spiringempress's review
3.0
In a manner similar to its predecessor, West's series is unlike any fantasy book that I have encountered before and there's a lot to admire. West takes chances on her narrative choices and how she advances the plot. This second book focuses on the Northern providences and the power dynamics that are arising as a result of the King's Challenge. Valedan en'Leonne, the last of his clan, has entered the challenge to win valor, but it also attracts the attention of men, who want him dead. It also focuses on Terafin House and its war of succession before the death of its ruler.
While I enjoyed the slow exploration of the political connections and powers within the Northern territories, it is hard to connect this story with the one unfolding in the previous book. For one, it is hard to visualize and even conceptualize the geographic space that these stories are taking place in. This seems to result from the fact that the first and second books take place in separate areas without any references to the other. Valedan is dropped into the north suddenly with little to no reflection on the events of the past book. Therefore, it sometimes seems that the books are taking place at different points in time and it takes a lot to realize that they are operating on the same grand stage.
West also has a tendency to ramble on for paragraphs without identifying the narrator or the perspective. Sometimes, I would start a chapter and be completely oblivious to who the narrator was supposed to be because the only identifying information was a location at the beginning of the chapter, which means nothing to me. More often, I would be twenty pages into a chapter and read a detail that didn't make sense for whose perspective I thought I was reading only to discover that somewhere the perspective had switched with the barest suggestion. As a result, I noticed that the author never referred to the characters by name except for once before only using pronouns for the entirety of the chapter. This was just slightly aggravating.
While I enjoyed the slow exploration of the political connections and powers within the Northern territories, it is hard to connect this story with the one unfolding in the previous book. For one, it is hard to visualize and even conceptualize the geographic space that these stories are taking place in. This seems to result from the fact that the first and second books take place in separate areas without any references to the other. Valedan is dropped into the north suddenly with little to no reflection on the events of the past book. Therefore, it sometimes seems that the books are taking place at different points in time and it takes a lot to realize that they are operating on the same grand stage.
West also has a tendency to ramble on for paragraphs without identifying the narrator or the perspective. Sometimes, I would start a chapter and be completely oblivious to who the narrator was supposed to be because the only identifying information was a location at the beginning of the chapter, which means nothing to me. More often, I would be twenty pages into a chapter and read a detail that didn't make sense for whose perspective I thought I was reading only to discover that somewhere the perspective had switched with the barest suggestion. As a result, I noticed that the author never referred to the characters by name except for once before only using pronouns for the entirety of the chapter. This was just slightly aggravating.
sagali's review
4.0
It is hard to put it down. It is already much better than the 1st book.
Probably because almost all of the story takes place in Averalaan and Jewel is my favourite character.
Probably because almost all of the story takes place in Averalaan and Jewel is my favourite character.
spiringempress's review against another edition
3.0
In a manner similar to its predecessor, West's series is unlike any fantasy book that I have encountered before and there's a lot to admire. West takes chances on her narrative choices and how she advances the plot. This second book focuses on the Northern providences and the power dynamics that are arising as a result of the King's Challenge. Valedan en'Leonne, the last of his clan, has entered the challenge to win valor, but it also attracts the attention of men, who want him dead. It also focuses on Terafin House and its war of succession before the death of its ruler.
While I enjoyed the slow exploration of the political connections and powers within the Northern territories, it is hard to connect this story with the one unfolding in the previous book. For one, it is hard to visualize and even conceptualize the geographic space that these stories are taking place in. This seems to result from the fact that the first and second books take place in separate areas without any references to the other. Valedan is dropped into the north suddenly with little to no reflection on the events of the past book. Therefore, it sometimes seems that the books are taking place at different points in time and it takes a lot to realize that they are operating on the same grand stage.
West also has a tendency to ramble on for paragraphs without identifying the narrator or the perspective. Sometimes, I would start a chapter and be completely oblivious to who the narrator was supposed to be because the only identifying information was a location at the beginning of the chapter, which means nothing to me. More often, I would be twenty pages into a chapter and read a detail that didn't make sense for whose perspective I thought I was reading only to discover that somewhere the perspective had switched with the barest suggestion. As a result, I noticed that the author never referred to the characters by name except for once before only using pronouns for the entirety of the chapter. This was just slightly aggravating.
While I enjoyed the slow exploration of the political connections and powers within the Northern territories, it is hard to connect this story with the one unfolding in the previous book. For one, it is hard to visualize and even conceptualize the geographic space that these stories are taking place in. This seems to result from the fact that the first and second books take place in separate areas without any references to the other. Valedan is dropped into the north suddenly with little to no reflection on the events of the past book. Therefore, it sometimes seems that the books are taking place at different points in time and it takes a lot to realize that they are operating on the same grand stage.
West also has a tendency to ramble on for paragraphs without identifying the narrator or the perspective. Sometimes, I would start a chapter and be completely oblivious to who the narrator was supposed to be because the only identifying information was a location at the beginning of the chapter, which means nothing to me. More often, I would be twenty pages into a chapter and read a detail that didn't make sense for whose perspective I thought I was reading only to discover that somewhere the perspective had switched with the barest suggestion. As a result, I noticed that the author never referred to the characters by name except for once before only using pronouns for the entirety of the chapter. This was just slightly aggravating.
laurla's review against another edition
"there should have been rain, storm, something that showed the displeasure of the heavens at the unjust, the unfair, the unacceptable passing of a decent woman. there should have been mourning, and if not that, than at least weather drizzly and gray enough to keep people from good cheer and ease."
"loss - it was the worst thing. the thing she hated most. even speaking about it was somehow letting it in. but she discovered that the strength of her loss was selfish, centered around her own fear and her own rage; discovered, to her surprise and her dismay, that she was not the only member of Terafin that somehow felt a gesture must be made."
"do not fight in anger. you become anger's weapon; it is never yours."
"better to look like a fool than to be one."
"we all desire things that we feel in our hearts we should not desire. it isn't the desire that defines us. never that. it's only the action."
"to beat weaklings and fools is the sport of weaklings and fools."
"you no longer have the comfort of such naivete."
"perhaps this is the most important lesson you will learn from this. you have made the commitment; you must continue it now, with grace, and if you are not pleased with the commitment itself, learn from it for the future."
"loss - it was the worst thing. the thing she hated most. even speaking about it was somehow letting it in. but she discovered that the strength of her loss was selfish, centered around her own fear and her own rage; discovered, to her surprise and her dismay, that she was not the only member of Terafin that somehow felt a gesture must be made."
"do not fight in anger. you become anger's weapon; it is never yours."
"better to look like a fool than to be one."
"we all desire things that we feel in our hearts we should not desire. it isn't the desire that defines us. never that. it's only the action."
"to beat weaklings and fools is the sport of weaklings and fools."
"you no longer have the comfort of such naivete."
"perhaps this is the most important lesson you will learn from this. you have made the commitment; you must continue it now, with grace, and if you are not pleased with the commitment itself, learn from it for the future."
saerryc's review against another edition
3.0
Game of Thrones-ish political battles, but with more demons, and also with a big tournament arc. West is good at writing characters (she should honestly be a standard recommendation for “books with good female characters” threads) and the plot is interesting enough that I will continue to book three, which is a pretty good indication of quality given these books’ length. Still, there are a lot of little things about West’s writing (like her lack of dialogue tags!) that make this harder to read than it needs to be and push my rating down to a 3.5ish. I did get a kick out of reaching a “can they get rid of the demons infesting the marathon course before the runners get there” cliffhanger (this isn’t really a spoiler since it’s what a good chunk of the book is about) the night before I ran one myself.
kmj91's review against another edition
4.0
4 stars, a slower book in this series but still a good one
With the Dominion of Annagar leaderless and the Terafin losing political authority, this book enters something of a holding pattern while the Annagarians host a contest to determine their next ruler and the Aterafins fall into infighting to determine who will succeed the Terafin. The political machinations and danger from allies who are scheming for power drives a lot of the tension of this book which helps make it a stronger story than it could have been in less experienced hands. As ever, West's character work is fantastic it's great seeing Jewel really find her footing as a leader.
With the Dominion of Annagar leaderless and the Terafin losing political authority, this book enters something of a holding pattern while the Annagarians host a contest to determine their next ruler and the Aterafins fall into infighting to determine who will succeed the Terafin. The political machinations and danger from allies who are scheming for power drives a lot of the tension of this book which helps make it a stronger story than it could have been in less experienced hands. As ever, West's character work is fantastic it's great seeing Jewel really find her footing as a leader.
coolcurrybooks's review against another edition
4.0
The Uncrowned King is the second book in a six book epic fantasy series that starts with The Broken Crown. You need to read this series in order, and there may be some spoilers for the first book in this review. While this series is a hefty time investment (six books, each around seven hundred pages), so far I am finding it worth the time I put in, particularly because of the variety of important female characters.
While The Broken Crown was focused mainly on the events in the Dominion, The Uncrowned King is set almost entirely in the Empire. There’s only one scene that takes place within the Dominion, and Diora does not appear in this novel. Instead, The Uncrowned King focuses on Valedan kai di’Leonne and Jewel aTerafin. Valedan Kai di’Leonne, the heir to the Dominion, joins the King’s Challenge, a prestigious athletic event, as a way to prove himself worthy of the throne. However, competing in the Challenge makes him more accessible to the forces seeking to destroy him, which are represented in the famed former winner Ser Anton di’Guivera. Meanwhile, the Terafin house is embarking on a war of succession despite the fact that their current ruler is still alive. Jewel wishes to stay out of the battle for power, but she can’t prevent herself as being seen as an opponent. This being epic fantasy, there are plenty of other plot threads going on. Particularly noteworthy is Kiriel’s story, which I continue to follow with interest. And of course, there’s the ongoing threat of invasion by the demons and the Lord of Night.
The Empire is a gender egalitarian setting with plenty of female characters. Jewel and Kiriel are the most central, but there’s also distinctive secondary characters like the Kalakar, the Terafin, Serra Alina di’Lamberto, Evayne and Princess Mirialyn. Something I really love about the series is how there is such variety in the female characters. The Kalakar is a battle hardened general known for never leaving a solider behind. Serra Alina follows the Dominion’s notions of propriety for women but has a savvy political mind. Along with Mirialyn, she’s an important mentor to Valedan.
While I am enjoying this series, it can be tough to get into. The writing can best be described as dense – there is so much going on and so many characters that it can be overwhelming and hard to keep track. The pacing was slow in the beginning, although it did speed up after page two hundred. I don’t think it helped that the first fifty pages contained all new characters.
I’m very glad I picked up this series, and I plan to keep going with it. I recommend it to anyone looking for epic fantasy, especially if they want a series with well written female characters.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
While The Broken Crown was focused mainly on the events in the Dominion, The Uncrowned King is set almost entirely in the Empire. There’s only one scene that takes place within the Dominion, and Diora does not appear in this novel. Instead, The Uncrowned King focuses on Valedan kai di’Leonne and Jewel aTerafin. Valedan Kai di’Leonne, the heir to the Dominion, joins the King’s Challenge, a prestigious athletic event, as a way to prove himself worthy of the throne. However, competing in the Challenge makes him more accessible to the forces seeking to destroy him, which are represented in the famed former winner Ser Anton di’Guivera. Meanwhile, the Terafin house is embarking on a war of succession despite the fact that their current ruler is still alive. Jewel wishes to stay out of the battle for power, but she can’t prevent herself as being seen as an opponent. This being epic fantasy, there are plenty of other plot threads going on. Particularly noteworthy is Kiriel’s story, which I continue to follow with interest. And of course, there’s the ongoing threat of invasion by the demons and the Lord of Night.
The Empire is a gender egalitarian setting with plenty of female characters. Jewel and Kiriel are the most central, but there’s also distinctive secondary characters like the Kalakar, the Terafin, Serra Alina di’Lamberto, Evayne and Princess Mirialyn. Something I really love about the series is how there is such variety in the female characters. The Kalakar is a battle hardened general known for never leaving a solider behind. Serra Alina follows the Dominion’s notions of propriety for women but has a savvy political mind. Along with Mirialyn, she’s an important mentor to Valedan.
While I am enjoying this series, it can be tough to get into. The writing can best be described as dense – there is so much going on and so many characters that it can be overwhelming and hard to keep track. The pacing was slow in the beginning, although it did speed up after page two hundred. I don’t think it helped that the first fifty pages contained all new characters.
I’m very glad I picked up this series, and I plan to keep going with it. I recommend it to anyone looking for epic fantasy, especially if they want a series with well written female characters.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
beejai's review against another edition
4.0
Book one in this series details a coup in a kingdom (the Dominion) that has a blend of East Asian and Middle Eastern characteristics. Those heading up the coup have made an unholy alliance with a demonic like group (the Kin) who have agreed to aid the overthrow in return for the Dominion then warring with these demons against the Empire (Byzantium? here the analogy breaks down a bit more). This Dominion is ruled by a series of clans with one clan, Leonne, ruling over the others.
In their coup, the entire Leonne clan was wiped out with the exception of one man who was being held hostage in the Empire as part of the peace agreement from the previous war. This hostage suddenly finds himself as the legitimate ruler to the Dominion, but in order to take his inheritance, he must ally with the Empire as well as build support among those who have not bent the knee to the leaders of the coup. To do this he must prove that he is worthy both as a warrior and a "southerner".
To do this he chooses to enter the King's Challenge, a medieval decathlon type competition. This second book pretty much covers that competition. There are multiple assassination attempts along the way both by the demonic Kin and by those of the Dominion. The book is faster paced than book one but also it does not convey the greater sense of urgency and desperation found there. I miss the predominant role Serra Teresa and Serra Diora played (in this book they are virtually nonexistent) on the flip side Jewel, the mc in a parallel series plays a much bigger role and she is awesome.
In all, this book is very good but reading book 1 is a must and I would also recommend reading the first 3 books (but no further) in the House War series as well.
In their coup, the entire Leonne clan was wiped out with the exception of one man who was being held hostage in the Empire as part of the peace agreement from the previous war. This hostage suddenly finds himself as the legitimate ruler to the Dominion, but in order to take his inheritance, he must ally with the Empire as well as build support among those who have not bent the knee to the leaders of the coup. To do this he must prove that he is worthy both as a warrior and a "southerner".
To do this he chooses to enter the King's Challenge, a medieval decathlon type competition. This second book pretty much covers that competition. There are multiple assassination attempts along the way both by the demonic Kin and by those of the Dominion. The book is faster paced than book one but also it does not convey the greater sense of urgency and desperation found there. I miss the predominant role Serra Teresa and Serra Diora played (in this book they are virtually nonexistent) on the flip side Jewel, the mc in a parallel series plays a much bigger role and she is awesome.
In all, this book is very good but reading book 1 is a must and I would also recommend reading the first 3 books (but no further) in the House War series as well.
traveling_in_books's review
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
marktimmony's review against another edition
5.0
This is more a general overview to the whole series rather than specifically directed at this book. But it's an AWESOME book so you definitely buy it!
The Sun Sword books tell a complex and detailed story spanning the breadth of the Domain of Annagar in the south, a land of desert and tradition, harsh sun and rigid social courtesies that form a deadly dance of protocol in which the slightest misstep can cause the downfall of a Clan and the Empire of Essalieyan to the North, a sprawling land of culture and civilisation, commerce and trade in which the Ten Major Houses wield authority second only to the god-born Kings who rule them.
This is a tale of epic narrative and detailed plotting set in a world of rich, vibrant and diverse cultural identities. It is the story of the daughter of a God who refuses to be a pawn in his plans, it is the tale of a woman who shows the world a face of acceptance, but works in secret to change the conventions that make her a slave. It is the story of a Prince who must fight immortal foes to lay claim to the crown that has been denied him and the tale of a young woman whose gift of Sight takes her from city slums to glittering palaces and a position of power that she never dreamed of. Magi battle magi and demi-gods plot for power, warriors fight flesh and blood and the dark sorceries of forgotten legends.
This series is a huge undertaking with a massive cast of characters whose complexity brings to mind the work of Steven Erickson, but is as different to Erickson as he is to Martin. And where readers are willing to forgive both these authors the crime of writing ‘fat’ fantasy I urge you to do the same for West’s work. She is a magical writer of rich and compelling prose and works brilliantly at revealing the history of the world she writes in through character experience, rather than large chunks of ‘info-dump’. This is epic fantasy at its best in which histories and customs collide and not all is as it seems in a world where expectations are confounded and transformation of both events and characters is a delight in a plot of twists and turns.
West writes with insight, thoughtfulness and guts, much in the tradition of Guy Gavriel Kay, Janny Wurts, Tad Williams and Jennifer Roberson and is one of the best fantasy writers I’ve read. And if you do like what you read, check out her work as Michelle Sagara, it’s a lighter read but just as good.
The Sun Sword books tell a complex and detailed story spanning the breadth of the Domain of Annagar in the south, a land of desert and tradition, harsh sun and rigid social courtesies that form a deadly dance of protocol in which the slightest misstep can cause the downfall of a Clan and the Empire of Essalieyan to the North, a sprawling land of culture and civilisation, commerce and trade in which the Ten Major Houses wield authority second only to the god-born Kings who rule them.
This is a tale of epic narrative and detailed plotting set in a world of rich, vibrant and diverse cultural identities. It is the story of the daughter of a God who refuses to be a pawn in his plans, it is the tale of a woman who shows the world a face of acceptance, but works in secret to change the conventions that make her a slave. It is the story of a Prince who must fight immortal foes to lay claim to the crown that has been denied him and the tale of a young woman whose gift of Sight takes her from city slums to glittering palaces and a position of power that she never dreamed of. Magi battle magi and demi-gods plot for power, warriors fight flesh and blood and the dark sorceries of forgotten legends.
This series is a huge undertaking with a massive cast of characters whose complexity brings to mind the work of Steven Erickson, but is as different to Erickson as he is to Martin. And where readers are willing to forgive both these authors the crime of writing ‘fat’ fantasy I urge you to do the same for West’s work. She is a magical writer of rich and compelling prose and works brilliantly at revealing the history of the world she writes in through character experience, rather than large chunks of ‘info-dump’. This is epic fantasy at its best in which histories and customs collide and not all is as it seems in a world where expectations are confounded and transformation of both events and characters is a delight in a plot of twists and turns.
West writes with insight, thoughtfulness and guts, much in the tradition of Guy Gavriel Kay, Janny Wurts, Tad Williams and Jennifer Roberson and is one of the best fantasy writers I’ve read. And if you do like what you read, check out her work as Michelle Sagara, it’s a lighter read but just as good.