jaimesamms's review
5.0
Summary: This novel takes up where Gold Warrior left off, following Mean through his daily life in thrall to the new Queen Seleste. She has saved his life but found she cannot have his heart. He still belongs to Dax even though he believes his beloved Bronzeman has been killed in a raid against the City.
In an effort to bring some meaning to the empty disaster that has become his life, Maen accepts Seleste's commission to oversee the writing of her history. He is put under the guard of her best Gold Warrior, Zander and discovers an intellectual equal in the young, enthusiastic scribe, Kiel to whom the task of writing the history falls.
Kiel opens up a whole new world to the two men but it is up to them to unite and save that world, and each other, or to accept Seleste's ultimate rule over their lives, and deaths, forever.
My review: Every once in a while a book comes along that I almost can't bear to keep reading, but that won't let me put it down. To me, that's the sign of a really good book. One in which the tension is so high I'm too nervous to keep reading but too engrossed to stop. Twisted Brand is one of those books. If it has a flaw, I suppose it can be argued that the pace is just short of breakneck. The actual action is encompassed mostly in scorching sex scenes, but this book isn't about rock 'em sock 'em battles (though there are a few of those). It is an emotional journey for Maen to become fully the man he was meant to be, and that journey isn't an easy one.
I guess that's what I like about it so much. The characters are very easy to like despite their flaws. London has managed to create a world peopled with characters whose struggles are easy to sympathise with. Even the antagonists are understandable, if not always likeable.
Some things that bothered me in the first book; the lack of tangible world building, and the numerous open-ended storylines, have been alleviated here. A great deal of thought went into the history behind the society, and that has paid off in this volume. This book has drawn all the plot lines to a satisfactory conclusion while still leaving room for the reader to imagine a future substantially different from the present she left us in. This story is over, but there are so clearly many stories that are just beginning. This author has grown over just two volumes and my only question now is will there be a third? I can see the possibility.
My recommendation: This isn't a stand alone book, but both Gold Warrior and Twisted Brand are well worth the cover price. I give both together a recommended read.
In an effort to bring some meaning to the empty disaster that has become his life, Maen accepts Seleste's commission to oversee the writing of her history. He is put under the guard of her best Gold Warrior, Zander and discovers an intellectual equal in the young, enthusiastic scribe, Kiel to whom the task of writing the history falls.
Kiel opens up a whole new world to the two men but it is up to them to unite and save that world, and each other, or to accept Seleste's ultimate rule over their lives, and deaths, forever.
My review: Every once in a while a book comes along that I almost can't bear to keep reading, but that won't let me put it down. To me, that's the sign of a really good book. One in which the tension is so high I'm too nervous to keep reading but too engrossed to stop. Twisted Brand is one of those books. If it has a flaw, I suppose it can be argued that the pace is just short of breakneck. The actual action is encompassed mostly in scorching sex scenes, but this book isn't about rock 'em sock 'em battles (though there are a few of those). It is an emotional journey for Maen to become fully the man he was meant to be, and that journey isn't an easy one.
I guess that's what I like about it so much. The characters are very easy to like despite their flaws. London has managed to create a world peopled with characters whose struggles are easy to sympathise with. Even the antagonists are understandable, if not always likeable.
Some things that bothered me in the first book; the lack of tangible world building, and the numerous open-ended storylines, have been alleviated here. A great deal of thought went into the history behind the society, and that has paid off in this volume. This book has drawn all the plot lines to a satisfactory conclusion while still leaving room for the reader to imagine a future substantially different from the present she left us in. This story is over, but there are so clearly many stories that are just beginning. This author has grown over just two volumes and my only question now is will there be a third? I can see the possibility.
My recommendation: This isn't a stand alone book, but both Gold Warrior and Twisted Brand are well worth the cover price. I give both together a recommended read.
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