Series: The Lotus War Book Two
Author: Jay Kristoff
Publication Date: Sept. 17, 2013
A SHATTERED EMPIRE
The mad Shōgun Yoritomo has been assassinated by the Stormdancer Yukiko, and the threat of civil war looms over the Shima Imperium. The Lotus Guild conspires to renew the nation’s broken dynasty and crush the growing rebellion simultaneously – by endorsing a new Shōgun who desires nothing more than to see Yukiko dead.
A DARK LEGACY
Yukiko and the mighty thunder tiger Buruu have been cast in the role of heroes by the Kagé rebellion. But Yukiko herself is blinded by rage over her father’s death, and her ability to hear the thoughts of beasts is swelling beyond her power to control. Along with Buruu, Yukiko’s anchor is Kin, the rebel Guildsman who helped her escape from Yoritomo’s clutches. But Kin has his own secrets, and is haunted by visions of a future he’d rather die than see realized.
A GATHERING STORM
Kagé assassins lurk within the Shōgun’s palace, plotting to end the new dynasty before it begins. A waif from Kigen’s gutters begins a friendship that could undo the entire empire. A new enemy gathers its strength, readying to push the fracturing Shima imperium into a war it cannot hope to survive. And across raging oceans, amongst islands of black glass, Yukiko and Buruu will face foes no katana or talon can defeat.
The ghosts of a blood-stained past.
***
My Thoughts
We start right of with a bang or more precisely, three bangs. Yukiko is now official a badass, and Kin is on the run. The first half of Kinslayer pissed me off. A lot. The way the book is written, every chapter is someone else's point of view, to get a feel for all the plot threads going on. This was both good and bad. While I'm usually all for this kind of presentation, for the first half of Kinslayer it made me want to throw the kindle at the wall in frustration. You are given enough for you to know that something else is going on but not enough for any actual answers, and at that point you don't know how all these plot threads are going to be tying in. This, plus what was actually happening made for an incredibly frustrating first half of the book.
We had the Kage off in the Iishi mountains 'trying' to plot some kind of movement against Kigen. We have some random girl who works at the palace who can use the Kenning as well. Then we have the Guildsmen plotting against the Kage to keep Kigen and Shima the way it is. We have Yukiko who is drowning in grief for her father and suffering from something that we don't know yet till about 70% of the book. We have Kin and a runaway guildswoman who are in the Kage HQ while Yukiko is off trying to figure out what the hell is wrong with her and while she is off a whole other issue comes up. Now Buruu has his own problems and there were zombie-like priests and it was all just SO MUCH STUFF! My brain couldn't take it!
What pissed me off the most was actually the Kage's attitude towards Kin and the guildswoman. I understand they would have trust issues obviously but dude! Kin is helping them! He saved their asses! He saved Yukiko and Buruu's asses in Stormdancer and the Kage are flat out assholes towards Kin. It made me want to kill someone or for an unexpected Guild attack to happen and for them to burn! I was just that pissed off.
Then after like 60% mark, the bombs start dropping. I don't mean that literally mind you. I mean the twists start coming one right after the other and the next thing you know it's the end of the book and your just left holding your Kindle staring off into space and wondering what the fuck just happened. IT WAS AWESOME.
I can't go into much of any kind of specifics because I don't want to ruin any of the surprises for you. I hope my review was coherent enough for you to get the gist of what I was trying to convey xD If you liked Stormdancer then don't worry this won't be a disappointment at all. Because even after that incredibly frustrating first half there is no way I can give this book any less of a wonderful recom :)
So...
Would I Recommend it?
***
Other books in the The Lotus War Trilogy:
Other Novellas:
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