding the depth of magic and mystery to the story was supremely entertaining, and I couldn't pick a favorite character. There seem to be an even split between "good guys" and villains, this is not a binary read of a single hero against a supreme baddie-at least not yet, we'll see where the story takes us.
I can't really think of anything I didn't like about this book, except for the occasional editing slip-up, which I found to be a bit more prevalent than in other books-this I chalked up to slightly sloppy editing, and it was minor. Otherwise, even the villains I found fascinating-wishing to see where there exploits would take them, all the while hating them and hoping that things ended badly.
I would recommend to any looking for a strong fantasy historical fiction, especially if you have already read Legacy of Kings, the first book in this series. I recommend reading the first book, but this books stands on it's own and I found it to be stronger than the first book. You'll be satisfied either way.
This book was amazing-there was also a lot to be impressed about. Told in a revolving sort of format, the story hops to key characters in each chapter, which kept me frantically turning pages to find out what happened next. Additionally, this book is thoroughly well-researched (not surprising, given Herman's background) and I found myself reading up on characters through Wikipedia occasionally, just to get a better understanding of where they fit in the political and geographical context-a most unusual circumstance for general historical fiction.
Being so firmly grounded in documented history, while still adding the depth of magic and mystery to the story was supremely entertaining, and I couldn't pick a favorite character. There seem to be an even split between "good guys" and villains, this is not a binary read of a single hero against a supreme baddie-at least not yet, we'll see where the story takes us.
I can't really think of anything I didn't like about this book, except for the occasional editing slip-up, which I found to be a bit more prevalent than in other books-this I chalked up to slightly sloppy editing, and it was minor. Otherwise, even the villains I found fascinating-wishing to see where there exploits would take them, all the while hating them and hoping that things ended badly.
I would recommend to any looking for a strong fantasy historical fiction, especially if you have already read Legacy of Kings, the first book in this series. I recommend reading the first book, but this books stands on it's own and I found it to be stronger than the first book. You'll be satisfied either way.
sir_presh's review against another edition
3.0
Not too remarkable... Just barely interesting enough to keep me reading
ejbenfi's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
leedigesu's review against another edition
4.0
Definitely better than the first one, which only picked up at the end.
I bought the other two books in the series so I'll keep reading.
I bought the other two books in the series so I'll keep reading.
lisaluvsliterature's review against another edition
5.0
Full review will come on my blog next week. But there's a note in the back of this that the first book was sold to WB network for a possible tv series!!! So cool!!
lunamond's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
This book is a masterclass in queererasure.Â
For anybody unaware what I'm refering to I highly recommend researching Alexander and Hepheastion's actual relationship.Â
Hint: it was incredibly gay, to the point of people being concerned about Alexander lack of interest in women kinda gay and refering to themselves as Achilles and Patrocules kinda gay...
This makes the choice of having Alexander beefing and exiling Hepheastion incredibly weird and offensive. However, nothing tops the choice of a romance between Hepheastion and the invented female MC, who also happens to be the sister of Alexander.
For anybody unaware what I'm refering to I highly recommend researching Alexander and Hepheastion's actual relationship.Â
Hint: it was incredibly gay, to the point of people being concerned about Alexander lack of interest in women kinda gay and refering to themselves as Achilles and Patrocules kinda gay...
This makes the choice of having Alexander beefing and exiling Hepheastion incredibly weird and offensive. However, nothing tops the choice of a romance between Hepheastion and the invented female MC, who also happens to be the sister of Alexander.
marie_lrj's review against another edition
4.0
I had a hard time rating this book, because there were parts I absolutely loved, but there were parts that bored me and I couldn't wait to get past. I think it stems from the fact that there are so many different characters and viewpoints. I typically really enjoy books with multiple viewpoints, but the problem with this book was that I didn't like all of them and found some of them boring. Also, I think because of that, some characters and their stories didn't get the attention they deserved, and things moved too fast. But that being said, overall I really enjoyed this story and I can't wait for the next book!
booking_along's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
it’s too slow with too many character point of views, that are too often switched with no real reason as to eat it’s switched so often and at the point the switches happen, with too short chapters to make all of that actually work well.Â
there are things happening in the book, but most of it drags until the last few chapter to actually get somewhere and most of it wasn’t done overly well either, in my opinion.
it certainly suffers from middle book syndrome, the story has ti be dragged out and stretched to its maximum capacity to get as many books out of plot that could and should have been written at the most in two books but could have easily been told in one bigger book.Â
at least that’s how i feel after reading this book. maybe the next two books will change my mind completely on that, but just this book felt basically unnecessary, sadly.Â
there are things happening in the book, but most of it drags until the last few chapter to actually get somewhere and most of it wasn’t done overly well either, in my opinion.
it certainly suffers from middle book syndrome, the story has ti be dragged out and stretched to its maximum capacity to get as many books out of plot that could and should have been written at the most in two books but could have easily been told in one bigger book.Â
at least that’s how i feel after reading this book. maybe the next two books will change my mind completely on that, but just this book felt basically unnecessary, sadly.Â
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Violence, Torture, Child abuse, Gore, Abandonment, Blood, Death, Slavery, and War
nyxshadow's review against another edition
2.0
Beaucoup de difficultés cette fois-ci à "rentrer" dans l'histoire. Je suis restée presque totalement en retrait sans m'intéresser au sort des différents protagonistes.
Pourtant, l'auteur poursuit parfaitement la lignée du premier tome que j'avais beaucoup apprécié. Mais je n'ai même pas eu l'impression d'une évolution quelconque. Comme si on poussait les pions en place à différents endroits géographiques, mais que les vrais actions étaient encore à venir.
Pourtant, l'auteur poursuit parfaitement la lignée du premier tome que j'avais beaucoup apprécié. Mais je n'ai même pas eu l'impression d'une évolution quelconque. Comme si on poussait les pions en place à différents endroits géographiques, mais que les vrais actions étaient encore à venir.