This fantasy sequel heightens the action while building toward a satisfying conclusion.
Two kingdoms must unite to defeat a powerful thieves guild in Walker’s fantasy novel, the second in a series.
In the bloody aftermath of the first novel in the author’s Legends of Baelon series, the kings of Baelon and Tegan plan to strike back against the Takers Guild, an organization of thieves who murdered many high-ranking members of the Baelon court. King Axil of Baelon mourns his wife and daughter and thinks only of the destruction of the guild by whatever means necessary. Sibil Dunn, rumored to be the mythical Wisperal (a spirit of a vengeful warrior), also seeks revenge for her parents’ deaths and is determined to join King Axil’s assault. When Sibil is rejected by the king’s army, she sets off to confront the Takers Guild alone, intent on assassinating their magister. Noticing her disappearance and feeling protective of Sibil after her parents’ deaths, King Axil sends retired warrior Rolft Aerns to find her. Meanwhile, at the Guild, the magister sets plans in motion to assassinate both King Axil and King Tygre of Tegan to send the kingdoms further into chaos. Walker is extremely adept at writing action scenes; even in the midst of pitched battle, the action is clear and easy to follow: “Their blades clashed, but Rolft was heavier and stronger. He pushed the soldier backward, then held the rest at bay with sweeping arcs of his broadsword.” The novel has multiple point-of-view characters, though Sibil, Guild overseer Reynard, and Marshal Erik Carson of Axil’s army take most of the narrative reins; each have distinct voices. Reynard especially stands out as the comic relief; while he is one of the main antagonists, Walker writes him as extremely likeable and amusing (“What if… his weak heart gives out whilst you’re tickling him?”). The shifting points of view help build tension and suspense, though occasionally this can sometimes lead to confusion. Ultimately, though, the action and engaging dialogue make for an enjoyable fantasy romp.
This fantasy sequel heightens the action while building toward a satisfying conclusion.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Feb. 21, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Although the melodrama sometimes is a bit much, the superb worldbuilding and intricate plotline make this a must-read.
Using mystery and romance elements in a nonlinear narrative, SenLinYu’s debut is a doorstopper of a fantasy that follows a woman with missing memories as she navigates through a war-torn realm in search of herself.
Helena Marino is a talented young healer living in Paladia—the “Shining City”—who has been thrust into a brutal war against an all-powerful necromancer and his army of Undying, loyal henchmen with immortal bodies, and necrothralls, reanimated automatons. When Helena is awakened from stasis, a prisoner of the necromancer’s forces, she has no idea how long she has been incarcerated—or the status of the war. She soon finds herself a personal prisoner of Kaine Ferron, the High Necromancer’s “monster” psychopath who has sadistically killed hundreds for his master. Ordered to recover Helena’s buried memories by any means necessary, the two polar opposites—Helena and Kaine, healer and killer—end up discovering much more as they begin to understand each other through shared trauma. While necromancy is an oft-trod subject in fantasy novels, the author gives it a fresh feel—in large part because of their superb worldbuilding coupled with unforgettable imagery throughout: “[The necromancer] lay reclined upon a throne of bodies. Necrothralls, contorted and twisted together, their limbs transmuted and fused into a chair, moving in synchrony, rising and falling as they breathed in tandem, squeezing and releasing around him…[He] extended his decrepit right hand, overlarge with fingers jointed like spider legs.” Another noteworthy element is the complex dynamic between Helena and Kaine. To say that these two characters shared the gamut of intense emotions would be a vast understatement. Readers will come for the fantasy and stay for the romance.
Although the melodrama sometimes is a bit much, the superb worldbuilding and intricate plotline make this a must-read.Pub Date: Sept. 23, 2025
ISBN: 9780593972700
Page Count: 1040
Publisher: Del Rey
Review Posted Online: July 17, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2025
Read this for the action-packed plot, not character development or worldbuilding.
On the orders of her mother, a woman goes to dragon-riding school.
Even though her mother is a general in Navarre’s army, 20-year-old Violet Sorrengail was raised by her father to follow his path as a scribe. After his death, though, Violet's mother shocks her by forcing her to enter the elite and deadly dragon rider academy at Basgiath War College. Most students die at the War College: during training sessions, at the hands of their classmates, or by the very dragons they hope to one day be paired with. From Day One, Violet is targeted by her classmates, some because they hate her mother, others because they think she’s too physically frail to succeed. She must survive a daily gauntlet of physical challenges and the deadly attacks of classmates, which she does with the help of secret knowledge handed down by her two older siblings, who'd been students there before her. Violet is at the mercy of the plot rather than being in charge of it, hurtling through one obstacle after another. As a result, the story is action-packed and fast-paced, but Violet is a strange mix of pure competence and total passivity, always managing to come out on the winning side. The book is categorized as romantasy, with Violet pulled between the comforting love she feels from her childhood best friend, Dain Aetos, and the incendiary attraction she feels for family enemy Xaden Riorson. However, the way Dain constantly undermines Violet's abilities and his lack of character development make this an unconvincing storyline. The plots and subplots aren’t well-integrated, with the first half purely focused on Violet’s training, followed by a brief detour for romance, and then a final focus on outside threats.
Read this for the action-packed plot, not character development or worldbuilding.Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9781649374042
Page Count: 528
Publisher: Red Tower
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2024
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