The Sky Weaver
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review!
Safire, a soldier, knows her role in this world is to serve the King of Firgaard-helping to maintain the peace in her oft-troubled nation.
Eris, a deadly pirate, has no such conviction. Known as The Death Dancer for her ability to evade even the most determined of pursuers, she possesses a superhuman ability to move between worlds.
When one can roam from dimension to dimension, can one ever be home? Can love and loyalty truly exist?
Then Safire and Eris-sworn enemies-find themselves on a common mission: to find Asha, the last Namsara.
From the port city of Darmoor to the fabled faraway Sky Isles, their search and their stories become threaded ever more tightly together as they discover the uncertain fate they're hurtling towards may just be a shared one. In this world, and the next.
I'm going to say it....I think this might be my favourite book in the trilogy!? It has everything I love in books...combined in to one book! We've got pirates, dragons and Gods and I was absolutely loving it as I was reading, and as much as I loved the first book this is at least tied with it, if not above it!
Just a reminder, these books are stand alone books even though it is a trilogy, and you can read the three books in any order you like but I personally think it's best to read them in order! Especially as this one brings everything to such a fantastic close! On to the actual review....
We have a dual POV in this book, Safire and Eris. We've already met Safire before, and after first meeting her in The Last Namsara I had wanted to see more of her...and this book delivers on that! We also get to see some more of Asha and Torwin which I was extra excited about. I love Safire and her loyalty and love for Asha, as well as her determination and strong sense of justice. She's also such a badass too, it has to be said!
Then we have Eris who's a thief and a pirate! She's got a seriously cool power and was incredibly intriguing. I loved her personality and her banter with Safire, but I also felt quite sad for Eris. She feels very alone in the world, and like no-one cares for her, and so why should she care for others and it was so lovely to see Safire become closer to her and change that and prove to her that she isn't alone. I knew I was going to love Eris from the moment we met her, and I so thoroughly enjoyed the banter she and Safire had and I loved the dynamics between the two of them. I was practically squealing with glee as I was reading, and so ready for the romance to develop. Hello enemies to lovers!
Alongside our two wonderful main characters, as I said, we get some more of Asha and Torwin and more so than the previous book I think! We also get more of Roa and Dax, and although I knew why Dax was behaving the way he was...I can't say I wasn't disappointed in him and wanting to smack him up the back of the head at one point. We also get possibly my favourite dragon, Sorrow, who bless him is a little wary of people and has been through some things and is still struggling with that and I was here for Safire becoming closer with him and bonding with him!
As well as our dual narratives, in true Ciccarelli fashion, we have another story woven in between those chapters all about the book's namesake and Gods and so on. I honestly love this aspect of the storytelling when it comes to these books, it has a real old legend, folk tale feel to it that I love but I also love that it gives you these little pieces of a story for you to put together and try and figure out what's going on with it and how it's going to fit in with the main story and impact it. This one in particular, had me changing my opinion/theories multiple times and as we ramped up towards the end of the book, there were so many twists to it that had me screeching at the reveals!
The Sky Weaver is fantastically written as always, the little slices of the Weaver's story slotting in nicely with the narratives of Safire and Eris. The pace is fantastic, and it ramps up even more towards the end with the shorter chapters at one point adding to it even more so and having you frantically turning pages as you switch from POV to POV. There's wonderful banter, plenty of action, mystery and legend as well as sea creatures, Gods, dragons and pirates! Oh and did I mention the romance? Because the romance was just...*chefs kiss*
The Caged Queen
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher!
Once there were two sisters born with a bond so strong that it forged them together forever. When they were angry, mirrors shattered, and when they were happy, flowers bloomed. It was a magic they cherished - until the day a terrible accident took Essie's life and trapped her soul in this world.
Dax - the heir to Firgaard's throne - was responsible for the accident. Roa swore to hate him forever. But eight years later he returned, begging for her help. He was determined to dethrone his cruel father, under whose oppressive reign Roa's people had suffered. Roa made him a deal: she'd give him the army he needed if he made her queen.
Together with Dax and his sister, Asha, Roa and her people waged war and deposed a tyrant. But now Asha is on the run, hiding from the price on her head. And Roa is an outlander queen, far from home and married to her enemy. Worst of all: Dax's promises go unfulfilled. Roa's people continue to suffer.
Then a chance to right every wrong arises - an opportunity for Roa to rid herself of this enemy king and rescue her beloved sister. During the Relinquishing, when the spirits of the dead are said to return, Roa can reclaim her sister for good.
All she has to do is kill the king.
I freaking loved The Last Namsara and this sequel is one of my most anticipated reads of 2018! I was mildly confused at first because I was told it wasn't a sequel, but it turns out you can read this trilogy in any order, but obviously if you read this book first...it's gonna spoil the previous book!
Roa intrigued me in the previous book, so I was excited to get her POV this time round. I understood where she was coming from throughout the book, and why she felt frustrated and angry with Dax. He did seem like a bit of a prat! I mean he's off with this girl and that girl, he's not kept any of his promises and he thought he knew the Sand Sea better than Roa and refused to listen. I fully got why she felt the way she did, but I appreciated that as we got towards the end of the book and her actions become more and more questionable (even if you could see where she was coming from you could still see what she couldn't), I appreciated that she knew going through with it was going to change her. She was still a badass, and had some excellent moments though!
As much as Dax was coming off like a prat, it became pretty obvious how he felt about Roa so I didn't really buy his act. I was sure there was more going on and nothing was as it seemed, plus plenty of hints where dropped. So at one point I really wanted to smack Roa one like, come on! Use your eyes! Dax is quite sweet and adorable when he wants to be as well!
The thing I love about the story telling, is that much like the first book, we have some legends from the world of thebook, some history and some flashbacks to relevant past events scattered throughout the book! They're in between each chapter, kind of like little interludes and I love this method of weaving in relevant information to the plot! It means the narrative isn't overloaded with tonnes of information, and you can learn relevant pieces of information when you need them! It helps to build up a picture of what's going on, not just with Roa but with other characters, and to build up the story. For example it's one of the ways you knew Dax's feelings long before Roa found out the truth about him. Then there's the little details in the flashbacks like the wrist tapping that was mentioned in one chapter, is explained in one flashback and you're like "OOOOOOHHHHH" and things clicked in to place. It gives you more information than our narrator has, so it builds up an entirely different picture.
We get to see some familiar faces which made me really happy! Safire, and briefly Asha and Torwin! Plus the dragons, although I'm sad there weren't more dragons in this one! This one features a lot of politics and palace intrigue, and there's secret plots and treachery too! The Caged Queen has a fast pace, and a decent amount of action and intrigue. Then there was the romance, which I thought was quite sweet! While I'm sad we didn't get to see Asha and Torwin again, we do get to hear about them, and it was nice continuing the story and getting to know Roa and Dax better! Plus it allows us to see different sides of the other support characters when viewed through Roa's eyes as opposed to Asha's. It's certainly an interesting sequel!
The Last Namsara
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher!
In the beginning, there was the Namsara: the child of sky and spirit, who carried love and laughter wherever he went. But where there is light, there must be dark—and so there was also the Iskari. The child of blood and moonlight. The destroyer. The death bringer.
These are the legends that Asha, daughter of the king of Firgaard, has grown up hearing in hushed whispers, drawn to the forbidden figures of the past. But it isn’t until she becomes the fiercest, most feared dragon slayer in the land that she takes on the role of the next Iskari—a lonely destiny that leaves her feeling more like a weapon than a girl.
Asha conquers each dragon and brings its head to the king, but no kill can free her from the shackles that await at home: her betrothal to the cruel commandant, a man who holds the truth about her nature in his palm. When she’s offered the chance to gain her freedom in exchange for the life of the most powerful dragon in Firgaard, she finds that there may be more truth to the ancient stories than she ever could have expected. With the help of a secret friend—a slave boy from her betrothed’s household—Asha must shed the layers of her Iskari bondage and open her heart to love, light, and a truth that has been kept from her.
Okaaaay, so I picked up this beauty a while back at Gollancz's blogger evening, and as soon as I saw the word 'dragon' I was like...hell yes. I'm going to like you. There just aren't enough good dragon books floating around. Within the first couple of chapters, I knew I was going to love this book and upon finishing it, it's become one of my favourite books of the year. It's utterly brilliant!
The opening is intriguing, and nothings draws me in quite like a fire breathing dragon! The world is rich and vivid, I'm loving the mythology and history to it and I could quite easily read an entire book just on that. The little tidbits of it are woven throughout the narrative and plot brilliantly. Leaving you wanting more but not overwhelming you with information. It's also such a unique mythology, I've not read another book quite like it with stories calling dragons and being outlawed and so on. It's nice and different.
There's tales in between some of the chapters, short ones that bring the world of the book alive and add depth to it as well as weave the history of the world of the book and Asha herself, in to the plot. I love how they're told so you start reading it, and some of them are about past characters, but there's one particular one about Asha...and you're reading it like "oh...wow....that's sucky" but then you hit a part of the story and you realise..."Holy shhhhh this is about Asha?!" and it blows your mind. I loved it. Especially as the stories aren't allowed to be told in the world of the book, and it's just such a nice touch having them throughout the book like this.
I have to talk characters a little bit because this book features one of my most hated characters of all time. Congrats Jarek. The amount of times I wanted to throat punch Jarek throughout the book...if it where a drinking game I wouldn't be able to stand let alone walk in a straight line. Dude was an a-hole of the highest order. There was Jarek's little partner in crime that fit the description too but I won't say too much more about him because spoilers.
As for Asha, I loved her. She's wrestling with what happened when she was a child and trying to atone for it as well as protect her brother and cousin and keep them safe. She's strong and badass and can handle herself very well but she struggles with her inner darkness and feeling like she's corrupted. Is she prejudiced at first? Yes. She was raised a certain way, but she really develops and grows as a character, overcoming it and becoming a better person right from the start. Halfway through she's a badass who's willing to fight to save Torwin and protects him at personal cost. She might have some temper issues, but come on...you would too if you where being forced to marry Jarek. Asha really overcomes a lot over the course of the book, she was a strong character from the start but she just gets stronger and better.
Dax I was intrigued by, I wanted to know more about him and what he'd been doing because he came across as a bit of a lazy idiot. But it swiftly becomes apparent that he's Up To Something. I spent a good chunk of the book thinking "okay Dax...you could be quite the badass if given the chance". Then he does something and you're like "he's totally plotting something" and I'm frantically trying to put all the pieces together. Let's just say Dax is a badass in his own way, he's not a dragon slaying badass but there's more under the surface than you initially think. I'd be interested to see more of him.
Torwin I completely love and I totally ship him with Asha. He holds his own against her and won't take any of her crap. He's defiant and determined. I really loved watching him help her to become a better person, and show her she's more than her past. More than what she thinks of herself while still being a strong character on his own. Things are certainly going to be interesting for him over the next book after the reveal about him.
Safire I just want to see more of. I wasn't too sure about her at first, but girls got some serious balls and I'm so hoping we get to see a lot more of her in the next book. Roa too! They're both awesome characters and I feel we didn't get to see enough of them!
The Last Namsara kept me hooked and on the edge of my seat. It has a cracking pace and there's action, adventure and romance all woven together with some nice mystery and hints of betrayal. There's shock plot twists throughout and more so towards the end of the book when things really start to come together....and there's still so much more to come! I already want to get back to the characters, roll on the next book!
