Princess of Blood
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher!
There's a new Card in the Mercenary Deck - one Lynx isn't sure if he's happy to see or not. The assassin Toil now wears the Princess of Blood on her jacket and even Lynx would admit she's a woman cloaked in chaos and bloodshed.Their new mission is to escort a dignitary to the pious and ancient city of Jarrazir - beneath which lies a fabled labyrinth. Having barely survived their last underground adventure the mercenaries aren't keen for another, but Toil has other plans. Under threat of siege and horrors rising from the labyrinth, even the Mercenary Deck may have to accept that Jarrazir's prohibition laws aren't their biggest problem.
Princess of Blood opens with a nice little recap and a glimpse of what's to come with it's hilarious opening chapter, seamlessly throwing you back in to the story like you haven't been away. We quickly get reacquainted with the group and Princess of Blood is fast paced and action packed from the start.
Most importantly, we get some pirate action...you guys know I love pirates! I did love the little detail about Deern. You know. Traitorous, nasty Deern. Yep. Toil's totally on to him and I was kinda like rargh because that little thread hadn't been resolved and then boom. I do feel like we get to know Deern a bit better in this book but I'm not sure whether I like him or not. I was kinda hoping Toil would kill him!
This book focuses a bit more on Toil, there's still lots of Lynx, he's very present and just as strangely loveable as before, but we really get to know Toil in this book and I'm loving her! I liked her last book, but I also felt like she was untrustworthy so I wasn't sure how I'd end up liking her, but she's crafty, intelligent and a total badass. I'm so interested to know more about her background after meeting her brother Vigilance. She's actually a bit like Sydney from Relic Hunter in this book! Along with Toil, I'm loving Kas too. She's seriously one of my favourites and I need way more Kas in my life! She's such a brilliant secondary character.
With a new book, there comes new characters and there's a couple I'm intrigued by! Suth gets thrown in near the end and I was bit frowny face about her for a good chunk of her page time, but towards the end I was like "yep. I like you. You'll fit in just fine" so I'm looking forward to seeing more of her. Lastani and Atieno I wasn't too sure about at first, I'm always wary of new characters it's all Game of Thrones's fault. I actually ended up really liking them, they fit right in with the group and Lastani is super smart and intelligent and I just loved her! She was a lot of fun and kind of adds another dimension to the group, and Atieno well....he's totally awesome! I'm really looking forward to getting to see more of them and how they change the dynamic of the group! I'm also kind of intrigued by Stilanna!
There's more history of the world of the book and there's a lot of politics in this one as certain...things happen. I loved getting to learn more about the world and delve deeper in to it, as well as getting to see some new settings! Lloyd creates each setting so vividly and it really sucks you in to the story. I'm not going to lie, this book had some serious Relic Hunter vibes, kind of crossed with Crystal Maze but that might just be me!
Princess of Blood is just as fast paced and colourful as the previous book. It's another wild ride with a nicely intricate plot of well woven threads. I love the group of characters, and we keep getting new and interesting additions to the deck, the banter between all of them cracks me up and the book is a nice blend of action, adventure, and humour! I seriously devour these books, it's so easy to sit and read large chunks of this book because it's so much fun, and after a hint at where we're heading next...I'm excited for the next book!
Stranger of Tempest
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher!
Lynx is a mercenary with a sense of honour; a dying breed in the Shattered Kingdom. Failed by the nation he served and weary of the skirmishes that plague the continent's principalities, he walks the land in search of purpose. He wants for little so bodyguard work keeps his belly full and his mage-gun loaded. It might never bring a man fame or wealth, but he's not forced to rely on others or kill without cause. Little could compel Lynx to join a mercenary company, but he won't turn his back on a kidnapped girl. At least the job seems simple enough; the mercenaries less stupid and vicious than most he's met over the years. So long as there are no surprises or hidden agendas along the way, it should work out fine.
Stranger of Tempest intrigued me when I read the synopsis, it sounded like it was going to be a good and potentially humorous read. I'm not going to lie....I wasn't expecting it to be quite as good as I found it! I genuinely really enjoyed this book, and I hated to put it down. I had a lot of fun reading this! It even reminded me a little bit of the Ketty Jay series...that's the vibe I got! I also got some Lord of the Rings vibes and not just because of the Balrog-eqsue monster on the cover....all I'm going to say is the Mines of Moria.
Stranger of Tempest drew me in from the beginning, it has such a brilliant opening! One of the best I've read! It was at that moment that I knew I was going to enjoy this book, it cracked me up and intrigued me. It was a great way to introduce Toil and the others.
I liked Lynx, he was a relatable book nerd and food addict on the surface, but underneath he's an ex-soldier dealing with a lot of stuff from his past and PTSD and so on. He's a really good fighter, and he has his own code of honour...his people are also hated, which meant he doesn't always have a great time around other people. I liked reading about him, I liked his perspective it was interesting and he's got a very mysterious past still. I'm still not sure how I felt about Sitain, she bugged me once or twice and I wanted to give her a shake, but to be fair to her she did realise most of the time when she was being ridiculous. I'm intrigued by her mostly because of her magic. I can't wait to see more of it and see her master it.
There are so many great characters in this book, I liked all of them to be honest, except for the traitor. Forever disappointed he and his accomplice didn't get their comeuppance. I even loved Reft, the not as scary and mean as he looks guy! Kas I completely loved, she's a badass and she cracked me up so many times, I need more of her in the next book! Toil is more difficult. I loved her, but she's also mildly untrustworthy, let's be honest. She did still become part of the group, sort of, and like Kas she's a badass. I'm so curious about her character, I was as I was reading about her anyway, but the ending intrigued me even more. I need to know more about her and her past! Like I said...there's a lot of interesting and memorable characters in this book!
Stranger of Tempest is hilarious. Seriously, there's plenty of humour blended in with the action, magic, danger, tension and more serious aspects. It was brilliant. I found myself chuckling away as I read this so many times. The ending had me full out cackling as everything came full circle in a brilliantly humorous way.
I really enjoyed the storytelling, I couldn't put this down, it was a struggle and then I was excited to get back to it as soon as I could. It's been a while since I've been genuinely excited to get back to a book and even only managing to read a chapter kept me going. I felt like the narrative really flowed, the switches from past to present and character to character worked so well. Once the past caught up with the present, the narratives merged smoothly in to one. It was fast paced, and you'd learn about something or someone in either the past or the present and then see it or them in the opposing narrative. I just thought it was brilliantly done. It kept me interested, kept me intrigued and I liked the way everything was connected and wove together. I genuinely enjoyed every single page, and I finished this so fast!
To be honest, I just loved it all. The world and the creatures and the magic in it, I loved learning about it and reading about it. The magic system was so interesting, with the guns and everything and the different classes of mages. The monsters where intriguing and a little bit different. The world was vivid and atmospheric. I liked the way the mercenaries where formed in their Deck, it was a nice little touch and the deck and the game where explained without being overly complicated, which I liked. It didn't take too long either. I love it when a book has complexity to it, without being so complex it's a slog to get through and you have no idea what's going on half the time! I loved the plot, the humour, the writing, the characters. I loved the banter between the mercenaries and how they all interacted, there's a great mix of characters, and plenty of strong female characters which was brilliant to read about, and it was just such a good read for me!
The plot from this book is wrapped up nicely with a little thread of intrigue for the next book....which I need now! RIGHT NOW! I refused to read the sneak peek at the next book in the back of this one because it would make the wait even worse!
Stranger of Tempest is a fast paced, fun read with memorable characters that you want to know more about! It's a brilliant blend of humour, action, magic, adventure, and more. The writing and storytelling are very well done, and done in an interesting way to keep maximum intrigue and the plot hooks you in. Stranger of Tempest is a thoroughly enjoyable read, and I can't wait for the next book! I have plenty of questions, there's still plenty more to learn about the characters and the fragments and I'm so excited to see where this is all going to go!
