Stephen’s god died on the longest day of the year…
Three years later, Stephen is a broken paladin, living only for the chance to be useful before he dies. But all that changes when he encounters a fugitive named Grace in an alley and witnesses an assassination attempt gone wrong. Now the pair must navigate a web of treachery, beset on all sides by spies and poisoners, while a cryptic killer stalks one step behind…
I was initially befuddled when I started listening to this book. Not because of anything the book did or didn’t do, but because I had confused which recommendation list I got the title from. I thought it was martial women defending not-fighter men. But that’s very clearly not the case since Stephen is a paladin and Grace a perfumer. Eventually I realized it was fantasy with older hero/heroines, and after that, the book and I got on like a house on fire.
I adored Stephen (38) and Grace (32, I think). They are both emotional basket cases trying to do their best in a world not ready for them. I liked that world a lot and the unvarnished, but sarcastic kindness of The Rats, and the side characters were all a joy in and of themselves.
The writing is marvelous and flatly funny in an often dry way. I have to compliment the narrator, Joel Richards, for bringing it to life in the audio version too. All in all, I went right back to Hoopla and rented another Kingfisher book because I’m a new fan.
The meeting of four lonely immortals will change them – and the world.
High in the Heavens, an immortal court celebrates the betrothal of Jin, Goddess of Beauty, and Xiao, God of Pleasure. But as soon as the vows are made, the Sun Emperor collapses from a death curse.
Raised away from the Sun Court after her mother’s murder, Jin is called a useless goddess, but she is now the emperor’s only hope. The curse’s cure is locked in the Underworld, and even though the court dismisses him as a hopeless alcoholic, Xiao vows to help his betrothed find the lost key.
They hire a thief who is more interested in stealing the groom than recovering the key, and begin their search at the legendary grave of the Great Warrior – only it turns out he never died. Tens of millennia old, he is a master of everything but his own heart.
Their journey takes them from the icy peaks of the White Mountain and the lush banks of the Kuanbai River to the palace of the Sea Dragon and the halls of the Moon Deer, through court intrigue and bloody battles, power struggles and magical traps. Heaven, Earth, and the Underworld will forever celebrate their triumphs – and mourn their mistakes.
I was initially attracted to this book because of the lovely cover. But I was a little hesitant because the characters on the front appear so youthful. I didn’t want to find myself in super young adult angst-land. But I am pleased to say that though this is a coming-of-age tale of sorts, the youths in question are 5-25k-years-old. Sooooo, you know, not too angsty. (The oldest ‘adult’ is roughly 75k-years-old, for comparison’s sake.) These are gods and elemental spirits (or Colors). And while they and their cultures have many many things in common with humanity, they are also notably different and I very much enjoyed the way Pawlicki wove this into the story.
I also appreciated that the circumstances Pawlicki put the four protagonists into could have lead to innumerable tedious jealousies and misunderstanding, driving the plot with artificial drama and…well, to use the word again, angst…the author didn’t go this route. While all of the characters have emotional growth throughout the book, they also try very hard not to hurt one another. Plus, they’re all intensely likeable most of the time. (Maybe not in some of those moments of growth, but generally.)
The book does deal with some heavy themes. Amongst them addiction, abuse, truly horrendous parents, past trauma, loneliness, regret, and guilt. But it’s never too heavy to bear.
While the writing and editing were very good over all. There was the occasional anachronistic turn or phrase or jarring oversight. (Like the person who clenched their fists (plural), after losing a hand.) But these were rare and stood out more for their rarity, I think.
Given the cover, it shouldn’t be surprising that the whole thing reminded me very much of Manhwa (think Bride of the Water God). I’m fairly sure that if you like that narrative style you will very much like this book. I did and I look forward to picking up book two, especially since this one ended on a cliffhanger.
Bathed in Dragon’s fire, Vera Sandrinas has stared into the jaws of death and lived.
With her dying breath she pleaded with the Allfather for her life, and it was granted.
But when war breaks out in heaven, the magic dividing the realms of the living and the dead is torn asunder.
As the undead rise, Vera learns that divine mercy always comes at a price.
Can Vera seal the rift between realms in time? Or will her debt cost her everything?
This was an OK read, but I have a couple complaints. First off, I didn’t know it is a spinoff series when I bought it. (This annoys me so much. Why can’t authors make this more obvious?) And while I could read and follow it, I 100% felt I was missing a lot having not read the A Kingdom Divided series first. I wouldn’t suggest reading this on it’s own. You feel you’re missing a lot and then it’s not a complete story arc. So, you feel you’re missing both a beginning and an end.
Second, the description suggests Vera is the main character. I would posit that she, in fact, is not. Tristan, who appears to have been the main character in the A Kingdom Divided series (according to the blurbs) is the main character here too. Vera is a side character through whose eyes we get to see the gory that is Tristan. Maybe that will change as this series progresses, but as of the end of this book that’s my opinion.
Lastly, the whole thing is a little thin. You can see Stokes building a huge arc in what is a 225 page book. That means there isn’t a lot of depth to most of it. Some of this is, again, because it’s a spinoff and that needed character development and world building probably happened in the first series. But some of it is just that too much is skimmed over and explained in exposition. As a result you never feel you really connect with anyone or anything.
Having said all that, I liked the characters. The series-wide arc looks to be an interesting one, and the writing is quite readable.
