Review:
I feel like this one kept my attention more. Maybe because I knew the characters more, or maybe because it jumped straight into things, and the stakes were higher. There also just was some heightened emotion that made me feel more.
These are such imperfect characters, and that’s what makes them so compelling. Jandu was so prejudiced against lower castes at the start of the series, but growing close to Keshan and his experiences in this book have changed him, though haven’t completely rid him of his pride. Keshan supports and does what he feels is right, regardless of what the law or anyone says, but that doesn’t mean he never ends up hurting anyone (like his wife). Tarek is trying to help the lower castes but also seems to have maybe changed for the worse in some ways, shifting his priorities and caring for some people less in order to pine over someone he will never have. Darvad is not what I would consider a good person and has done bad things and used people, and yet he’s the one whose politics I agree with. Suraya has shown a prejudiced mindset about certain things but has also shown understanding and loyalty. Baram has similar prejudices and a quick temper, but he’s fiercely loyal to his family. I am less inclined to say nice things about Yudar, he doesn’t seem to have learned much from all his mistakes. The flaws made the characters feel real, but they had good qualities too that made me feel for them.
One of the POV characters gets cursed and is given an afab body for a while, and I mention this to say I felt it was handled well. It wasn’t treated as a joke (though his brothers teased him about it some). It portrayed an experience of gender dysphoria, and it made the character realize some things about how women were treated.
Also, trigger warning for sexual assault. Which also seemed to be handled well and taken seriously by the author.
Overall, I’m glad I continued the series, because I enjoyed this book even more, there was more conflict and emotion, and it only became more clear how incredibly well-written these characters are!
Recommended For:
Fans of Book 1 in Astrid Amara's The Archer's Heart series. Anyone who likes high fantasy worlds, characters with depth and complexity and flaws, characters who change (some for better, some for worse), m/m romance, unique magic systems, lots of struggles and emotions, and bittersweet endings.
More Books in the Series:
Book Review: The Archer’s Heart Book 1 by Astrid Amara
“These are such imperfect characters, and that’s what makes them so compelling.”
So true! I love shades of grey in a character.
I forgot…I want to see if emojis work now, so here’s a winking face…😉
YAY!!! THEY WORK! You made my day LOL.
Yay!!! We get emojis again, haha.
These were so great in their complexity!
This sounds well done. I liked reading about the various POV’s and how they had changed, or not, from previous books. that’s always fun.
I love how complex they all are!
It sounds like a very complex story as the characters work through all these issues. I wonder if they’ll continue in that vein. Great review about all the characters and difficult issues that the author handled well.
It is, and they’re just such great characters!