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The House of Arkhangel'sk #2
The Midnight Court
Against the pristine ice of Heaven, spilled blood and a demon's fire will spark celestial war.
The exiled heir to the throne of Heaven, Grand Duchess Anazakia, and her demon companions, Belphagor and Vasily, have made a comfortable home in the Russian city of Arkhangel'sk, but their domestic bliss is short lived. When their daughter, Ola, is taken as a pawn in Heaven's demon revolution, the delicate fabric of their unorthodox family is torn apart—threatening to separate Belphagor and Vasily for good.
Anazakia is prepared to move Heaven and Earth to get her daughter back from Queen Aeval, risen in Elysium from the ashes of temporary defeat. But Aeval isn't the only one seeking Ola's strange power.
To conquer the forces amassing against them, Anazakia is prophesied to sacrifice one close to her heart, while Vasily's fire will prove more potent than anyone suspected. In the ultimate battle for supremacy over Heaven's empire, loyalties will be tested and secrets will be revealed, but love will reign supernal.
The exiled heir to the throne of Heaven, Grand Duchess Anazakia, and her demon companions, Belphagor and Vasily, have made a comfortable home in the Russian city of Arkhangel'sk, but their domestic bliss is short lived. When their daughter, Ola, is taken as a pawn in Heaven's demon revolution, the delicate fabric of their unorthodox family is torn apart—threatening to separate Belphagor and Vasily for good.
Anazakia is prepared to move Heaven and Earth to get her daughter back from Queen Aeval, risen in Elysium from the ashes of temporary defeat. But Aeval isn't the only one seeking Ola's strange power.
To conquer the forces amassing against them, Anazakia is prophesied to sacrifice one close to her heart, while Vasily's fire will prove more potent than anyone suspected. In the ultimate battle for supremacy over Heaven's empire, loyalties will be tested and secrets will be revealed, but love will reign supernal.
- GenresFantasy
400 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2012
1 person is currently reading
555 people want to read
About the author
Jane Kindred
33 books179 followersJane Kindred is the author of epic fantasy series The House of Arkhangel’sk, Demons of Elysium, and Looking Glass Gods. She spent her formative years ruining her eyes reading romance novels in the Tucson sun and watching Star Trek marathons in the dark. She now writes to the sound of San Francisco foghorns while two cats slowly but surely edge her off the side of the bed.
You can find Jane on Facebook, Twitter, and her website, www.janekindred.com.
You can find Jane on Facebook, Twitter, and her website, www.janekindred.com.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
August 28, 2012
Originally published at Reading Reality
Jane Kindred's House of Arkhangel'sk trilogy reminds me of Russian tea, initially bitter, often and unexpectedly sweet, and filled with immensely complicated rituals. And incredibly satisfying for those who savor a heady brew.
The Midnight Court comprises the second book in this tale, following The Fallen Queen. The title is apt; in The Midnight Court Anazakia's court is definitely in eclipse. All is as dark as midnight in a Siberian winter.
And the situation goes all downhill.
At the end of The Fallen Queen, Anazakia and her temporary allies rescued the demon Belphagor from Aeval. In the process, they burned much of the Supernal Palace that Anazakia once called home.
When The Midnight Court begins, it's been months, and the alliance is fracturing. So is Anazakia's peaceful household near the earthly 21st century Russian city of Arkhangelsk. Belphagor came back from Aeval's torture broken; not where it shows, but inside. He's not the demon he used to be.
And Vasily, his lover, is caught between anger that Belphagor offered himself to save them all, and guilt that in Bel's absence, he fathered a child with Anazakia.
Ola, the child, is the light of all their lives. She is also a pawn of powers. For Anazakia is still the last heir of the house of Arkhangel'sk, and Aeval has no right to the throne of Heaven she sits on. It should be Anazakia's. Or her daughter's.
And Ola's power is greater than anyone could have imagined. Because Vasily is not, as he was raised to think, a demon. He is a Seraph, one of the host. The little girl is more than a little girl. More than a sweet child or a toddler with tantrums. She is the holder of the fifth radiance, not air, fire, water or earth, but aether.
Some of the powers of heaven want to control her; others want to kill her while she is still a child, to make sure that the "wrong" party does not control her.
Ola is kidnapped, and the hunt begins. Across all of Russia, and through all the orders of Heaven, one tiny little girl is bartered back and forth like a tiny bomb, or a pearl of great price.
Her parents will sacrifice anything to get her back.
Escape Rating A: The Midnight Court (and the whole House of Arkhangel'sk series so far) is the kind of densely multi-layered political pot-boiling gut-churning romance that doesn't come along very often. The nearest comparison is Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel's Dart series, as much for the very long game political machinations as for the kink relationship between Belphagor and Vasily.
The part of the comparison that I come back to is the politics. Every layer of every relationship, both personal and political, is going to matter before this series is over, and Kushiel had that same feel to it. Everything counts. Sex is sex but IOUs are forever.
The saying that "revenge is a dish best served cold" may have had Aeval in mind. She manipulated both the Romanov dynasty and the House of Arkhangel'sk to get something she wanted.
Waiting for the Spring of 2013 for the final book of the trilogy The Armies of Heaven, is going to be absolute torture. I stayed up until 4 in the morning to finish The Midnight Court. It ended on one hell of a cliffhanger, in a scene that reminded me a lot of something from The Dark Knight Rises. Read Fallen Queen and Midnight Court and see if you see the same thing. It's so worth it.
Jane Kindred's House of Arkhangel'sk trilogy reminds me of Russian tea, initially bitter, often and unexpectedly sweet, and filled with immensely complicated rituals. And incredibly satisfying for those who savor a heady brew.
The Midnight Court comprises the second book in this tale, following The Fallen Queen. The title is apt; in The Midnight Court Anazakia's court is definitely in eclipse. All is as dark as midnight in a Siberian winter.
And the situation goes all downhill.
At the end of The Fallen Queen, Anazakia and her temporary allies rescued the demon Belphagor from Aeval. In the process, they burned much of the Supernal Palace that Anazakia once called home.
When The Midnight Court begins, it's been months, and the alliance is fracturing. So is Anazakia's peaceful household near the earthly 21st century Russian city of Arkhangelsk. Belphagor came back from Aeval's torture broken; not where it shows, but inside. He's not the demon he used to be.
And Vasily, his lover, is caught between anger that Belphagor offered himself to save them all, and guilt that in Bel's absence, he fathered a child with Anazakia.
Ola, the child, is the light of all their lives. She is also a pawn of powers. For Anazakia is still the last heir of the house of Arkhangel'sk, and Aeval has no right to the throne of Heaven she sits on. It should be Anazakia's. Or her daughter's.
And Ola's power is greater than anyone could have imagined. Because Vasily is not, as he was raised to think, a demon. He is a Seraph, one of the host. The little girl is more than a little girl. More than a sweet child or a toddler with tantrums. She is the holder of the fifth radiance, not air, fire, water or earth, but aether.
Some of the powers of heaven want to control her; others want to kill her while she is still a child, to make sure that the "wrong" party does not control her.
Ola is kidnapped, and the hunt begins. Across all of Russia, and through all the orders of Heaven, one tiny little girl is bartered back and forth like a tiny bomb, or a pearl of great price.
Her parents will sacrifice anything to get her back.
Escape Rating A: The Midnight Court (and the whole House of Arkhangel'sk series so far) is the kind of densely multi-layered political pot-boiling gut-churning romance that doesn't come along very often. The nearest comparison is Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel's Dart series, as much for the very long game political machinations as for the kink relationship between Belphagor and Vasily.
The part of the comparison that I come back to is the politics. Every layer of every relationship, both personal and political, is going to matter before this series is over, and Kushiel had that same feel to it. Everything counts. Sex is sex but IOUs are forever.
The saying that "revenge is a dish best served cold" may have had Aeval in mind. She manipulated both the Romanov dynasty and the House of Arkhangel'sk to get something she wanted.
Waiting for the Spring of 2013 for the final book of the trilogy The Armies of Heaven, is going to be absolute torture. I stayed up until 4 in the morning to finish The Midnight Court. It ended on one hell of a cliffhanger, in a scene that reminded me a lot of something from The Dark Knight Rises. Read Fallen Queen and Midnight Court and see if you see the same thing. It's so worth it.
dnf
October 16, 2012I've gotten to the point where if I see a female character raped for no other discernible reason than The bad guys are bad, I will put the book down. Enough! If you're going to include it in a novel, it needs to pull its own weight and not use it for the sole purpose of showing how strong and enduring a woman is in her suffering or how she can put herself back together again stronger than ever.
October 23, 2012
THE MIDNIGHT COURT (House of Arkhangel’sk #2) by Jane Kindred
THE MIDNIGHT COURT is the second storyline (August 2012 release) in Jane Kindred’s House of Arkhangel’sk. The storyline, once again, facilitates between first person POV through a series of memoirs and third person accounting of what happens when Anazakia is not involved. The novel begins several months after the exiled Grand Duchess Anazakia and her demon companions are rescued from the self-proclaimed Queen of Heaven Aeval’s dungeons. We continue to travel between Heaven and Earth, and the many different realms in between. The world of the Unseen will play a major role in Anazakia’s hunt for her daughter, but the fae are not considered a friend by everyone who is witness to their aid. But it is Queen Aeval’s hunger for a pure Heaven that will place everyone in the world of Man under her control.
As the only surviving member of the House of Arkhangel’sk, Anazakia is now considered an enemy of the state, as the new Queen has declared her a murderer and charged her with treason. But word spreads of another royal heir, Anazakia and Vasily’s daughter, and Ola is now the target of the mad Queen’s rage. While their small family is slowly beginning to rebuild, they will soon be embroiled in a hunt to chase down the people responsible for the abduction of their 14 month old daughter- but-there is more than one faction of in the Houses of Heaven looking for the rightful heir to the throne- and each one wants the child for a different reason.
The storyline reads like a political history lesson from revolutionary Russia in the times before it became the USSR. Insane monks, long cold winters, even longer train rides and horse drawn carriages: Social Liberation Party vs the Ruling House of Arkhangels’ka are blended with a futuristic storyline in the Urban Fantasy vein. Intrigue, self-proclaimed rulers, missing and imprisoned citizens, and slavery with the addition of elementals, magic, fae, mage, angels, demons and power all add to the mix when Anazakia and her friends willingly risk their lives to recover the missing child.
As the months pass, the animosity between the remaining family members begins to affect the mental health of everyone concerned. Blame is placed for the loss of a child, the loss of companionship, the loss of a relationship and the loss of love. The trio, as committed as they are to finding young Ola, is enmeshed in a triangle where everyone is suffering because of sins of the past. Belphagor and Vasily’s relationship appears to be beyond repair, yet their love for Ola is the one constant in their lives. Jealousy between lovers will be blamed when Ola is abducted. And Anazakia will endeavor, by herself, to find her only daughter when sorrow and pain threaten to tear the family further apart. But Anazakia, Vasily and Belphagor will be reunited again and again, as their paths cross looking for the child who unites them together.
We are witness to prejudice and confinement, abuse and rape, graphic violence and death, in a regime ruled by tyranny, threats and control all wrapped up in a cold Siberian winter. Citizens are labeled, imprisoned and anyone supporting the Grand Duchess Anazakia will be sentenced to die.
A few surprises will reveal when Vasily discovers his true heritage and Anazakia’s refusal to let go of the past will put everyone in harm’s way.
This is a story about a political nightmare and the murderous dealings to ascend to the throne in the Royal House of Arkhangel’sk. Anazakia must fight for what is rightfully hers but when her child becomes a pawn in a political war, her only concern is for the welfare of said child.
THE MIDNIGHT COURT is an amazingly detailed novel. The love between Vasily, Belphagor and Anazakia is so pure and yet so different. By the end of the book I was tired. There is so much energy required to read the fascinating and varied portions of the storyline. I found myself pulled into the battles, the tears and the betrayal. At any one time you never knew who would betray whom in the fight for the throne. And in the end, the rightful Queen of Heaven knows whom she needs at her side to help her find the daughter she loves and claim the House of Arkhangel’sk once again.
And please-get a new cover. The Fallen Queen had an amazing cover, but The Midnight Court doesn’t pay homage to the men in the storyline. Sam Bond’s fake dreads detract the reader. It is not a good representation.
Copy supplied by the publisher.
see all of my reviews at : thereadingcafe.com
THE MIDNIGHT COURT is the second storyline (August 2012 release) in Jane Kindred’s House of Arkhangel’sk. The storyline, once again, facilitates between first person POV through a series of memoirs and third person accounting of what happens when Anazakia is not involved. The novel begins several months after the exiled Grand Duchess Anazakia and her demon companions are rescued from the self-proclaimed Queen of Heaven Aeval’s dungeons. We continue to travel between Heaven and Earth, and the many different realms in between. The world of the Unseen will play a major role in Anazakia’s hunt for her daughter, but the fae are not considered a friend by everyone who is witness to their aid. But it is Queen Aeval’s hunger for a pure Heaven that will place everyone in the world of Man under her control.
As the only surviving member of the House of Arkhangel’sk, Anazakia is now considered an enemy of the state, as the new Queen has declared her a murderer and charged her with treason. But word spreads of another royal heir, Anazakia and Vasily’s daughter, and Ola is now the target of the mad Queen’s rage. While their small family is slowly beginning to rebuild, they will soon be embroiled in a hunt to chase down the people responsible for the abduction of their 14 month old daughter- but-there is more than one faction of in the Houses of Heaven looking for the rightful heir to the throne- and each one wants the child for a different reason.
The storyline reads like a political history lesson from revolutionary Russia in the times before it became the USSR. Insane monks, long cold winters, even longer train rides and horse drawn carriages: Social Liberation Party vs the Ruling House of Arkhangels’ka are blended with a futuristic storyline in the Urban Fantasy vein. Intrigue, self-proclaimed rulers, missing and imprisoned citizens, and slavery with the addition of elementals, magic, fae, mage, angels, demons and power all add to the mix when Anazakia and her friends willingly risk their lives to recover the missing child.
As the months pass, the animosity between the remaining family members begins to affect the mental health of everyone concerned. Blame is placed for the loss of a child, the loss of companionship, the loss of a relationship and the loss of love. The trio, as committed as they are to finding young Ola, is enmeshed in a triangle where everyone is suffering because of sins of the past. Belphagor and Vasily’s relationship appears to be beyond repair, yet their love for Ola is the one constant in their lives. Jealousy between lovers will be blamed when Ola is abducted. And Anazakia will endeavor, by herself, to find her only daughter when sorrow and pain threaten to tear the family further apart. But Anazakia, Vasily and Belphagor will be reunited again and again, as their paths cross looking for the child who unites them together.
We are witness to prejudice and confinement, abuse and rape, graphic violence and death, in a regime ruled by tyranny, threats and control all wrapped up in a cold Siberian winter. Citizens are labeled, imprisoned and anyone supporting the Grand Duchess Anazakia will be sentenced to die.
A few surprises will reveal when Vasily discovers his true heritage and Anazakia’s refusal to let go of the past will put everyone in harm’s way.
This is a story about a political nightmare and the murderous dealings to ascend to the throne in the Royal House of Arkhangel’sk. Anazakia must fight for what is rightfully hers but when her child becomes a pawn in a political war, her only concern is for the welfare of said child.
THE MIDNIGHT COURT is an amazingly detailed novel. The love between Vasily, Belphagor and Anazakia is so pure and yet so different. By the end of the book I was tired. There is so much energy required to read the fascinating and varied portions of the storyline. I found myself pulled into the battles, the tears and the betrayal. At any one time you never knew who would betray whom in the fight for the throne. And in the end, the rightful Queen of Heaven knows whom she needs at her side to help her find the daughter she loves and claim the House of Arkhangel’sk once again.
And please-get a new cover. The Fallen Queen had an amazing cover, but The Midnight Court doesn’t pay homage to the men in the storyline. Sam Bond’s fake dreads detract the reader. It is not a good representation.
Copy supplied by the publisher.
see all of my reviews at : thereadingcafe.com
June 26, 2013
The Midnight Court picks up in the world of man, where Anazakia is in hiding with her daughter Ola, Belphagor, and Vasily. Love is there as Ola's nanny, and they have Nephilim guards. However, all is not well. Vasily and Belphagor's relationship is strained; and with Belphagor back, Vasily and Anazakia aren't sure how to act around each other. In fact, there's a lot of tension in the relationships, especially with the introduction of some new characters.
While I didn't enjoy this book as much as the last one, it does what I expect of a second book in a trilogy. It further develops the relationships among the different characters while deepening the plot and introducing us to the various factions rising in Heaven. I enjoyed getting to know Love better, though I wish it could have been in a better situation. Kidnapped along with Ola, Love finds herself abused and struggles to maintain a semblance of normalcy with her charge. I admire her strength of heart, and she's now one of my favorite characters. Belphagor, however, I like less. I don't like the way he treats Vasily; even if it's a way of courtship for them, Belphagor acts more like Vasily is a possession of his.
The writing also didn't work for me. It'd been bugging me since book one, but it really irritated me in this book how much telling goes on in this story, which is disappointing considering how good the battle scenes are. I wanted to see the scenes play out instead of having the characters summarize things. Sometimes, it feels as though there are too many characters narrating events. While I like seeing what goes on in different places, much of the summarizing may be due to effort of filling in the reader on so many events going on at the same time. Also partly due to the many changes in POV, the sex scenes seemed random as if they were added to the story simply for the sake of having them. If there's going to be sex in the story, it needs to have a reason to be there or at least feel like it belongs.
What I like most about this story is how Anazakia grows more into her role as the last surviving member of a royal family. She seems and acts more like a queen, and she has a better understanding of the way the world works. She's no longer the naive princess she used to be. With the various factions established, book three promises more action.
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For more of my reviews, visit my blog Imaginary Reads.
While I didn't enjoy this book as much as the last one, it does what I expect of a second book in a trilogy. It further develops the relationships among the different characters while deepening the plot and introducing us to the various factions rising in Heaven. I enjoyed getting to know Love better, though I wish it could have been in a better situation. Kidnapped along with Ola, Love finds herself abused and struggles to maintain a semblance of normalcy with her charge. I admire her strength of heart, and she's now one of my favorite characters. Belphagor, however, I like less. I don't like the way he treats Vasily; even if it's a way of courtship for them, Belphagor acts more like Vasily is a possession of his.
The writing also didn't work for me. It'd been bugging me since book one, but it really irritated me in this book how much telling goes on in this story, which is disappointing considering how good the battle scenes are. I wanted to see the scenes play out instead of having the characters summarize things. Sometimes, it feels as though there are too many characters narrating events. While I like seeing what goes on in different places, much of the summarizing may be due to effort of filling in the reader on so many events going on at the same time. Also partly due to the many changes in POV, the sex scenes seemed random as if they were added to the story simply for the sake of having them. If there's going to be sex in the story, it needs to have a reason to be there or at least feel like it belongs.
What I like most about this story is how Anazakia grows more into her role as the last surviving member of a royal family. She seems and acts more like a queen, and she has a better understanding of the way the world works. She's no longer the naive princess she used to be. With the various factions established, book three promises more action.
--
For more of my reviews, visit my blog Imaginary Reads.
August 17, 2014
This is another book I won through Goodreads. It took me a bit to get pulled into this story, but once I was in I couldn't put it down. I fell in love with the character and there is so much detail that I could really see this in my head play out as I was reading it. The Midnight Court is very different from anything I have read before and I really enjoyed the story and characters. Can't wait to read more from this author!
June 5, 2021
This story is long and worth the read. I never would have guessed Heaven was so much like earth in so many ways. Some good and some bad. Demons are treated as low life’s and taken advantage of. Angels are rich and at times so much more evil. This is a love story mixed with angst, mystery, and romance. A story that will make you wonder “what if”. I love the imagination of the author and would read another book by her.
October 6, 2012
It amazes me, a few days later, to find this book is still rattling around in my head. I'm not one for demons, angels, or other biblical referencing stories, but Jane Kindred has created this fabulous world that captures your attention, with complex characters and a story that will stay with you for a long time.
The Midnight Court picks up one year after the end of The Fallen Queen (and yes, you must read that book to continue on with this one). Belphagor, Vasily, Anazakia and Love are living in their little dacha in Russia raising Anazakia and Vasily's daughter, Ola. You'd think, since a year has gone by, things might be back to 'normal' for Belphagor, Vasily and Anazakia. However, we find everything has changed for our trio.
Belphagor and Vasily find themselves not able to get their relationship back on track, while Anazakia and Vasily's relationship has gone by the wayside now that Belphagor is back. What do they all share is the love of Ola. When she's kidnapped, the depth of despair between the three threatens to tear all of them apart...for very different reasons.
The Midnight Court spends a great deal of time setting up the factions that wish to dethrone Queen Aeval and what they'd do to achieve their end goal. War is hell and for those that are stuck in the middle of the fight between good and evil, it truly is. Ola is kidnapped, Belphagor is ravaged with guilt because she was taken while with him, Vasily and Anazakia float between being grief-stricken to overflowing with anger, while Love and the monk Kirill suffered unimaginably It's not an easy read, but in my opinion, the message is clear. Through adversity one finds great strength. Each and every one of those characters goes through this journey and comes out the other side stronger. None more so than Anazakia.
Anazakia finally matures by the end of The Midnight Court. She's been put through the proverbial ringer and finds herself in love with the father of her child, who in turn loves another man. So at eighteen, we should and do see Anazakia breakdown and/or shut down. But somewhere deep down inside of her, she finds the strength to be the royal leader she was meant to be. One who will lead the people of Elysium to rise up again Aeval and reclaim her daughter.
The Midnight Court picks up one year after the end of The Fallen Queen (and yes, you must read that book to continue on with this one). Belphagor, Vasily, Anazakia and Love are living in their little dacha in Russia raising Anazakia and Vasily's daughter, Ola. You'd think, since a year has gone by, things might be back to 'normal' for Belphagor, Vasily and Anazakia. However, we find everything has changed for our trio.
Belphagor and Vasily find themselves not able to get their relationship back on track, while Anazakia and Vasily's relationship has gone by the wayside now that Belphagor is back. What do they all share is the love of Ola. When she's kidnapped, the depth of despair between the three threatens to tear all of them apart...for very different reasons.
The Midnight Court spends a great deal of time setting up the factions that wish to dethrone Queen Aeval and what they'd do to achieve their end goal. War is hell and for those that are stuck in the middle of the fight between good and evil, it truly is. Ola is kidnapped, Belphagor is ravaged with guilt because she was taken while with him, Vasily and Anazakia float between being grief-stricken to overflowing with anger, while Love and the monk Kirill suffered unimaginably It's not an easy read, but in my opinion, the message is clear. Through adversity one finds great strength. Each and every one of those characters goes through this journey and comes out the other side stronger. None more so than Anazakia.
Anazakia finally matures by the end of The Midnight Court. She's been put through the proverbial ringer and finds herself in love with the father of her child, who in turn loves another man. So at eighteen, we should and do see Anazakia breakdown and/or shut down. But somewhere deep down inside of her, she finds the strength to be the royal leader she was meant to be. One who will lead the people of Elysium to rise up again Aeval and reclaim her daughter.
June 1, 2013
The Midnight Court is the second book of The House of Arkhangel'sk series. The story continues with the Grand Duchess Anazakia and her demon companions, Belphagor and Vasily hiding from Queen Aeval, who stole her birthright to the throne of Heaven. Aeval has bewitched her cousin Kae into slaughtering Anazakia's family and his wife. Aeval used that tragedy and manipulated the blame to Anazakia.
Anazakia and Vasily were happy to stay in their new home in Russia with their year-old daughter Ola. But when Ola was kidnapped, Anazakia was willing to sacrifice anything to get her back.
In this story, Anazakia was still a sheltered child at heart. After her family has been killed, she showed no leadership in regaining her throne of Heaven. During her struggle to find her daughter Ola with Vasily, Anazakia was rash and was willing to sacrifice her companions and friends. But as she faces each trials along her way, the readers will see that her character is growing. With the growth of Anazakia's character, Anazakia will be able to face Aeval in the third book.
In the story, Vasily is also discovering his background. Vasily has always believed that he was a demon. He was orphaned at a young age and has struggled to survive in the streets of Raqia until he was taken in by Bephagor. It turns out that Vasily is more than he seemed due to his unknown parentage.
For readers who haven't read the first book, The Midnight Court gives a quick summary of what has transpired in the first book. No worry about not reading the first book to know where the story is heading. Now as for knowing the Russian folklore, that is another story. I am not too familiar with some of the folklore characters. They are mentioned in the book but it is difficult to figure that out without a bit of background information. I probably just overlooked them, otherwise I say the book is entertaining.
Anazakia and Vasily were happy to stay in their new home in Russia with their year-old daughter Ola. But when Ola was kidnapped, Anazakia was willing to sacrifice anything to get her back.
In this story, Anazakia was still a sheltered child at heart. After her family has been killed, she showed no leadership in regaining her throne of Heaven. During her struggle to find her daughter Ola with Vasily, Anazakia was rash and was willing to sacrifice her companions and friends. But as she faces each trials along her way, the readers will see that her character is growing. With the growth of Anazakia's character, Anazakia will be able to face Aeval in the third book.
In the story, Vasily is also discovering his background. Vasily has always believed that he was a demon. He was orphaned at a young age and has struggled to survive in the streets of Raqia until he was taken in by Bephagor. It turns out that Vasily is more than he seemed due to his unknown parentage.
For readers who haven't read the first book, The Midnight Court gives a quick summary of what has transpired in the first book. No worry about not reading the first book to know where the story is heading. Now as for knowing the Russian folklore, that is another story. I am not too familiar with some of the folklore characters. They are mentioned in the book but it is difficult to figure that out without a bit of background information. I probably just overlooked them, otherwise I say the book is entertaining.
October 28, 2012
For full review, see:
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Jane Kindred’s writing reminds me a lot of Jacqueline Carey. It’s epic fantasy, but there are elements of romance and sexuality throughout the book that one wouldn’t typically expect to find. There’s also a lot of sexual violence, so if that bothers you, then you might want to steer clear. However, if the idea of a parallel supernatural world that incorporates Russian history and culture sounds appealing, then this one’s definitely for you!
http://bookswithoutanypictures.wordpr...
Jane Kindred’s writing reminds me a lot of Jacqueline Carey. It’s epic fantasy, but there are elements of romance and sexuality throughout the book that one wouldn’t typically expect to find. There’s also a lot of sexual violence, so if that bothers you, then you might want to steer clear. However, if the idea of a parallel supernatural world that incorporates Russian history and culture sounds appealing, then this one’s definitely for you!
August 23, 2012
This is no sequel in the Hollywood movie sense. In book two the story builds a tower over the foundation of the first. The well distilled characters exist in a perfectly described world made almost real by those skeptics who are thrown in. It's the detail created by a passionate author which keeps us caught up the humanity of a story in which few humans are included.
It's hard to put down this book. The sexiness continues like a new relationship. I can't wait for the third book to come out.
It's hard to put down this book. The sexiness continues like a new relationship. I can't wait for the third book to come out.
June 12, 2013
I loved this book. Excellent writing, amazing characters and has me all crazy for the next book. Highly recommended!
September 12, 2012
Fabulous!
March 4, 2013
I recieved this book through good reads first reads
Unexpected yet interesting this book held my attention well, and I enjoyed reading it.
Unexpected yet interesting this book held my attention well, and I enjoyed reading it.
March 27, 2013
I enjoyed this book, even though it was different from other books I've read. Some parts were disturbing, but over all was a good read.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews