Noon and Tor...you guys really need to get your shit together - although I am slightly disappointed in Tor's inability to restrain himself with another woman, seriously man, keep it in your pants around everyone but Noon. And also, I was a bit let down with their second tryst, not quite as steamy as the first. ( )

This is one of the most amazing fantasy (with a bit of sci-fi thrown in) series I've read in quite a long while. Fantasy authors and publishers tend to write trilogies a la Tolkein, but too often the middle work is stuffed with padding and needless wandering around for my tastes. This is one of those rare exceptions where the author kept the pacing, built the world and the character arcs, and kept the reader on the edge of their seat for the duration of the book.
This book splits into several different POVs. Noon, our fell-witch, and Tor are off to find a lost recording that may help their war beasts learn their powers and coordinate with each other better. Bern and Aldasair go to fight a Jure'lia threat to Bern's homeland. Vintage is trying to manage things in Ebora with the help of an Eboran boy Eri but it's not easy with betrayals and political infighting. And Hestillion, Tor's sister, was taken by the Jure'lia queen though she seems a willing prisoner. This was an especially interesting POV as we got to see from the Jure'lia side of things a little.
These are such unique characters and their interactions draw the reader in which adds to the tension. The worldbuilding is amazing and unusual but fits so well into the history we discover. There are themes being explored and developed here: connections between groups, origin myths, and exploitation of people. The writing is excellent but also very dark, and I was crying by the end of the book. But it's a fascinating series and I can't wait to dive into The Poison Song. ( )

This is a brilliant series, I can’t recommend it highly enough!

Actual Ratings:- 4.5 stars. ( )

I read the first book in this trilogy earlier this year, and only did so because some friends were extremely effusive with their praise of it… I mean, I’m not a fan of heroic fantasy, although I’ve read a lot of it in the past, and I’m pretty sure there’s very little overlap between my taste in genre fiction and that of the one friend who praised these books the most… But I’m happy to read outside my comfort zone because how else would I discover new authors to like and admire? While bits of the first book, The Ninth Rain, didn’t entirely work for me, I do like fantasy worlds that are couched as science-fictional – and vice versa, of course – so there were definitely things to appreciate there. Enough, at least, to read the second book. Which is, I think, better than the first. And middle books of trilogies generally are not that. It’s better because it introduces a mystery in one of its narratives, gives it a satisfying conclusion, and also uses it to reveal some deeper background about the world. On the other hand… there was something about the writing style which didn’t quite click with me. It wasn’t until a chat at a con with the aforementioned friend where she mentioned “cock-blocking” and quoted a particular line from The Bitter Twins that I figured out what it was about the prose that was giving me trouble: it was written like fan fiction. The author was having far too much fun with their characters, to the extent that “having fun with characters” was driving the story rather than the plot. I’m not saying this is a bad thing. That friend? She’s a big fan of fan fiction, so it’s an approach and style of narrative that appeals to her. I don’t have that background – she had to explain what “cock-blocking” was to me – and I prefer my narrative voice distanced (see pretty much every Reading diary post on this blog). Despite that, the world-building in this trilogy remains very good – in many respects, it reminds me of Jemisin’s award-winning Broken Earth trilogy – and while the good guys tend to be a bit too good to be true at times, the villains of the piece are interesting. Worth a go. ( )

Such a good sequel to a brilliant first book.
I'm loathe to discuss any of the plot for fear of spoiling this book or the first for anyone that reads this review but i very much recommend picking up this book series!!

This book made me laugh, had me on the edge of my seat and surprised me with twists and turns.

What a ride. 4.5 Stars! ( )