Blood of the Chosen

Warning, this contains spoilers for Book 1

Back into the world of Burningblade and Silvereye we go after an amazing opener to the series. We rejoin Maya and Gyre shortly after the events of Book 1, with Maya now given more responsibility within the Order after her prior heroics and Gyre trying to piece together a new plan after losing so much during Book 1. One thing he did manage to save from that mess though was Kit, or more precisely the small army of constructs she now remotely controls after having her mind trapped within the leviathan. What we have with Book 2 is, once again, two separate storylines for the two siblings that will inevitably bring them back into contact. This boils down to each following their own side quests, building the narrative and laying the foundation for another epic finale. And once again, this book did not disappoint.

Both storylines take us to new areas of this struggling world, and the contrasts really help flesh out this awesome universe that Wexler has built. We get to see parts of the Splinter Kingdoms that left the tyranny/protection of the Republic and the impacts that such independence entails for their societies. We also get a visit to the Republic’s capital, a city built by the Chosen that still operates a plethora of their insanely advanced technology. I always enjoy seeing how different authors work into their universes any futuristic technology built around their specific magic systems. Sometimes this can be a bit hacky, with something amazing appearing with no explanation as to how it works other than that it functions because of – (enter relevant magic system name) – with no further explanation. I am very happy to say that this is not the case for Wexler’s newest world. With more than one prominent character being particularly nerdy arcanists (those who work with ancient technology), we are treated to satisfyingly technical explanations as to how many of the various marvels work, with the effects of the arcana making sense based on the rules of the magic systems that are established within the narrative. Other items may not get such a detailed explanation, but enough do that it sets a believable baseline for the rest. I know it’s a bit dorky, but I love it when writers create a new magic system and then use it to produce interesting items or effects that are grounded in the physical (or metaphysical) properties that they have already established.

With regard to characters, we continue on with most of the surviving members of Maya and Gyre’s teams; although ‘surviving’ is a loose term with regards to Kit. I think the aspect of this book (and this series as a whole so far) that Wexler really does a phenomenal job on are the characters. Yes, the narrative and themes themselves are great, but the characters he builds are so wonderful that a lot of the time I could just listen to them going about their daily lives and still be fully engaged. Once again, Kit steals the show for me personally. Where before she had been a reckless, horny, amoral young woman, we now to get see her be a reckless, horny, and amoral consciousness trapped within an ancient machine only able to interact with the world through a swarm of various constructs, and the results are hilarious. What Wexler has done with this book and this series so far in general is produce a vibrant cast of deep, flawed, and largely likeable characters to not only act out his narrative but make it a joy to watch. I can’t fault the man when it comes to his characters. Each and every one is perfect for their role in the story.

As for the story itself, it more than reaches what I believe to be the single most important characteristic of any narrative, that being entertaining. I was never bored. Not once. And all I ever wanted to do was listen to a little more of the story and find out what shenanigans our two motley crews of wonderful people got into next. However, I do feel like the story itself wasn’t quite on par with Book 1. I still thoroughly enjoyed it and am waiting with bated breath for Book 3, but the actual story itself, while still fantastic, didn’t sink its hooks into me quite as much as Book 1. Don’t get me wrong, those hooks still sank, but just not to the same degree. There were a couple of aspects that I thought could have been fleshed out a little more or expanded upon, but as with my review of Book 1, I’m mostly nitpicking here.

All in all, this was another great book in a series that I have already recommended to several of my diehard fantasy friends. It may not pack quite the punch of Book 1, but that punch is still more than enough to leave you winded and gasping for more. I can’t wait for Book 3 to be released.

As for narration, once again Imogen Church absolutely nails every one of the wide variety of characters she has been presented with. And I mean NAILED IT. She has this ability to put a level of minute emotion into her characters that transform them from players in a story into living breathing people whose goals, pains, and welfare we as an audience are completely invested in. An amazing job once more.

Score: 4.5 stars

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Buy 'The Sage's Lot (Blood and Balance, Book 1)' here!