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Burning Crown #2
The Wild Road
THE WILDERNESS IS WAKING
Stephen has never left the kingdom of his birth. But the possible cure for his huntbrother’s shattered memories cannot be found in Breodanir. It might be found in the distant South. If Nenyane’s road leads to the South, Stephen will follow.
The lord of the golden fox wishes to speak with Stephen before he travels South. She dwells in the heart of the empire, home to Meralonne APhaniel and Kallandras of Senniel, and it is through Averalaan that safe passage to the Dominion of Annagar can be found.
The road to the empire passes through towns that have existed for longer than Breodanir the Free Towns. The Free Towns have never fallen, although they are possessed of no armies, no walls.
Stephen and his party arrive in Hansleigh to festivities and carnival performers in the the circus is coming to town. Theirs is a command performance. Every living person in the town is expected to attend, as if attendance is a matter of life and death.
It is.
To survive, the hunters must find a missing person before the circus—and all of the townspeople—are lost forever to the forces of the Lord of the Hells.
Stephen has never left the kingdom of his birth. But the possible cure for his huntbrother’s shattered memories cannot be found in Breodanir. It might be found in the distant South. If Nenyane’s road leads to the South, Stephen will follow.
The lord of the golden fox wishes to speak with Stephen before he travels South. She dwells in the heart of the empire, home to Meralonne APhaniel and Kallandras of Senniel, and it is through Averalaan that safe passage to the Dominion of Annagar can be found.
The road to the empire passes through towns that have existed for longer than Breodanir the Free Towns. The Free Towns have never fallen, although they are possessed of no armies, no walls.
Stephen and his party arrive in Hansleigh to festivities and carnival performers in the the circus is coming to town. Theirs is a command performance. Every living person in the town is expected to attend, as if attendance is a matter of life and death.
It is.
To survive, the hunters must find a missing person before the circus—and all of the townspeople—are lost forever to the forces of the Lord of the Hells.
720 pages, Hardcover
First published June 17, 2025
25 people are currently reading
41 people want to read
About the author
Michelle West
73 books467 followersSee also:
Michelle Sagara West
Michelle Sagara
Michelle is an author, bookseller, and lover of literature based in Toronto. She writes fantasy novels as both Michelle Sagara and Michelle West (and sometimes as Michelle Sagara West). You can find her books at fine booksellers.
She lives in Toronto with her long-suffering husband and her two children, and to her regret has no dogs.
Reading is one of her life-long passions, and she is sometimes paid for her opinions about what she’s read by the venerable Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. No matter how many bookshelves she buys, there is Never Enough Shelf space. Ever.
She has published as Michelle Sagara (her legal name), as Michelle West (her husband's surname), and as Michelle Sagara West (a combination of the two).
Michelle Sagara West
Michelle Sagara
Michelle is an author, bookseller, and lover of literature based in Toronto. She writes fantasy novels as both Michelle Sagara and Michelle West (and sometimes as Michelle Sagara West). You can find her books at fine booksellers.
She lives in Toronto with her long-suffering husband and her two children, and to her regret has no dogs.
Reading is one of her life-long passions, and she is sometimes paid for her opinions about what she’s read by the venerable Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. No matter how many bookshelves she buys, there is Never Enough Shelf space. Ever.
She has published as Michelle Sagara (her legal name), as Michelle West (her husband's surname), and as Michelle Sagara West (a combination of the two).
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
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August 1, 2025This behemoth of a novel was satisfying to complete but incredibly exhausting. Lore-wise I found it fascinating, as the Free Towns west of the Empire have been occasionally referenced in passing over the past dozen and a half novels, but never explored directly until now. However, most of the 700 pages (with small text) of this novel are dedicated to what seems just a handful of hours - a day at the most. That means every bit of progress in the story is buttressed with a huge amount of extra information, be it history, or introspection by a character, or a reminder of a character's traits. The issue is that the same ground is often tread multiple times. The reader doesn't need to be reminded of a character's inner struggles every time he enters a scene. We know them from previous books, and every other scene in the current book. Sometimes it seems like every line of dialogue is just bogged down with unnecessary introspection. This was an issue in earlier novels in the series and I thought she had moved past it - the previous novel in this immediate sub-series didn't give these vibes.
This review may seem harsh but I don't mean it negatively in any way. A random 300 page D&D novel doesn't elicit this level of exhaustion because the story is so simple and moves quickly to fit into a tiny space. The world West continues to weave here is orders of magnitude more ambitious than a typical fantasy novel - it's just a lot of work to get through.
This review may seem harsh but I don't mean it negatively in any way. A random 300 page D&D novel doesn't elicit this level of exhaustion because the story is so simple and moves quickly to fit into a tiny space. The world West continues to weave here is orders of magnitude more ambitious than a typical fantasy novel - it's just a lot of work to get through.
June 23, 2025
Every scene in this book is a gem. Every scene is crafted to give us insight into one or more characters. Many also give us insight into the world in which the story is embedded.
From the perspective of the overall story, the book is largely wasted. We start with our party leaving its home and setting out towards a destination. We end with the party still on the road, still traveling. Little has changed. Book 2 - this book - would have made no sense without book 1, but a reader who moves directly from book 1 to book 3 will probably not be inconvenienced. To my mind, that means that "The Wild Road" isn't pulling its weight.
Did I enjoy reading it? Yes. (That's what the rating means.) Will I read book 3 when it comes out? Yes. (I've enjoyed all of the author's books; I don't expect that to change.) But this book seems like a lost opportunity.
From the perspective of the overall story, the book is largely wasted. We start with our party leaving its home and setting out towards a destination. We end with the party still on the road, still traveling. Little has changed. Book 2 - this book - would have made no sense without book 1, but a reader who moves directly from book 1 to book 3 will probably not be inconvenienced. To my mind, that means that "The Wild Road" isn't pulling its weight.
Did I enjoy reading it? Yes. (That's what the rating means.) Will I read book 3 when it comes out? Yes. (I've enjoyed all of the author's books; I don't expect that to change.) But this book seems like a lost opportunity.
December 23, 2025
A worthy second volume to a new series that wraps up all the story-lines she started with the Hunter's Duology. We continue to get some of the old characters, but mostly it centers around the new people introduced in this series, especially Gervanno. I am really liking his "normal" person mentality. He reacts to things from a very different PoV than the others, which I like. Also I want to see what happens next as all the threads start to wrap up!
June 29, 2025
Michelle West never disappoints
A wonderful sequel to the Burning Crown Series. This arc started with Hunter Lord Series, then the Sun Sword series, the House War series and now coming to its finale. Exceptional writing and wonderful characters.. Always as usual a book you cannot put down.
A wonderful sequel to the Burning Crown Series. This arc started with Hunter Lord Series, then the Sun Sword series, the House War series and now coming to its finale. Exceptional writing and wonderful characters.. Always as usual a book you cannot put down.
July 19, 2025
I highly enjoyed the story and felt like it provided much more clarity on the history of the Firstborn and the fall of the Kialli. However, it didn't seem to move Stephen's journey forward much. Still a great read, just be prepared for not much geographical progress.
August 6, 2025
➸ 5 stars
August 7, 2025
First off, let me say that I'm always in awe of the world that Michelle West has created. The Essalieyan universe is different from anything I've ever read before. It manages to combine the magic and mystery of Faerie, Greek myth, and classic sword and sorcery tales into something truly unique and compelling. However, that depth of detail is also what slows down the progression of the plot. To be fair, the excessive exposition has been cut down a lot compared to her earlier books- this series is being funded and previewed to Patreon subscribers, and I think that writing to a specific end is helping West keep things on track.
I enjoyed this book but I should have known that it would involve a pretty significant detour. At the end of the Hunter's Redoubt, the Breodani characters were planning to head to Averalaan to meet with Jewel Markess. They set out on that journey but are waylaid by the living wilderness and pulled into a town that hosts a special circus that fights the forces of darkness once a generation or so. It sounds crazy written out but it makes sense within the logic of the book. Some important character development happens and we run into an adversary from The Sun Sword who seems headed for a redemption arc.
I enjoyed this book but I should have known that it would involve a pretty significant detour. At the end of the Hunter's Redoubt, the Breodani characters were planning to head to Averalaan to meet with Jewel Markess. They set out on that journey but are waylaid by the living wilderness and pulled into a town that hosts a special circus that fights the forces of darkness once a generation or so. It sounds crazy written out but it makes sense within the logic of the book. Some important character development happens and we run into an adversary from The Sun Sword who seems headed for a redemption arc.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews