Kingdoms of Dust.

The Necromancer Chronicles #3

by Amanda Downum

With her master dead and her oaths foresworn, necromancer and spy Isyllt Iskaldur finds herself in exile. Hounded by assassins, she seeks asylum in Assar, the empire she so recently worked to undermine. There, warlords threaten the Empire s fragile peace, and the empress is beset by enemies within the court. Even worse, darkness stirs in the deep desert. Ancient spirits are waking that could destroy Assar faster than any army. Isyllt must travel into the heart of the desert to lay the darkness there to rest once more. But first she must stop an order of mages that will do anything to keep the Empire safe even raze it to dust.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, High Fantasy, Dark Fantasy, Magic, Epic Fantasy, Ebooks

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Matthew Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

This third book in Downum's Necromancer Chronicles sees heroine Isyllt Iskaldur in, again, a completely new setting — in this case, the Assari empire and its surroundings, with influences from Arabia, North Africa and the Sahara. The author does settings very well, even if they're always inspired by real-world places, and this book doesn't disappoint there.

Where it does lack is what made her last book, The Bone Palace, suck a cracking read — a character to act as a counterbalance to Isyllt's brooding, mopey Gothiness. I found myself missing Savedra's fiery passion, and the book suffers a bit from that. Isyllt also needs a bit of a fire lit under her to turn from stagnant depression to the driven, obsessed seeker for answers that's a lot more fun to read, and I think this book's pacing suffers a bit by taking a little too long to turn up the heat — in similar fashion to the first book, The Drowning City.

That said, Downum has a bunch more experience under her belt now, and it shows. The first book had plot threads that never went anywhere, an ending that while sufficiently final to deserve the term wasn't completely satisfying, and other typical first-published-work problems, but everything comes to a satisfying, powerful conclusion.

By itself, this is a good book; it's just that The Bone Palace was a great book. This, and the series as a whole, has my enthusiastic endorsement and recommendation, and I expect great things out of Amanda Downum in future.

[Larou]

I loved Amanda Downum’s first published novel, The Drowning City, for its imaginative worldbuilding, its fascinating characters, and its rich, evocative prose. I loved her next novel, The Bone Palace, even more, because it had all of those and wove them into an intricately choreographed plot full of mystery, political intrigue and betrayed love and loyalty. In consequence, I had very high expectations for her third novel, The Kingdoms of Dust, all the more so because it was supposed to take place in a Middle-Eastern, Arabian-Nights-like setting which, as everyone who reads my posts with any regularity will be aware, I have a very soft spot for.

But even though I greatly enjoyed reading the novel, the third in the Necromancer Chronicles (which at one point I thought was supposed to be a trilogy, but apparently there is more to come, at least if the author can find a publisher), it does fall somewhat short of its predecessor – which is understandable, considering just how high Amanda Downum placed the bar for herself, but still, I have to admit, a mite disappointing.

Interestingly enough (because it introduces the rather intriguing possibility that this might be a feature, not a bug, i.e. that this might be an intentional esthetic choice by the author) the problem I had with the third novel in the series are symmetrically reverse to those I had with the first one – by all vividness of its worldbuilding, the depth of its characters and the intensity of its prose, The Drowning City was lacking a bit in forward momentum, and while I’m not usually someone who considers plot essential for a good novel, it is rather important for an adventure story like that one, which seemed to always teeter on the brink of becoming static, falling apart in a series of beautiful vignettes rather than a unified narrative.

Now, while The Bone Palace achieved a perfect balance, The Kingdoms of Dust seems to fall down on the other side, so to speak – the world building appeared sketchy, the characters underdeveloped (and my major disappointment is the short shrift Moth is given here, after her extremely promising introduction in The Bone Palace). Amanda Downum’s writing, though, is as assured and intense as ever, except that this time round it mostly serves to drive forward a fast-moving plot which pits several factions against each other, in a conflict to which necromancer Isyllt Iskaldur seems to be the key…

There is a lot happening in The Kingdoms of Dust, and I am almost tempted to call it action-packed, but that might be exaggerating things slightly. I found it to be quite a page-turner, though, and while I tended to read the previous novels in the series purposefully slow, taking my time to savour the prose and to admire the small, fascinating details on the way, I was rushing through this one, in a hurry to find out what happened next and how it would all end. Which is not quite the reading experience I have come to associate with Amando Downum, but it signals that she is working on her craft and trying to take it into new directions, even in a novel that is part of a series.

So in the end, I’m very curious as to where Amanda Downum will take both her writing and Isyllt next – there have been hints towards a greater picture regarding the conflict between humans and demons scattered through the first two volumes, but they are much more prominent in The Kingdoms of Dust, and I would be not at all surprised if we were to hear more of that in any future novels (the author’s blog on the series makes mention of plans for “at least one more Isyllt book, as well as two spin-offs following other characters”). Also, I can’t help but hope that we have not seen the last of Moth yet and that the full potential of that character will eventually be realised (like, in a spin-off following her further adventures…?). For me, the Necromancer Chronicles remains the most exciting fantasy series by a new author since Sarah Monette’s Doctrine of Labyrinths, and I am crossing my fingers that there will be a next installment soon.

[Mid Fimbulwinter · Rating 3 out of 5]

He's a fae-touched warrior rescued from a terrible Turkish-ish prison. She's a necromancer spy mourning a lost mentor and lover. The other he is a djinn trapped in human flesh struggling with the politics of a vast empire! They're all feeling Too Old For This Shit!

With the third book of her Necromancer Chronicles, Downum brings back two of my favourites from The Drowning City, Asheris al-Seth the demon wizard, and Adam, the lethal mercenary.

One of the interesting things about this series is that it looks like standard heroic fantasy, but it keeps subverting and avoiding tropes. The standard model has the heroes getting injured, having thier powers lost or weakened, but in the end, their injuries don't get in the way, their power returns, stronger than ever, and the heroes stride into the sunset, badass and wounded aesthetically.

Downum's heroes win, but at great personal cost. Isyllt's hand never recovers from the first book in the series, and Adam's health is about what you'd expect from someone who spent a good chunk of time in a terrible Turkish-ish prison. It stands out for me, because three books in, we don't see the characters levelling up to increasing levels of badass; they have the same, or sometimes less to work with to face the threats they're presented with. I'm curious to see if this trend continues, or if they eventually start to recover what they've lost and/or gain awesome new power. I believe the series is continuing, and I like the characters enough to keep reading either way - it's just a nice twist on standard epic fantasy tropes.

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first two books in the Necromancer Chronicles (The Drowning City and The Bone Palace) were fairly geographically focused (each took place primarily in and around a single city) and relatively standalone. This, the third volume, broadens the canvas considerably. This time Isyllt Iskaldur finds herself across the sea in the distinctly Arabian-tinged realm of Assar, initially to seek out an old friend, but then pulled inexorably into magic-tinged conspiracies (which, as it happens, provide more of a context for events in the previous books). Old friends & enemies resurface, journeys are undertaken across the desert sands and before it's all over there will be profound changes both to the characters and to the larger world.

I'd be very happy to meet up with Isyllt again, but this brings things to a satisfying conclusion.

[Blodeuedd Finland · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book 3 and the last one. Quite a shame really. Because yes there was en ending, life goes on. But there was no Ending. Instead it was left that there can be more adventures.

In this book Isyllt is in exile. Someone is trying to kill her, and she meets up with old friends. There is also a new adventure. Something old and dark is trying to get loose. Ohhh I liked that part. The more explanations I got the more I liked it. I also liked that we got to know more about this world. It seems that everyone used to live in peace. Jinni, humans, ghouls. So cool. I would love to know even more! So there could totally be another book.

There are dangers, friendship, and all in all an easy good read.

[Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as tight-wound and compelling as The Bone Palace, but still lyrically written, deftly characterised and a fun and interesting read. I love how hard the characters live, and how they do not emerge from that unscathed, and how they carry their scars, and heal. It's realistic and it's beautiful and it's not made easy or gratuitously sexy. (Though, that said, she writes some of the most meaningful and intimate sex scenes I've ever read, and rarely are they even slightly explicit.)

[Ariel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strong, intelligent, sarcastic, witty female lead characters who aren't damsels in distress, trying to be one of the guys, or making incredibly stupid decisions out of some misguided attempt at "twuu wuv" (true love)!
No Insta!Love!
Smart, funny, charming male characters that aren't flaming jerks!
Incredible world-building!
Intrigue!
Action!
Realistic relationships (platonic and romantic)!

*happy sigh*

This was fantasy done well and I'm truly sad to see this series end.

...Bone Palace (book 2) was my favorite, by the way.

[Veronica · Rating 2 out of 5]

It had moments of good moments of I can't stand this almost gave up on it. made it to the end and I guess kinda glad I did.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite a length that initially seemed excessive, this was well-paced and developed. I felt connected to the story (and the side characters) and some chapters were really compelling.

The concept of Al-Joda'im is fascinating and I loved it. The idea of Qais and Quietus seems pretty much exactly what humanity would do. Asheris' story and Kash's story are compelling and deeply sad. Brenna's story is relatable, in a way. And in my head, Nerium is played by Dame Judi Dench.

My primary disappointments were what little development Moth got in this story, after being introduced in book 2, and a slightly confusing consequence at the end of the story. It's always nice to have familiar faces come back into a story, as with Adam and Asheris, as well as new intrigue. I'm not sure how I feel about Isyllt's journey. Throughout the trilogy, she's essentially wasting away (physically) and re-defining her priorities (morally/ethically) while becoming a stronger mage and spy through the near-constant danger and intrigue she's thrown into.

She's mangled and grieving, and somehow this third story becomes something of a redemption arc, where she finds purpose and direction (at the very end, anyway). She wakes up to the wrongs she's committed and she does her best to fix things- either because she's finally gotten her head above the water of grief enough to look around her, or because she's decided she's going to die and wants to make amends while she can (depending on how cynical you are about this).

I'm mostly frustrated by the fact that Isyllt didn't die at the end, after taking the Void into her flesh as a vessel for its escape, and then releasing it into the world, and then *ripping her spiritual heart open as a gateway for them to go back into space*. Aside from being in a 3-day coma, that act had zero consequences for her- not even pain. Isyllt made a sacrifice with unknown consequences- that's the power of her choice, that she knew something would alter her forever, or kill her, but it was for the right reason. No consequences to this sacrifice turns her from everyday person who happens to be a necromancer into a Chosen One trope, which cheapens the story for me. I would've liked to have seen SOME consequence to that action, even just hinted at.

Aside from that, the story was a good one, and could potentially be read as a stand-alone.

[Shreyas · Rating 4 out of 5]

The final novel of the Necromancer Chronicles, Kingdoms of Dust is, in large part, a book about grief.

Our main character, Isyllt, has found herself bereft of a mentor-lover-employer due to events earlier in the series. Removed from her employment and with little left for her in the city she calls home, she sets off in search of an old friend.

He, too, is haunted by the ghost of an old lover. They make a morose pair!

This novel is more character-driven than its predecessor, and by necessity it gives us a walking tour of the places it visits instead of a deep view of one.Fortunately for us, Downum is skilled at drawing her characters. They're rich, interesting people, deeply colored, sometimes scarred, by their history, and I kind of see Kingdoms of Dust as an intimate picture of Isyllt, Adam, and the other characters of the story, simply allowing their histories to play off one another. It's beautifully done.

[Samantha · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I think the storyline was better than the last one, the execution left me wanting. The entire tone of the book was depressing, sex did not have to happen as often as it did, there were plot threads that were unnecessary and went nowhere, and Isyllt should have died in the end. I got the feeling, from reading all three books, that the author was projecting her own depression into her work, not to mention her desire to be thin. She also used a lot of unusual and fancy words most people don't understand that did not fit in with rest of her writing. It felt like she was trying to appear smart but all she succeeded in doing was drawing me out of the story. This was a one-time read, for sure.

[C Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

A superb ending to a series that improved every single step of the way from the first chapter of book one.

The pacing may not be for everyone, but as a story that focuses very tightly on a handful of badly damaged, grieving characters this was a masterpiece in the study of human emotion and how the bereaved and abandoned act, react and interact with each other.

I sincerely hope this series is progressed in some way in the future.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent adventure, with strong characterization and good pacing. This is such a consistently strong series. If you like the Locke Lamora series, you will probably enjoy these. This novel, like its predecessors, contains a few sex scenes, in case you have an aversion to those.

[Zoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[D.A. Rice · Rating 5 out of 5]

out of all of these books, I liked this one the best.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adam's back, yay! I thought this was a satisfying end to the trilogy with Isyllt

[Саведра · Rating 3 out of 5]

Downum ends her trilogy with a volume that I rank between the first, The Drowning City, and the second, The Bone Palace. Here's a brief summary of the plot, including spoilers for previous events in the series: After both failing to save the life of her ex-lover, Kiril, and allowing the king to die, thereby breaking her oath and crippling her magic, Isyllt goes into voluntary exile. Kingdoms of Dust rejoins her in the foreign city Kehribar, where she and her apprentice, Moth, are being pursued by unknown agents with unclear goals. Given the title and the fact that the southern continent appears to be the only one with desert areas, it's not really a spoiler to say that Isyllt eventually finds her way to the country Assar, where she gradually learns the truth behind her “tails” and a hurricane-like wind with an underlying, emotionally enervating, sometimes deadly magical/spiritual component.

I've liked Isyllt a great deal since book 1. Her talent for entropy magic works as an effective metaphor for her self-destructive tendencies – not that series' motifs of entropy and the void are restricted only to that metaphor, of course. It's also poignant that in the death-phobic cities of Assar, the already isolated Isyllt either has to hide her nature as a necromancer or go about the city with virtually her whole body covered. (While Assar is heavily influenced by Middle Eastern and North African cultural and geographical features, I didn't think that Isyllt needing to be covered was intended as a parallel to or commentary on Islam. Instead, I saw it as another manifestation of the ways that her inborn talent for necromancy defines her in other people's eyes and often reflects and amplifies the isolation and sense of being different or apart that she already feels.)

Another character in the series that I really liked and found compelling was Savedra, from book 2. While the secondary characters are all good characters here in book 3, I didn't feel like any of them could take the place of Savedra. And as long as we're on the topic of supporting characters, I consistently found myself wanting more focus on Moth, Isyllt's apprentice. I don't mean that I perceived the amount of time spent on Moth as a structural weakness – just that I liked her and wanted to read more about her. (Between Isyllt's necromantic talents, Savedra's transsexuality, and Moth's androgyny, there's a pronounced theme of characters figuring out where they stand on traits they were born with.)

Apropos motifs, another one found series-wide is the idea of binding and release, such as Isyllt's ability to imprison ghosts in her black diamond or Asheris (book 1 spoiler) the jinn being bound to a human body and later partially released. Then there are also oaths and (book 2 spoiler) the breaking thereof, as well as Isyllt's appearing bound by her own self-destructive and depressive tendencies.

Overall, I know three stars might look like damning with faint praise, but that's not what I mean by the rating. I'm just (and have been for a while) trying to recalibrate my own personal rating system so that my four-star and rare five-star reviews more accurately reflect books that I really, really liked (such as book 2 of this series). Three stars definitely still means I thought it was good and liked it. I only rated it lower than book 2 because I connected so strongly with that book and didn't feel quite the same thing here. That's highly subjective, of course, so another reader might find this their favorite book in the series.

[Ry Herman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A necromancer and spy is recruited by an old conspiracy in a desert empire. I’ve long enjoyed Downum’s Necromancer books. While this one lacked the complex wheels-within-wheels plots of the first two, it was a satisfying read with Downum’s usual emotional depth and intriguing characters.

[Eleanor With Cats · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this series but book 2, The Bone Palace, is the best. The Kingdoms of Dust is more about everyone travelling around and weathering occasional assassination attempts, after halfway through the book the protagonists meet the conspiracy people, then Isyllt charges in and solves the problem, then the protagonists talk a bit and they all leave for their further adventures.

I think it's supposed to be a character growth novel. The kingdoms of dust are not just Assar and the jinn city and lost Irim's empire (and/or its remnant in Qais). Isyllt, Moth, Adam, Melantha, and Asheris & Siddir are all in their own place where they are torn and sad. Nothing can really grow until they make one choice or other or fix what hurts. Nerium and the rest of Quietus are poisoned by the despair seeping out from Al-Jodâ'im, who have themselves been imprisoned for over a century (and who know that the only way to escape will lead to others' deaths). I just feel like there wasn't as much power or suitable plot or something for all this.

The reason I tag this feminism is that in The Bone Palace Downum used exactly the same number of male main cast and female main cast, although only a few can be viewpoint characters. In this book, the female main cast are:
Isyllt
Nerium
Moth
Melantha
and the male main cast are:
Asheris
Adam
Kash
Siddir
and the viewpoint characters are Isyllt and Asheris, and sometimes Nerium, Adam, and Melantha. It's a lot better than whatever system leads people to write books with one (slightly embarrassed by sexuality) heroine and one hot female villain and the remainder of the cast entirely male. I love hot female villains, but women *are* over 50% of the population.

I would very much like to read another Amanda Downum novel. .....Are you listening, Orbit?

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Necromancer (or entropomancer, if you prefer) goes to mythic Arabia (by some name or other). Usual crowd of apprentices, old friends-and-enemies, princes, djinn, assassins, etc show up for the ride. Once again, I had trouble tracking all the names. Also, everybody is a spy. I think the author has decided that the only interesting people are people who make hard decisions, meaning decisions about other people, meaning they all have to be spies (unless they're princes or high priests). I'm not objecting, just making a note.

The problem at hand (which secretly ties back to the previous two books, I think, or would if I remembered all those plot details from two years ago) is that a secret order of desert priests has captured a nest of shoggoths. They have shoggoth leakage. Leakage is bad, c.f. "Sea of Glass", "Irim/Iram/Irem of the Pillars" (my favorite Arabian legend that I never heard of until Tim Powers came along, thank you, Tim). Everybody on several sides wants a necromancer to solve their problems. They want her very, very badly. The necromancer deals with this by playing to her strengths, which are not what you expect.

I have decided that I like this (I think) trilogy (the third book ends at a good stopping point, anyhow). However, it's in a strange mid-ground between standard protagonist structure and ensemble casting. I wonder whether the whole thing would have worked better if Isyllt had been a pure NPC, seen only from the outside, with her companions carrying the story. No? I know, it wasn't my decision, I didn't write 'em.

[Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

C2012: So, the 3rd book with Isyllt Iskaldur as the protagonist. Having stumbled across the author’s blog with the wonderful tag line of Bride of Raindogs, some of the creative processes are revealed and this certainly made me warm to this book more than the 2 previous ones or perhaps it is just that the author has now become more accomplished. Either way, this was a good read. The return of some old “friends” and the development of some of the older characters brought the book to a satisfying conclusion – quite an optimistic one as well. A few disturbing characters as well. All the review extracts published on the cover are with reference to The Necromancer Chronicles or the 2 earlier books rather than this specific book. The blurb disappoints in that the part of the plot-reveal regarding going into the desert happens well into the second third of the book. Did I get a hint of the artist formerly known as Cat Stevens i.e. “Evening has fallen like the first evening/Nightjar has spoken like the first bird/Praise for the singing, praise for the gloaming/Praise for the light fading soft from the world” (think the tune of Morning has Broken)? FWFTB: foresworn, hounded, asylum, darkness, ancient. FCN: Isyllt Iskaldur, Adam, Asheris, Nerium Kerah, Samar.

[Marie Michaels · Rating 4 out of 5]

As expected, I loved this book. Downum's prose is rich and fine-grained -- she grounds the reader instantly in every gorgeous setting she creates. The texture of her locations and mythology is really exquisite. As usual, the characters are deeply flawed and fascinating people driven by motivations even they may not completely understand. Both of these aspects consistently astonish me and stand out as stellar in the fantasy genre.

The third book in this fantastic series both exceeded and fell short of my expectations. It reached back to the previous two books for a lot of the tension, and it was impressive to see those familiar elements and characters fall into the story arc here. The plotlines were so entangled -- and I read the books long ago enough -- that I did get a little lost, but there's more than enough to keep me engaged in spite of that. The action was a little slower and the whole mood of the piece noticeably darker and more melancholy than the previous two books -- and the latter is saying something because the series itself has been dark and introspective in the midst of a lot of great action.

Overall, I remain a huge fan of this series and am very excited to see where Downum and Isyllt take us next.

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

What always stood out for me in this series are the lush descriptions, they really do paint a picture. This book lacks none of that, which is pleasant. It was also nice to see the return of some of the characters from the first book. However, I don't think it's quite on par with the first two in the series.

I felt that the plot was promising, but came to an end rather abruptly, without as many complications as might be expected. For example, I felt that Ahmar was dealt with way too easily, and did not do much as a secondary villain. It felt as if the whole thing was building up, but was then quickly resolved in the last few pages. The ending just didn't do it for me.

However, the story is still entertaining and absolutely worth reading, especially if you've read and enjoyed the first books (which you really should have done if you pick this up). It was also interesting to have a villain (if you can call it that) that isn't really evil, and isn't really a person at all, but something misunderstood that has suffered because it is death to humanity, even if it means no harm, and is imprisoned and forced to suffer as a result .

I'll be keeping a look out to see if Amanda Downum writes any more books.

[Jeremy Preacher · Rating 4 out of 5]

As much as I love and miss Savedra, I think The Kingdoms of Dust is the strongest novel in the series so far. The threat is clear and rather more fantastic than the mostly-political machinations of the first two novels, and all of the action is obviously connected to it. Despite that, all of the decisions stay firmly grey - there's no obvious moral choice for anyone, and that, more than anything else, keeps the tension up.

I wish we'd gotten more of Moth's character development - she has obviously gone through some, and goes through more, but it happens mostly offscreen or via observation by other characters. And there are no new characters that really shine, leaving me hopeful that the rumored fourth book is all Savedra, all the time. But Asheris is great, even if I kind of want to follow him offscreen and see his adventures among the jinn more than I want to follow Isyllt, who remains charming enough but still manages to avoid being my favorite.

The ending worked, and I suppose would serve as a series finale if need be, although it had a taste of chosen-one deus ex machina to it. (Only a taste, fortunately.) But I'm eager enough to read more, when more are available, and that's as good a verdict as I give, these days.

[WillowBe · Rating 3 out of 5]

SPOILERS. Now this was a real disappointment. Again, a book that seemed unfinished, and raw at the end. I mean, when i got to thelast page on the reader I couldn't believe it. I guess Downum didn't want to be maudlin or out of character, but I'd hope that Issylt would understand that there was no shame in telling her true feelings to Moth. She'd agonized over it for weeks in the desert, in the palace. She couldnt' say actual feelings? Yes she gave her important gifts, etc, and didnt want to talk for fear of giving away what she would do, but what about afterward, darn it? What about Asheris? Where did he go? Oh right, with Sadir? What? Exactly what happened to Nerium- Ash left her in the void? I guess Adam and Issylt will try it as companions and then see where it goes? Bah. Yes there was resolution for the character, but just not happy with it. Just feels thin where it should feel thick.

Or maybe I felt that way bec Is started reading it in Jan and just now finished it. IT was just missing- something. The best book in this series was Broken Down Palace, or Ghost Palace. Drowned City was too much like this. I preferrd the European setting.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Faaaantastic. Somehow I mixed up titles and wound up skipping #2 before reading this, but there are (I think) as many references to plot events in the first book as in the second, so I still felt pretty well-grounded in the series. (And we get to see Asheris again, yay!) Isyllt remains a fascinating, complex character-- a powerful yet wounded woman who surrounds herself with equally powerful yet wounded people. Downum's grasp of world-building and more specifically culture-building is astounding-- I loved seeing Isyllt move through yet another kingdom's traditions and superstitions. There's tons of intrigue and faction fighting against (or secretly allying with) faction. The plot is deliciously twisty-- no predictable endings here! (Personally, I was *floored* by the ending-- there are clues, but I didn't realize until the moment before she did it what exactly Isyllt was plotting.)

I don't know if this was planned as a trilogy or a longer series. As book 3, this COULD be the end... it stopped in a place that I'm... mostly comfortable with, for an end. (But I really, really hope it's not.)

[D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Am I the only one who didn't see Asheris and Siddir being a thing? I don't even remember Siddis from TDC? But then again, that was probably because of my bad habit of reading more than one book at a time. So apparently, Asheris tried to seduce Isyllt in TDC, but it was all pretend (like she said), because Asheris is kinda gay.

A really big problem resolved all too easily in the last few pages of the book. Seriously, Ms Downum, it's all right to write a 600-page novel if you want to. I will read it all. I kind of think the pacing isn't too good because it all feels hurried. Like how Hamad--what's his name?--gets killed in the scene with the manticore. Like what? That's it?

But to be fair, I did feel all the heat of the desert in this one. I really feel bad for Isyllt, to be honest. It's like she's set out to be destiny's whipping boy or something.

And in the end, really, she's all alone. With Adam, who was in love with a woman who's not even real. And Asheris who is in love with a man who was forced to marry someone else. What a happy trio.

*whispers* I still love it, though.

[Alytha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as the previous two books, although it's still pretty decent and well-written. I think the problem is that the plot takes a long time to get going. At the beginning, Isyllt just seems to randomly drift around, until mostly outside forces set her on the rails to plot resolution. It's not quite clear why she springs Adam from prison, whether she's actually planning something, or if it's just part of cleaning up her past.

In a way though, the disjointed plot structure reflects Isyllt's inner journey, as she's pretty broken after the events of the previous book, and trying to put together a new life for herself. Her fascination with death doesn't really help there. The tone is very sad over long stretches, and I think her emotional journey is very well handled.

In conclusion: good character work, but lacking a bit in the action/plot department.

[Puna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is probably my least favorite of Downum's "Necromancer Chronicles." I thoroughly enjoyed both book 1 and 2 of the series but number 3 falls short. There just wasn't enough action in this for me and simply too much wallowing in Isyllt's loneliness and defunct relationships. The author does passably well with her scenic descriptions and sense of place, as usual, but I got the feeling that she was trying to push those things to the side to better concentrate on a failed attempt to delve deeper into her characters' emotions. Unfortunately, Downum should've stuck with what she was good at; bringing her world to life and merely allowing her characters to populate it.

[Rainbow Unicorn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a lot of thoughts about these books but I'm pretty tired right now so basically I'll just say it was so cool seeing so many different leads, such diversity among them, and Isllyt is one of the most starkly human-feeling fictional characters I've had the pleasure of journeying with. It's hard to believe that I almost stopped after the first novel, because Xinai and Zhirin just weren't doing it for me -- and there was so much of them, I didn't get to know Isllyt in that first book. But I'm so glad I stuck to it to get here. The supporting POV characters in this were not quite as compelling as Savedra from book 2, but still quite excellent; overall I enjoyed the hell out of this book.