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Exploring the Jinn Realm: A Review of The Ashfire King, Book 2 in the Sandsea Trilogy
Information:
- Goodreads: 4.39 out go 126 Ratings as of March 12, 2025 – release date is April 15th.
- Age Category: Adult but reads more closely upper end of YA in my opinion
- Series: Sandsea Trilogy, Book 2
- Genre: Fantasy
Summary:
Loulie, the Night Merchant, and Mazen are trapped in the jinn realm, which is currently crumbling thanks to a certain king. In order to get back home and to Qadir, they must save the jinn world. The world is on the cusp of collapse and Loulie and Mazen find conflict and shady people around every corner. They are faced with considering their own lives, as well as fix the mistakes of others. Meanwhile, Aisha is fighting her own fight as well.
Review:
I gave this a 3 star rating. I adored the first book in the series. The world is so intricate and beautiful. There are jinn, magical relics, actual flying carpets. It is absolutely stunning. The world building is even better within this book, as we actually get to see the jinn world. The characters aren’t even really what I struggled with. They are fun and interesting. This book is about them deciding their legacy. Do they take on someone else’s or carve their own?
It’s a book full of introspection. Mazen is deciding what kind of ruler he is willing to be, if it comes to that. Loulie is deciding who to believe and trust in, particularly when her trust in specific people is called into question. Aisha is navigating her hatred for the jinn while having one live currently sharing her body. You see a lot of character arcs throughout this book, especially when looking at how they were in the beginning of the Stardust Thief. There’s even a cutesy little romance growing, but no worries about that taking over, it doesn’t. It’s barely there at all, but still sweet. My gripe with the characters is that my favorite and the one I wanted to see the perspective of and learn more about is hardly in this book. It’s even named after him and he’s hardly in it.
Next is the writing. The prose is nice; it’s not overly descriptive and not overly simple. It has a lovely flow that feels perfect for the book. The battle scenes are absolutely phenomenal and gripping. Unfortunately, it was also incredibly repetitive. I lost count of how many times Loulie or Mazen commented on Rijah’s eyes – I get it, they glow and they almost never change their eyes when they take the form of someone else. I know it’s a way for the two of them to note whenever it’s Rijah they’re looking at and not someone else, but it just got so repetitive. I swear, the comment “but the eyes were glowing blue and I knew it was Rijah” (not a direct quote, but something very, very similar) at least 5 times within one chapter. Still, each chapter ends on a cliff hanger that has the reader desperate to keep turning pages.
While the writing is done really well, aside from repeating specific phrases, it also reads as if it’s the older portion of YA instead of purely adult. I have read two of these books now and I have no idea how old these characters are. I can believe Aisha is an adult, but Loulie and Mazen? They read as 15-16 at most. They feel so immature. Maybe that’s because they’re constantly around other characters who are centuries older than them. I’m willing to give it that benefit of the doubt, but it just reads as extremely well-written YA in the way the characters interact with one another and view things. That’s not a bad thing at all, just something to take note of.
The plot also felt like it took a small step behind the characters in this one. The first felt like the plot was two steps over the characters, so it makes sense. The plot is still absolutely happening, but it’s the characters making these big decisions that feels more like a focal point. Still, the plot was incredibly interesting. I hate Omar. There were times the characters were confused on who to believe and who to trust and I’m still not sure who is doing what. I believe that’s on purpose. Hopefully. There’s a queen who has made some fucked decisions, but ultimately wanted what she thought was good for her people – though her plan was hurting them. There’s an ifrit who feels alone and abandoned and is acting out on that – though her plan was saving the jinn realm. There’s a servant of the queen who hated her more than anything and is apparently the biggest villain of them all? I like that it’s not a nice and pretty bow. I like that each of them are bad people in some aspects and great people in others. You can feel for each of them.
Ultimately, this was slightly a bummer. But, I’ll give it to Chelsea Abdullah, she knows how to write an ending because that ending has me absolutely needing the next book immediately. It’s well-written with a stunning world and compelling characters, but it was not what I was expecting this book to be or what I wanted it to be. That in no way makes it bad, it just wasn’t what I wanted. And that’s okay. I do think a lot of people are going to enjoy this even more than the first. Are you planning on reading this one? Let me know!
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The Inklings Digest
Currently Reading:
I’m currently reading One of Our Own by Lucinda Berry. This is a short thriller about a 988 suicide hotline operator who gets a call from a young girl in distress. She begins to learn that the young girl had been assaulted by boys at a party and becomes obsessed with figuring out what happened as a way of trying to help the girl. But, as the details line up, she begins to suspect and fear that maybe her son has something to do with it. I’m about 80% into it and really enjoying it. I’ll finish it within the next hour or so. I’m also currently reading Saint’s Blood by Sebastien De Castell. This is the third book in the Greatcoats series and I’m really enjoying this whole series.
Recent Reads:
Long Way to A Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers was fun, wholesome, and interesting. I’m really excited to read more from this author. I love explorations of space and this just hit a cozy spot I didn’t realize I was looking for. Voyage of the Damned by Frances White was not as fun. It didn’t feel like this book knew what it was hoping to be. It was lighthearted but also deep. The magic wasn’t really interesting and the murder mystery didn’t keep my attention well. There was also a ‘reveal’ that I just hated. It was irritating and I don’t feel like there was much lead-up to it.
I also read To Hell With Hallmark by Brad Ricks. This is a collection of short horror stories that were pretty interesting. Some were fun, some were cheesy. For anyone who either loves Hallmark movies or absolutely hates Hallmark movies, this is great if you’re looking for horror during Christmas season. I’m not the biggest fan of short stories and still enjoyed it, but I did feel like the ending was really silly. Moving onto a very different book, I read The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai and it was so sweet and wholesome it make my tummy hurt. It was precious. And this really kickstarted a love for translated healing fiction.
I did move on to Out of The Dark by Gregg Hurwitz after that. This is the fourth book in the Orphan X series and I adore it. It is peak Dad fiction for me and it’s so fun and so interesting. He’s going after the freaking president in this book. Phenomenal, fun, strangely heartwarming. I kept that fast paced action up by going into the Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook by Matt Dinniman. This is the third book in the Dungeon Crawler Carl series and it is fun, precious, and quick. I love every minute of it. This series and these audiobooks have my whole heart. They are just so much fun. And because they’re so fun and I love them so much, I went right into the fourth book, The Gate of the Feral Gods. Spectacular.
Lost and Lassoed by Lyla Sage was cute and fun. I have thing for single parent tropes and seeing them fall in love with someone who treats their kids right. It’s even better that Gus doesn’t hate his child’s mother. They are friends and co-parent well and I don’t feel like you get to see that often. I went on to Draggon Your Bones, the ending of the coming of age duology by Tatianna Obey. Fantastic, loved every minute. There were a few times that it felt repetitive or too long, but I quickly got over that and cried a little by the end of it. I went on to Every House is Haunted, another short story collection. It’s okay. I got this form my Twisted Retreat box, who I have about a 87% success rate with. This, unfortunately, was part of the 13% unsuccessful rate. I just don’t really get into short stories. There were some I liked, but not enough to justify a positive regard. Luckily, this was part of a box that had two books. Hopefully the other will be great.
The Light of all that Falls was okay. I enjoyed it, but it didn’t provide for lead up I was hoping for and I just didn’t care about any of the characters. Before the Coffee Gets Cold made me cry and I will indeed be continuing it. Strangely, I moved onto to a horror after that one. I guess it was too wholesome, heartwarming, and sweet for me. I read The Perfect Victim by David Sodergren. All of his books are fun and interesting. This reminded me a little of home alone, but if it was horror with terrible people and more gore. Highly recommend. So fast paced. So fun. Brutal deaths. 10/10.
Week’s Plans:
I’ll be doing the reading reading for the next few weeks. I feel in a huge mood for intense horror/thriller or fantasy, so I’m going to continue to ride with that wave. Other than that, a review for The Perfect Victim is coming within the next few days. I expect at least one more discussion post and one more review after that.
Thanks for tuning in, I’d love to know what you thought about any of these. I’ll chat with ya soon!
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The Inklings Digest 11
Currently Reading:
I’m currently reading an ARC I was lucky enough to receive titled Sweet Fury. I’m about 10% through and liking it so far. I’m definitely curious to see how it goes. I’m also starting Long Way to a Small Angry Planet today – I have the audiobook for it and will be listening to that while I clean house a bit. Really hoping it’s a good audiobook and not something I feel like I have to exclusively read with my own eyeballs, but we’ll see.
Recent Reads:
There are 9 books to catch you up on. I took another week’s break from the blog and just immersed myself in both school work and reading. Last time I checked in, I was reading Revenant X, which I absolutely loved. It’s just as fun and action packed as the first one, with zombies on an alien planet. Honestly, what more could I ask for? There were some things that really bugged me, like character deaths. I already dislike takeout deaths; I feel like they make the emotions we went through with that death feel cheaper. This series so far has had three of those. It’s really irritating, but I’m still loving the series so far. Admittedly, I am hoping it’s a trilogy and not any longer than that. I just don’t want the things that make this series great begin to feel like a gimmick.
I then went on to finish Ghostsmith, which was my audiobook. It was okay. I didn’t have a terrible time reading it, but I feel like I would have liked it more if I had read it closer to when I read the first one. I just don’t think I’m in the mood for YA fantasy right now, because that is also the feeling I had with Mirror of Beasts and The Dagger and the Flame. I kept trying to force myself into enjoying one of them, especially because I really liked Silver in The Bone. I just couldn’t bring myself to care about these three. The worlds weren’t what I was looking for, the characters were annoying, and I just wasn’t having a grand time.
I also finished my ARC of the last book in the Combat Codes trilogy, Blacklight Born. I fell in love with Combat Codes, but there were some issues I had with the writing. There were multiple times when something major would be irritating the characters, but that issue would be resolved behind closed doors. We were amped up for it, but never got to see the solution. I didn’t mind it too much because I loved the combat scenes; they’re some of the best I have ever seen. It seems like the further I went with the series, the more I just did not enjoy the writing more and more. This last book felt like a chore to get through. I think it’s because when I read the first, the combat scenes were like a treat that I didn’t receive often. By the third book, I was used to that treat, so the flaws felt like they showed more and more. There was also a death in here and I just did not feel the emotion for it that I was supposed to feel.
A Step Past Darkness was a really great read and kept me interested, but it did feel like it dragged a lot. There were moments when I was invested in what I was reading and then other moments when I was so easily distracted that I’d forget what I had just read and have to reread it. I finished this past week off with Do What Godmother Says and really enjoyed it. It’s a book that was in the October Twisted Retreat box and I have no read a single book that they’ve featured that I didn’t really like (I’ve read 4, but this is my second box I’ve received). The representation of Shanice’s anxiety how she describes it as a beast that lurks and waits for the right moment to pounce was phenomenal. Some of the twists were very obvious, but the almost gothic atmosphere made the reading experience so great. There’s generational trauma, white washing of black art, and so much more that was fascinating and interesting to read. A lot of this made up for the ‘overly’ obvious twists.
Week’s Plans:
I’m going to post my end of year TBR. This is just 16 books that I want to finish by the end of year, separated by 8 in November and 8 in December. I’ll very likely read more than that, as my average books per month is around 15-20. I don’t typically plan all of those books out though, so I’m sticking with the 16 I feel as if I need to get done. I’ll be posting around 4-5 posts this week, not counting this one. The first will be the end of year TBR, then I should have a few reviews coming as well.
As for what I’m planning on reading, I going to try and read 4 of my 8 this week because I have gotten a bit of a late start on it. I’m starting with Sweet Fury, which will have a review this week as well. I think I also plan on picking up Carl’s Doomsday Scenario and Saint’s Blood. I’m not sure yet, but we’ll see. Thank’s for tuning in, I’ll see ya later this week!
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The Inklings Digest 10
Currently Reading
I have been in a strange mood. I can’t tell if I’m in the mood for romantasy, epic fantasy, or a good and juicy thriller. I’ll start reading a book and then put it down a few chapters in because I’m not feeling it at the moment. I am currently reading Revenant-X and The Songbird and The Heart of Stone and really enjoying it. I find that reading one sci-fi horror and one romantasy is hitting the spot, as I can easily switch when one isn’t working out.
Recent Reads:
Easy peasy, I just read one book. I read Morbidly Yours by Ivy Fairbanks. It was so cute. We follow Callum, a socially awkward mortician with a stutter and Lark, an outgoing and grieving widow. Callum has to marry before he’s 35 to keep his family business and Lark quickly becomes his best friend, but doesn’t tell him her reason for being single for the rest of her life is because her husband recently died and she feels the blame is on her. The match between these two is perfect. I love them. Callum is so sweet and so worried about being made fun of because of his stutter. It was so cute. More to come about this couple, though, as there will be a blog about the book this week.
This Week’s Plans
I’m really excited and feeling great this week. I’ve been going to the gym and consistently making 10 thousand steps a day – not pushing myself but as a fun challenge to see if I can make it. I’ve found that reading on my treadmill is a ton of fun. I do plan to figure out a few series I want to either continue or finish up between this month and next so that I can lower that number and/or not feel guilty for starting a new series. I’ve also recently gotten into boxing and have fallen in love with it. I have scheduled 2 sessions per week starting off, which I’m really excited about. I likely will see a decrease in reading until I figure out how I can fit reading into the other activities I’ve taken up. I have no idea how much reading I’ll finish this week, but I should at least finish up the two I’m currently reading.
Thanks for checking in today! I’ll talk to ya later this week.
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Nightstrider – Sophia Slade
Information
- Goodreads: 4.28 out of 463 Ratings
- Age Category: Adult
- Genre: Fantasy
- Series: Nightstrider, book 1
Summary
Para Warwick, a night terror, dreams up nightmares to serve him in the Reverie. His right hand man, Nightstrider, decides she’d rather have revenge. Throughout this story, we follow Wren (Nightstrider), Ila, Caine, and Alaric. Ila is a queen forced to marry Caine, who happens to be Warwick’s mortal son in the Wake. Ila is also a weaver – someone who can cross the boundary at will and is solely focused on protecting each world and a specific little girl who has the power to stand against Warwick himself. Ila finds herself working with Caine, Wren finds herself working with Alaric, and the two pairs find themselves all working towards the same goal. This is an interesting world with interesting magic that I hadn’t quite seen before.
Review
I thought this was going to be a fantasy romance – and there does seem to be two couples beginning that process – but the ‘romance’ is not the main focus. And I loved and appreciated that. Instead, we focus on each of these characters, the world we’re in, and the job we’re trying to do: save a little girl who’s trapped in a box.
The character work is so interesting and fun. Caine, Warwick’s oblivious son, is paired with Queen Ila, a weaver who is desperately working against his father. We get to see Caine come to realize what kind of person his father actually is and we get to see Ila realize that not everyone is as bad as she thought they would be. Each of them faces their bias’ at the hands of the other. Caine is a sweet cinnamon roll though.
Wren (Nightstrider) is paired with Alaric. Wren is Warwick’s right hand man seeking revenge while Alaric used to be his right hand and rebelled. He’s been assumed dead. Wren is grieving someone who was taken from her and so is Alaric – you can definitely figure out the twist that this becomes, but I don’t think that made it less impactful. I genuinely teared up. Alaric fights for the rebellion, but they still see him as just a nightmare. He finds someone like him in wren and wants to give her a chance at a better life, but she just wants to die. This is my favorite pairing, obviously.
That being said, there were a few times when the characters made such dumb decisions that I was so confused because it did not align with their reputation. For example, Alaric is a big baddy, okay? You can’t become the Para’s right hand man without being badass. Now riddle me this: how did this badass get so flustered watching Wren fight that he lost the one thing he was told to protect at all costs? There were a few times like that where I felt pulled out of the story because it just didn’t make sense.
I love this world. It’s new and interesting. I don’t think I’ve ever read anything dealing with night terrors or nightmares in this way before. And throughout the story, it leads to people questioning what exactly makes a person. Just because Wren and Alaric are nightmares, does that make them less than Ila? Kips, which are dream beings who aren’t Luminae (hero’s of a dream) or nightmares, are often viewed as expendable because they don’t have anything ‘special’ to them. There’s also play around who is specifically bad or good. A lot of people have a hard time seeing the grey area – Luminae, Dream Breakers, and Weavers can all be bad people despite often being pegged as the hero’s. Just like Nightmares can be good, despite constantly being pegged as bad. That being said, some of the nightmares are so creepy and unsettling. I loved it.
The mission to save this child was interesting and fun to read. It almost made me think of playing hot potato. Hear me out. This child is literally in a box. And this box gets passed from hand to hand as each side desperately tries to snatch it. We grow to see that there’s an even bigger plot going on and our main four are in the center of this. But then we get to the end and the ending makes it all feel almost useless. We spend the whole book with one single goal – and fail. Horribly.
I am definitely curious to see the next box. I’ll admit, I’m already desperate for it. Despite not quite liking how it ended, I still have to admit that I utterly fell in love with each and every character and the world and do really want to know what happens from here.
I’d love to know your thoughts if you’ve read the book!
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The Sword Unbound
Information
- Ratings: 4.19 out of 36 ratings
- Genre: High Fantasy
- Age Range: Adult
- Series: Lands of the Firstborn
Summary
Alf and his friends saved the world from the dark lord 25 years ago. That means all the bad things are done and over with, right? Not exactly. As seen in the last book, there have been invisible hands pulling strings that are working directly against our crew. Those hands helped build up the 9 twenty-five years ago, now it seeks to bring them down. We follow Alf, Olva, and Bor as they go through this world and fight against these invisible strings pulling them – some more so than others. Not only are they dealing with that, each has also been elevated to a new status: Olva is Queen and mother to the uncrowned king, whose going, whose going through some strange things of his own as his is not the only soul held within his body. Af is once again The Lammergeier, a title he has never held comfortably. He still has Spellbreaker and is bidden to protect his family and Necrad with it. Bor is just going with the motions, which has led to him facing how he has been pulled in numerous ways by invisible hands. Poor guy is struggling with his actions within the last book, but doing nothing to actually change as a better person.
Review
Alf is consistent in his desperate need for having his friends a ll get along. The man doesn’t want to fight, he just wants everyone to talk and get along. This can get really annoying. He has tried so many times to just have everyone talk everything out and consistently fails in that endeavor. It is always going to shit for his and he is simply never learning his lesson. Still, I kind of love it to be honest. He’s just so simple in his need to just be with all of his friends and have everyone get along that, even though it gets annoying and can feel lot like he’s just going in circles, there’s also something so sweet about this big dummy trying his best. Alf is still struggling with his reputation as the Lammergeier – it’s interesting to see how much he hates the title is also protective of the reputation he’s built. He doesn’t want it but he doesn’t want it being ridiculed and torn down either. Olva is also interesting in this book, maybe a little more so with how she comes to terms with her role as the ruling Queen of Necrad. No one else is taking care of business, so she may as well, right? Each character goes through a journey of figuring out who they are and what they are willing to do for their side. Yes, let’s use the evil creatures of Necrad – it doesn’t make us evil, we’er just using what we have for the greater good. Are you still good though? It was also really interesting to see how each person handled learning that their religion is what what they initially thought it was. Some refuse to believe it, some begin to actively fight against it, and some continue within their faith because they feel that they still need and love their faith even if it isn’t completely true. I absolutely love the world within this series. It feels classic and fun, but adds in new flavors here and there. It’s so fun and interesting with a pretty soft magic system – I’m sure the magic has rules, but those are only known to Blaise. There are so many cool. creatures such as vampires, elves, dread worms, wizards, wraiths, and more. Each of these creatures have incredibly interesting origins, though, with the Elves being at the root of it all. I think the miasma was interesting and continued to add more of that classic fantasy feeling for some reason. It was just wonderful. Unfortunately, the pacing and plot twists felt too predictable for me and I don’t know if how they were handled by our main characters really made up for it. It was pretty easy to see that the Dark Lord tagged along with Pier into Alf’s nephew – who was honestly so flat and boring that I’ve genuinely forgotten his name. Bor ending up with Spellbreaker was surprising and interesting to see and I wish Alf hand’t left the sword b behind, but I get it. It’s what his character has been leading up to. He is allowed to rest now. I kind of love that he ended up back at home with his sister and just living his simple life. His arc was interesting, I just wanted it to be different, honestly. I wanted the Lammergeier and I got the man behind the name struggling with his role and his title. It was still great to read, though. This was overall a super fun and interesting book Even with the issues I had, I still found it so engaging and quick to read. I definitely want to do back and read more from the author.
Thanks for tuning in and absolutely let me know of any book recommendations you have! And let me know what you thought of the book as well.
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The Tainted Cup – Robert Jackson Bennett
Information
- Goodreads: (5 days before release date) 879 Ratings with an Average of 4.35.
- Series: Shadow of the Leviathan Book 1
- Age Category: Adult
- Genre: Fantasy, Murder Mystery
Summary
We follow Din and his boss, Ana Dolabra, as they investigate a murder – which ultimately turns into an investigation of multiple murders. Ana reminds me of a mix of BBC Sherlock Holmes mixed with Benoit Blanc from Knives Out, but she’s an old woman who constantly wears a blind fold and swears alot. Throughout this novel, the two investigate brutal deaths which involve grass/trees growing from within a person’s body.
Review
I gave this a 4.5 star. It was super close to perfection, but there are a few moments around the middle that I didn’t really find myself caring about much. Still, it was a ton of fun. The magic system is interest, but I also feel it kind of leans towards sci-fi. People and living things are being genetically altered to be able to do specific things that is needed. For example, Din is an engraver, meaning his mind has been altered to be able to remember everything. There are mushrooms that are altered to draw in the air, filter it and cool it, then release it back into a room. I think that is so fascinating and led to a world that I found myself genuinely curious about and interested in learning more of. Of course, this helped those info-dumpy moments feel not as much of a slog to get through. Din and Ana’s relationship is fun, but also not the most engaging part of the story. I’m excited to see more of their dynamic; it reminds me of an estranged aunt with her nephew tagging along. But I’m much more interested in them individually. I like Din, he’s precious and sometimes quite slow, despite being clever and a great assistant. Ana is the one I find myself drawn to the most because of her ‘experimental’ alteration. I want to know more of her background and who she is as a person. Of course side characters don’t really seem to have a lot of depth, but I don’t know if they’re necessarily supposed to for the story that this is. It felt more like these are people that exist in this world, but only for this book. They don’t really need more than surface level information because our main characters will know them on a surface level. It seems like a series where the side characters will consistently change due to the two investigators moving around so often. It doesn’t really bother me as much when that’s that case; it would be incredibly difficult to add a ton of substance to every single new person we meet. The mystery was interesting and kept me wondering what the hell was going on. I don’t really think I could’ve fully guessed everything and I’m hoping to see more mysteries like this within this series. I also wouldn’t mind learning more about the leviathans, as I feel a large mystery regarding them is coming, especially when the one Din saw appeared to by trying to say something and it had been noted that there is a familiarity between the people and the leviathans. There seems to be so much promise with this series and I genuinely cannot wait to read more of it.
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Nomads of the Sea – Coby Zucker
Information
- Goodreads: 18 Ratings, Average of 4.44
- Series: The Fishgut Guard
- Age Category: Adult
- Genre: High Fantasy
Summary
This story follows multiple perspectives: Idalia – a Lyssan healer sent with an army to assist the nomadic loyalists fight their civil war. Sig – a chieftain’s son and part of the loyalists who is coming to realize he may have a hunger for blood. And Bryn – an exiled royal aethermancer who has escaped. Throughout the story, you follow each of these people as they come to terms with new information they learn about themselves, their peoples, and the conflict going on. There is a group of people being colonized, with half of them being against it and half being loyal and exploration of what that could look like, as well as aspects of being loyal only because it seems to be the best guarantee of survival. Each of these people followed in this book become known as the Fishgut Guard.
Review
I really enjoyed this book. It’s quite a chunker and did take me time to get through. It stayed consistently interesting and the three perspectives were different and engaging for me. I rated it a 4 star, but it definitely had good bit of 5 star potential. For the emotional impact, there were moments that I knew I was supposed to feel something, but I couldn’t really get past more than a ‘oh, man. That’s sad.’ No real or true, full reaction, which I found myself wishing I could’ve experienced. Had those emotions been tugged more, they could’ve been devastating scenes. That being said, I still think they were handled with great care and only needed a little additional work in order to have the impact that they were supposed to. The plot is quite slow, but also somehow feels quite quick. It’s a journey, you’re following one person as he conducts his escape and runs from those pursuing him and then the other two are fighting battles on the ocean. There’s a good amount of action to make the slower plot pace not as noticeable and every bit is needed for the overall plot and point. There’s a ton of gore and it’s a great time, but I’ll also say that I wish the writing for the action scenes was a bit more involved. It definitely got great towards the end, but some of them felt like we were watching the battle from afar rather than actually in the battle itself. Sig was my least favorite character and I felt like his dialogue was also the weakest. I just found him to be a bit corny, though he and his people are still interesting. And, honestly, of course he’s corny. His story is essentially a gory coming of age story and I really enjoyed where he ended. Idalia has had her entire world flipped upside down, so I also cannot wait to see what she does from here. I almost have a feeling there might be a thing between her and Sig, but that could completely wrong. Bryn was actually my favorite, though it could also be argued that his plot line was the slowest. He’s the exiled royal aethermancer, though, who has learned that his war crimes were horrendous and struggling with the morality of facing what he did and learning to be better. Does he succeed in that? Whose to say. The dialogue, as mentioned above, just felt a bit clunky or corny at times. That doesn’t mean the prose itself is bad though. It’s not purple in the slightest, from what I recall, but I could actively see what was happening and being described. The cultures within this book felt pretty real and interesting. I would love to learn more about the shapeshifters. The nomads were fascinating in how they had aether, but also were able to evolve to actually sufficiently live on the ocean. I think the nomadic culture was my absolute favorite within this and the concept was so incredibly interesting. It was a ton of fun to see how their day-to-day looked. There’s more about the world that I’m interested in learning, especially when I get to learn what the real ‘big bad’ is. For me, the ending was 5 star material in terms of scenes, world building, characters, and plot line. Unfortunately, it was just a huge book that could’ve potentially had some pages shaved off and gotten a better affect. Regardless, I can’t wait until Coby writes the second. I’m already dying to see where the Fishgut guard goes.
