Scan barcode
mxsallybend's review
4.0
The Unremembered, the first book of Peter Orullian's Vault of Heaven saga, was a largely generic epic fantasy that hit on a lot the major tropes. That made for a comfortably familiar read, but what made it memorable was his writing style, the strength of his characters, and the amount of detail invested in his world-building. It wasn't necessarily a ground-breaking work, but it was a welcome new flavor of fantasy that was darker, deeper, and more mature.
I went into Trial of Intentions hoping for nothing more than an advancement/enhancement of everything that I enjoyed in the first book. I wasn't looking for anything dramatically different, and was actually worried that he might try to drag the story in a new direction, either to satisfy his critics, or to assuage his own displeasure with the original edition of his first book. There had to be some serious temptation there for him, I'm sure, but I'm pleased to say he's remained true to his original vision.
The one thing that did shift a bit with this volume was the structure of his writing - probably the only thing that I found to be a (minor) disappointment. Orullian had said that his Author's Definitive Edition of The Unremembered was shorter and more focused, with fewer POV shifts, but he seems to have taken a step back here. Not only were there a lot more shifts than I remembered, but the chapters are much shorter. Yes, short chapters are a definite pet peeve for me, and that artificial driving of the story from one abbreviated POV to another was a challenge to me in terms of settling into a flow. I took me about twice as long to read this volume as the first, and much of that was my own difficulty with that flow. Outside of that, the story is once again well-written story, with even stronger dialogue than the first, and even more incredible visuals. With Trial of Intentions designed to be a suitable starting point for new readers, a little info dumping and exposition is pretty much mandatory, but Orullian fits it well into the overall story. It's really nothing more than the subtle reminders you expect from the second or third book of any fantasy saga . . . there's just a little bit more of it.
The characters came alive early in the first book, and they continue to thrive here, with even greater depth and diversity. Orullian forces us to question much of what we thought we knew about Tahn, Vendanj, Wendra, Mira, and even Grant. He 'broke' many of them with the climactic events of The Unremembered, and they're not allowed to just settle back into their old ways. They've been changed by their experiences, and they continue to evolve as they come to grips with those changes. Tahn makes a momentous decision early on, choosing not to speak the words as he aims, instead taking the decision to 'save' innocent children entirely upon himself. Wendra chooses as well, deciding to unleash the full fury of her song in a war against the Quiet, not caring that the Far are falling all around her as well. Even Mira makes something of a choice, deciding to embrace her betrayal, even as she seeks redemption for herself as queen. I thought I knew where a lot of these character journeys were headed, but Orullian can never be accused of taking the easy route.
The world-building and the mythology are developed much farther and much deeper here as well. Of special interest for me was the deeper look beyond the Veil, and the deeper understanding of The Quiet. We've already fought the Bar'dyn, and already trembled before the magic of the Velle, but Orullian shows us that there are other people trapped beyond the Veil - including races that may be different, but which are far from monstrous. It's a clever undoing of the stranger/outcast fantasy trope, and it's a refreshing new angle that builds upon what's come before. In terms of mythology, he tosses some early surprises at the reader as well, first revealing some interesting ideas or theories regarding the Covenant Tongue, before driving us into a confrontation between the Sheason and the Velle - one that seems to destroy the legendary book. The world gets both wider and deeper here, and that's precisely what I look for in my ongoing epic fantasy reads.
If you were one of those readers on the fence about The Unremembered, then nothing here is likely going to change my your mind. Having said that, I enjoyed Trial of Intentions, and I will be first in line for a copy of the third book when it's released.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
I went into Trial of Intentions hoping for nothing more than an advancement/enhancement of everything that I enjoyed in the first book. I wasn't looking for anything dramatically different, and was actually worried that he might try to drag the story in a new direction, either to satisfy his critics, or to assuage his own displeasure with the original edition of his first book. There had to be some serious temptation there for him, I'm sure, but I'm pleased to say he's remained true to his original vision.
The one thing that did shift a bit with this volume was the structure of his writing - probably the only thing that I found to be a (minor) disappointment. Orullian had said that his Author's Definitive Edition of The Unremembered was shorter and more focused, with fewer POV shifts, but he seems to have taken a step back here. Not only were there a lot more shifts than I remembered, but the chapters are much shorter. Yes, short chapters are a definite pet peeve for me, and that artificial driving of the story from one abbreviated POV to another was a challenge to me in terms of settling into a flow. I took me about twice as long to read this volume as the first, and much of that was my own difficulty with that flow. Outside of that, the story is once again well-written story, with even stronger dialogue than the first, and even more incredible visuals. With Trial of Intentions designed to be a suitable starting point for new readers, a little info dumping and exposition is pretty much mandatory, but Orullian fits it well into the overall story. It's really nothing more than the subtle reminders you expect from the second or third book of any fantasy saga . . . there's just a little bit more of it.
The characters came alive early in the first book, and they continue to thrive here, with even greater depth and diversity. Orullian forces us to question much of what we thought we knew about Tahn, Vendanj, Wendra, Mira, and even Grant. He 'broke' many of them with the climactic events of The Unremembered, and they're not allowed to just settle back into their old ways. They've been changed by their experiences, and they continue to evolve as they come to grips with those changes. Tahn makes a momentous decision early on, choosing not to speak the words as he aims, instead taking the decision to 'save' innocent children entirely upon himself. Wendra chooses as well, deciding to unleash the full fury of her song in a war against the Quiet, not caring that the Far are falling all around her as well. Even Mira makes something of a choice, deciding to embrace her betrayal, even as she seeks redemption for herself as queen. I thought I knew where a lot of these character journeys were headed, but Orullian can never be accused of taking the easy route.
The world-building and the mythology are developed much farther and much deeper here as well. Of special interest for me was the deeper look beyond the Veil, and the deeper understanding of The Quiet. We've already fought the Bar'dyn, and already trembled before the magic of the Velle, but Orullian shows us that there are other people trapped beyond the Veil - including races that may be different, but which are far from monstrous. It's a clever undoing of the stranger/outcast fantasy trope, and it's a refreshing new angle that builds upon what's come before. In terms of mythology, he tosses some early surprises at the reader as well, first revealing some interesting ideas or theories regarding the Covenant Tongue, before driving us into a confrontation between the Sheason and the Velle - one that seems to destroy the legendary book. The world gets both wider and deeper here, and that's precisely what I look for in my ongoing epic fantasy reads.
If you were one of those readers on the fence about The Unremembered, then nothing here is likely going to change my your mind. Having said that, I enjoyed Trial of Intentions, and I will be first in line for a copy of the third book when it's released.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
liedora's review
5.0
Yes, this is the second instalment in the Vault of Heaven Trilogy, and yes I have read the first book although I did not review it on here. Unfortunately though, for this book, it is not a standalone read and therefore the first must be read to make any sense of this one.
The main protagonists are many in both books, and their stories continue in this one; we see them grow from the children we first met in The Unremembered to adults that are still connected to their inner children at times. I usually go into great detail about my likes and dislikes of characters in the books I read, but with this cast of characters I felt the mixed emotions one has when confronted with Family and all the imperfections they bring with them. At times I just wanted to shake some sense into them and ask ‘why? Just why?’ and at others I was in my full cheerleading garb, pom-poms and all doing high kicks to spur them on. One thing I did find disappointing was the forced humour in the dialogue, this had come so easily in the first book as it does between friends, but in this one it seemed as if they were just trying to keep the humour going at all costs. I am hoping that this stilted humour is more a result of the events the characters have been through up to the end of this novel, and not an indication that the Author has lost his humourous pen. Rather than just continue expanding on characters from the first novel, the Author brings new ones into the storyline, and some that were introduced in Book One become integral to the storyline in this novel.
Unlike Book One, Trial of Intentions is up and moving from the very first chapter; the reader has moments where the pace slows down enough for them to calm their racing pulses before picking up and propelling them through to the very end of the book. Something I was pleased to find in this second instalment that was present in the first was a musical quality that accompanies the writing of this Author; in gentle areas easy listening folk music is brought to mind in the way the language is placed on the page and I found myself reading everything rather than skipping the ‘song’ sections as I do in Lord of The Rings or The Hobbit; even when the action really picked up it was as if somewhere just out of view there was a rock guitarist playing some riff to accompany the action. Whereas Clockwork Angels by Kevin J Anderson was music (an album of the same name by Rush) to words, this is a book that could be translated from words to music.
All of the major plotlines end on a cliff-hanger that leaves the reader waiting with baited breath for the final book in this trilogy, hopefully it won’t be as long as the wait has being for The Doors of Stone, book three of The Kingkiller Chronicle. Despite the cliff-hanger endings, unlike so many books that finish in this manner, this one does not leave the reader feeling that the book is unfinished and that the Author decided they’d had enough and sent it off to the publisher as is.
I highly recommend both this book, and the first in the trilogy, for those who love to read this genre. It was expansive, it was epic and it was rich with hidden things that come out when the novel was reread (I have to say I am on my fourth reading of this book). Like an onion with its layers, this second instalment added a depth and richness to the world in which it takes place, and I hope that the Author continues in this way in Book Three. I will definitely be waiting to read the next novel by this Author.
The main protagonists are many in both books, and their stories continue in this one; we see them grow from the children we first met in The Unremembered to adults that are still connected to their inner children at times. I usually go into great detail about my likes and dislikes of characters in the books I read, but with this cast of characters I felt the mixed emotions one has when confronted with Family and all the imperfections they bring with them. At times I just wanted to shake some sense into them and ask ‘why? Just why?’ and at others I was in my full cheerleading garb, pom-poms and all doing high kicks to spur them on. One thing I did find disappointing was the forced humour in the dialogue, this had come so easily in the first book as it does between friends, but in this one it seemed as if they were just trying to keep the humour going at all costs. I am hoping that this stilted humour is more a result of the events the characters have been through up to the end of this novel, and not an indication that the Author has lost his humourous pen. Rather than just continue expanding on characters from the first novel, the Author brings new ones into the storyline, and some that were introduced in Book One become integral to the storyline in this novel.
Unlike Book One, Trial of Intentions is up and moving from the very first chapter; the reader has moments where the pace slows down enough for them to calm their racing pulses before picking up and propelling them through to the very end of the book. Something I was pleased to find in this second instalment that was present in the first was a musical quality that accompanies the writing of this Author; in gentle areas easy listening folk music is brought to mind in the way the language is placed on the page and I found myself reading everything rather than skipping the ‘song’ sections as I do in Lord of The Rings or The Hobbit; even when the action really picked up it was as if somewhere just out of view there was a rock guitarist playing some riff to accompany the action. Whereas Clockwork Angels by Kevin J Anderson was music (an album of the same name by Rush) to words, this is a book that could be translated from words to music.
All of the major plotlines end on a cliff-hanger that leaves the reader waiting with baited breath for the final book in this trilogy, hopefully it won’t be as long as the wait has being for The Doors of Stone, book three of The Kingkiller Chronicle. Despite the cliff-hanger endings, unlike so many books that finish in this manner, this one does not leave the reader feeling that the book is unfinished and that the Author decided they’d had enough and sent it off to the publisher as is.
I highly recommend both this book, and the first in the trilogy, for those who love to read this genre. It was expansive, it was epic and it was rich with hidden things that come out when the novel was reread (I have to say I am on my fourth reading of this book). Like an onion with its layers, this second instalment added a depth and richness to the world in which it takes place, and I hope that the Author continues in this way in Book Three. I will definitely be waiting to read the next novel by this Author.
vaderbird's review
4.0
5 star - Perfect
4 star - i would recommend
3 star - good
2 star - struggled to complete
1 star - could not finish
4 star - i would recommend
3 star - good
2 star - struggled to complete
1 star - could not finish
lmcneil's review
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
More...