bearlylupe's review against another edition
4.0
It's a crime that this series doesn't have a NA printer.
thistlechaser's review against another edition
5.0
The worst part about this book: It's the second book of a trilogy, and the last one isn't out until March 2019. ARG!
This review contains potential spoilers for the first book, The Ninth Rain, which I highly recommend.
In the first book we were introduced to a bunch of characters, as well as the world the story takes place in. There are two intelligent races on the planet: Humans and Eboran. Eborans are people of great strength, red eyes, and an unfortunate need to drink human blood (but they're not vampires, it's complicated). The blood keeps them alive... but it is also killing them.
The world is being attacked by something. Some insect-like monsters show up every few decades to try to wipe out all life. Only the not-vampires can stop them.
At the end of the first book, I had guessed that the insect-like monsters were aliens trying to terraform the planet, and my guess wasn't far off. But, like everything in this series, it was a lot more complicated than that.
This trilogy is succeeding where so many others fail for me: Usually I fall out of love with a trilogy after the first book. The first one is where we learn all the interesting world-building stuff, so there's nothing new left for the second book. That was not at all the case here. The Bitter Twins was at least as good as The Ninth Rain.
As much as I loved the characters in the first book, I loved them even more in this second one. They all keep growing, learning, changing. Forming relationships (eeee the relationships!).
If you like scifi stories featuring great world building and interesting, complex, realistic characters, you should give this series a try. ...or maybe wait until 2019, so you can read the whole thing in one go.
This review contains potential spoilers for the first book, The Ninth Rain, which I highly recommend.
In the first book we were introduced to a bunch of characters, as well as the world the story takes place in. There are two intelligent races on the planet: Humans and Eboran. Eborans are people of great strength, red eyes, and an unfortunate need to drink human blood (but they're not vampires, it's complicated). The blood keeps them alive... but it is also killing them.
The world is being attacked by something. Some insect-like monsters show up every few decades to try to wipe out all life. Only the not-vampires can stop them.
At the end of the first book, I had guessed that the insect-like monsters were aliens trying to terraform the planet, and my guess wasn't far off. But, like everything in this series, it was a lot more complicated than that.
This trilogy is succeeding where so many others fail for me: Usually I fall out of love with a trilogy after the first book. The first one is where we learn all the interesting world-building stuff, so there's nothing new left for the second book. That was not at all the case here. The Bitter Twins was at least as good as The Ninth Rain.
As much as I loved the characters in the first book, I loved them even more in this second one. They all keep growing, learning, changing. Forming relationships (eeee the relationships!).
If you like scifi stories featuring great world building and interesting, complex, realistic characters, you should give this series a try. ...or maybe wait until 2019, so you can read the whole thing in one go.
llmacrae's review against another edition
3.0
(Copying reviews from previous GR account)
The Bitter Twins was a significant deviation from The Ninth Rain, both in content and length.
I didn’t enjoy it as much as the first book, but there was still plenty to like!
Book two picks up shortly after the end of book one, and although only a small amount of time has passed, there have been some BIG changes in the world of Sarn.
Noon has become my favourite character, closely followed by Kirune (although to begin with, I found him one of the more irritating new additions), but many of the others have fallen somewhat in my estimations. Aldasair and Bern are two bright sparks whom I adore, along with Eri and the two “weaker” war-beasts, Jessen and Helcate.
Our characters are split up for much of the book, each following their own sub plot. Although a few cross paths, they are mostly on their own, which is always fun - you get to see different parts of the world, learn more lore etc. There are four main plots - Hestillon, Vintage( & Eri), Aldasair & Bern, and Tor & Noon.
Although Hestillon’s probably had the most mystery and intrigue, it was unfortunately the one I enjoyed the least. I didn’t connect with her nor understand her motivations for the decisions she made, especially considering the worm people have been the greatest enemy to the world - and specifically the Eborans - for all time.
Tor & Noon have a similar mystery on their hands, which again, should have been full of intrigue and plot twists, but I also wasn’t a fan of it. It took them to a remote island in the barren sea, which while exciting at first, quickly soured. (And the ending of it… after all the days/weeks of being given the runaround, here’s a thing you need, bye - and zero reaction. I don’t know, I just wasn’t a fan).
Vintage, who was my favourite character in book one, had a plot that in my opinion, did a disservice to her character. It’s no spoiler that she sprains her ankle rather badly, which puts her out of commission with the travelling and the mystery and the plotting fun stuff, but unfortunately it keeps her pretty much in one spot, where she makes certain decisions that really felt out of character for her. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t what I’d come to expect from her, which left me disappointed. I loved Eri and Helcate, however, and it was fabulous to see his character change and grow more confident throughout the book.
Aldasair and Bern are a pair of bright stars that should be protected. (The latter of whom owns a pair of axes for which this book is named). They learn something significant about their enemy pretty early on (and certainly pay the price for it), which was perhaps one of the most distinctive events.
I felt several chunks could probably have been shortened or omitted altogether. It made the whole book feel a lot slower, the first half especially, with chunks of filler that felt unnecessary.
One minor point that I wasn’t a fan of was the sci-fi angle that appeared (well, was revealed) in the second half of the book. It wasn’t a personal favourite twist of mine. But that’s a personal gripe!
That being said, there was still a lot to enjoy! The cast of characters grows, with plenty of new people being introduced across various parts of the world. I would have loved to have some more backstory of our principle cast and learned more about their pasts, however we did get to learn a fair amount of Sarn’s past, from different people’s stories.
I’ve never seen a world quite like Sarn before, and the lore is fantastic. There are a tonne of rather disgusting things, especially where the worm people are concerned, and there are a lot of violations of trust and bodies that result in some of the book’s strongest conflicts (Celaphon, I’m looking at you). It made for some difficult reading, at times, but that’s no bad thing.
The Wild-Touched creatures are of particular interest, and the fact some can potentially be “tamed” or at least not go around murdering things is really unique and I love the idea. Thankfully, there were still giant bats (though they had less page time) and their little story was super sweet.
There are still a few of the letters/anecdotes at the beginning of chapters which I really loved from the first book. Though these aren’t as prevalent, they’re still super enjoyable to read, giving a taste into the minds of the characters who wrote them, while providing more world building or lore.
Finally, the ending battle was as full of action and excitement as was to be expected, although there was one part of it that greatly upset me - but I shan’t give away any spoilers.
I imagine the third book will be more action and fighting as the final parts of the various mysteries of this world and its inhabitants are finally revealed, and the consequences are put into motion. Noon, in particular, seems to be of particular importance, and I’d love to see more/discover more about the fell-witches, too!
Although I enjoyed this book less than the first, I’m still very interested to see how the final book wraps up this intriguing trilogy!
The Bitter Twins was a significant deviation from The Ninth Rain, both in content and length.
I didn’t enjoy it as much as the first book, but there was still plenty to like!
Book two picks up shortly after the end of book one, and although only a small amount of time has passed, there have been some BIG changes in the world of Sarn.
Noon has become my favourite character, closely followed by Kirune (although to begin with, I found him one of the more irritating new additions), but many of the others have fallen somewhat in my estimations. Aldasair and Bern are two bright sparks whom I adore, along with Eri and the two “weaker” war-beasts, Jessen and Helcate.
Our characters are split up for much of the book, each following their own sub plot. Although a few cross paths, they are mostly on their own, which is always fun - you get to see different parts of the world, learn more lore etc. There are four main plots - Hestillon, Vintage( & Eri), Aldasair & Bern, and Tor & Noon.
Although Hestillon’s probably had the most mystery and intrigue, it was unfortunately the one I enjoyed the least. I didn’t connect with her nor understand her motivations for the decisions she made, especially considering the worm people have been the greatest enemy to the world - and specifically the Eborans - for all time.
Tor & Noon have a similar mystery on their hands, which again, should have been full of intrigue and plot twists, but I also wasn’t a fan of it. It took them to a remote island in the barren sea, which while exciting at first, quickly soured. (And the ending of it… after all the days/weeks of being given the runaround, here’s a thing you need, bye - and zero reaction. I don’t know, I just wasn’t a fan).
Vintage, who was my favourite character in book one, had a plot that in my opinion, did a disservice to her character. It’s no spoiler that she sprains her ankle rather badly, which puts her out of commission with the travelling and the mystery and the plotting fun stuff, but unfortunately it keeps her pretty much in one spot, where she makes certain decisions that really felt out of character for her. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t what I’d come to expect from her, which left me disappointed. I loved Eri and Helcate, however, and it was fabulous to see his character change and grow more confident throughout the book.
Aldasair and Bern are a pair of bright stars that should be protected. (The latter of whom owns a pair of axes for which this book is named). They learn something significant about their enemy pretty early on (and certainly pay the price for it), which was perhaps one of the most distinctive events.
I felt several chunks could probably have been shortened or omitted altogether. It made the whole book feel a lot slower, the first half especially, with chunks of filler that felt unnecessary.
One minor point that I wasn’t a fan of was the sci-fi angle that appeared (well, was revealed) in the second half of the book. It wasn’t a personal favourite twist of mine. But that’s a personal gripe!
That being said, there was still a lot to enjoy! The cast of characters grows, with plenty of new people being introduced across various parts of the world. I would have loved to have some more backstory of our principle cast and learned more about their pasts, however we did get to learn a fair amount of Sarn’s past, from different people’s stories.
I’ve never seen a world quite like Sarn before, and the lore is fantastic. There are a tonne of rather disgusting things, especially where the worm people are concerned, and there are a lot of violations of trust and bodies that result in some of the book’s strongest conflicts (Celaphon, I’m looking at you). It made for some difficult reading, at times, but that’s no bad thing.
The Wild-Touched creatures are of particular interest, and the fact some can potentially be “tamed” or at least not go around murdering things is really unique and I love the idea. Thankfully, there were still giant bats (though they had less page time) and their little story was super sweet.
There are still a few of the letters/anecdotes at the beginning of chapters which I really loved from the first book. Though these aren’t as prevalent, they’re still super enjoyable to read, giving a taste into the minds of the characters who wrote them, while providing more world building or lore.
Finally, the ending battle was as full of action and excitement as was to be expected, although there was one part of it that greatly upset me - but I shan’t give away any spoilers.
I imagine the third book will be more action and fighting as the final parts of the various mysteries of this world and its inhabitants are finally revealed, and the consequences are put into motion. Noon, in particular, seems to be of particular importance, and I’d love to see more/discover more about the fell-witches, too!
Although I enjoyed this book less than the first, I’m still very interested to see how the final book wraps up this intriguing trilogy!
lucky859's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
kpeninger's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I didn't enjoy this quite as much as I did the first book, and the key word is "enjoy". I thought that in many ways this book is excellent, but because it is ramping so much stuff up and opening up the world, there was a lot more tension and fraught stuff happening - which made it a harder read. I still really liked it and thought it did a great job of expanding upon what came before, even if I wanted to smack half of the characters half of the time for being so damn obstinate.
Also, there wasn't enough Vintage. It needed more Vintage.
Looking forward to how the series concludes, even though I'm more than a little terrified for most of the characters.
Also, there wasn't enough Vintage. It needed more Vintage.
Looking forward to how the series concludes, even though I'm more than a little terrified for most of the characters.
sannabo's review against another edition
5.0
Even better on the reread. One of my all time favourite sff trilogies. Jen Williams writes characters like no one else and the action is a wonderful mixture of fantasy and sci fi. Engaging, action packed and epic. This book has all the things.
ninnabee's review against another edition
5.0
It is certainly a slower start but, being completely honest, I enjoyed it either way. I love character development and how the relationships between the characters shift and change, so having them deal with new bonds (the war-beasts) and separated into those pairs I love so much gave them the opportunity and obvious set-up to develop the relationships, and it was worth it every second.
Just like in the first book, I find myself the least interested in Hestillion's chapters, but Williams always manages to keep me hooked with whatever is going on around her (like the queen, who ended up being terribly interesting) or whatever inner turmoil is going on inside her. Definitely an intriguing change.
To make it short, Bern and Aldasair are my absolute favorite and I couldn't stop either crying or giggling at every scene they got together, and I'm so, SO sad about Eri, and it makes me even more sad (and mad) that what happened made total sense.
Just like in the first book, I find myself the least interested in Hestillion's chapters, but Williams always manages to keep me hooked with whatever is going on around her (like the queen, who ended up being terribly interesting) or whatever inner turmoil is going on inside her. Definitely an intriguing change.
To make it short, Bern and Aldasair are my absolute favorite and I couldn't stop either crying or giggling at every scene they got together, and I'm so, SO sad about Eri, and it makes me even more sad (and mad) that what happened made total sense.
mokhan's review against another edition
5.0
To be honest, the first 60% of the book felt like emotional torture. The ever-worsening situation, the unending fatal attacks, and the constantly growing shambling discord between the main characters. As I'm the kind of a reader who wholeheartedly focuses to sympathize and dive deep into the story, it was such a stressful experience. I had to take a break from time to time to do something else to levitate my spiked stress, lol.
But by the 60%, most of the plots and schemes were carried out, so though the main characters were in such a terrible spot, I knew the story would pick up soon. And it did. Splendidly. I read the last 250 pages in one sitting, and it was exhilarating. Definitely worth the stress that I felt.
Though I hated a few characters deeply, it just shows Jen Williams's talent as the author. All of the characters, even the insignificant side characters, had their own lives and goals. Some rose and some fell but all the character developments were done masterfully. It was a beautiful reading experience and I couldn't be happier that I'm reading this trilogy in 2022, cuz I can burrow the last book, The Poison Song, right away which I will do ASAP.
<< Spoilery Thoughts >>
Aldasair and Bern. Oh my favs. I wish all the happiness for them. Such sweet ones. I liked Bern's family as well. I grew like to Noon and Vintage. Tor, not so much, but I can see that he's somewhat matured in this book though. I almost forgot about Nanthema. My second hated character. Seriously, I know that she went throw some awful stuff, but she was like "I cut my finger on the paper and it hurt so much, you don't understand my pain, I will betray everyone" while everyone around her was shot by the arrows and bleeding all over their body yet staying in the battle. I'm unsure whether she will reappear in the last book, but she won't be missed by me. I'm just happy that Vintage got over Nanthema by the end.
Lastly, Eri. I cried so much. Oh, poor thing. Poor Eri and poor Helcate. This young boy was just about the feel alive, but... I'm glad that Eri tasted a little bit of friendship and happiness before his untimely demise. His death really cemented there will be no possible redemption for Hestillion and Celaphon for me. I know Celaphon is just a child who was manipulated and poisoned, but he went too far. I'm not sure it's possible to undo what Hestillion did to him. I wonder Helcate will connect with Vintage in the next book.
But by the 60%, most of the plots and schemes were carried out, so though the main characters were in such a terrible spot, I knew the story would pick up soon. And it did. Splendidly. I read the last 250 pages in one sitting, and it was exhilarating. Definitely worth the stress that I felt.
Though I hated a few characters deeply, it just shows Jen Williams's talent as the author. All of the characters, even the insignificant side characters, had their own lives and goals. Some rose and some fell but all the character developments were done masterfully. It was a beautiful reading experience and I couldn't be happier that I'm reading this trilogy in 2022, cuz I can burrow the last book, The Poison Song, right away which I will do ASAP.
<< Spoilery Thoughts >>
Spoiler
As I said, I tend to read books with passion, which means I hated Hestillion passionately. Tyranny and Arnia were scummy as well, but in no way they could make me filled with burning rage as Hestilion did. I'm not sure what is it about her. I knew all three of them will turn out to be villains from the get-go, so it's not like I felt betrayed by her. And I'm sure that Arnia killed way more people, several generations of people I might add than Hestillion did (for now at least). I thought of many reasons but for the review, I will simply write that I hated the self-pitying thoughts she has whilst hurting the innocence simultaneously. Such a contrast was very effectively described by the author I think.Aldasair and Bern. Oh my favs. I wish all the happiness for them. Such sweet ones. I liked Bern's family as well. I grew like to Noon and Vintage. Tor, not so much, but I can see that he's somewhat matured in this book though. I almost forgot about Nanthema. My second hated character. Seriously, I know that she went throw some awful stuff, but she was like "I cut my finger on the paper and it hurt so much, you don't understand my pain, I will betray everyone" while everyone around her was shot by the arrows and bleeding all over their body yet staying in the battle. I'm unsure whether she will reappear in the last book, but she won't be missed by me. I'm just happy that Vintage got over Nanthema by the end.
Lastly, Eri. I cried so much. Oh, poor thing. Poor Eri and poor Helcate. This young boy was just about the feel alive, but... I'm glad that Eri tasted a little bit of friendship and happiness before his untimely demise. His death really cemented there will be no possible redemption for Hestillion and Celaphon for me. I know Celaphon is just a child who was manipulated and poisoned, but he went too far. I'm not sure it's possible to undo what Hestillion did to him. I wonder Helcate will connect with Vintage in the next book.
guerravanessa13's review
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0