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Failures of Four Kingdoms #2
Kalyna the Cutthroat
The Daughters of Izdihar meets The Foxglove King: An ex-soothsayer and stranded scholar of curses upend a Utopian community that has no love for refugees.
Radiant Basket of Rainbow Shells, scholar of curses and magical history, has spent several years on a research expedition abroad in Quruscan, one of the four kingdoms of theTetrarchia. When Tetrarchia and Radiant’s home country of Loasht suddenly revoke their tenuous peace, Quruscan is no longer the safe haven for Radiant that it once was. He needs someone to help him a bodyguard, perhaps, or someone with the sheer cunning to escort him to safety. The perfect candidate is Kalyna a crafty, mysterious mercenary with an uncanny reputation.
But the political situation in Loasht is far more volatile and dangerous than Radiant left it; it soon becomes clear that he may never be able to return home to his family. With a little of Kalyna’s signature guile, she finds Radiant asylum in a utopian community on the border between Loasht and the Tetrarchia, and, for a moment, it seems like they might finally have a safe place to stay. But when the group’s charismatic leader grows wary of the refugees flocking to his community—and suspicious of Kalyna in particular—that sense of safety begins to unravel once more.
Kalyna the Cutthroat deftly imagines how the pressures of heroism can warp even the most unshakeable of survivors, asking what responsibilities human beings have to one another, and whether one good deed—of any magnitude—can absolve you of your past for the sake of a future.
Radiant Basket of Rainbow Shells, scholar of curses and magical history, has spent several years on a research expedition abroad in Quruscan, one of the four kingdoms of theTetrarchia. When Tetrarchia and Radiant’s home country of Loasht suddenly revoke their tenuous peace, Quruscan is no longer the safe haven for Radiant that it once was. He needs someone to help him a bodyguard, perhaps, or someone with the sheer cunning to escort him to safety. The perfect candidate is Kalyna a crafty, mysterious mercenary with an uncanny reputation.
But the political situation in Loasht is far more volatile and dangerous than Radiant left it; it soon becomes clear that he may never be able to return home to his family. With a little of Kalyna’s signature guile, she finds Radiant asylum in a utopian community on the border between Loasht and the Tetrarchia, and, for a moment, it seems like they might finally have a safe place to stay. But when the group’s charismatic leader grows wary of the refugees flocking to his community—and suspicious of Kalyna in particular—that sense of safety begins to unravel once more.
Kalyna the Cutthroat deftly imagines how the pressures of heroism can warp even the most unshakeable of survivors, asking what responsibilities human beings have to one another, and whether one good deed—of any magnitude—can absolve you of your past for the sake of a future.
579 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 26, 2024
About the author
Elijah Kinch Spector
3 books41 followersElijah Kinch Spector is a writer, dandy, and rootless cosmopolitan from the Bay Area who now lives in Brooklyn.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
September 15, 2024
Thank you Netgalley and Erehwon Books/Kensington Publishing for this Arc.
4.5 stars
Ever since I read Kalyna the Soothsayer, I was greatly looking forward to reading the sequel and this was one of my most anticipated reads of the year. When I was approved for the Arc I was so giddy to read it that I moved it to the top of my TBR list and it did not disappoint.
Unlike the first book, we do not spend Kalyna the Cutthroat in Kaylna's POV, but rather in a new narrator's POV. Instead we get to see the completed journey from start to finish in an outsider perspective and how Kalyna affected their lives. It was a unique twist on a sequel that I felt made me appreciate the world more.
Following Radiant Basket of Rainbow Shells, Spector was able to delve more into the worldbuilding of the Tetrarchia and focus in a minority population which I appreciated. In Kalyna the Cutthroat, Radiant had left their home country Loasht to continue their studies following the aftermath of the events in Kalyna the Soothsayer. After a year in Quruscan, things turned for the worst for Radiant's people and left him fumbling in the aftermath to get to safety and find some refuge. In the process, Radiant meets Kalyna and enlists her help in completing the journey and picking up the pieces of a volatile environment.
For me, Kalyna the Cutthroat felt very topical and forced me to focus on subjects near and dear to my heart. By completing the journey in Radiant's perspective, the reader immerses themselves completely in the events that lead a refugee to escape and find safety. The subtle racism was handled skillfully by Spector, and personally I felt it gave me plenty of food for thought on what constitutes as a helping hand versus someone's bias tainting their actions and words. Typically, I feel that the layperson feels that racism has only one face and it is extremely obvious when someone is expressing a racist or biased opinion. However, Kalyna the Cutthroat shines a light on the many ways biases tinge one's actions without being aware of it. I could not stop highlighting sections of the book that I felt were extremely poignant in their delivery of an understated bias. Fantasy in general tens to have a form of racism and prejudicial biases, however, compared to Kalyna the Cutthroat the approach was overhanded and overdone. Considering the events in modern day America, I felt that Spector's approach to the topic at hand was a reflection on how this permeates all layers of society. After all, refugees are people too, but where can they go when no one will take them? Radiant himself was forced to confront this question, and was not surprised to find pushback with his answer.
As a reader following this journey, I appreciated having the time to sit and ponder this question myself. It's one that I have asked multiple times and have a very divisive response to. In this world, there will always be minority groups ejected from what they call home that are forced to very quickly find a new place to settle in to that may not appreciate their presence. Kalyna the Cutthroat provides an opening for tough conversations that I absolutely enjoy seeing in my fantasy. It's not just about racism and refugees, but also what makes you who you are-- is it your blood, heritage, or your culture? Who can define that? The government, or you personally?
Although the content may seem heavy, I will assure you that Kalyna the Cutthroat is rife with witty comments and humor in the situations that provide just enough comedy relief to keep the reader going. I really hope that with this release, that more readers discover Kalyna and the world of Tetrarchia so I can have more people to talk to about Spector's worldbuilding and start having conversations about the hard questions asked of the reader to think on.
4.5 stars
Ever since I read Kalyna the Soothsayer, I was greatly looking forward to reading the sequel and this was one of my most anticipated reads of the year. When I was approved for the Arc I was so giddy to read it that I moved it to the top of my TBR list and it did not disappoint.
Unlike the first book, we do not spend Kalyna the Cutthroat in Kaylna's POV, but rather in a new narrator's POV. Instead we get to see the completed journey from start to finish in an outsider perspective and how Kalyna affected their lives. It was a unique twist on a sequel that I felt made me appreciate the world more.
Following Radiant Basket of Rainbow Shells, Spector was able to delve more into the worldbuilding of the Tetrarchia and focus in a minority population which I appreciated. In Kalyna the Cutthroat, Radiant had left their home country Loasht to continue their studies following the aftermath of the events in Kalyna the Soothsayer. After a year in Quruscan, things turned for the worst for Radiant's people and left him fumbling in the aftermath to get to safety and find some refuge. In the process, Radiant meets Kalyna and enlists her help in completing the journey and picking up the pieces of a volatile environment.
For me, Kalyna the Cutthroat felt very topical and forced me to focus on subjects near and dear to my heart. By completing the journey in Radiant's perspective, the reader immerses themselves completely in the events that lead a refugee to escape and find safety. The subtle racism was handled skillfully by Spector, and personally I felt it gave me plenty of food for thought on what constitutes as a helping hand versus someone's bias tainting their actions and words. Typically, I feel that the layperson feels that racism has only one face and it is extremely obvious when someone is expressing a racist or biased opinion. However, Kalyna the Cutthroat shines a light on the many ways biases tinge one's actions without being aware of it. I could not stop highlighting sections of the book that I felt were extremely poignant in their delivery of an understated bias. Fantasy in general tens to have a form of racism and prejudicial biases, however, compared to Kalyna the Cutthroat the approach was overhanded and overdone. Considering the events in modern day America, I felt that Spector's approach to the topic at hand was a reflection on how this permeates all layers of society. After all, refugees are people too, but where can they go when no one will take them? Radiant himself was forced to confront this question, and was not surprised to find pushback with his answer.
As a reader following this journey, I appreciated having the time to sit and ponder this question myself. It's one that I have asked multiple times and have a very divisive response to. In this world, there will always be minority groups ejected from what they call home that are forced to very quickly find a new place to settle in to that may not appreciate their presence. Kalyna the Cutthroat provides an opening for tough conversations that I absolutely enjoy seeing in my fantasy. It's not just about racism and refugees, but also what makes you who you are-- is it your blood, heritage, or your culture? Who can define that? The government, or you personally?
Although the content may seem heavy, I will assure you that Kalyna the Cutthroat is rife with witty comments and humor in the situations that provide just enough comedy relief to keep the reader going. I really hope that with this release, that more readers discover Kalyna and the world of Tetrarchia so I can have more people to talk to about Spector's worldbuilding and start having conversations about the hard questions asked of the reader to think on.
August 23, 2025
As a sequel, this book unfortunately falls far short of what made the first book good. As a standalone, which it could indeed be treated as, it fails one of the biggest needs for a single-POV book: make the main character someone interesting to ride along with.
Despite her being the titular character, this is not Kalyna's book. This book belongs to Radiant Basket of Rainbow Shells, a scholar and exile, who ends up not so much recruiting Kalyna to help him bring his exiled people out of their home country but somehow talking her into it and she accepts because she wanted to see if she could. Kalyna remains a fascinating character, and it's a delight to watch her work. Unfortunately, Radiant himself is just kind of dull, and despite my love of scholar characters, I got tired of him quickly and I almost stopped reading the book because it's quite a while before we even get to see Kalyna. He is very sympathetic, because his situation is awful, and the parallels to the many horrible things happening in the real world are extremely clear. But even after so many pages, after his long journey and all that he learns, I never liked him.
I liked everyone else, though, which feels like an odd thing to say about a book. Other characters include mercenaries, bandits, alchemists, naturalists, corrupt politicians, angry nobles, and an actual airship pilot; I found myself constantly frustrated that we weren't getting any of their stories, because they all seemed so much more interesting. The author continues to do amazingly well with the world's cultures and environments, and what we learn about the places we haven't been is also very interesting. But it was always wrapped up in Radiant's singular goal and constant worry, which made it feel like there was never time to think about anything else.
I'm unsure if I'll read another book in this series; it'll depend on if that book is actually Kalyna's story, or if it's someone else's tale where she just happens to be. It's funny how disappointing it can be to have the titular character not be the one whom the book is actually about.
Despite her being the titular character, this is not Kalyna's book. This book belongs to Radiant Basket of Rainbow Shells, a scholar and exile, who ends up not so much recruiting Kalyna to help him bring his exiled people out of their home country but somehow talking her into it and she accepts because she wanted to see if she could. Kalyna remains a fascinating character, and it's a delight to watch her work. Unfortunately, Radiant himself is just kind of dull, and despite my love of scholar characters, I got tired of him quickly and I almost stopped reading the book because it's quite a while before we even get to see Kalyna. He is very sympathetic, because his situation is awful, and the parallels to the many horrible things happening in the real world are extremely clear. But even after so many pages, after his long journey and all that he learns, I never liked him.
I liked everyone else, though, which feels like an odd thing to say about a book. Other characters include mercenaries, bandits, alchemists, naturalists, corrupt politicians, angry nobles, and an actual airship pilot; I found myself constantly frustrated that we weren't getting any of their stories, because they all seemed so much more interesting. The author continues to do amazingly well with the world's cultures and environments, and what we learn about the places we haven't been is also very interesting. But it was always wrapped up in Radiant's singular goal and constant worry, which made it feel like there was never time to think about anything else.
I'm unsure if I'll read another book in this series; it'll depend on if that book is actually Kalyna's story, or if it's someone else's tale where she just happens to be. It's funny how disappointing it can be to have the titular character not be the one whom the book is actually about.
January 1, 2025
I read an ARC of this, though I now own the physical copy
Content warnings for state-sanctioned violence, mentioned deaths of family members, alcoholism, eye trauma, and murder
In the sequel to Kalyna the Soothsayer (2022), we switch narrators and locations, but we're still in the Tetrarchia with Radiant Basket of Rainbow Shells (henceforth known as Radiant) as he learns that he is now stateless and happens upon a commune along the Lanreas River. Things get dicey when it turns out that this utopia does not take kindly to refugees, and he must team up with Kalyna to figure out a solution that keeps him and his new comrades safe.
Still deeply sarcastic and with a commitment to complex politics that make this exciting to read, Kalyna the Cutthroat delivers on the things that made the first entry great, now with a focus on cults instead of on fraud.
Seeing Kalyna from an outsider’s perspective is among the highlights of this piece of more grounded secondary world fantasy. Radiant has every reason to be stressed out: every instance of trust presented to him is immediately upended. The greater political structures cannot seem to make their mind up about him. But if there’s anything that’s reliable, it’s a fraudster’s ability to fraud. It’s a lot of fun to read and watching Radiant learn a thing or two from the least trustworthy but most productive person in the Tetrarchia.
The linearity of the read makes it really work. The plot in terms of its beats is relatively straightforward, especially when compared to the first book. But the protagonist is less involved in the political machinations that put his life in danger. Much time is spent learning about the world beyond the Lanreas River cult from outside news and interludes from other characters. There’s a lot of trust that Radiant must place in Kalyna and her schemes, and this trust in the reader to understand the political complexity extends to the prose. Radiant is a scholar and that shows in his own understanding of his circumstances and attempts to stay one step ahead, but the read never takes its pedal off the gas that is perspective and lived experience. The spectacle does deliver, complete with upright crocodiles, a murder mystery, and fraught travel on hot-air balloons across dangerous rivers. There is queerness in this work, and the world perception of it is the least of every character’s problems.
I hope there’s more of this world, but if there isn’t, I will follow Spector’s writing wherever it goes next.
Content warnings for state-sanctioned violence, mentioned deaths of family members, alcoholism, eye trauma, and murder
In the sequel to Kalyna the Soothsayer (2022), we switch narrators and locations, but we're still in the Tetrarchia with Radiant Basket of Rainbow Shells (henceforth known as Radiant) as he learns that he is now stateless and happens upon a commune along the Lanreas River. Things get dicey when it turns out that this utopia does not take kindly to refugees, and he must team up with Kalyna to figure out a solution that keeps him and his new comrades safe.
Still deeply sarcastic and with a commitment to complex politics that make this exciting to read, Kalyna the Cutthroat delivers on the things that made the first entry great, now with a focus on cults instead of on fraud.
Seeing Kalyna from an outsider’s perspective is among the highlights of this piece of more grounded secondary world fantasy. Radiant has every reason to be stressed out: every instance of trust presented to him is immediately upended. The greater political structures cannot seem to make their mind up about him. But if there’s anything that’s reliable, it’s a fraudster’s ability to fraud. It’s a lot of fun to read and watching Radiant learn a thing or two from the least trustworthy but most productive person in the Tetrarchia.
The linearity of the read makes it really work. The plot in terms of its beats is relatively straightforward, especially when compared to the first book. But the protagonist is less involved in the political machinations that put his life in danger. Much time is spent learning about the world beyond the Lanreas River cult from outside news and interludes from other characters. There’s a lot of trust that Radiant must place in Kalyna and her schemes, and this trust in the reader to understand the political complexity extends to the prose. Radiant is a scholar and that shows in his own understanding of his circumstances and attempts to stay one step ahead, but the read never takes its pedal off the gas that is perspective and lived experience. The spectacle does deliver, complete with upright crocodiles, a murder mystery, and fraught travel on hot-air balloons across dangerous rivers. There is queerness in this work, and the world perception of it is the least of every character’s problems.
I hope there’s more of this world, but if there isn’t, I will follow Spector’s writing wherever it goes next.
May 5, 2026
This book really snuck up on me. I enjoyed Kalyna the Soothsayer quite a bit despite some flaws and a hefty dose of suspended disbelief. I knew this story would be a different, more somber tale, but I didn’t expect to get sucked into this book as much as I did. It’s got some flaws - major ones, in my opinion - but I found myself consistently thinking about the questions that Spector posed. My reaction to it reminded me a bit of Walking Practice by Dolki Min (a very different story) because I just couldn’t stop thinking about the ideas presented. I’m beginning to think Spector is a writer capable of writing a real masterpiece, and I’m excited to continue following his work.
I think this book can be read independently of its predecessor, but you’ll be aware of the fact that there was a book that came before. You’ll be able to smell Kalyna’s main character energy, and her exploits from the previous book come up several times. However, the core story is about a new character and his complicated relationship with society.
Read If Looking For: fantasy that deals with ethics, casual queerness, optimistic anarchists
Avoid If Looking For: action, comedy, or magic
Comparable Media: The Mars House, A Choir of Lies
Elevator Pitch:
Radiant Basket of Rainbow Shells is a scholar of curses, travelling abroad to collect knowledge. When the Loashti Empire declares his people as dangerous and revokes their citizenship, he flees with the help of some mercenaries, including Kalyna. We get a decent amount of travel at the start, but most of the book centers around their time at the Lanrius River Guild (spelling? I listened to the audiobook), an anarchist utopia that’s going through plenty of growing pains but is trying to live with as little hierarchy and division as possible. Radiant negotiates whether he wants to be part of this community, whether the community is a good place, and what he can do to help both his family and his people, whom face a persecution he is temporarily free from.
What Worked for Me:
As with Kalyna the Soothsayer, this book places us in the mind of a character who is in a constant state of otherness. Radiant’s home was colonized generations ago by the Empire, which has sought to file off all the things from Radient’s culture they see as disagreeable. He is not fully Loashti, and cannot exist without frequent reminders that he is seen as less than others. Usually, the people who demean him don’t even realize they’re doing it. He must compromise on when to speak up about historical figures who hunted down his ancestors and when to avoid picking a fight that will threaten his personal security. A man that Radiant perceives - rightly - as racist towards him happens to view Radiant as his best friend. Of course, everything intensifies when the government revokes his people’s citizenships and warns foreign nations to be on the lookout for travellers with the papers of his people. Spector’s exploration of collective and personal identity is layered and thoughtful and far more interesting than most speculative fiction whose protagonist is part of an oppressed ethnic group. There’s clear connections to Jewish identity here, which makes sense as that Spector is open about his Jewish heritage. The racism in Spector’s world is as obvious as it is subtle, and he expects readers to fully immerse themselves in that perspective to get anything out of the book. Kalyna the Soothsayer is a political thriller with comedic wit, but Kalyna the Cutthroat is a prolonged thematic exploration of serious issues. The ending of the story has a more traditional ‘plot’, but most of this book is firmly centered in Radiant navigating his feelings about himself, his new community, and the experience of being torn between worlds.
I also really enjoyed Spector’s writing of the Lanrius river guild. It’s got lofty goals and generally sees its setup as better than anywhere else (what society doesn’t believe that at some level, though). They preach equality, asking people to do work that they find value in. Money doesn’t exist, and leaders serve as guides rather than commanders. The idea of utopias as unbelievable is an old one in fantasy - thank you Le Guin, for your fantastic short fiction - and Spector is willing to acknowledge flaws without turning the commune into a secret dystopian nightmare. They are a group flourishing when free from pressures of the outside world, bought with the benevolence of their founder’s noble status in the outside world, but as the world begins to take more note of their existence, their virtues begin to crack under pressure. Radiant is taken with how wonderful their attitude towards life is. Kalyna’s response: ‘they’re just smiling at you’. The reality, I think, lies somewhere between these two perceptions; they are a group of imperfect people striving to be something better than the world would let them become. And Radiant’s shifting perception of the community comes as he finds himself nestled right at the center of their imperfections.
I’m unsure how much of Radiant’s perspective aligns with Spector’s. Certainly there are moments where I find myself in disagreement with Radiant. His actions make sense considering his situation and history, but also he holds ethical views that I don’t perhaps share. Should people who arrived in a community three days ago (who would not stay if they had any choice) have an equal say in the election of the leader of the community as those who have built the dream for years? Does the commune have a responsibility to accept refugees that will double their population, a decision that all agree will draw the wrath of two nations upon their town? I wish Spector had developed the viewpoints of those who disagree with Radiant more than he did, but I also generally felt most characters beyond the central two were underdeveloped. However, this story presents meaty questions that Spector asks his characters and readers to grapple with. It’s the type of story I’d like to share with my Ethics class, and it brought to mind the wonderful essay Fear, Affluence, and Morality, by Peter Singer (read if you ever want to be challenged on whether your life is horribly unethical), and I respect Spector for tackling big issues.
One of the things I really liked about Kalyna the Cutthroat - and what its predecessor didn’t do - was to avoid giving easy solutions to problems like these. At times it is a very uncomfortable read as I struggled to parse my own feelings about a situation. This book provoked a lot of reflection about my initial reactions to a situation, opposing views, and mapping them onto my own life - this should have felt very close to home considering what Minnesota has gone through this year, but I found they were actually quite different. Chain Gang All Stars comes to mind as a masterfully written book for those who agree with its viewpoints, but it’s also a story that will ultimately fail to challenge the beliefs of anyone who doesn’t already agree with the author at page 1. Spector’s approach reminded me of The Mars House by Natasha Pulley, which also sought to explore complex refugee political dynamics. However, I thought he did a much better job of sticking with the tough conversations instead of manufacturing convenient solutions that remove all tension from the plot. While the closing quarter of the book did chase solutions, they didn’t wave a magic wand that removed all tension from the choices characters made, even if it did radically simplify the ethical questions involved. Thankfully, the middle 50% of this book was exactly the type of introspective fantasy I craved. I’m going to chew on it for a while.
What Didn’t Work For Me:
I think some of my complaints about Kalyna the Soothsayer apply here as well. For both, I thought that Spector started the book about 50-75 pages too soon. He seems to love an opening travel montage that showcases delightfully creative worldbuilding details. However, I don’t think it actually added much to the story when I view the book as a whole. His chapters could probably be tightened up, and I think this book should have been a 300 page story instead of a 450 page one. Scenes linger perhaps a little too long for me, and it keeps me from wanting to tumble into the story and get lost in it. Despite the change in tone from book 1 to book 2, these stylistic choices have remained the same, so I think I may just be brushing up against a dislike of Spector’s narrative voice. To be clear, I didn’t hate it. I just thought it slowed down the narrative without offering a concrete benefit. I can also acknowledge part of my frustration here might be that my loan for To Ride a Rising Storm came in, and I can’t bounce between audiobooks without causing myself a major headache.
Truly however, my biggest issue was Kalyna, whom overwhelmed the story in a negative way. This is a minority opinion, as most complaints about this book seem to center on the fact that Radiant is our storyteller instead of Kalyna. To me, she feels like the darling that Spector couldn’t bear to keep away from this novel. In the previous book, she was portrayed as a con-woman leveraging coincidence and quick thinking to navigate tough situations. That’s true here, but it certainly reads as ‘my favorite character is good at everything’ when a different character is our viewpoint for the story. She simply sucks up too much of the oxygen in the story, overwhelming Radiant’s tale just enough to bug me.
Her charisma also veers into the unbelievable for me. At one point the River Guild is in a position to select a new leader. Kalyna wins overwhelmingly despite both being a newcomer to the settlement and also not actively campaigning for the role. It is in moments like this that suck some of the credibility out of her other antics throughout the book. Spector took her established skillset and reputation from the first book as a blank check to do … whatever he wanted with her. I’d rather she either be a proper protagonist, have a much smaller role in the story, or have been removed entirely. As it stands, it feels like Spector still very much wants the story to be about her, even as everything else pushes towards a focus on Radiant. The underdeveloped side-characters didn’t help my feelings in this regard. If you pulled a name out of a hat that wasn’t Radiant or Kalyna, I’d give you even odds whether I’d be able to tell you who they were in the story.
Conclusion: a strong thematic read that I’ll think about for a while. It suffers from pacing issues however, and an underdeveloped cast of characters
Want More Reviews Like This? try my blog Marked For Plot
I think this book can be read independently of its predecessor, but you’ll be aware of the fact that there was a book that came before. You’ll be able to smell Kalyna’s main character energy, and her exploits from the previous book come up several times. However, the core story is about a new character and his complicated relationship with society.
Read If Looking For: fantasy that deals with ethics, casual queerness, optimistic anarchists
Avoid If Looking For: action, comedy, or magic
Comparable Media: The Mars House, A Choir of Lies
Elevator Pitch:
Radiant Basket of Rainbow Shells is a scholar of curses, travelling abroad to collect knowledge. When the Loashti Empire declares his people as dangerous and revokes their citizenship, he flees with the help of some mercenaries, including Kalyna. We get a decent amount of travel at the start, but most of the book centers around their time at the Lanrius River Guild (spelling? I listened to the audiobook), an anarchist utopia that’s going through plenty of growing pains but is trying to live with as little hierarchy and division as possible. Radiant negotiates whether he wants to be part of this community, whether the community is a good place, and what he can do to help both his family and his people, whom face a persecution he is temporarily free from.
What Worked for Me:
As with Kalyna the Soothsayer, this book places us in the mind of a character who is in a constant state of otherness. Radiant’s home was colonized generations ago by the Empire, which has sought to file off all the things from Radient’s culture they see as disagreeable. He is not fully Loashti, and cannot exist without frequent reminders that he is seen as less than others. Usually, the people who demean him don’t even realize they’re doing it. He must compromise on when to speak up about historical figures who hunted down his ancestors and when to avoid picking a fight that will threaten his personal security. A man that Radiant perceives - rightly - as racist towards him happens to view Radiant as his best friend. Of course, everything intensifies when the government revokes his people’s citizenships and warns foreign nations to be on the lookout for travellers with the papers of his people. Spector’s exploration of collective and personal identity is layered and thoughtful and far more interesting than most speculative fiction whose protagonist is part of an oppressed ethnic group. There’s clear connections to Jewish identity here, which makes sense as that Spector is open about his Jewish heritage. The racism in Spector’s world is as obvious as it is subtle, and he expects readers to fully immerse themselves in that perspective to get anything out of the book. Kalyna the Soothsayer is a political thriller with comedic wit, but Kalyna the Cutthroat is a prolonged thematic exploration of serious issues. The ending of the story has a more traditional ‘plot’, but most of this book is firmly centered in Radiant navigating his feelings about himself, his new community, and the experience of being torn between worlds.
I also really enjoyed Spector’s writing of the Lanrius river guild. It’s got lofty goals and generally sees its setup as better than anywhere else (what society doesn’t believe that at some level, though). They preach equality, asking people to do work that they find value in. Money doesn’t exist, and leaders serve as guides rather than commanders. The idea of utopias as unbelievable is an old one in fantasy - thank you Le Guin, for your fantastic short fiction - and Spector is willing to acknowledge flaws without turning the commune into a secret dystopian nightmare. They are a group flourishing when free from pressures of the outside world, bought with the benevolence of their founder’s noble status in the outside world, but as the world begins to take more note of their existence, their virtues begin to crack under pressure. Radiant is taken with how wonderful their attitude towards life is. Kalyna’s response: ‘they’re just smiling at you’. The reality, I think, lies somewhere between these two perceptions; they are a group of imperfect people striving to be something better than the world would let them become. And Radiant’s shifting perception of the community comes as he finds himself nestled right at the center of their imperfections.
I’m unsure how much of Radiant’s perspective aligns with Spector’s. Certainly there are moments where I find myself in disagreement with Radiant. His actions make sense considering his situation and history, but also he holds ethical views that I don’t perhaps share. Should people who arrived in a community three days ago (who would not stay if they had any choice) have an equal say in the election of the leader of the community as those who have built the dream for years? Does the commune have a responsibility to accept refugees that will double their population, a decision that all agree will draw the wrath of two nations upon their town? I wish Spector had developed the viewpoints of those who disagree with Radiant more than he did, but I also generally felt most characters beyond the central two were underdeveloped. However, this story presents meaty questions that Spector asks his characters and readers to grapple with. It’s the type of story I’d like to share with my Ethics class, and it brought to mind the wonderful essay Fear, Affluence, and Morality, by Peter Singer (read if you ever want to be challenged on whether your life is horribly unethical), and I respect Spector for tackling big issues.
One of the things I really liked about Kalyna the Cutthroat - and what its predecessor didn’t do - was to avoid giving easy solutions to problems like these. At times it is a very uncomfortable read as I struggled to parse my own feelings about a situation. This book provoked a lot of reflection about my initial reactions to a situation, opposing views, and mapping them onto my own life - this should have felt very close to home considering what Minnesota has gone through this year, but I found they were actually quite different. Chain Gang All Stars comes to mind as a masterfully written book for those who agree with its viewpoints, but it’s also a story that will ultimately fail to challenge the beliefs of anyone who doesn’t already agree with the author at page 1. Spector’s approach reminded me of The Mars House by Natasha Pulley, which also sought to explore complex refugee political dynamics. However, I thought he did a much better job of sticking with the tough conversations instead of manufacturing convenient solutions that remove all tension from the plot. While the closing quarter of the book did chase solutions, they didn’t wave a magic wand that removed all tension from the choices characters made, even if it did radically simplify the ethical questions involved. Thankfully, the middle 50% of this book was exactly the type of introspective fantasy I craved. I’m going to chew on it for a while.
What Didn’t Work For Me:
I think some of my complaints about Kalyna the Soothsayer apply here as well. For both, I thought that Spector started the book about 50-75 pages too soon. He seems to love an opening travel montage that showcases delightfully creative worldbuilding details. However, I don’t think it actually added much to the story when I view the book as a whole. His chapters could probably be tightened up, and I think this book should have been a 300 page story instead of a 450 page one. Scenes linger perhaps a little too long for me, and it keeps me from wanting to tumble into the story and get lost in it. Despite the change in tone from book 1 to book 2, these stylistic choices have remained the same, so I think I may just be brushing up against a dislike of Spector’s narrative voice. To be clear, I didn’t hate it. I just thought it slowed down the narrative without offering a concrete benefit. I can also acknowledge part of my frustration here might be that my loan for To Ride a Rising Storm came in, and I can’t bounce between audiobooks without causing myself a major headache.
Truly however, my biggest issue was Kalyna, whom overwhelmed the story in a negative way. This is a minority opinion, as most complaints about this book seem to center on the fact that Radiant is our storyteller instead of Kalyna. To me, she feels like the darling that Spector couldn’t bear to keep away from this novel. In the previous book, she was portrayed as a con-woman leveraging coincidence and quick thinking to navigate tough situations. That’s true here, but it certainly reads as ‘my favorite character is good at everything’ when a different character is our viewpoint for the story. She simply sucks up too much of the oxygen in the story, overwhelming Radiant’s tale just enough to bug me.
Her charisma also veers into the unbelievable for me. At one point the River Guild is in a position to select a new leader. Kalyna wins overwhelmingly despite both being a newcomer to the settlement and also not actively campaigning for the role. It is in moments like this that suck some of the credibility out of her other antics throughout the book. Spector took her established skillset and reputation from the first book as a blank check to do … whatever he wanted with her. I’d rather she either be a proper protagonist, have a much smaller role in the story, or have been removed entirely. As it stands, it feels like Spector still very much wants the story to be about her, even as everything else pushes towards a focus on Radiant. The underdeveloped side-characters didn’t help my feelings in this regard. If you pulled a name out of a hat that wasn’t Radiant or Kalyna, I’d give you even odds whether I’d be able to tell you who they were in the story.
Conclusion: a strong thematic read that I’ll think about for a while. It suffers from pacing issues however, and an underdeveloped cast of characters
Want More Reviews Like This? try my blog Marked For Plot
October 27, 2024
Read as an ARC from Netgalley.
After I'd read the first book in this series, I was a bit on the fence about whether I should continue with the second book, because while 'Kalyna the Soothsayer' introduced some interesting themes and started building a world that I was interested in learning more about, it also had major pacing issues. Unfortunately, the same is true for this sequel. The main socio-political issue that forms the backbone of the story in 'Kalyna the Cutthroat' is introduced early on, which helps the book start off strong. However, after an initial harrowing escape from persecution, there comes a rather long travelling sequence, that felt a bit dry to me. There are occasional moments of wonderful world- and character-building throughout, but it was nonetheless somewhat difficult to get through and made me consider DNFing a couple of times. Once the story arrives at a sanctuary, the pace slows down to a crawl to get into the details of the place's socio-political climate, which is interesting, but - in my opinion - explored at far too slow a pace. The only time I truly felt immersed in the book and was genuinely feeling like I could not stop reading was the last fourth.
Overall, I must say I enjoyed the sequel more than the first book, especially the last fourth of it. At first I was a bit put off by the fact that this second book in the series was no longer written from the perspective of Kalyna, but over time I grew to like this choice. Not having Kalyna as the narrator really helped establish the feelings of intrigue, which felt much more real in this book than the first one, even though the actual stakes being much higher in the first one. Perhaps the fact that the stakes were lower in the sequel helped to make the intrigue seem more exciting, but a big part of it was certainly also the fact that the reader had no insight into the thoughts of Kalyna despite her playing an incredibly pivotal role in the story, which always leaves you questioning whose side she is really on.
Ultimately I did enjoy the book, but I cannot give it more than 3 stars, mainly because of how off the pacing seemed. There were large sections of the story where almost nothing happened, only for the last 100 pages to speed through enough material to fill a whole book. It is in no way a bad book, and I can see some people absolutely loving it. I do also very much appreciate the fact that the sequel contains one of my favourite fantasy tropes: a society where non-heterosexuality is completely normalised and not treated as special or 'other'.
After I'd read the first book in this series, I was a bit on the fence about whether I should continue with the second book, because while 'Kalyna the Soothsayer' introduced some interesting themes and started building a world that I was interested in learning more about, it also had major pacing issues. Unfortunately, the same is true for this sequel. The main socio-political issue that forms the backbone of the story in 'Kalyna the Cutthroat' is introduced early on, which helps the book start off strong. However, after an initial harrowing escape from persecution, there comes a rather long travelling sequence, that felt a bit dry to me. There are occasional moments of wonderful world- and character-building throughout, but it was nonetheless somewhat difficult to get through and made me consider DNFing a couple of times. Once the story arrives at a sanctuary, the pace slows down to a crawl to get into the details of the place's socio-political climate, which is interesting, but - in my opinion - explored at far too slow a pace. The only time I truly felt immersed in the book and was genuinely feeling like I could not stop reading was the last fourth.
Overall, I must say I enjoyed the sequel more than the first book, especially the last fourth of it. At first I was a bit put off by the fact that this second book in the series was no longer written from the perspective of Kalyna, but over time I grew to like this choice. Not having Kalyna as the narrator really helped establish the feelings of intrigue, which felt much more real in this book than the first one, even though the actual stakes being much higher in the first one. Perhaps the fact that the stakes were lower in the sequel helped to make the intrigue seem more exciting, but a big part of it was certainly also the fact that the reader had no insight into the thoughts of Kalyna despite her playing an incredibly pivotal role in the story, which always leaves you questioning whose side she is really on.
Ultimately I did enjoy the book, but I cannot give it more than 3 stars, mainly because of how off the pacing seemed. There were large sections of the story where almost nothing happened, only for the last 100 pages to speed through enough material to fill a whole book. It is in no way a bad book, and I can see some people absolutely loving it. I do also very much appreciate the fact that the sequel contains one of my favourite fantasy tropes: a society where non-heterosexuality is completely normalised and not treated as special or 'other'.
August 10, 2025
This book goes in a completely different direction than I expected at the end of Kalyna the Soothsayer. For one, Kalyna's no longer the viewpoint character, though the new narrator is just as fun to follow and seeing Kalyna from another character's perspective is absolutely fascinating (and really helps sell the sequel's title of "Cutthroat").
Here, the story begins with a fussy Loashti scholar studying in the Tetrarchia, who wakes up one day to realize he's been stranded diplomatically and goes on the run. There are a lot of hijinks, and it's just plain fun and funny, and I really loved Spector's use of the Lanreas River Guild.
That said, there are elements of this book that incidentally reflect some real world politics going on (even though it was written before) and might prove a little anxiety-inducing at first, but I promise that it ends well--after all, Kalyna's on his side... isn't she?
Here, the story begins with a fussy Loashti scholar studying in the Tetrarchia, who wakes up one day to realize he's been stranded diplomatically and goes on the run. There are a lot of hijinks, and it's just plain fun and funny, and I really loved Spector's use of the Lanreas River Guild.
That said, there are elements of this book that incidentally reflect some real world politics going on (even though it was written before) and might prove a little anxiety-inducing at first, but I promise that it ends well--after all, Kalyna's on his side... isn't she?
December 21, 2024
There's nothing wrong with this book at all - the writing is excellent, and I think the story is more interesting than the one in the first book. It's just not the kind of story I'm interested in (and not what I expected from the original blurb). It's a very timely story - about persecution and alienation and abusive governments and so on - but it's not what I signed up for. And while I might, in the future, come back to it when I'm in the mood for this kind of story, I don't see that happening for a while.
Potential readers should know that from what I read, this stands alone perfectly, so you don't need to have read the first book (although you'll appreciate Kalyna's character much more, more quickly, if you have). If it sounds interesting to you, go for it! Seems like a good book - this is entirely an issue of incompatible book and reader, not the book having objective flaws.
Potential readers should know that from what I read, this stands alone perfectly, so you don't need to have read the first book (although you'll appreciate Kalyna's character much more, more quickly, if you have). If it sounds interesting to you, go for it! Seems like a good book - this is entirely an issue of incompatible book and reader, not the book having objective flaws.
March 12, 2025
This was a complicated mess of politics and fun character interactions. I was constantly intrigued by how CLEVER the characters were, and the different plots Kalyna created to keep them all safe. Both her & Radiant were so fascinating, and I loved Radiant's justifiable bitterness at the situation he'd found himself in. There were parts where it was a bit slow, but once Adamos was introduced, i found myself unable to put the book down. INCREDIBLY good book if you're interested in a kingdom run by mutual aid. Also I'm impressed that despite character's obvious bigotry, even they were amusing to read through Radiant's eyes. It made me feel like we were in on the joke of their awfulness together, which is a hard thing to accomplish. I didn't read the first book, but well, now i have to go back and do that!
January 7, 2025
The further adventures of Kalyna the Soothsayer, narrated by someone who doesn't really like her.
Radiant Basket of Rainbow Shells, a Quruscan scholar of curses and magial history, suddenly becomes stateless. He hires Kalyna and Dagmar to return him to his spouse and community, assuming that they have survived the new fascist regime that is scapegoating them. What begins as a travel adventure turns into a meditation on community, governance, cultuarl memory, and diaspora.
I love the worldbuilding, the details that describe and encapsulate and trip up many different peoples, e.g. the straw sculptures. I love the use and importance of multiple languages and code-switching.
***Read an eARC from NetGalley***
Radiant Basket of Rainbow Shells, a Quruscan scholar of curses and magial history, suddenly becomes stateless. He hires Kalyna and Dagmar to return him to his spouse and community, assuming that they have survived the new fascist regime that is scapegoating them. What begins as a travel adventure turns into a meditation on community, governance, cultuarl memory, and diaspora.
I love the worldbuilding, the details that describe and encapsulate and trip up many different peoples, e.g. the straw sculptures. I love the use and importance of multiple languages and code-switching.
***Read an eARC from NetGalley***
March 18, 2025
3 stars
I really enjoyed Kalyna the Soothsayer. I liked Kalyna's voice and how she got herself out of situations. This book is told from another character POV, Radiant Basket of Shells. I will admit to struggling with this book a lot. His POV didn't really draw me in and I had a hard time feeling connected to him as a character. I felt like the whole story moved slower and Kalyna was more engaging from within her own head then from another persons perspective. Although that may have been the point.
I really enjoyed Kalyna the Soothsayer. I liked Kalyna's voice and how she got herself out of situations. This book is told from another character POV, Radiant Basket of Shells. I will admit to struggling with this book a lot. His POV didn't really draw me in and I had a hard time feeling connected to him as a character. I felt like the whole story moved slower and Kalyna was more engaging from within her own head then from another persons perspective. Although that may have been the point.
January 18, 2025
DNF’d :(
I got a free copy to review, but since I wasn’t able to finish I’ll keep it brief
3 stars because it doesn’t seem fair to mark otherwise considering how little I read.
I tried but I just had a lot of troubles with the writing style. It was a bit choppy so I had troubles focusing on it enough to progress well. And the short chapters seemed arbitrary and pulled me out of the experience often. If they were done slightly differently, it could have gone super smoothly, but unfortunately I couldn’t mesh with it.
I loved Kalyna and the premise was amazing. I will definitely try this again because I need more of her in my life!
I got a free copy to review, but since I wasn’t able to finish I’ll keep it brief
3 stars because it doesn’t seem fair to mark otherwise considering how little I read.
I tried but I just had a lot of troubles with the writing style. It was a bit choppy so I had troubles focusing on it enough to progress well. And the short chapters seemed arbitrary and pulled me out of the experience often. If they were done slightly differently, it could have gone super smoothly, but unfortunately I couldn’t mesh with it.
I loved Kalyna and the premise was amazing. I will definitely try this again because I need more of her in my life!
May 14, 2025
Kalyna is an essential character in this sequel narrated by Radiant, a scholar of curses who becomes an exile unexpectedly. Most of the action involves his attempts to return to his homeland and rescue his family and minority community.
Along the way, he is assisted by Dagmar and a host of new characters centered in a utopian community founded by a renegade nobleman. Radiant’s arrival triggers a new wave of change which Kalyna greatly influences even as they both search for ways to rescue his family.
Complex world building and hopefully more to come as our frustrated soothsayer keeps on the move with her father and perhaps Dagmar.
Along the way, he is assisted by Dagmar and a host of new characters centered in a utopian community founded by a renegade nobleman. Radiant’s arrival triggers a new wave of change which Kalyna greatly influences even as they both search for ways to rescue his family.
Complex world building and hopefully more to come as our frustrated soothsayer keeps on the move with her father and perhaps Dagmar.
August 25, 2025
It's honestly pretty rare that I end up liking a sequel more than I did the original book, but this is a fantastic example of it. Here we get a whole new character's POV that's centered, and Kalyna shows up in his life as he's trying to help his people make a home while being refugees, the horrific and changing standards of authoritarian states, and how much it actually takes to run an anarchist collective and not run it into the ground. You can also pick this up even without knowing the first book, though it will definitely help you coming in. Highly recommended read.
February 16, 2026
I was really annoyed by the change in POV. I finished the first happy and started the second and was disappointed. I found the main character sooooo boring. I couldn't imagine anything and honestly this left me wondering why this wasn't just called Radiant and his boring ass run for his life. I couldn't even decide if he had reasonable character growth. Its only getting two stars for having LGBTQIA characters. I cannot understate how boring I found this book. And how little it had to do with Kalyna, at least enough that her name is the title anyway.
December 13, 2024
Big Buff Lesbians, Small Cunning Bisexuals, Nervous Scholarly Ex-Twinks. COMMUNISM AND CURSES. Good good food! Fast-paced erudite adventure fantasy for the cleverest and queerest of us. Our drink, Radiant Basket of Rainbow Shells, would delight a Loashti scholar and you as well!
Hear my full review of KALYNA THE CUTTHROAT and see how the drink is made at Bar Cart Bookshelf on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHdBc...
Hear my full review of KALYNA THE CUTTHROAT and see how the drink is made at Bar Cart Bookshelf on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHdBc...
December 18, 2024
Disclaimer: I did receive this book as part of a Goodreads giveaway.
Unfortunately I will not be reading this book. I bought the first book so I could give it a fair chance. So that I could be caught up for Kalyna the Cutthroat. And I personally did not enjoy the first book at all and DNF’d it at 28%.
Maybe in the future I’ll give this series another shot but for now I’m going to have to pass.
Unfortunately I will not be reading this book. I bought the first book so I could give it a fair chance. So that I could be caught up for Kalyna the Cutthroat. And I personally did not enjoy the first book at all and DNF’d it at 28%.
Maybe in the future I’ll give this series another shot but for now I’m going to have to pass.
December 28, 2024
Easy 5 stars but it's not a book I'm gonna go out of my way to recommend forever. book 1 was something truly special because it was above all else a comedy, and book 2 lost most of (but not quite all) the humor. it's still brilliant and intricate and well-planned and thoughtful but it's not nonstop hilarious on top of all of that. pretty much impossible to live up to book 1 but still strong on its own merits
February 17, 2025
3.5/5 ⭐️
Beautifully written and meticulously researched but low on plot, and not enough Kalyna.
Too little happens to warrant 600 pages, and the story suffers somewhat from the single narrator. Instead of the Kalyna exploits that brought book one to life, we get the memories and musings of a far less exciting character. Don’t name your book after a character who ends up being peripheral to the story.
The writing technique is, however, brilliant.
Beautifully written and meticulously researched but low on plot, and not enough Kalyna.
Too little happens to warrant 600 pages, and the story suffers somewhat from the single narrator. Instead of the Kalyna exploits that brought book one to life, we get the memories and musings of a far less exciting character. Don’t name your book after a character who ends up being peripheral to the story.
The writing technique is, however, brilliant.
October 8, 2024
This sequel builds off of Kalyna the Soothsayer, but interestingly follows Kalyna’s story from the perspective of another: a professor of curse words who needs Kalyna as a bodyguard once the tenuous peace between nations is fractured. I found the pacing strange, and the worldbuilding sloppy, and found that I wasn’t really able to connect with and care about the characters.
My thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
My thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
March 11, 2025
It's an interesting decision to refuse to make Kalyna a POV character in this sequel, but it works surprisingly well, even more so since the narrative voice is quite strong. The plot is largely engaging, and the worldbuilding is focused on wildly different areas than the first book. I'd happily read another sequel.
November 26, 2025
Not the biggest fan of the POV or the former romance interest's characterization in this book, but Kalyna from an outside perspective was great to watch in action
if there is a future book would hope that someone more proactive is able to bounce of Kalyna or it returns to her POV
if there is a future book would hope that someone more proactive is able to bounce of Kalyna or it returns to her POV
January 7, 2025
Holy crap! I didn’t expect to love this book as much as I did! My only regret is I didn’t read the other Kalyna book first. I have GOT to read it next!
March 7, 2025
„they’re trying to help us”
„no, radiant, they’re just smiling a lot”
„no, radiant, they’re just smiling a lot”
March 16, 2025
A compelling story of oppressed refugees and an earnest utopia, driven by prickly but likeable characters, building toward a strange and bittersweet ending.
December 16, 2025
If you're reading this and you've ever let me influence you to do ANYTHING, read these books.
December 29, 2024
Radiant Basket of Rainbow Shells is a Loashti scholar living abroad in Quruscan to study. Radiant’s safe and comfortable existence as a welcome guest came to a crashing end when his traveling papers were revoked. Now, as an outsider on the run, Radiant needs protection and a new home. Radiant meets Dagmar, a skilled fighter and sometimes bodyguard. Dagmar introduces Radiant to Kalyna, whose talents go beyond faking her way as a soothsayer. Together, they fight against the oppressive fear of outsiders. She will need to be ruthless and cunning if they want to succeed. Kalyna will have to be cutthroat.
Kalyna the Cutthroat is book two in Elijah Kinch Spector’s Failures of Four Kingdom series. Even though this novel is part of a series, this exciting story works well as a stand-alone novel. With Spector shifting the narrator for this tale, this book could be read before the first book without the story losing any of the meaning or punch. In this turmoil political time we find ourselves in, Spector fights back against the fear and hatred that is so common. Readers looking for a champion who will stand for the rights of those left behind will find a fighting spirit in Kalyna the Cutthroat.
This Review was Originally Published at https://losangelesbookreview.com/revi...
Kalyna the Cutthroat is book two in Elijah Kinch Spector’s Failures of Four Kingdom series. Even though this novel is part of a series, this exciting story works well as a stand-alone novel. With Spector shifting the narrator for this tale, this book could be read before the first book without the story losing any of the meaning or punch. In this turmoil political time we find ourselves in, Spector fights back against the fear and hatred that is so common. Readers looking for a champion who will stand for the rights of those left behind will find a fighting spirit in Kalyna the Cutthroat.
This Review was Originally Published at https://losangelesbookreview.com/revi...
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