aardwyrm's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
The worldbuilding and magic really make this series. Everything is just unabashedly cool. Giant birds, scary people who can turn into murders of crows, spooky dream powers. Some of the characters are more engaging than others (Naranpa is somehow more of a drip than ever) and there's a touch of second book slump, but the good is worth coming back for.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Self harm, Sexism, Abandonment, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Animal death, Murder, Addiction, Gore, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, and War
dreareads_'s review
adventurous
dark
tense
4.5
"Too much darkness destroys as easily as too much light. We must see the balance between us"
Okay, I should note that Black Sun is one of my favorite books of all time, just the perfect start to an epic fantasy/sci-fi trilogy.
The sequel was SO good, but also pretty different in scope. While Black Sun had political intrigue, at its core it was the story of a boy & a girl trying to find/fight their destiny. In this book Roanhorse puts the political machinations at the forefront of the story. The scope and number of pov's that we get increase, giving us better insight into the plot of the story. We are introduced to many chess pieces that are slowly moved into position before the final book.
Our favorite characters continue to shine, with Iktan just being the best. I enjoyed the complexity of Serapios character, and Naranpas own journey was exciting. I personally was disappointed by Xiala throughout the book, because she felt as if the plot was happening TO her instead of her playing any important part.
Some may feel that the pacing was a bit slow, but I think it worked in giving us time to get used to the new characters and learn more from the world. Overall, this is a book meant to prepare us for the final installment and it did its job. I cannot wait for book three and what is sure to be an epic conclusio
Okay, I should note that Black Sun is one of my favorite books of all time, just the perfect start to an epic fantasy/sci-fi trilogy.
The sequel was SO good, but also pretty different in scope. While Black Sun had political intrigue, at its core it was the story of a boy & a girl trying to find/fight their destiny. In this book Roanhorse puts the political machinations at the forefront of the story. The scope and number of pov's that we get increase, giving us better insight into the plot of the story. We are introduced to many chess pieces that are slowly moved into position before the final book.
Our favorite characters continue to shine, with Iktan just being the best. I enjoyed the complexity of Serapios character, and Naranpas own journey was exciting. I personally was disappointed by Xiala throughout the book, because she felt as if the plot was happening TO her instead of her playing any important part.
Spoiler
also, her being mostly love sick throughout the entire book was really annoyingSome may feel that the pacing was a bit slow, but I think it worked in giving us time to get used to the new characters and learn more from the world. Overall, this is a book meant to prepare us for the final installment and it did its job. I cannot wait for book three and what is sure to be an epic conclusio
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Classism, Colonisation, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Misogyny, Blood, Murder, Physical abuse, Racism, Torture, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Violence, and War
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