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Annals of Lusiartha #2
Kolchae
Lusiartha is at war. The Sovereign moves his Regiment in full force against the Siarthens, targeting Rilan and his fellow kolchae. Supplies in the underground base dwindle, spirits are low, and tensions grow between Rilan and Noril. When one of the kolchae is captured during a desperate Setu supply raid, Rilan must choose between his responsibilities as the rebel leader, and his loyalty to his friends. The fate of a nation hangs in the balance, but is Rilan strong enough to sacrifice his friends to save Lusiartha?
228 pages, Paperback
First published December 15, 2014
6 people want to read
About the author
R. Ann Humphries
3 books30 followersR. Ann Humphries is a lifelong science fiction and fantasy addict. Unable to find a portal to Narnia in her closet, she started inventing her own fantasy worlds and storylines. She graduated from Gardner-Webb University with a BA in Creative Writing. She lives in Atlanta with her two weenie dogs, Smith and Wesson.
Humphries was introduced to the world of science fiction and fantasy by her father, who made her sit down and watch every episode of the original Star Trek series at a young, impressionable age. Hopelessly hooked from that point on, she moved through dozens of sci-fi/fantasy television shows, books, movies, and video games like a true addict. While the entertaining, escapist side of such stories is obvious, Humphries believes there’s a truly valuable side to far fetched and whimsical stories, one that allows readers to examine themselves and humanity through nontraditional and unfamiliar lenses.
Humphries was introduced to the world of science fiction and fantasy by her father, who made her sit down and watch every episode of the original Star Trek series at a young, impressionable age. Hopelessly hooked from that point on, she moved through dozens of sci-fi/fantasy television shows, books, movies, and video games like a true addict. While the entertaining, escapist side of such stories is obvious, Humphries believes there’s a truly valuable side to far fetched and whimsical stories, one that allows readers to examine themselves and humanity through nontraditional and unfamiliar lenses.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 24, 2015
This review was originally posted on Olivia's Catastrophe: http://olivia-savannah.blogspot.nl/20...
I was originally going to give this book a rating of three stars, but by the time I got to the ending I knew I would have to raise it to four. Why is that? Well, it’s because this book is so clever.
I liked the second half of the book more than the first. But I also liked this book more than the last one, and that is because I found the writing style was better and it was easier for me to connect to the characters. The beginning of the book tries up any loose ends from the previous book and moves on. There was a lot of character development in this story (gotta love that ;) ) and a lot of war as well. At times I felt like there was a bit too much war. But then again, it was supposed to be the main plot.
In a way I wished this book had a different point of view and was read as one of the other Kolchae. But then again, I also didn’t want that because Rilan had so much to offer in this book.
Now, let me tell you why this book was so clever. Even though we are in a completely different world from our own and the situation and circumstances are different, I felt like there were a lot of themes we could connect to and should think about. There was the theme of slavery and war, and how those two things can change people and their principles. There was the theme of friendship and love, which is a common one. Another was mixing cultures and then there was also the theme of racism, seeing as in their world all there is is black and white, but that might change now.
This book is not for the faint hearted either. As I was hearing about the results of torture I was cringing inwardly because that must have hurt. So be prepared for that. Also, what I loved was that although a war was going on on the surface, there was also the struggle between powers – the war commander versus the leader of the people. It was a good addition to the story.
There was a pretty big plot twist in this novel which has set up what might be a good book for the final one in this trilogy! And the cliffhanger ending helped with that. I cannot wait to read the final book in this series.
I was originally going to give this book a rating of three stars, but by the time I got to the ending I knew I would have to raise it to four. Why is that? Well, it’s because this book is so clever.
I liked the second half of the book more than the first. But I also liked this book more than the last one, and that is because I found the writing style was better and it was easier for me to connect to the characters. The beginning of the book tries up any loose ends from the previous book and moves on. There was a lot of character development in this story (gotta love that ;) ) and a lot of war as well. At times I felt like there was a bit too much war. But then again, it was supposed to be the main plot.
In a way I wished this book had a different point of view and was read as one of the other Kolchae. But then again, I also didn’t want that because Rilan had so much to offer in this book.
Now, let me tell you why this book was so clever. Even though we are in a completely different world from our own and the situation and circumstances are different, I felt like there were a lot of themes we could connect to and should think about. There was the theme of slavery and war, and how those two things can change people and their principles. There was the theme of friendship and love, which is a common one. Another was mixing cultures and then there was also the theme of racism, seeing as in their world all there is is black and white, but that might change now.
This book is not for the faint hearted either. As I was hearing about the results of torture I was cringing inwardly because that must have hurt. So be prepared for that. Also, what I loved was that although a war was going on on the surface, there was also the struggle between powers – the war commander versus the leader of the people. It was a good addition to the story.
There was a pretty big plot twist in this novel which has set up what might be a good book for the final one in this trilogy! And the cliffhanger ending helped with that. I cannot wait to read the final book in this series.
August 21, 2015
I must admit that coming into this story, my expectations were HIGH. I read Sedich a couple months ago and gave it a five star rating. It had been a while since reading book one, and I was surprised with how easily I jumped right into book two. The city of Lusiartha is at war. And it's an ugly, brutal fight. After one of the fellow kolcha are kidnapped, Rilan must choose between leading an army and friendship. There are some serious decisions to make. So many powerful themes in this book: racism, classism, power struggles of all kinds. It's a fantasy world, but so reflective of our own in ways. The concepts are thought-provoking and deep, but at the same time, I was able to just sit back and enjoy the flow of the story too. What I love most about the author's writing style: this story was well-plotted and perfectly crafted. It was sharp, precise, and well-paced. She spun the story beautifully, and seemed to know exactly where she was going with it. In turn, she took us readers along for the ride. This author is not afraid to make the reader uncomfortable during parts of the story, which I admired. Parts of the story made me want to cry, and other parts made me cringe. I enjoy when a story evokes a broad range of emotions in its reader, and this was a perfect example of that. Her characters were well-developed and dialogue seemed genuine and neatly crafted. Overall, it was a terrific read. I would definitely recommend this book. The author is very talented. But be ready to commit to the series, because this story isn't over!
August 30, 2015
If Sedich was a page turner, then Kolchae is sheer brilliance put on paper. The author is incredibly brave for presenting to the readers an unfiltered face of the society we live in. Kolchae is a work of fiction but it has been constructed on the lines of the harsher truths that we as individuals tend to ignore. There is no sugar coating. There is no going out of the way to make the main league look shiny and flawless. It is a powerful story with the right mix of thrill, heroism, bravery, sacrifice and honor.
You can't miss this one guys!
Can't wait to read the final installment.
You can't miss this one guys!
Can't wait to read the final installment.
December 14, 2017
I really shouldn’t be reading books during finals but I had to get this one in so I could get to the final installment before the year is out. Wow. What a ride. It’s been a while since I haven’t predicted a plot twist but you got me good with this one. I love the realistic nature of how this is written in both Rilan’s internal struggle and his struggles not only in the war but with the people he fights alongside. The only downside of this for me is that the love story in it was a bit predictable and not my style of romance but believable nonetheless. Now on to Sovereign!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews