Format: Hardcover, 496 pages
Release Date: September 1, 2020
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Source: Publisher
Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy / Epic
Six of Crows meets Graceling with a dash of Winter is Coming in this second installment of the action-packed and swoon-worthy Age of Darkness series!
In this sequel to the critically acclaimed There Will Come a Darkness, kingdoms have begun to fall to a doomsday cult, the magical Graced are being persecuted and made refugees, and ancient and undead figures walk the land in secret. But with the world hurtling toward its prophesied end, the Last Prophet’s haunting vision reveals the key to stopping the Age of Darkness: finding the long-lost sources of magic taken from the body of a slain god.
When our heroes' paths all cross in the City of Mercy, old wounds are reopened, new alliances are tested, and the end of the world begins. The Age of Darkness trilogy, which the Amazon Book Review called "the next big fantasy series," is perfect for fans of Throne of Glass, Children of Blood and Bone, and An Ember in the Ashes.
As the Shadow Rises is the second
installment in author Katy Rose Pool's The Age of Darkness series. For
generations, the Seven Prophets guided humanity. Using their visions of the
future, they ended wars and united nations―until the day, one hundred years
ago, when the Prophets disappeared. All they left behind was one final, secret
prophecy, foretelling an Age of Darkness and the birth of a new Prophet who
could be the world’s salvation . . . or the cause of its destruction. This is a
world where Graces exist: Grace of Heart, Grace of Blood, Grace of Mind, and
Grace of Sight.
There is also a
pending prophecy that says that key figures will be responsible for the rising
of the Age of Darkness or stopping it. The key characters are: Ephyra, the
infamous Red Hand killer; Jude Weatherbourne, Keeper of the Word for the
Order of the Light; Beru, Ephyra's younger sister who is dying; Prince
Hassan who has been pushed aside by his own Aunt; and Anton, the
alleged last Prophet. As I did in the previous installment, I shall begin my
review with Ephyra.
Ephyra could use her
Grace of Blood to heal people, but instead spends much of the novel analyzing
her behavior and questioning whether her previous actions make her good or bad.
Despite this self-evaluation, she continues down the same path of self-destruction.
Her single-mindedness makes for a frustrating hobby rather than an exercise in
self-improvement. She chases rumors about The Thief King who corresponded with
her own father about Eleazar's Chalice that may be able to save her sister who
walked away from her to find her own way. We see a darker part of Ephyra in
this book.
She meets up with a
group led by Shara to look for the Chalice knowing that her search could lead
to her death as well as others. There are plenty of issues. Someone doesn't
want the Chalice to be found. The Chalice, if found, could be used as a
powerful weapon. The Chalice is the original source of the Grace of Blood which
means that Ephyra could fall under its power and help unleash the Age of
Darkness. And, it seems, she’s not the only one who wants to find the Chalice. I'm
not sure how to take the connection between Ephyra and Illya. He's already
betrayed his brother, wouldn't take much to betray Ephyra.
Jude, who is a Grace of Heart which
enhances strength, agility speed and senses, faces a tribunal convened to see if he
broke the trust and therefore should be removed as Keeper of the Word as an
oathbreaker. Jude is now a once-faithful leader torn between his duty and his
heart. Jude’s worry that he put too much trust in Hector which weighs him down
for a large majority of this story. The negatives are plenty. He goes
through a long stretch of story where he wasn’t exactly the most likable
character in this book. He fawns, he whines, he loses any ability to use the Pinnacle
Blade which is one of the (4) primary artifacts and source of the Grace of Heart
until he faces his darkness. The only positive is that he found Anton, the
final Prophet.
Anton as the Last
Prophet via the Grace of Mind can see the future. He can also locate any living
being. Anton, who was betrayed by his own brother Illya to the Hierophant, goes
through a lot of growth in this book and learns to accept his role as the Last
Prophet. He makes difficult decisions, even if it means facing some of the
darkest moments in his life by returning to the place where is brother nearly
drowned him or dealing with emotional pain, and his connection to Jude. Anton
is best known for being a reckless gambler with connections to the most
interesting cast of characters. Anton meets a key character in this book
along with Jude. She is called the Nameless Woman. I won’t spoil who she is and
why you should pay attention to her. Let’s just say that her role is one that
parlays to the final book in this series.
Hassan is a prince
exiled from his kingdom but has decided to return home to Nazirah with no real
way to get back his throne that the Hierophant and his Aunt stole from him. His
mother is missing, and we, as readers, don't know whether she is dead or alive.
Hassan is willing to do anything to keep his people safe and reclaim his city,
even if it means making some questionable decisions and working with even
questionable allies which include his alleged friend Khepri. Even if he must
parlay a temporary peace with the Hierophant to find a key piece of the prophecy
puzzle to remove his aunt from being Queen. Hassan is Graceless like Beru.
Beru is a dying girl
on the verge of giving up. She is a revenant living on the last dregs of her
“stolen” life which was given to her by her sister who refuses to let die. She
ends up meeting with Hector who is apparently in the same boat as Beru is. Beru
tries to atone and make things right and brings Hector along for the ride. But
she's a bit on the trusting side. She always has the best intentions at heart
and just really wants to atone for her stolen life and leave some good in the
world to make up for the bad that she and Ephyra have caused. Beru is allegedly without
any Grace but if that were true, who is the fourth person with a Grace?
I am one who thought
the ending was both the best part of this book, and the most shocking.
Characters from Hierophant, to a long thought dead Necromancer King, to the
Nameless Woman are revealed as to who they really are. Anton’s rise as the only
Prophet remaining who may be able to stop the Age of Darkness from taking hold
still leaves several characters standing on the line between life and death.
No comments:
Post a Comment