Title: Storm and Steel (The Book of the Black Earth #2)Author: Jon Sprunk
Genre: Adult Fantasy
Length: 479 pages
Release Date: June 2, 2015
Source: Amazon Vine Program
An empire at war. Three fates intertwined.
The Magician. Horace has destroyed the Temple of the Sun, but now he finds his slave chains have been replaced by bonds of honor, duty, and love. Caught between two women and two cultures, he must contend with deadly forces from the unseen world.
The Rebel. Jirom has thrown in his lot with the slave uprising, but his road to freedom becomes ever more dangerous as the rebels expand their campaign against the empire. Even worse, he feels his connection with Emanon slipping away with every blow they strike in the name of freedom.
The Spy. Alyra has severed her ties to the underground network that brought her to Akeshia, but she continues the mission on her own. Yet, with Horace’s connection to the queen and the rebellion’s escalation of violence, she finds herself treading a knife’s edge between love and duty.
Dark conspiracies bubble to the surface as war and zealotry spread across the empire. Old alliances are shattered, new vendettas are born, and all peoples—citizen and slave alike—must endure the ravages of storm and steel.
You must read book one of this series or you will be totally lost. The book picks up shortly after book one ends with Horace, Alyra, and Jirom somehow ending up on all different sides of the politics. Horace finds his loyalties split and his lack of confidence is beginning to effect his Zoana and his ability to use it. I expected a little bit more out of Horace. Throughout much of the story he is just confused and ineffective.
The slave rebellion, led by Jirom and Emanon, is finally gaining ground. But they know that eventually they will have to face their friend Horace. No one is sure how this will end up, but other political powers are set on doing anything and sacrificing anyone to put the revolt down.
Alyra is another character that seemed confused throughout the story. I loved her dedication and how set in her beliefs she was in book one, but she's changed a lot. She rides the fence a lot more often now, while somehow still seeming to be set in her ways. Towards the end I got a glimpse of the book one Alyra coming back and I really hope that carries over into book three.
Once again, Jon Sprunk has given us a very epic tale. We have magic, strange creatures, politics, and empires are competing against each other. Loyalties are not always clear, and you can never be too sure who you friends are. There are epic battles that can destroy cities, and as an empire rises and falls again, I never really knew where it was going to take me next.
*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*
No comments:
Post a Comment