<This is
the sequel novel in a duology.>
<Alert:
Potential spoilers ahead.>
The Aristene of Glorious Death bears the name Machianthe,
and her Areion is as headstrong and bitey as ever. But Machianthe is still Reed
with a new title. She’s meant to guide only those heroes whose glory costs them
their lives. She’s already given three lives within a year to the goddess Kleia
Gloria, which is an unfathomable pace. Her fellow new Aristene and friend,
Lyonene, is in Cerille, defying the goddess by falling in love with her hero.
Aristene are meant to guide their heroes and move on, but she’s still with
Prince Alsander trying to sneakily lead a coup against his own father. When
Lyonene looks into the sacred well, she’s summoned to guide Princess Yngarue to
a glorious marriage. She and Reed secretly arrange for Reed to go in her place,
but instead of an easy mission as a matchmaker, one of Yngarue’s suitors is
Hestion, whom Reed still loves. There’s also an enemy rising who’s a severe
threat to the Aristene. Aethiel, the once-queen of Fennbirn Island, watches as
her seafaring hero turns into a sea monster and is only able to kill him with
her old magic, the magic she’d been born with long ago, when her Aristene magic
is subdued. To defeat the enemy, the Aristene are going to need all the allies
they can muster, including hotheaded Veridian, their apostate sister. Many Aristene
and Areion will fall, but will the enemy, too?
In a
sisterhood of female warriors, there is no shortage of bloodshed and violence.
There is a monstrous threat and monstrous gore comes with it. There is tension
amongst the Aristene hidden in Atropa from a patriarchal world. Readers are
rewarded with a strong, complex YA fantasy that is devastating and satisfying
to read in equal measure. It’s grimly entertaining and isn’t without scattered
sarcasm to alleviate some of the sequel story’s darkness. As someone who’s
known a family horse for over three decades, I appreciate the Areion. Even
bitey Silco! Blake’s once-queen of Fennbirn character makes me hopeful that
there will someday be a story that connects the current queens of Fennbirn
Island and the mighty Aristene.
Book
One: Champion of Fate
No comments:
Post a Comment
You have a book or post-related comment on your mind? Wonderful! Your comments are welcome, but whether you are a regular or guest Rutabaga, I expect you to keep your comments clean and respectable. :-)