City of Miracles - Robert Jackson Bennett
Synopsis (from Goodreads)
"Revenge. It's something Sigrud je Harkvaldsson is very, very good at. Maybe the only thing. So when he learns that his oldest friend and ally, former Prime Minister Shara Komayd, has been assassinated, he knows exactly what to do and that no mortal force can stop him from meting out the suffering Shara's killers deserve. Yet as Sigrud pursues his quarry with his customary terrifying efficiency, he begins to fear that this battle is an unwinnable one. Because discovering the truth behind Shara's death will require him to take up arms in a secret, decades-long war, face down an angry young god, and unravel the last mysteries of Bulikov, the city of miracles itself. And perhaps most daunting of all finally face the truth about his own cursed existence."
Review
I discovered City of Stairs last year and quickly devoured that and the sequel, City of Blades. Then I won an ARC (Advance Reader Copy) of City of Miracles from the publisher and it did not disappoint.
I won't give away too many details because I don't want to spoil the joy of discovering this book. While it builds on the events of the previous two books, this story is self-contained. The blurb gives you everything you need to know to start. The plot seems fairly simple (Shara gets assassinated, Sigrud is out for REVENGE!), but of course there's layers upon layers and just when you think you've got an answer, NOPE! THERE'S MORE! And LOTS of action and crazy fight scenes. Things that were quietly sprinkled throughout the first two books come together in this one. The twists and turns feel natural and build the suspense for the ending. And, not gonna lie, there were some very touching scenes and I cried a couple times. Bennett's prose really carries the story; his writing is rich and profound and just wonderful.
This story is alllllll about Sigrud. When I was first introduced to him in City of Stairs he both terrified and thrilled me with his violence and all around badass-ness. And in this book, while we see him continuing to be freaking awesome, we also see growth. We see change. We get answers as Sigrud confronts some pretty heavy stuff.
We also get some Mulaghesh, who has got to be one of my favorite characters of all time, but definitely in this series. I like that Bennett's characters--and especially his heroines--span across all ages. It's nice to see older women represented, especially as butt-kicking, smart-mouthed badasses.
I love the complex world that Bennett has created, where even the "good" guys can do wrong and everything is a mess. This book was especially interesting because we're seeing the effects of the first two books, fifteen years down the line. We get to see how this world has changed and adapted and grown, and I love it. To me it makes the world seem so real, despite the fantastical elements. The detail put into the background of this story made the whole book come alive.
City of Miracles is a brilliant and beautiful conclusion to the Divine Cities trilogy.
Rating
I give this book 4.5 stars.
Details
"Revenge. It's something Sigrud je Harkvaldsson is very, very good at. Maybe the only thing. So when he learns that his oldest friend and ally, former Prime Minister Shara Komayd, has been assassinated, he knows exactly what to do and that no mortal force can stop him from meting out the suffering Shara's killers deserve. Yet as Sigrud pursues his quarry with his customary terrifying efficiency, he begins to fear that this battle is an unwinnable one. Because discovering the truth behind Shara's death will require him to take up arms in a secret, decades-long war, face down an angry young god, and unravel the last mysteries of Bulikov, the city of miracles itself. And perhaps most daunting of all finally face the truth about his own cursed existence."
Review
I discovered City of Stairs last year and quickly devoured that and the sequel, City of Blades. Then I won an ARC (Advance Reader Copy) of City of Miracles from the publisher and it did not disappoint.
I won't give away too many details because I don't want to spoil the joy of discovering this book. While it builds on the events of the previous two books, this story is self-contained. The blurb gives you everything you need to know to start. The plot seems fairly simple (Shara gets assassinated, Sigrud is out for REVENGE!), but of course there's layers upon layers and just when you think you've got an answer, NOPE! THERE'S MORE! And LOTS of action and crazy fight scenes. Things that were quietly sprinkled throughout the first two books come together in this one. The twists and turns feel natural and build the suspense for the ending. And, not gonna lie, there were some very touching scenes and I cried a couple times. Bennett's prose really carries the story; his writing is rich and profound and just wonderful.
This story is alllllll about Sigrud. When I was first introduced to him in City of Stairs he both terrified and thrilled me with his violence and all around badass-ness. And in this book, while we see him continuing to be freaking awesome, we also see growth. We see change. We get answers as Sigrud confronts some pretty heavy stuff.
We also get some Mulaghesh, who has got to be one of my favorite characters of all time, but definitely in this series. I like that Bennett's characters--and especially his heroines--span across all ages. It's nice to see older women represented, especially as butt-kicking, smart-mouthed badasses.
I love the complex world that Bennett has created, where even the "good" guys can do wrong and everything is a mess. This book was especially interesting because we're seeing the effects of the first two books, fifteen years down the line. We get to see how this world has changed and adapted and grown, and I love it. To me it makes the world seem so real, despite the fantastical elements. The detail put into the background of this story made the whole book come alive.
City of Miracles is a brilliant and beautiful conclusion to the Divine Cities trilogy.
Rating
I give this book 4.5 stars.
Details
Genre: Fantasy.
Language: Lots.
Sex: Alluded to but nothing graphic.
Violence: Lots of very graphic violence.
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