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City of Spires #2
City of Betrayal: An Isandor Novel
The whole city is searching for Hasryan.
Lord Allastam wants to take bloody, ruthless revenge for the murder of his wife. Inspector Sora Sharpe wants to bring him to justice for his crimes against the city. Yet no one knows where to find him except Lord Arathiel Brasten, who vanished 130 years ago only to magically return.
While the city's eyes are turned to these two, no one is willing to help Lord Diel Dathirii free Isandor from the influence of the Myrian Enclave and their vengeful leader, Avenazar. High Priest Varden Daramond could help Diel, except Varden has been imprisoned. Lord Dathirii's only hope of rescuing Varden is Arathiel. An alliance with him, however, would invoke the wrath of the Golden Table... and Lord Allastam himself.
With enemies gathering around him, Diel is left without allies in Isandor's upper spheres and must place his fate in Lower City residents. But little does he know, the city he's trying to save might well save him in return.
Lord Allastam wants to take bloody, ruthless revenge for the murder of his wife. Inspector Sora Sharpe wants to bring him to justice for his crimes against the city. Yet no one knows where to find him except Lord Arathiel Brasten, who vanished 130 years ago only to magically return.
While the city's eyes are turned to these two, no one is willing to help Lord Diel Dathirii free Isandor from the influence of the Myrian Enclave and their vengeful leader, Avenazar. High Priest Varden Daramond could help Diel, except Varden has been imprisoned. Lord Dathirii's only hope of rescuing Varden is Arathiel. An alliance with him, however, would invoke the wrath of the Golden Table... and Lord Allastam himself.
With enemies gathering around him, Diel is left without allies in Isandor's upper spheres and must place his fate in Lower City residents. But little does he know, the city he's trying to save might well save him in return.
392 pages, Hardcover
First published October 22, 2017
18 people are currently reading
537 people want to read
About the author
Claudie Arseneault
26 books461 followersClaudie Arseneault is an asexual and aromantic-spectrum writer hailing from the very-French Québec City. Her long studies in biochemistry and immunology often sneak back into her science-fiction, and her love for sprawling casts invariably turns her novels into multi-storylined wonders. The most recent, City of Strife, came out on February 22, 2017! Claudie is a founding member of The Kraken Collective and is well-known for her involvement in solarpunk, her database of aro and ace characters in speculative fiction, and her unending love of squids. Find out more on her website!
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July 13, 2021EDIT 2021: Quick note that this is no longer a trilogy! There will be four books, and the third is coming early 2022, with possibly the fourth following late 2022.
Can't wait to share the second installment of my City of Spires trilogy with everyone <3
Can't wait to share the second installment of my City of Spires trilogy with everyone <3
September 30, 2017
“We’ll find another way, won’t we?”
Garith’s mouth twisted in a grimace. “There’s always one,” he said, “but if I learned one thing yesterday, it’s to ask, ‘at what cost?’ before I dive.”
Yultes hadn’t expected anything so pessimistic from Garith, and his gaze slid to the half-empty bottle. A rough night for everyone involved. “If I learned one thing from your uncle, Garith, it’s that we have to dive anyway.”
* * *
...Can a review just be a very long, extended scream of joy and pain? Because, that. That's what this is. (Or maybe that one video of the lady getting really excited about painting with rainbow sponges. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PY_T_... *GASP!* OH MY GOSH. I WANT YOU TO LOOK AT ALL THESE FEELINGS. AHHHH! OHHH MY GOSH.)
I also have to say that I'm *really mad* that I lost my Kindle highlights... because I'd highlighted like 70% of the book L M A O, I had a freaking *color-coding system*, with yellow for things I loved (the thing is like 3/4 yellow), blue for I'M SAD (mostly for Jaeger and Diel near the end OH MY GOSH I LITERALLY CRIED MY OWN TEARS), and red for RIGHTEOUS FURY (as before, Dammit Larryn! But he's trying, he is). But that should tell you something about the Wild Ride of Emotion I went on in this book. I love everyone so much it's ridiculous, it's not even remotely funny, except that it is, because I just started thinking about Hasryan and Arathiel's QP wonderfulness, and Cal's existence in general, and now my gay nerd eyes are wet. (There's a testimonial for you.)
Seriously... just... just seriously, if you liked the first book, City of Strife, hOLY MACARONI READ THIS BOOK, and if you DIDN'T (read it, bc I'm like, pff?? somebody read CoS and didn't love it?? nonsense), then read THAT, then read THIS. Like everything is ramped up, ok, all of the emotion and connection from the first one - EVERYTHING IS *CONNECTED*, I'M ALWAYS WEAK FOR THIS - is taken Up, and also there's even more fire.
I'M JUST... HOW IS THIS NOT LIKE WORLD FAMOUS, IT'S SO GOOD. WHY ARE INDIE BOOKS LIKE THIS THE BEST THINGS EVER AND NOT MAINSTREAM AF??? IT'S NOT FAIR. IT'S - see, it made me dissolve into capslock screaming, that's how you know a book is good.
Honestly I'm trying to be more calm/articulate because this book really really does have important and complex Themes of Politics and Intersecting Axes of Oppression and Social Class and Bigotry and Abuse and Consent and Recovery, and Found Family up the wazoo, and they're so good and relevant, and everyone is just trying their best to navigate this all-too-realistic shitstorm, and... it just makes me feel like we could actually do the same thing in real life. Like, reading this gives me hope that even if everything is awful (and it is), we CAN get through it if we support and protect each other and don't give up. And thats... just a valuable feeling. I need that feeling. I think everybody needs that feeling now.
City of Betrayal is an incredible follow-up to City of Strife's established conflicts and interconnected stories. It's a powerhouse of a story with a memorable and engaging queer ensemble cast. The characters we knew before really shine, and we're introduced to some wonderful new ones (ask me about how much I love Vellien if you want some more Capslock Screaming). Just read this book, please. And then yell with me/to your friends about it. Be doing me/the world a solid, forreal.
Garith’s mouth twisted in a grimace. “There’s always one,” he said, “but if I learned one thing yesterday, it’s to ask, ‘at what cost?’ before I dive.”
Yultes hadn’t expected anything so pessimistic from Garith, and his gaze slid to the half-empty bottle. A rough night for everyone involved. “If I learned one thing from your uncle, Garith, it’s that we have to dive anyway.”
* * *
...Can a review just be a very long, extended scream of joy and pain? Because, that. That's what this is. (Or maybe that one video of the lady getting really excited about painting with rainbow sponges. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PY_T_... *GASP!* OH MY GOSH. I WANT YOU TO LOOK AT ALL THESE FEELINGS. AHHHH! OHHH MY GOSH.)
I also have to say that I'm *really mad* that I lost my Kindle highlights... because I'd highlighted like 70% of the book L M A O, I had a freaking *color-coding system*, with yellow for things I loved (the thing is like 3/4 yellow), blue for I'M SAD (mostly for Jaeger and Diel near the end OH MY GOSH I LITERALLY CRIED MY OWN TEARS), and red for RIGHTEOUS FURY (as before, Dammit Larryn! But he's trying, he is). But that should tell you something about the Wild Ride of Emotion I went on in this book. I love everyone so much it's ridiculous, it's not even remotely funny, except that it is, because I just started thinking about Hasryan and Arathiel's QP wonderfulness, and Cal's existence in general, and now my gay nerd eyes are wet. (There's a testimonial for you.)
Seriously... just... just seriously, if you liked the first book, City of Strife, hOLY MACARONI READ THIS BOOK, and if you DIDN'T (read it, bc I'm like, pff?? somebody read CoS and didn't love it?? nonsense), then read THAT, then read THIS. Like everything is ramped up, ok, all of the emotion and connection from the first one - EVERYTHING IS *CONNECTED*, I'M ALWAYS WEAK FOR THIS - is taken Up, and also there's even more fire.
I'M JUST... HOW IS THIS NOT LIKE WORLD FAMOUS, IT'S SO GOOD. WHY ARE INDIE BOOKS LIKE THIS THE BEST THINGS EVER AND NOT MAINSTREAM AF??? IT'S NOT FAIR. IT'S - see, it made me dissolve into capslock screaming, that's how you know a book is good.
Honestly I'm trying to be more calm/articulate because this book really really does have important and complex Themes of Politics and Intersecting Axes of Oppression and Social Class and Bigotry and Abuse and Consent and Recovery, and Found Family up the wazoo, and they're so good and relevant, and everyone is just trying their best to navigate this all-too-realistic shitstorm, and... it just makes me feel like we could actually do the same thing in real life. Like, reading this gives me hope that even if everything is awful (and it is), we CAN get through it if we support and protect each other and don't give up. And thats... just a valuable feeling. I need that feeling. I think everybody needs that feeling now.
City of Betrayal is an incredible follow-up to City of Strife's established conflicts and interconnected stories. It's a powerhouse of a story with a memorable and engaging queer ensemble cast. The characters we knew before really shine, and we're introduced to some wonderful new ones (ask me about how much I love Vellien if you want some more Capslock Screaming). Just read this book, please. And then yell with me/to your friends about it. Be doing me/the world a solid, forreal.
August 14, 2024
I'm really enjoying this series so far, and I'm glad I took a chance on it finally when these first two were on sale last month. It's been on and off my maybe list for awhile now, and for no particular reason I kept putting it off. But now I'm in it and hoping that the fourth and final book doesn't take too long to come out, because I'm sure book 3 will end on an even bigger cliffie than this one did.
This continues from where the first book ended, and our motley crew of elves, halflings, wizards and humans have gotten themselves even more entangled in politics and intrigue than they were before. One simple act of kindness in the first book has snowballed out of control in its consequences and there's no way to really talk about this without giving away the whole plot, so I won't.
The writing is concise, and while it's addressing a lot of uncomfortable stuff (torture, racism, betrayal, narcissism, to name a few) it wasn't daunting for me. I found it a bit slow to start off, actually, and there's a bit too much handholding of things that have already been explained. There were also a few more typos in this one, which I wasn't expecting since the first book was pretty clean. The typos weren't numerous enough to be overwhelming, but they did pop out at me when I came across them.
Diel and Jaegar, Arathiel, Cal, Branwen continue to shine here and be way too awesome. Sora is showing some surprising rebellious streaks, and Larryn's still so full of hate that he blinds himself to reality - and thinks Vellien and Nevian naïve for not coming to his conclusions. His ire is understandable, but I hope he eventually gets over himself. I mean, if Isra and Yultes can prove to not be complete wastes of space, then there's still hope for Larryn too.
I did figure out some things ahead of time, but I'm at a loss for how this is all going to be resolved in the end. Looking forward to the next book.
This continues from where the first book ended, and our motley crew of elves, halflings, wizards and humans have gotten themselves even more entangled in politics and intrigue than they were before. One simple act of kindness in the first book has snowballed out of control in its consequences and there's no way to really talk about this without giving away the whole plot, so I won't.
The writing is concise, and while it's addressing a lot of uncomfortable stuff (torture, racism, betrayal, narcissism, to name a few) it wasn't daunting for me. I found it a bit slow to start off, actually, and there's a bit too much handholding of things that have already been explained. There were also a few more typos in this one, which I wasn't expecting since the first book was pretty clean. The typos weren't numerous enough to be overwhelming, but they did pop out at me when I came across them.
Diel and Jaegar, Arathiel, Cal, Branwen continue to shine here and be way too awesome. Sora is showing some surprising rebellious streaks, and Larryn's still so full of hate that he blinds himself to reality - and thinks Vellien and Nevian naïve for not coming to his conclusions. His ire is understandable, but I hope he eventually gets over himself. I mean, if Isra and Yultes can prove to not be complete wastes of space, then there's still hope for Larryn too.
I did figure out some things ahead of time, but I'm at a loss for how this is all going to be resolved in the end. Looking forward to the next book.
October 23, 2018
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This is a review of the second book of a series but there aren’t any spoilers in it!
I was so hyped about City of Betrayal, because I loved the first book, City of Strife, so much and I couldn’t wait for the sequel. I was lucky enough to receive an ARC and I decided to wait a bit to read it, so that I could enjoy it. After a few days, I couldn’t resist the temptation. I opened the book and was sucked into the story.
This book is #ownvoices for asexual and aromantic representaton.
__
Claudie Arseneault is an expert in character development and creating fascinating, nuanced and detailled characters. Each one has their own personality, their own character, their own way of speaking and you can see it on page. Also, even though the book is about political intrigue, it isn’t as though the characters are only working towards their goal, they still have hobbies and these hobbies are part of their life. The characters all come alive in your imagination and take you away to Isandor. It’s amazing. We also get to see more of some of the minor characters in this book. For example, Vellien and Isra have really caught my interest now. I’m intrigued to see how their stories continue and hope that I won’t have to wait too long for City of Exile (Book 3). Even though there are many characters in this novel, I never was confused about who was who, or forgot one of the characters. This is the magic of the author’s writing, the characters are not just names on people, they become real in my imagination.
The writing is this book was spectacular once again. The balance between showing and telling is just right. Also, there is a lot of humour inserted into the writing, which I always enjoy.
The world-building is also spot on. There’s just something about Isandor that makes me want to visit the place. I don’t even have a specific place in mind, all of the settings are described so beautifully and magically, that I could imagine visiting an area and being happy to have seen it in real life. The political and societal structure as well as the rules of magic are well-described, and didn’t leave me feeling confused.
One of the main aspects that I love about the City of Spires series is that it take place in a high fantasy setting but most of the main characters aren’t nobility. It shows us the daily lives of the commoners in such a genre, which is something that I do not read often in high fantasy. It is a dystopian novel and there are conflicts, but ultimately it there is a large emphasis on showing the daily lives of the characters.
The City of Spires books are diverse, and have queer, disabled and non-white representation.
__
Claudie Arseneault’s City of Betrayal was an amazing sequel, and I enjoyed it very much. I recommend this book to all of you, however I do recommend that you start at the beginning of the series with City of Strife.
This is a review of the second book of a series but there aren’t any spoilers in it!
I was so hyped about City of Betrayal, because I loved the first book, City of Strife, so much and I couldn’t wait for the sequel. I was lucky enough to receive an ARC and I decided to wait a bit to read it, so that I could enjoy it. After a few days, I couldn’t resist the temptation. I opened the book and was sucked into the story.
This book is #ownvoices for asexual and aromantic representaton.
__
Claudie Arseneault is an expert in character development and creating fascinating, nuanced and detailled characters. Each one has their own personality, their own character, their own way of speaking and you can see it on page. Also, even though the book is about political intrigue, it isn’t as though the characters are only working towards their goal, they still have hobbies and these hobbies are part of their life. The characters all come alive in your imagination and take you away to Isandor. It’s amazing. We also get to see more of some of the minor characters in this book. For example, Vellien and Isra have really caught my interest now. I’m intrigued to see how their stories continue and hope that I won’t have to wait too long for City of Exile (Book 3). Even though there are many characters in this novel, I never was confused about who was who, or forgot one of the characters. This is the magic of the author’s writing, the characters are not just names on people, they become real in my imagination.
The writing is this book was spectacular once again. The balance between showing and telling is just right. Also, there is a lot of humour inserted into the writing, which I always enjoy.
The world-building is also spot on. There’s just something about Isandor that makes me want to visit the place. I don’t even have a specific place in mind, all of the settings are described so beautifully and magically, that I could imagine visiting an area and being happy to have seen it in real life. The political and societal structure as well as the rules of magic are well-described, and didn’t leave me feeling confused.
One of the main aspects that I love about the City of Spires series is that it take place in a high fantasy setting but most of the main characters aren’t nobility. It shows us the daily lives of the commoners in such a genre, which is something that I do not read often in high fantasy. It is a dystopian novel and there are conflicts, but ultimately it there is a large emphasis on showing the daily lives of the characters.
The City of Spires books are diverse, and have queer, disabled and non-white representation.
__
Claudie Arseneault’s City of Betrayal was an amazing sequel, and I enjoyed it very much. I recommend this book to all of you, however I do recommend that you start at the beginning of the series with City of Strife.
April 20, 2022
Thank you to Kraken Collective for an ebook in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
I loved this one just as much as the first if not more!
Claudie is quickly becoming a favorite author of mine. I love her characters and plots and worldbuilding. I will have to try another of her books before I confirm since it could just be that I'm ridiculously in love with this series, but I am like 99% certain it's her writing to blame here.
City of Betrayal follows the same crew from before but with some side characters getting upgraded to POVs with more page time. The way all the characters interact is so well done and I love that so many plotlines are converging and intersecting. It's so fun to guess how the series might progress and be right. Though I've definitely been surprised too.
I love all the characters so much, but especially our Halfies quartet. Larryn is probably my least favorite but I do enjoy his character and I hope to see him work on his anger issues. I loved seeing Arathiel and Hasryan's QPR get more developed. And Cal is always such a joy. I love my aromantic matchmaker so much.
I feel like we really got to know the Dathirii in this installment and I loved it, especially Vellien. They're so precious and I want to hug them forever. The book also continues to surprise me by randomly throwing out labels and like YES this is what I want in my epic fantasy. We've gotten aromantic, asexual, bisexual and pansexual all on page so far and I am living for it.
This one definitely felt more balanced for me with POVs that are male and ones that are female. Which made me happy because I love Branwen so much and Isra and Jilssan have me curious. I hope we get to see more of Isra, I have a feeling she'll be important for later in the series. Sora also continues to surprise me and I want more of her and her assistant Lai!
Can't wait to continue the series.
Rep: Brown cis male MC who can't feel pain, cold, heat or taste, Black demiromantic cis male MC (Dark elf), white demiromantic asexual cis male MC, Brown gay cis male MC, white sapphic female MC, fat aroace halfing cis male MC, white biromantic grey-asexual cis male MC, bisexual cis female side character, Brown lesbian cis female side character, trans female side character, white pansexual nonbinary side character with anxiety, polyamorous MLM side pairing, white grey-aromantic grey-asexual cis male side character, Brown aroace cis female side character. Black cis female side character, nonbinary intersex side character, female side character who uses a mobility aid.
CWs: Torture, fire/fire injury, injury/injury detail, medical content, xenophobia, violence, blood, racism. Moderate: murder, death, mental illness (anxiety), police corruption, generalized queerphobia/queermisia, slavery.
I loved this one just as much as the first if not more!
Claudie is quickly becoming a favorite author of mine. I love her characters and plots and worldbuilding. I will have to try another of her books before I confirm since it could just be that I'm ridiculously in love with this series, but I am like 99% certain it's her writing to blame here.
City of Betrayal follows the same crew from before but with some side characters getting upgraded to POVs with more page time. The way all the characters interact is so well done and I love that so many plotlines are converging and intersecting. It's so fun to guess how the series might progress and be right. Though I've definitely been surprised too.
I love all the characters so much, but especially our Halfies quartet. Larryn is probably my least favorite but I do enjoy his character and I hope to see him work on his anger issues. I loved seeing Arathiel and Hasryan's QPR get more developed. And Cal is always such a joy. I love my aromantic matchmaker so much.
I feel like we really got to know the Dathirii in this installment and I loved it, especially Vellien. They're so precious and I want to hug them forever. The book also continues to surprise me by randomly throwing out labels and like YES this is what I want in my epic fantasy. We've gotten aromantic, asexual, bisexual and pansexual all on page so far and I am living for it.
This one definitely felt more balanced for me with POVs that are male and ones that are female. Which made me happy because I love Branwen so much and Isra and Jilssan have me curious. I hope we get to see more of Isra, I have a feeling she'll be important for later in the series. Sora also continues to surprise me and I want more of her and her assistant Lai!
Can't wait to continue the series.
Rep: Brown cis male MC who can't feel pain, cold, heat or taste, Black demiromantic cis male MC (Dark elf), white demiromantic asexual cis male MC, Brown gay cis male MC, white sapphic female MC, fat aroace halfing cis male MC, white biromantic grey-asexual cis male MC, bisexual cis female side character, Brown lesbian cis female side character, trans female side character, white pansexual nonbinary side character with anxiety, polyamorous MLM side pairing, white grey-aromantic grey-asexual cis male side character, Brown aroace cis female side character. Black cis female side character, nonbinary intersex side character, female side character who uses a mobility aid.
CWs: Torture, fire/fire injury, injury/injury detail, medical content, xenophobia, violence, blood, racism. Moderate: murder, death, mental illness (anxiety), police corruption, generalized queerphobia/queermisia, slavery.
April 29, 2018
Yes, hello, hi, someone asked nicely on Twitter and got an eARC of City of Betrayal and that someone was me, but then I went and didn’t read it until near the publication date anyway because … busy … and not wanting to sit on my review, but also wanting to hype it up closer to publication. So, although this is an honest review, it most certainly is biased, because I liked City of Strife and I liked this one even more. Claudie Arseneault successfully dodges the dreaded “middle book syndrome” of trilogies, raising the stakes but also reaching a kind of turning point for the series.
Spoilers here for the first book but not for this one.
City of Betrayal picks up pretty much where City of Strife left off. This is good, considering the cliffhanger of the last book with the Dathirii launching a war against the Myrian Enclave and Nevian convalescing in the Shelter. Isandor isn’t exactly in chaos, but you can feel the tension ratcheting up: Lord Allastam is furious that he’s had his chance for “justice” snatched from his grasp and demands Hasryan’s head on a platter. Sora is trying to deliver, even if she doesn’t really want to, but a certain wise-old-elf-lady isn’t going to make it easy. Meanwhile, members of the Myrian Enclave are torturing (Avenazar, obvs), being tortured (Varden), trying to be Switzerland (Jilssan), or having minor empathetic epiphanies (Isra). And Arathiel, though he seems to get a little less page time than he did in the first book, Arathiel just seems to be glad to be … alive … if that’s what you call it. He actually seems a little excited to be back in the thick of things, even if it means helping elves on a crazy rescue mission that is probably going to get everyone killed.
Arseneault’s characters, while sometimes larger-than-life, still seem true to life. They’re just so layered and complex; I appreciate that, with a few exceptions (Avenazar, obvs) few of them are outright caricatures of good or evil. Indeed, I found myself rather identifying with many of the characters in this book, at various points, for various reasons—even characters I didn’t like all that much! But thanks to the omniscient narrator’s glimpse into each character’s inner life, I caught myself nodding along, agreeing with what one character or another was thinking or going through. Larryn is still impulsive and judgmental, but I can understand the source of his anxiety and insecurities. Isra is still delusionally self-serving, but I understand her fears and her desire to be seen as belonging when she knows how different she really is. (Side note: I found the revelation about Isra’s identity somewhat awkwardly dropped into the first act without any real lead-up. I went back and scanned through City of Strife to see if I had missed any clues or foreshadowing but couldn’t quite notice anything.) And don’t even get me started on Hasryan’s moments of self-doubt, on Yultes’ application of Skelegro to his spine, etc. This book has character development in spades.
Still, it feels kind of weird to praise a book overly for character development. That should just be a given in literature; if yours is not a book with character development, maybe it’s just not very good. What makes City of Betrayal so compelling and interesting to me is the strength of its theme and the way Arseneault emphasizes it across so many storylines and characters without making it feel heavy-handed.
At times this book is bleak. The odds are against our heroes, and they don’t emerge unscathed from many of their scrapes. Political or physical, the conflict is savage and unrelenting: just when I thought they might turn the tide, Arseneault slapped me down with another twist that left me shaking my head in admiration and sympathy for them. This book’s title is apt, because in this story, Isandor plays host to numerous turnings of the coat and changes of the guard.
For the majority of the cast, everything boils down to one, simple question: will you make a stand? What will it take for you to make a stand? How much can you endure, how much can you let pass, before you feel that you must stand? Everyone is different in this regard, but everyone discovers this point. Diel sums it up extremely well towards the end of the book:
City of Betrayal is about the importance of fighting for your beliefs, even when the odds are so much against you that defeat might be inevitable. The probability of losing doesn’t mean you should step down, step away, bury your head in the sand. That’s how some of these characters react—at least initially—and it doesn’t get them anywhere. And rather than delivering a single, crowning moment in which everyone stands up in unison to resist, Arseneault opts instead to show us each character making that decision for themselves. Some of them are loud and proud, some of them so quiet we might not even notice. But the time to make a stand has come. And it’s electrifying.
The ending of this book feels right. It isn’t necessarily making me salivate for book three the way City of Strife did for this one. But I feel like we’re perfectly poised for this last act, and I’m really looking forward to seeing what Arseneault throws at them, and us, next. Avenazar isn’t dead—though to be honest, I was fine with how little he figures in this book, except as a sideshow, because I can only handle so much over-the-top megalomania before I need to go back to more subtle villains. I have no idea what madness he’ll deliver next, or what Diel and his allies will do to try to safeguard Isandor.
I love books like this. I love books that have such strong moral stances, books that have such unrelenting themes, yet manage to avoid bludgeoning the reader with that morality. Despite its depth, City of Betrayal remains very much an urban fantasy adventure at its core. This is a diverse book, and I don’t just mean in terms of its characters sexual, romantic, or gender identities. We’ve got elves and humans and halflings and whatsits, a city poised on the brink of war or hostile takeover, mercenaries running their own deadly and sorcerous games at the margins. Arseneault’s world comes alive, and my second visit to Isandor was even more exciting and delightful than my first.
My reviews of City of Spires:
← City of Strife
Spoilers here for the first book but not for this one.
City of Betrayal picks up pretty much where City of Strife left off. This is good, considering the cliffhanger of the last book with the Dathirii launching a war against the Myrian Enclave and Nevian convalescing in the Shelter. Isandor isn’t exactly in chaos, but you can feel the tension ratcheting up: Lord Allastam is furious that he’s had his chance for “justice” snatched from his grasp and demands Hasryan’s head on a platter. Sora is trying to deliver, even if she doesn’t really want to, but a certain wise-old-elf-lady isn’t going to make it easy. Meanwhile, members of the Myrian Enclave are torturing (Avenazar, obvs), being tortured (Varden), trying to be Switzerland (Jilssan), or having minor empathetic epiphanies (Isra). And Arathiel, though he seems to get a little less page time than he did in the first book, Arathiel just seems to be glad to be … alive … if that’s what you call it. He actually seems a little excited to be back in the thick of things, even if it means helping elves on a crazy rescue mission that is probably going to get everyone killed.
Arseneault’s characters, while sometimes larger-than-life, still seem true to life. They’re just so layered and complex; I appreciate that, with a few exceptions (Avenazar, obvs) few of them are outright caricatures of good or evil. Indeed, I found myself rather identifying with many of the characters in this book, at various points, for various reasons—even characters I didn’t like all that much! But thanks to the omniscient narrator’s glimpse into each character’s inner life, I caught myself nodding along, agreeing with what one character or another was thinking or going through. Larryn is still impulsive and judgmental, but I can understand the source of his anxiety and insecurities. Isra is still delusionally self-serving, but I understand her fears and her desire to be seen as belonging when she knows how different she really is. (Side note: I found the revelation about Isra’s identity somewhat awkwardly dropped into the first act without any real lead-up. I went back and scanned through City of Strife to see if I had missed any clues or foreshadowing but couldn’t quite notice anything.) And don’t even get me started on Hasryan’s moments of self-doubt, on Yultes’ application of Skelegro to his spine, etc. This book has character development in spades.
Still, it feels kind of weird to praise a book overly for character development. That should just be a given in literature; if yours is not a book with character development, maybe it’s just not very good. What makes City of Betrayal so compelling and interesting to me is the strength of its theme and the way Arseneault emphasizes it across so many storylines and characters without making it feel heavy-handed.
At times this book is bleak. The odds are against our heroes, and they don’t emerge unscathed from many of their scrapes. Political or physical, the conflict is savage and unrelenting: just when I thought they might turn the tide, Arseneault slapped me down with another twist that left me shaking my head in admiration and sympathy for them. This book’s title is apt, because in this story, Isandor plays host to numerous turnings of the coat and changes of the guard.
For the majority of the cast, everything boils down to one, simple question: will you make a stand? What will it take for you to make a stand? How much can you endure, how much can you let pass, before you feel that you must stand? Everyone is different in this regard, but everyone discovers this point. Diel sums it up extremely well towards the end of the book:
“It’s not so simple,” he said. “You can’t always choose your fights. Some battles need to be fought, whether you want to or not—whether they can be won or not.”
City of Betrayal is about the importance of fighting for your beliefs, even when the odds are so much against you that defeat might be inevitable. The probability of losing doesn’t mean you should step down, step away, bury your head in the sand. That’s how some of these characters react—at least initially—and it doesn’t get them anywhere. And rather than delivering a single, crowning moment in which everyone stands up in unison to resist, Arseneault opts instead to show us each character making that decision for themselves. Some of them are loud and proud, some of them so quiet we might not even notice. But the time to make a stand has come. And it’s electrifying.
The ending of this book feels right. It isn’t necessarily making me salivate for book three the way City of Strife did for this one. But I feel like we’re perfectly poised for this last act, and I’m really looking forward to seeing what Arseneault throws at them, and us, next. Avenazar isn’t dead—though to be honest, I was fine with how little he figures in this book, except as a sideshow, because I can only handle so much over-the-top megalomania before I need to go back to more subtle villains. I have no idea what madness he’ll deliver next, or what Diel and his allies will do to try to safeguard Isandor.
I love books like this. I love books that have such strong moral stances, books that have such unrelenting themes, yet manage to avoid bludgeoning the reader with that morality. Despite its depth, City of Betrayal remains very much an urban fantasy adventure at its core. This is a diverse book, and I don’t just mean in terms of its characters sexual, romantic, or gender identities. We’ve got elves and humans and halflings and whatsits, a city poised on the brink of war or hostile takeover, mercenaries running their own deadly and sorcerous games at the margins. Arseneault’s world comes alive, and my second visit to Isandor was even more exciting and delightful than my first.
My reviews of City of Spires:
← City of Strife
August 14, 2017
I had the opportunity to read the two first books in the Isandor / City of Spires series by Claudie Arsenault. I will mostly mix my opinions of both the books, since they were both quite similar in build-up and characters and things like that. So this is a double-review! There will be no spoilers!
It took me a while to really get into the first book. This book features a lot of perspectives and for me, that was quite hard. In the first part of the book you get constantly introduced to new people and keeping up with everything was a bit of a struggle. Sadly, that also slowed down the story overall. However, after the beginning, it did pick up and a lot of things started happening. To my tastes, it could have been a little more fast-paced but that's just a personal preference. In the second book, I did not have that problem, because I already knew all the characters, so therefore I enjoyed the second book more from the start.
The story is about a city (duh) and the city is lead by a group of noble families. Some of the characters are part of this family and some aren't and you can get to see the situation from many eyes. There is danger and intrigue, but this story is mainly about family and friendship. The characters form strong bonds and care so much about each other. I loved seeing them come together and especially in the second book, where almost all the characters get to know each other. In those final hundred pages of the second book, I have laughed with them and cried with them. They were amazing.
There are a lot of characters in this book, and I could write pages and pages about all of them, so I will only focus on my favourites. My favourites are definitely Cal and Arathiel. Cal is aromantic and he is just very sweet and kind and caring. He loves his friends and would do anything for them. Arathiel is the outsider in the story. He is strange, mysterious, quiet but also very caring. Besides these characters there were plenty more amazing ones. Hasryan and Vellien would get a shared third place on my favourites ranking, because they deserve to be mentioned. I could relate to so many of the characters in very different ways and I loved that they were all so different from each other.
I cannot end this review before discussing the amazing diverse representation in these books. There were characters of almost every sexual orientation you can imagine and there were characters of different descents and different skin colors. I loved in particularly, Cal's aromanticism because usually aro characters are described as unfeeling or cold and Cal was the absolute opposite. I also really enjoyed the non-binary/enby representation (because whenever I read about one of those characters I just can't help but love them).
For the first book, my rating is 3,5 stars. But after writing this review, I am really tempted to move up my rating for the second book from 3,5 to 4 stars but I think I'm going to just leave it in the middle: 3,75 stars! What I loved most about these two books was the representation of diverse characters and the characters in general. The only thing that could have been improved, to my opinion, was the pacing of the first book. It took me a long time to get into the story (mainly because I struggled with the many perspectives), but after that it was great. I would definitely recommend these books if you like political fantasy, I don't know if that is a genre but oh well.
It took me a while to really get into the first book. This book features a lot of perspectives and for me, that was quite hard. In the first part of the book you get constantly introduced to new people and keeping up with everything was a bit of a struggle. Sadly, that also slowed down the story overall. However, after the beginning, it did pick up and a lot of things started happening. To my tastes, it could have been a little more fast-paced but that's just a personal preference. In the second book, I did not have that problem, because I already knew all the characters, so therefore I enjoyed the second book more from the start.
"He found reasons to grin even when there were none, in defiance of the never-ending hardships and the world beating down on him. Maybe if he smiled enough, the happiness he projected would stop being a lie and coalesce into the truth." - City of Strife
The story is about a city (duh) and the city is lead by a group of noble families. Some of the characters are part of this family and some aren't and you can get to see the situation from many eyes. There is danger and intrigue, but this story is mainly about family and friendship. The characters form strong bonds and care so much about each other. I loved seeing them come together and especially in the second book, where almost all the characters get to know each other. In those final hundred pages of the second book, I have laughed with them and cried with them. They were amazing.
There are a lot of characters in this book, and I could write pages and pages about all of them, so I will only focus on my favourites. My favourites are definitely Cal and Arathiel. Cal is aromantic and he is just very sweet and kind and caring. He loves his friends and would do anything for them. Arathiel is the outsider in the story. He is strange, mysterious, quiet but also very caring. Besides these characters there were plenty more amazing ones. Hasryan and Vellien would get a shared third place on my favourites ranking, because they deserve to be mentioned. I could relate to so many of the characters in very different ways and I loved that they were all so different from each other.
"Arathiel is a warm blanket: simple, reliable, soft. He's the friend you kind of forget, but when it really matters he's there. Leaping of bridges to save your neck from the noose, even though you expect nothing of him." - City of Betrayal
I cannot end this review before discussing the amazing diverse representation in these books. There were characters of almost every sexual orientation you can imagine and there were characters of different descents and different skin colors. I loved in particularly, Cal's aromanticism because usually aro characters are described as unfeeling or cold and Cal was the absolute opposite. I also really enjoyed the non-binary/enby representation (because whenever I read about one of those characters I just can't help but love them).
"You can't always choose your fights. Some battles need to be fought, whether you want to or not -- whether they can be won or not." - City of Betrayal
For the first book, my rating is 3,5 stars. But after writing this review, I am really tempted to move up my rating for the second book from 3,5 to 4 stars but I think I'm going to just leave it in the middle: 3,75 stars! What I loved most about these two books was the representation of diverse characters and the characters in general. The only thing that could have been improved, to my opinion, was the pacing of the first book. It took me a long time to get into the story (mainly because I struggled with the many perspectives), but after that it was great. I would definitely recommend these books if you like political fantasy, I don't know if that is a genre but oh well.
January 6, 2022
minor spoilers for book 1 in the series ahead
I really loved the first book in this series - and at the end of my review for that book I remember saying like "I feel like at the end all the characters took stupid pills & started acting out of character to create drama" and that's what most of this book was unfortunately. The thing I loved in the first book was the character interactions and the way everyone treated eachother - and basically none of the characters that I loved together (as friends) really interacted at all until like the last 50 pages of the book - that does mean that now I am very excited to continue on with the series and see what happens next.
As for the plot, it was was on par with the pervious one for sure, it was pretty intense and well written and although the plot wasn't super fast paced I was on the edge of my seat for a lot of it. That being said I do think this book could've used a little recap at the start or you really do need to read this like right after the previous book because I was in a weird position where I felt I remembered enough to not have to read the first book but didn't remember enough details (That were relevant and necessary) that I just didn't know or immediately recollect and because for most characters you are thrown right into the action where we left of it would've been nice to have a little reminder (I hope that makes sense)
I really loved the first book in this series - and at the end of my review for that book I remember saying like "I feel like at the end all the characters took stupid pills & started acting out of character to create drama" and that's what most of this book was unfortunately. The thing I loved in the first book was the character interactions and the way everyone treated eachother - and basically none of the characters that I loved together (as friends) really interacted at all until like the last 50 pages of the book - that does mean that now I am very excited to continue on with the series and see what happens next.
As for the plot, it was was on par with the pervious one for sure, it was pretty intense and well written and although the plot wasn't super fast paced I was on the edge of my seat for a lot of it. That being said I do think this book could've used a little recap at the start or you really do need to read this like right after the previous book because I was in a weird position where I felt I remembered enough to not have to read the first book but didn't remember enough details (That were relevant and necessary) that I just didn't know or immediately recollect and because for most characters you are thrown right into the action where we left of it would've been nice to have a little reminder (I hope that makes sense)
February 19, 2020
I really enjoyed this second book in the trilogy, much more than I expected. The author was able to focus on developing the characters, rather than the world, and the plot benefited from that attention. Worth reading! 4 stars
October 14, 2017
City of Betrayal is the sequel to City of Strife, a second-world political fantasy with an all queer cast. I recommend reading the series in order, as City of Betrayal picks up directly where the first book left off. Also, I’m not going to be able to avoid spoilers for the first book in this review, so if you haven’t read it, maybe mosey on over to my review of City of Strife.
All that out of the way? Yes? Okay, let there be spoilers…
Lord Diel’s still carrying out his quest to defeat Myrian influence in the city of Isandor, and he fully intends to carry out his promise to Branwen and rescue Varden from being tortured in the Myrain Enclave. To do so, he will strain his connections and position in Isandor, possibly risking the entire future of his house. Meanwhile, the Sapphire Guard and the rest of the city are busy hunting for Hasryan, who’s hiding out with Camilla. The Sapphire Guard’s got Arathiel in custody, but he’s not talking.
Before I get into everything else, I noticed a pretty major plot hole. Larryn, Hasryan’s BFF, is desperately looking for him, feeling immensely guilty that he wasn’t able to break him out of prison. At one point he hits upon the idea of Nevian, the wizard student who’s struggling to regain his magic, to cast a scrying spell to find Hasryan. But why didn’t this occur to the Sapphire Guard? Are there no legitimate, non-Myrain wizards in Isandor? I felt thrown out of the story, and this contradiction bothered me for the rest of the book.
As with the last book, City of Betrayal has an abundance of POV characters. Sometimes it felt like a bit too many! I think I would have enjoyed a more focused approach. Still, I have a hard time contemplating who the story would lose. I did appreciate that City of Betrayal felt less slanted towards male characters than City of Strife. Camilla gets a larger role, and she’s BAMF. Like, I’d love to read a prequel story focusing just on her. I also grew fonder of Sora, the trans woman detective of the Sapphire Guard, who’s questioning whether her position is really about justice or about serving the ends of the rich and powerful.
It’s possible that the plethora of POV characters contributed to slowing down the pacing. The beginning took a while to build up steam, and I didn’t find myself getting super into it until the last third. That said, a lot happened in the last third. On another note, I think the world building has improved since the first book. It’s still not where it could be, but I feel like I have a better understanding of Isandor.
Before I wrap up the review, I want to mention that I’m not sure about how the book’s treating race. I know there’s a history of POC (especially queer POC) being brutalized in fiction in a way that’s exploitative of their suffering. It’s possible that Varden’s torture veers into that territory, although I’m not confident enough to say anything for sure either way.
In conclusion, City of Betrayal is a fairly solid follow up to City of Strife. It’s a series I’d recommend to anyone looking for queer fantasy, particularly if they want one with plenty of ace and aro spec characters.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
I received an ARC in exchange for a free and honest review.
All that out of the way? Yes? Okay, let there be spoilers…
Lord Diel’s still carrying out his quest to defeat Myrian influence in the city of Isandor, and he fully intends to carry out his promise to Branwen and rescue Varden from being tortured in the Myrain Enclave. To do so, he will strain his connections and position in Isandor, possibly risking the entire future of his house. Meanwhile, the Sapphire Guard and the rest of the city are busy hunting for Hasryan, who’s hiding out with Camilla. The Sapphire Guard’s got Arathiel in custody, but he’s not talking.
Before I get into everything else, I noticed a pretty major plot hole. Larryn, Hasryan’s BFF, is desperately looking for him, feeling immensely guilty that he wasn’t able to break him out of prison. At one point he hits upon the idea of Nevian, the wizard student who’s struggling to regain his magic, to cast a scrying spell to find Hasryan. But why didn’t this occur to the Sapphire Guard? Are there no legitimate, non-Myrain wizards in Isandor? I felt thrown out of the story, and this contradiction bothered me for the rest of the book.
As with the last book, City of Betrayal has an abundance of POV characters. Sometimes it felt like a bit too many! I think I would have enjoyed a more focused approach. Still, I have a hard time contemplating who the story would lose. I did appreciate that City of Betrayal felt less slanted towards male characters than City of Strife. Camilla gets a larger role, and she’s BAMF. Like, I’d love to read a prequel story focusing just on her. I also grew fonder of Sora, the trans woman detective of the Sapphire Guard, who’s questioning whether her position is really about justice or about serving the ends of the rich and powerful.
It’s possible that the plethora of POV characters contributed to slowing down the pacing. The beginning took a while to build up steam, and I didn’t find myself getting super into it until the last third. That said, a lot happened in the last third. On another note, I think the world building has improved since the first book. It’s still not where it could be, but I feel like I have a better understanding of Isandor.
Before I wrap up the review, I want to mention that I’m not sure about how the book’s treating race. I know there’s a history of POC (especially queer POC) being brutalized in fiction in a way that’s exploitative of their suffering. It’s possible that Varden’s torture veers into that territory, although I’m not confident enough to say anything for sure either way.
In conclusion, City of Betrayal is a fairly solid follow up to City of Strife. It’s a series I’d recommend to anyone looking for queer fantasy, particularly if they want one with plenty of ace and aro spec characters.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
I received an ARC in exchange for a free and honest review.
February 25, 2020
Many of the same issues I had with the first, carried through to the second. Jarring slang, awkward phrasing, slow pace. However, once again, if you are looking for queer rep, this is the book for you. Special mention for not just showcasing one type of gender diversity, but many types and many different pronouns. Some of these characters are only in one scene, but it is representation not normally present even in queer literature. I appreciate the diversity and I think Arseneault made an effort to pack as much diversity in as she could. I do think that the plot does suffer a bit for it though. At times information is repeated across viewpoints, some chapters only seem to be there to showcase diversity and don't really add to the plot. I did enjoy this book more than the first one, although I still don't like Nevian. I wish the characters were a little less transparent - every emotion is big, there's a lack of subtlety. Conclusions are explicitly stated for the reader, emotions are always reflected on character's faces. I don't think the book is categorized as young adult - but the reading level is young.
I do really appreciate books like this, because of the queer representation. I think that it is an important book and worth a read simply because of that. If I sound critical, it is because I can easily see the small tweaks that would make this book better.
I do want to mention - characters are constantly pouting and squealing. By the end of the book, I was flinching every time one of those words was used. Mostly because I'm pretty sure the author didn't really mean that her characters were acting childishly but boy, I had to remind myself of this every time.
I do really appreciate books like this, because of the queer representation. I think that it is an important book and worth a read simply because of that. If I sound critical, it is because I can easily see the small tweaks that would make this book better.
I do want to mention - characters are constantly pouting and squealing. By the end of the book, I was flinching every time one of those words was used. Mostly because I'm pretty sure the author didn't really mean that her characters were acting childishly but boy, I had to remind myself of this every time.
December 7, 2017
This world! This is LGBTQIAP* fantasy with lots of magic, intrigue, banter, elves, and characters to fall head-over-heels for. I love how much value the characters place on their friendships and how well-developed each friendship is.
*I'm not using this as a synonym for gay. There is lesbian, bi, trans, queer, intersex, ace, aro, and pansexual rep. Yay!
*I'm not using this as a synonym for gay. There is lesbian, bi, trans, queer, intersex, ace, aro, and pansexual rep. Yay!
March 18, 2021
3.75*
April 16, 2020
Maybe I should've reread the first book before I read this. There were a few plot points and events I'd forgotten about.
-4.5 stars.
-Incredible development for the characters. Especially Yultes.
-Nevian's relationship with Efua was adorable.
-Vellien is adorable.
-Hellion can choke.
-Plot progression is good, and fairly unpredictable.
-Some scenes were really intense and some were really harrowing.
-Interesting development to the magic system.
-Kind of a difficult read. The first book makes you fall in love with the characters, this one tortures them relentlessly.
-4.5 stars.
-Incredible development for the characters. Especially Yultes.
-Nevian's relationship with Efua was adorable.
-Vellien is adorable.
-Hellion can choke.
-Plot progression is good, and fairly unpredictable.
-Some scenes were really intense and some were really harrowing.
-Interesting development to the magic system.
-Kind of a difficult read. The first book makes you fall in love with the characters, this one tortures them relentlessly.
October 23, 2017
City of Betrayal was just as great as City of Strife, the first instalment in a fantasy series that masterfully combines a tale of city life, with its politics, merchants, and assassins, with the danger of an evil outer force, namely, an evil sorcerer who’s settled outside of Isandor within a hostile enclave of a foreign empire.
The characters we met in the first book continue to tell us the story through their different point of views and I was happy to be back with them. I like so many of them so much, even one of the rather hard to like ones grew on me and I’m actually really looking forward to seeing what else Yultes has in store for us. However, I quite struggled with Larryn because he is such a douchebag and behaves impossibly. I am not as forgiving as his friends and the other characters in the book are. Just so you know, Larryn. You better make up for all this crap in the next book!
I am still amazed at how the author manages to bring so many different characters alive on the page, without it getting too much or confusing, and that nearly all of them are queer, people of colour, disabled, or marginalised in other ways. It’s pure joy!
With a little over 400 pages, the book is longer than I prefer and while I noticed the length, it wasn’t boring or an ordeal to get through it. I loved spending time with my friends and especially the second half of the book is fast-paced and suspenseful. I think, though, that the changes in the point of views could have been smoother because there was too much retelling of what had already happened. Even one or two pages of the story through another perspective was too much for me and could have easily been forgone.
There are glimpses of romance and relationships of different people and I would love to see more of this. I’d love to see what is going on between Hasryan and Branwen. I’m also intrigued by Sora and Hasryan and can imagine them becoming friends or more. The sweetest thing, though, are Vellien and Nevian. It’s so endearing how this unlikely and innocent pair is slowly opening up to each other. What Diel and Jaeger have, on the other hand, is simply wonderful and I hope they will have many more years together. Which reminds me :D I wonder which role Arathiel will play in this, heh.
Enough of love, though, since this book is mostly about intrigue, sticking together, and doing the right thing in times of challenge and beyond. The reader is confronted with questions of what privilege looks like and at what cost it comes. That was really well done and this book shines through the beautiful relationships of all kinds of people standing up for each other.
This book does not end on a major cliffhanger but rather leaves us at a quite satisfactory point in the story. I really want to know what is going to happen next, though. There are many things still left to do…
Let the next book come out quickly. Recommended!
_________________________________
Genre: High Fantasy
Tags: Multiple Character Cast, Lesbian Character, Gay Character, Bisexual/Pansexual Character, Transgender Character, Nonbinary Character, Asexual Character, Aromantic Character, Characters of Colour, Magic, Disability, Friendship/Family, Assassin, Politics
Content Warnings: Violence
Rating: 4 stars
Blog: Review for Just Love
Disclosure: ARC for Review
The characters we met in the first book continue to tell us the story through their different point of views and I was happy to be back with them. I like so many of them so much, even one of the rather hard to like ones grew on me and I’m actually really looking forward to seeing what else Yultes has in store for us. However, I quite struggled with Larryn because he is such a douchebag and behaves impossibly. I am not as forgiving as his friends and the other characters in the book are. Just so you know, Larryn. You better make up for all this crap in the next book!
I am still amazed at how the author manages to bring so many different characters alive on the page, without it getting too much or confusing, and that nearly all of them are queer, people of colour, disabled, or marginalised in other ways. It’s pure joy!
With a little over 400 pages, the book is longer than I prefer and while I noticed the length, it wasn’t boring or an ordeal to get through it. I loved spending time with my friends and especially the second half of the book is fast-paced and suspenseful. I think, though, that the changes in the point of views could have been smoother because there was too much retelling of what had already happened. Even one or two pages of the story through another perspective was too much for me and could have easily been forgone.
There are glimpses of romance and relationships of different people and I would love to see more of this. I’d love to see what is going on between Hasryan and Branwen. I’m also intrigued by Sora and Hasryan and can imagine them becoming friends or more. The sweetest thing, though, are Vellien and Nevian. It’s so endearing how this unlikely and innocent pair is slowly opening up to each other. What Diel and Jaeger have, on the other hand, is simply wonderful and I hope they will have many more years together. Which reminds me :D I wonder which role Arathiel will play in this, heh.
Enough of love, though, since this book is mostly about intrigue, sticking together, and doing the right thing in times of challenge and beyond. The reader is confronted with questions of what privilege looks like and at what cost it comes. That was really well done and this book shines through the beautiful relationships of all kinds of people standing up for each other.
This book does not end on a major cliffhanger but rather leaves us at a quite satisfactory point in the story. I really want to know what is going to happen next, though. There are many things still left to do…
Let the next book come out quickly. Recommended!
_________________________________
Genre: High Fantasy
Tags: Multiple Character Cast, Lesbian Character, Gay Character, Bisexual/Pansexual Character, Transgender Character, Nonbinary Character, Asexual Character, Aromantic Character, Characters of Colour, Magic, Disability, Friendship/Family, Assassin, Politics
Content Warnings: Violence
Rating: 4 stars
Blog: Review for Just Love
Disclosure: ARC for Review
June 29, 2017
Thank you to the author for sending me an eARC, enabling me to spend more time with characters I love without a painful wait until October.
I loved this installment. While events are definitely escalating to a finale, there were also lots of small character and relationship building moments deftly woven throughout. The complex variety of relationships between characters, both individually and in groups, is so gratifying to see when so many books focus on romantic relationships to the detriment of everything else. And did I mention how fucking queer the cast is? Before I'd even finished this book the author had joined my autobuy list.
I highly recommend getting into this wonderful trilogy if you haven't already.
I loved this installment. While events are definitely escalating to a finale, there were also lots of small character and relationship building moments deftly woven throughout. The complex variety of relationships between characters, both individually and in groups, is so gratifying to see when so many books focus on romantic relationships to the detriment of everything else. And did I mention how fucking queer the cast is? Before I'd even finished this book the author had joined my autobuy list.
I highly recommend getting into this wonderful trilogy if you haven't already.
March 1, 2018
Another superb fantasy thrill ride in the City of Spires trilogy, the characters all as relatable and knowable as they were last time out and the plot is well done and moves apace as the book develops. My only slight complaint is that I would liked to have seen more of Isandor itself, which didn't seem to exist too much outside the main settings - a small quibble mark you.
Again, the highlight is the gold standard queer rep - gay, lesbian, bi, trans, ace, enby - it's all here and done to a tee. Can't wait for book 3.
Again, the highlight is the gold standard queer rep - gay, lesbian, bi, trans, ace, enby - it's all here and done to a tee. Can't wait for book 3.
October 28, 2020
Puoi trovare questa recensione anche sul mio blog, La siepe di more
Raccontandovi le mie impressioni sul primo libro di questa serie, City of Strife, vi avevo scritto che avevo delle perplessità sulla rappresentazione di alcuni personaggi LGBTQIA+, perplessità spazzate via in City of Betrayal, nel quale Arseneault mi ha regalato alcuni tra i migliori personaggi queer di cui mi sia capitato di leggere. In particolare, ho amato i personaggi asessuali e aromantici, per almeno due motivi.
Il primo riguarda la loro tridimensionalità: non sono personaggi solo asessuali e/o aromantici e la loro presenza nella storia non è il pretesto per partire con lo spiegone su cosa si intenda per asessualità e aromanticismo. Mi è capitato ormai diverse volte di leggere romanzi costruiti in modo tale da fare la lezione allǝ lettorǝ: e sì, okay, diffondere informazioni è importante, ma lo è altrettando rendere i personaggi memorabili e farli amare in modo da gioire e soffrire insieme a loro (e da patire di brutto in attesa del prossimo volume, mannaggia).
Quindi veniamo al secondo motivo per cui ho amato così tanto questi personaggi: nonostante l’enorme varietà di differenze, sia per quanto riguarda l’identità di genere sia per quanto riguarda gli orientamenti sessuali e romantici, non si ha mai la sensazione che siano lì tanto per fare numero, ma la loro diversità si intreccia alla trama facendosi portatrice di un vissuto e di relazioni che altrimenti non avrebbero senso. Essendo un libro che fonda la storia su famiglie, relazioni e intrighi, capirete bene che legare i personaggi tra di loro in maniera realistica diventa fondamentale per reggere l’interesse e Arseneault ci riesce davvero benissimo. Alla fine vi ritroverete ad amare (quasi) ogni personaggio, anche quelli che in City of Strife sembravano così antipatici, semplicemente perché sono realistici.
Per il resto, City of Betrayal, come da titolo, parla di tradimenti: tradimenti all’interno di Isandor, tradimenti all’interno del Golden Table che amministra la città, tradimenti all’interno delle famiglie, tradimenti della fiducia tra amici. Il finale è stato tanto doloroso – il degno prologo al prossimo volume, City of Torment – e immagino che tanto dolore dovrà ancora abbattersi sui miei adorati personaggi prima che i semi piantati da Diel diano i loro frutti. Mi sento male al solo pensiero.
Anche perché l’antagonista, Avenazar, è davvero una delle peggiori merde di cui abbia mai letto. Non potete capire quant’è perverso finché non leggete questa serie (e, vi rinnovo la raccomandazione a tener conto del fatto che abusi fisici e psicologici non si contano quando Avenazar è in giro): è un concentrato di ciò che di abusante si può trovare in una persona e spero davvero che Arseneault gli faccia fare una fine orribile.
Il suo unico pregio è quello di far risplendere ancora di più le numerose relazioni sane del libro: laddove Avenazar è solo capace di schiacciare lз altrз sotto il terribile potere della sua magia, i personaggi positivi si legano tra di loro con relazioni piene di amore e affetto che hanno come unici limiti il consenso e il rispetto reciproco.
E alla fine, nonostante tutti i tradimenti e il dolore, sarà quello che vi rimarrà di questo libro e che vi farà venire una voglia pazza di leggere il prossimo – ti prego, Arseneault, finiscilo presto!
Raccontandovi le mie impressioni sul primo libro di questa serie, City of Strife, vi avevo scritto che avevo delle perplessità sulla rappresentazione di alcuni personaggi LGBTQIA+, perplessità spazzate via in City of Betrayal, nel quale Arseneault mi ha regalato alcuni tra i migliori personaggi queer di cui mi sia capitato di leggere. In particolare, ho amato i personaggi asessuali e aromantici, per almeno due motivi.
Il primo riguarda la loro tridimensionalità: non sono personaggi solo asessuali e/o aromantici e la loro presenza nella storia non è il pretesto per partire con lo spiegone su cosa si intenda per asessualità e aromanticismo. Mi è capitato ormai diverse volte di leggere romanzi costruiti in modo tale da fare la lezione allǝ lettorǝ: e sì, okay, diffondere informazioni è importante, ma lo è altrettando rendere i personaggi memorabili e farli amare in modo da gioire e soffrire insieme a loro (e da patire di brutto in attesa del prossimo volume, mannaggia).
Quindi veniamo al secondo motivo per cui ho amato così tanto questi personaggi: nonostante l’enorme varietà di differenze, sia per quanto riguarda l’identità di genere sia per quanto riguarda gli orientamenti sessuali e romantici, non si ha mai la sensazione che siano lì tanto per fare numero, ma la loro diversità si intreccia alla trama facendosi portatrice di un vissuto e di relazioni che altrimenti non avrebbero senso. Essendo un libro che fonda la storia su famiglie, relazioni e intrighi, capirete bene che legare i personaggi tra di loro in maniera realistica diventa fondamentale per reggere l’interesse e Arseneault ci riesce davvero benissimo. Alla fine vi ritroverete ad amare (quasi) ogni personaggio, anche quelli che in City of Strife sembravano così antipatici, semplicemente perché sono realistici.
Per il resto, City of Betrayal, come da titolo, parla di tradimenti: tradimenti all’interno di Isandor, tradimenti all’interno del Golden Table che amministra la città, tradimenti all’interno delle famiglie, tradimenti della fiducia tra amici. Il finale è stato tanto doloroso – il degno prologo al prossimo volume, City of Torment – e immagino che tanto dolore dovrà ancora abbattersi sui miei adorati personaggi prima che i semi piantati da Diel diano i loro frutti. Mi sento male al solo pensiero.
Anche perché l’antagonista, Avenazar, è davvero una delle peggiori merde di cui abbia mai letto. Non potete capire quant’è perverso finché non leggete questa serie (e, vi rinnovo la raccomandazione a tener conto del fatto che abusi fisici e psicologici non si contano quando Avenazar è in giro): è un concentrato di ciò che di abusante si può trovare in una persona e spero davvero che Arseneault gli faccia fare una fine orribile.
Il suo unico pregio è quello di far risplendere ancora di più le numerose relazioni sane del libro: laddove Avenazar è solo capace di schiacciare lз altrз sotto il terribile potere della sua magia, i personaggi positivi si legano tra di loro con relazioni piene di amore e affetto che hanno come unici limiti il consenso e il rispetto reciproco.
E alla fine, nonostante tutti i tradimenti e il dolore, sarà quello che vi rimarrà di questo libro e che vi farà venire una voglia pazza di leggere il prossimo – ti prego, Arseneault, finiscilo presto!
April 15, 2020
Oh wow, I can definitely see why the author has decided to cut the final book of the trilogy into two books, and can I just say here how happy I am about that?? We will get to spend so much more time with these characters in this world!
This book was, if possible, even more amazing than the first. Having all the characters established, we now get to delve further into the relationships between them, and into their backstories, at the same time as the plot intensifies. This lead to an incredibly well balanced feeling throughout the whole book. It was incredibly well paced. All of the characters, excluding of course Avenazar and probably Hellion, were amazing and loveable in their different ways.
At the end of the last novel, Arathiel was incarcerated for helping Hasryan to escape his being hanged. Hasryan is now in hiding with Camilla, unbeknownst to the rest of the Dathirii clan. Diel is considering getting Arathiel out of prison in order to help him and Branwen to infiltrate the Myrian Enclave. Avenazar is even more scary after Nevian escaped him -- although Avenazar thinks him dead.
All caught up? Okay. In this book, we spend more time with Sora and even see a little bit of her and Kellian's relationship before everything goes to shit. Kellian shows himself to be very misguided in the little bits that we get of him, and is probably my least favourite among the 'good' Dathirii characters. That said, he's also one of the ones we spend the least time with.
Yultes is a character I barely mentioned in my review of the first book, but he features heavily here and we get a sense of the love he felt for Larryn's mother. Larryn still has screaming anger issues and shoves most of them at Yultes, but there's plenty to go around. Which is why, I guess, we don't really see him as part of the chosen queer family dynamic that builds around most of the main characters.
While Diel is in what is essentially a council meeting, arguing why his family should continue to remain nobles within the city of Isandor, Branwen, Hasryan, Arathiel and Cal mount a rescue mission for Varden who is still in Avenazar's evil clutches. They are even helped by Isra at the end, though that is not without consequences. All of this leads to a really cute group of Diel, Branwen, Hasryan, Arathiel, Cal, Vallien and Varden sequestered in Cal's living room, eating Larryn's delicious food in relative safety after an incredibly tumultuous book.
Although it ended Happily For Now, I will say that there were some parts of the book--particularly scenes between Avenazar and Varden, but also between Lord Allastam and Diel--that were incredibly difficult to read. Bit trigger warnings for enforced slavery, torture and just general disintegration of everything for the guys we were rooting for. The note that the end of the book falls on is worth those difficult parts around the 3/4 mark.
This book was, if possible, even more amazing than the first. Having all the characters established, we now get to delve further into the relationships between them, and into their backstories, at the same time as the plot intensifies. This lead to an incredibly well balanced feeling throughout the whole book. It was incredibly well paced. All of the characters, excluding of course Avenazar and probably Hellion, were amazing and loveable in their different ways.
At the end of the last novel, Arathiel was incarcerated for helping Hasryan to escape his being hanged. Hasryan is now in hiding with Camilla, unbeknownst to the rest of the Dathirii clan. Diel is considering getting Arathiel out of prison in order to help him and Branwen to infiltrate the Myrian Enclave. Avenazar is even more scary after Nevian escaped him -- although Avenazar thinks him dead.
All caught up? Okay. In this book, we spend more time with Sora and even see a little bit of her and Kellian's relationship before everything goes to shit. Kellian shows himself to be very misguided in the little bits that we get of him, and is probably my least favourite among the 'good' Dathirii characters. That said, he's also one of the ones we spend the least time with.
Yultes is a character I barely mentioned in my review of the first book, but he features heavily here and we get a sense of the love he felt for Larryn's mother. Larryn still has screaming anger issues and shoves most of them at Yultes, but there's plenty to go around. Which is why, I guess, we don't really see him as part of the chosen queer family dynamic that builds around most of the main characters.
While Diel is in what is essentially a council meeting, arguing why his family should continue to remain nobles within the city of Isandor, Branwen, Hasryan, Arathiel and Cal mount a rescue mission for Varden who is still in Avenazar's evil clutches. They are even helped by Isra at the end, though that is not without consequences. All of this leads to a really cute group of Diel, Branwen, Hasryan, Arathiel, Cal, Vallien and Varden sequestered in Cal's living room, eating Larryn's delicious food in relative safety after an incredibly tumultuous book.
Although it ended Happily For Now, I will say that there were some parts of the book--particularly scenes between Avenazar and Varden, but also between Lord Allastam and Diel--that were incredibly difficult to read. Bit trigger warnings for enforced slavery, torture and just general disintegration of everything for the guys we were rooting for. The note that the end of the book falls on is worth those difficult parts around the 3/4 mark.
March 25, 2021
I quite enjoyed this book! It was far better in plot and writing than its prequel, City of Strife. In the first book of this series, I found myself feeling quite apathetic to the characters and their struggles. I think that this was partly due to the sheer number of them, and the different perspectives involved. I had assumed that the book would be from Arathiel's perspective (partly my fault that I was disappointed by that; I'm the one who went in with assumptions.)
This book had a great plot, plus better character development. My main problem was the writing. The word "mirth" appeared 17 times, according to my kindle, which is 16 times too many. "Smirk" was also used the way a Wattpad writer would, which annoyed me a bit. Aside from that, I found that the book *tells* a lot. I'm not a huge fan of the "show, don't tell" principle since it often leads to flowery language and no substance, but this book definitely could have benefitted. Not every emotion has to appear on a face, and I feel that the conflict that many of the characters faced could have been depicted better if we just saw their internal thoughts rather than being told that they felt confused, or left a bitter taste in their mouth.
Also, the representation was great! I felt that the blurb was a bit misleading, though. I don't see where Arathiel, Larryn and Hasryan fit into those promises, although it was definitely nice to see neo pronouns being used and respected. That said, the rep did affect the reading of the book a little bit. Perspectives frequently repeated something that had been said earlier just to introduce new characters into the mix. Also, I felt that not everything had to have a label. For example,
Anyway, I'm making my qualms with the book seem more important than they truly are. Truthfully, this book is quite solid, especially if you want a palate cleanser. Not to mention, it's also interesting because it tackles quite a few topics effectively and carefully.
This book had a great plot, plus better character development. My main problem was the writing. The word "mirth" appeared 17 times, according to my kindle, which is 16 times too many. "Smirk" was also used the way a Wattpad writer would, which annoyed me a bit. Aside from that, I found that the book *tells* a lot. I'm not a huge fan of the "show, don't tell" principle since it often leads to flowery language and no substance, but this book definitely could have benefitted. Not every emotion has to appear on a face, and I feel that the conflict that many of the characters faced could have been depicted better if we just saw their internal thoughts rather than being told that they felt confused, or left a bitter taste in their mouth.
Also, the representation was great! I felt that the blurb was a bit misleading, though. I don't see where Arathiel, Larryn and Hasryan fit into those promises, although it was definitely nice to see neo pronouns being used and respected. That said, the rep did affect the reading of the book a little bit. Perspectives frequently repeated something that had been said earlier just to introduce new characters into the mix. Also, I felt that not everything had to have a label. For example,
Anyway, I'm making my qualms with the book seem more important than they truly are. Truthfully, this book is quite solid, especially if you want a palate cleanser. Not to mention, it's also interesting because it tackles quite a few topics effectively and carefully.
March 10, 2023
Everything I said in my review for City of Strife is equally true for this book, so I’m not going to repeat myself. City of Betrayal successfully continues the experience established by the first book of the series. In the first few chapters of this sequel, Arseneault provides all the details that the reader would need to know about the previous book using the perspectives of different characters who were involved in those events, making the information feel fresh even though it wasn’t that long ago that I read them.
A major theme in this book is that caring about other people can lead us to become better people, and in portraying that theme, a lot of characters who were objectively terrible people in City of Strife are put on a redeeming path. (Of course, other terrible people step up to fill the antagonistic roles necessary for this story, and Avenazar is as despicable as ever.) The series’ exploration of systemic injustice takes some new, interesting turns . This book continues to be full of good people with all kinds of supportive relationships, and my curiosity about the eventual fate of this world’s class system still stands. I’m not a fan of stories where the solution to injustice against poor people is to have a “good” rich person step in to save the day. In many ways, Lord Diel Dathirii fits the trope of the “good” rich person, but this book takes an interesting twist on the trope . What will come of this remains to be seen – but I’m very curious to see it.
A major theme in this book is that caring about other people can lead us to become better people, and in portraying that theme, a lot of characters who were objectively terrible people in City of Strife are put on a redeeming path. (Of course, other terrible people step up to fill the antagonistic roles necessary for this story, and Avenazar is as despicable as ever.) The series’ exploration of systemic injustice takes some new, interesting turns . This book continues to be full of good people with all kinds of supportive relationships, and my curiosity about the eventual fate of this world’s class system still stands. I’m not a fan of stories where the solution to injustice against poor people is to have a “good” rich person step in to save the day. In many ways, Lord Diel Dathirii fits the trope of the “good” rich person, but this book takes an interesting twist on the trope . What will come of this remains to be seen – but I’m very curious to see it.
August 26, 2018
This review also appears on my blog alexreadboooks
_________
After Lord Arathiel Brasten rescued the assassin Hasryan from his execution, the entire city of Isandor is in turmoil. And even though it might mean his family’s certain doom, Lord Diel Dathirii releases Arathiel temporarily so he can help Diel’s niece Branwen in a desperate attempt to free the priest Varden from being tortured at the Myrian enclave.
Gooooood this book! I couldn’t wait to pick up the second part of the series as soon as I finished City of Strife and I absolutely love it.
It was so good to see everyone again and it was so great to see their story continue. There was so much banter and it was fun to watch characters interact that hadn’t interacted before. Not to mention that I loved the story.
A daring rescue mission with the backdrop of city politics and intrigue? Sign me up! I already loved the concept in City of Strife, and Arseneault does such a good job at weaving it all together. I basically was completely in love with this from the very beginning for the concept alone.
It was really amazing though to see the characters develop and grow and to learn more about everyone involved. I don’t want to spoil anything, but there was one character whose character development was just completely amazing and actually changed my mind about him. i still don’t agree with everything he does, but he has redeemed himself somewhat for me.
I also loved that we got to look a bit deeper into Isandor’s city politics and how its (flawed) system works under pressure.
Plus I do have to mention that this was a great second book in a trilogy. It managed to do everything bigger and more daring somehow despite the stage itself actually being smaller. It was so amazing to watch the characters adapt to their new situations and react to the new developments in the story of Isandor.
Seriously I cannot wait to read the third book. I will be waiting here eagerly until I get to hold it in my hands and devour it.
_________
After Lord Arathiel Brasten rescued the assassin Hasryan from his execution, the entire city of Isandor is in turmoil. And even though it might mean his family’s certain doom, Lord Diel Dathirii releases Arathiel temporarily so he can help Diel’s niece Branwen in a desperate attempt to free the priest Varden from being tortured at the Myrian enclave.
Gooooood this book! I couldn’t wait to pick up the second part of the series as soon as I finished City of Strife and I absolutely love it.
It was so good to see everyone again and it was so great to see their story continue. There was so much banter and it was fun to watch characters interact that hadn’t interacted before. Not to mention that I loved the story.
A daring rescue mission with the backdrop of city politics and intrigue? Sign me up! I already loved the concept in City of Strife, and Arseneault does such a good job at weaving it all together. I basically was completely in love with this from the very beginning for the concept alone.
It was really amazing though to see the characters develop and grow and to learn more about everyone involved. I don’t want to spoil anything, but there was one character whose character development was just completely amazing and actually changed my mind about him. i still don’t agree with everything he does, but he has redeemed himself somewhat for me.
I also loved that we got to look a bit deeper into Isandor’s city politics and how its (flawed) system works under pressure.
Plus I do have to mention that this was a great second book in a trilogy. It managed to do everything bigger and more daring somehow despite the stage itself actually being smaller. It was so amazing to watch the characters adapt to their new situations and react to the new developments in the story of Isandor.
Seriously I cannot wait to read the third book. I will be waiting here eagerly until I get to hold it in my hands and devour it.
January 11, 2018
Originally posted here: Culmination Heaven
I finished the first book in the series and immediately needed the second one (read the first book's review here). I loved the first book and the second book didn't disappoint. It did a great job of continuing the story without being confusing or overly dependent. The characterization took a step up form the first book in my opinion, all of the characters seemed more real and developed further than the first book.
This book, again, wasn't a particularly hard book to read, but it was entertaining and captivating. This book felt a bit more complex to me in terms of themes and plot. I like that there were many story arcs rather than one main and a lot off subplots, that is a personal preference but it was very interesting to read and piece together the story as the book goes on.
One thing I have to say about the book is that it felt somewhat filler. The book was still interesting and there were some really exciting, hair-raising scenes, but it still felt a bit like exposition and mostly world building. I enjoyed the book still, but I can see how some people may not enjoy it as much. I did like the first book better, but that is usually the case with me.
I would continue to read the series if you have already read the first book because it is satisfying and works to tie up loose ends while still leaving the ending open for a possible third installment, which I would welcome and read the first chance I get. Though, even with no third book I would be fine with this as the ending honestly. I really enjoyed the entire series, especially the characters, and I will definitely be re-reading the series at some point in the future. I do have to give some trigger warnings (straight from the authors website) so do not read if you are sensitive to these topics, abuse (verbal, physical), violence, fire/burns, torture, racism, mind control.
I finished the first book in the series and immediately needed the second one (read the first book's review here). I loved the first book and the second book didn't disappoint. It did a great job of continuing the story without being confusing or overly dependent. The characterization took a step up form the first book in my opinion, all of the characters seemed more real and developed further than the first book.
This book, again, wasn't a particularly hard book to read, but it was entertaining and captivating. This book felt a bit more complex to me in terms of themes and plot. I like that there were many story arcs rather than one main and a lot off subplots, that is a personal preference but it was very interesting to read and piece together the story as the book goes on.
One thing I have to say about the book is that it felt somewhat filler. The book was still interesting and there were some really exciting, hair-raising scenes, but it still felt a bit like exposition and mostly world building. I enjoyed the book still, but I can see how some people may not enjoy it as much. I did like the first book better, but that is usually the case with me.
I would continue to read the series if you have already read the first book because it is satisfying and works to tie up loose ends while still leaving the ending open for a possible third installment, which I would welcome and read the first chance I get. Though, even with no third book I would be fine with this as the ending honestly. I really enjoyed the entire series, especially the characters, and I will definitely be re-reading the series at some point in the future. I do have to give some trigger warnings (straight from the authors website) so do not read if you are sensitive to these topics, abuse (verbal, physical), violence, fire/burns, torture, racism, mind control.
July 15, 2019
This was better in some ways than the first book, in that the female characters had more page time, and in the overall plot moving forward.
I still dislike Larryn. Just when he was redeeming himself a little bit, he .
And in other things that annoy me, Avenazar, and the climactic showdown. . I almost chucked this book across the room for that, figuratively since I was reading it on my phone.
Other than that, I barely put the book down once I started reading it, but that was party due to wanting to see the rabid chihuahua (Avenazar) get his comeuppance. He may be a very 2D villain and boring as a result, but I want to see him pay. Maybe the third book will give me that, whenever it comes out.
I still dislike Larryn. Just when he was redeeming himself a little bit, he .
And in other things that annoy me, Avenazar, and the climactic showdown. . I almost chucked this book across the room for that, figuratively since I was reading it on my phone.
Other than that, I barely put the book down once I started reading it, but that was party due to wanting to see the rabid chihuahua (Avenazar) get his comeuppance. He may be a very 2D villain and boring as a result, but I want to see him pay. Maybe the third book will give me that, whenever it comes out.
November 29, 2025
This is the second book in the City of Spires series. I read book one back in June and was a little worried it had been too long for me to remember but thankfully as I started reading, it all came back to me and I remembered who everyone was and what they were doing.
This was an improvement on book one, largely because things have simply moved forward a little more and I know the characters better. There’s a lot of POV’s to follow and it made it really hard to properly get into in the first book for me. I actually DNF’d another book earlier this month for a similar reason.
But with this book, the characters feel a lot more established and I really started to get a proper sense of who everyone was, what made them tick, and I started falling in love with a lot of the characters in this book.
The plot is a very slow burn with a lot of moving pieces and a heavy political focus, and I’m definitely intrigued to see where everything goes as the series progresses, but it’s not the kind of series I feel I can binge like I do with most, so it’ll be a few months before I read the next!
This was an improvement on book one, largely because things have simply moved forward a little more and I know the characters better. There’s a lot of POV’s to follow and it made it really hard to properly get into in the first book for me. I actually DNF’d another book earlier this month for a similar reason.
But with this book, the characters feel a lot more established and I really started to get a proper sense of who everyone was, what made them tick, and I started falling in love with a lot of the characters in this book.
The plot is a very slow burn with a lot of moving pieces and a heavy political focus, and I’m definitely intrigued to see where everything goes as the series progresses, but it’s not the kind of series I feel I can binge like I do with most, so it’ll be a few months before I read the next!
September 24, 2018
This book is the second in the series, and served to really open up the world that Arseneault is exploring. The characters and interpersonal relationships that she explores are deep and heart-felt, and explore a very wide range of types of relationships (many in the LGBTQ+ community), and identity within those relationships. I really appreciate Arseneault’s ability to write complex characters that have massive faults that they are activity questioning and working on (for example, anger issues).
The different characters from the first book all finally meet each other in this sequel, and the camaraderie and aspects of chosen family are incredibly compelling and will not let you down.
If you liked the first book, I definitely recommend continuing on with the second. I didn’t want to put this down, and finished it wanting desperately for the third installment to be out yet (sadly it is not).
The different characters from the first book all finally meet each other in this sequel, and the camaraderie and aspects of chosen family are incredibly compelling and will not let you down.
If you liked the first book, I definitely recommend continuing on with the second. I didn’t want to put this down, and finished it wanting desperately for the third installment to be out yet (sadly it is not).
February 27, 2019
It might sound strange but it is a mark of how good this series is that 2/3 of the way through this book I was genuinely struggling - I cared so much for these characters that seeing them in such trouble genuinely hurt.
I love the way the characters are developed throughout the course of the story, they are not static stereotypes but they learn, grow and develop and you can really understand where their thought thinking and reactions come from.
The plot is great, moves along quickly and sets everything up brilliantly for the next instalment whilst being an entertaining story in its own right.
The diversity in gender and sexuality is wonderfully written, natural in a way that makes it feel simply possible rather than a shoehorn, the diversity adds so richly to the tapestry of the world the author builds.
An excellent read and I’m really looking forward to more.
I love the way the characters are developed throughout the course of the story, they are not static stereotypes but they learn, grow and develop and you can really understand where their thought thinking and reactions come from.
The plot is great, moves along quickly and sets everything up brilliantly for the next instalment whilst being an entertaining story in its own right.
The diversity in gender and sexuality is wonderfully written, natural in a way that makes it feel simply possible rather than a shoehorn, the diversity adds so richly to the tapestry of the world the author builds.
An excellent read and I’m really looking forward to more.
May 15, 2021
95% of books I read do not make me cry. Romance does not make me cry. But you give me some good friendship moments, and I will be in tears. While this book did not make me blubber, the tears were felt because this book is all about the friendship. (The author calls my favorite character 'assassin seeks friends' after all.)
Anyway, just as good as the first one - maybe even a smidge better. Love the characters and love the plot. The world building is good. The only thing holding me back from wholeheartedly recommending this book to literally everyone is that the first two were published in 2017 and we are still waiting for the third and fourth, four years later.
And while it's not a cliffhanger, there are a lot of dangling plots and some people are in possible danger. (Not mortal peril as at the end of the last book, but not everyone is in a safe space.)
Anyway, just as good as the first one - maybe even a smidge better. Love the characters and love the plot. The world building is good. The only thing holding me back from wholeheartedly recommending this book to literally everyone is that the first two were published in 2017 and we are still waiting for the third and fourth, four years later.
And while it's not a cliffhanger, there are a lot of dangling plots and some people are in possible danger. (Not mortal peril as at the end of the last book, but not everyone is in a safe space.)
June 25, 2021
City of Betrayal was so intense with so many layers of political intrigue but also calling out racism, classic and systemic oppression and privilege even in well meaning people. It packs an absolute punch through the lens of a fair few different POVS. I enjoyed all the povs and all the wonderful perspectives they brought to the world. I did feel a bit overwhelmed with all the POVs at times and like there was a few too many and sometimes they dragged the plot a bit.
I love how non romantic relationships are centred in this series — both friendship, family, mentor/mentee and queer platonic. I did love the romance as well. Diel and Jaeger are so soft!! And the hints between some of the other characters too.
I do wish I’d realised this was a trilogy and book 3 isn’t? will never? be out because there are plenty of unfinished threads here and I have many burning questions!!!
I love how non romantic relationships are centred in this series — both friendship, family, mentor/mentee and queer platonic. I did love the romance as well. Diel and Jaeger are so soft!! And the hints between some of the other characters too.
I do wish I’d realised this was a trilogy and book 3 isn’t? will never? be out because there are plenty of unfinished threads here and I have many burning questions!!!
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