Sundered Souls is the follow-up to Tim Hardie’s fantasy debut Hall of Bones. I was kindly given a copy by the author – in exchange for a fair and honest review. Readers should note the copy I received was an early version. Editing changes may mean the final product differs from the one I received. Now the disclaimers are out of the way, onto the good stuff!

When offered a copy of Sundered Souls, fair to say I was a little excited. I probably would have bitten the author’s hand off for it, to be honest. Hall of Bones was by far one of my favourite reads of the last few months, and I was intrigued to see what was in store for Rothgar and his friends. The story opens with Rothgar – along with his companions now joined with Johan Jokellsward, leader of the newly formed Brotherhood of the Eagle.

A short time has passed since the end of the first book, and Johan’s forces have since been reinforced by the arrival of several allies from various clans. Some are welcome, some not so much – owing to old feuds and blood debts. 

Readers get an overview of the surviving characters and the challenges they face, both political and supernatural. Hardie manages to encapsulate the story so far and what has happened since very well, without it sounding like a word-for-word recap, something I do see in follow-ups a lot. The main characters each have a clear identity, and I found it relatively easy to slip back into understanding who was who. Given the sheer number of supporting and minor characters, readers should note they will find a handy reference to clans at the back of the book.

I’ve never been shy about admitting I am an extremely fussy reader. 

Reading is a funny thing – everything is subjective. One person’s favourite is another reader’s DNF. Admittedly, there are quite a few things that can put me off early in a book. For example, I’m not a fan of large amounts of dialogue. The first several chapters of this book are massively dialogue-focused. There are pages with vast swathes of nothing but precisely that. So, it says a lot about the story and writing that the author did keep me hooked. 

There were two reasons for this – firstly, I already know that Hardie crafts a good tale. Secondly, the camaraderie between the warriors is very immersive. The characters are presented with just the right touch of humour and good-natured banter to offset the heavy political focus. I felt connected with the brotherhood and invested in their cause very early on. Some jokes made me smile, and little moments of honesty and vulnerability gave a sense of depth to the characters.

The first half of the book centres more on the politics of what is occurring than the supernatural events, though reference is made several times to the fact their enemies are not all that they seem. There is a lot of focus on Johan and his story and much less on Rothgar – something which, if I am honest, I found a strange choice.

Rothgar was a fantastic protagonist for the first book. At the start of this one, it felt a little like he had taken on more of a narrator role. He felt more like an observer of events, and it took a little while for me to feel his character presence again. I will say now that while this was confusing for the first few chapters, as the story progressed, the reasons for this become more apparent, and I was left feeling that this was actually a smart move by the author. 

Well played, Mr. Hardie.

This book does move fast – and I mean fast. You need to pay attention to what is happening, and there is certainly no shortage of action. This is violent, bloody stuff. As mentioned, there are many characters, and I found it easier to get more attached to some than others. It is the kind of book where everyone will have their favourites (Rothgar, Gautar, Patrick, Thengill, and Nuna). Sinarr the Cold One makes for a fantastic antagonist – a stone-cold badass of epic proportions (pun intended). One thing I did appreciate was seeing more from the female characters. While remaining still, almost entirely presented in ‘traditional’ female roles, Hardie gives the women in this instalment more agency and growth – something I would love to see continued in subsequent follow-ups. Nuna remains an excellent and reliable character who shows maturity and depth much beyond her years. The introduction of Jolinn also gives us a character outside the typical traditional female archetype favoured in the first book.

Something of a mash-up of genres, I did find myself at times wishing that the author would have leaned more into the fantastical rather than the political elements in the earlier chapters. Mostly because I think this is something in which Hardie excels. I would rate the first half of this book as being a good, solid read if a little too pacey in places. 

However, the last 30-40% of this story is SPECTACULAR. Gruesome, bloody, thrilling – from the scene at the Palisade to revelations about Rothgar’s abilities – the author packed everything I had been waiting to see into each beautifully crafted chapter. 

One of my favourite things is well-written prose – and this is where Hardie shines. His world-building and scene crafting is almost poetic, with my favourite parts of the story being the presentation of the dream worlds created around Rothgar. Dark, beautiful, and utterly immersive. Hardie does make you wait for the pay-off, almost to the point of frustration but then delivers with such finesse that it almost feels like the story implodes around you. There were points where I nearly jumped out of my seat, punching the air.

Frankly, it would be hard to read this book without making comparisons to Game of Thrones. You can feel GRRM’s influence, and there are many similar themes and aesthetics. However, this story feels more like homage to the genre than anything else. Hardie has his own style, and while I certainly felt this was very GOT-Esque, it still feels unique and individual. 

Intrigued to see where Rothgar ends up next, I think this series will continue to grow, and I would certainly give the next instalment a read. Sundered Souls – 4/5