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andra_mihaela_s's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
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? It's complicated
5.0
Sooooo....I had this book in my possession for a number of years...I first heard about it on a youtube channel and decided that a re-imagining of our world in which multiple human races survived sounded extremely cool and I needed to own the book asap.
With this said...only now I finally got to it! :)))
As I mentioned, we follow multiple human races: the Anakim and the Southerners, with a couple more mentioned but not relevant to the plot of this book.
As the back of my edition says...beyond the Black River live the Anakim- an ancient race of people with lives measured in centuries who scorn wealth and comfort and revel in resilience and wilderness, By contrast, in the south, the others live short lives and have great ambition and cunning. When the South army marches nord across the river, the fragile peace between the two races is shattered.
CW: murder, torture, slavery, discrimination, racism, war and what comes with it
I'll start my actual review by singing praises to the dedication put by the author in creating the Anakim and their whole culture. I'm not kidding...>..>...you'll know how they live, where they live, why and for what, religion and everyday activities/beliefs and ways...all these contrasting with the southerners.
Although a debut, this book is a 10 for worldbuilding and an 8 for military stuff! 0_0 So...if you enjoy these 2 things i mentioned....PICK IT UP! >..<
I really enjoyed both protagonists of both races: Roper Kynortasson for the Anakim and Bellamus of Safinim for the Southerners. Their mental battle and maneuvering was amazing to read about! Obviously...I'm a huge fan of Roper and I deeply want for him to succeed in his plans! ^^ With the smooth(in my opinion) development he had in this first instalment, I'm sure he will be an all-time fave!
In this moment...I kind of hate Bellamus>..>...anyway..moving on...
As I spoke about the worldbuilding...the next one should be atmosphere: all I can say without spoilers is that I loved and felt the battlefields, the tense political discussions, the aprehension our characters felt and the heady rush war heros are known to elicit from their fans! (Pryce Rubenson is nr.1...just saying ...>..>)
Plot: I found it engaging and not at all predictable..yes, we follow Roper and Bellamus as they fight on opposite parts, but a lot of intrigue and deals are done on the side with lots of meaning for the future! As we saw what happened with Uvoren..I'm really curious how The Wildcat will respond the the Silver Wolf. Not to mention the Cuckoo and the Spider....>..> ...OH...and Vigtyr!..Almost forgot one very important player..-_-
As for characters: I'm giving it an 8...only because I cannot say all the important parties were really well known to us, the readers, as some do. :)
In conclusion, if you enjoy alternative history with military stuff combined and amazing worldbuilding..look no further! This book is for you!
Enjoy
With this said...only now I finally got to it! :)))
As I mentioned, we follow multiple human races: the Anakim and the Southerners, with a couple more mentioned but not relevant to the plot of this book.
As the back of my edition says...beyond the Black River live the Anakim- an ancient race of people with lives measured in centuries who scorn wealth and comfort and revel in resilience and wilderness, By contrast, in the south, the others live short lives and have great ambition and cunning. When the South army marches nord across the river, the fragile peace between the two races is shattered.
CW: murder, torture, slavery, discrimination, racism, war and what comes with it
I'll start my actual review by singing praises to the dedication put by the author in creating the Anakim and their whole culture. I'm not kidding...>..>...you'll know how they live, where they live, why and for what, religion and everyday activities/beliefs and ways...all these contrasting with the southerners.
Although a debut, this book is a 10 for worldbuilding and an 8 for military stuff! 0_0 So...if you enjoy these 2 things i mentioned....PICK IT UP! >..<
I really enjoyed both protagonists of both races: Roper Kynortasson for the Anakim and Bellamus of Safinim for the Southerners. Their mental battle and maneuvering was amazing to read about! Obviously...I'm a huge fan of Roper and I deeply want for him to succeed in his plans! ^^ With the smooth(in my opinion) development he had in this first instalment, I'm sure he will be an all-time fave!
In this moment...I kind of hate Bellamus>..>...anyway..moving on...
As I spoke about the worldbuilding...the next one should be atmosphere: all I can say without spoilers is that I loved and felt the battlefields, the tense political discussions, the aprehension our characters felt and the heady rush war heros are known to elicit from their fans! (Pryce Rubenson is nr.1...just saying ...>..>)
Plot: I found it engaging and not at all predictable..yes, we follow Roper and Bellamus as they fight on opposite parts, but a lot of intrigue and deals are done on the side with lots of meaning for the future! As we saw what happened with Uvoren..I'm really curious how The Wildcat will respond the the Silver Wolf. Not to mention the Cuckoo and the Spider....>..> ...OH...and Vigtyr!..Almost forgot one very important player..-_-
As for characters: I'm giving it an 8...only because I cannot say all the important parties were really well known to us, the readers, as some do. :)
In conclusion, if you enjoy alternative history with military stuff combined and amazing worldbuilding..look no further! This book is for you!
Enjoy
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and War
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Slavery, Torture, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Gaslighting
Minor: Animal cruelty