The Forbidden City

The Dragon's Legacy #2

by Deborah A. Wolf

Jian begins a brutal climb up the ranks of the Daechen as the Emperor's long plans near fruition. Sulema is initiated into the ways of Atualon and the power of Atulfah, and finds that her father's city is built on a foundation of terrible secrets. Hafsa Azeina treks down paths stranger and more dangerous than even she could have imagined. And the Zeeranim must face not only their traditional, external enemies, but treachery and betrayal from within.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, High Fantasy, Dragons

520 pages, Hardcover

First published May 15, 2018

About the author

Deborah A. Wolf was born in a barn and raised on wildlife refuges, which explains rather a lot. As a child, whether she was wandering down the beach of an otherwise deserted island or exploring the hidden secrets of Alaska with her faithful dog Sitka, she always had a book at hand. She opened the forbidden door, and set foot upon the tangled path, and never looked back.

Deborah attended any college that couldn’t outrun her and has accumulated a handful of degrees. She has worked as an underwater photographer, Arabic linguist, and grumbling wage slave. Throughout it all, she has held onto one true and passionate love: the love of storytelling.

Deborah currently lives in northern Michigan with her kids (some of whom are grown and all of whom are exceptional), an assortment of dogs and horses, and a pair of demons masquerading as cats.

Reviews

[The Nerd Book Review · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! I can't believe I forgot to review this one. It is in my honorable mention of favorite books of the year.
Great follow up to my favorite book of 2017. I'll leave a more thorough review once I do a quick refresher.

Here's the link to my interview with Deborah Wolf
The Nerd Book Review

[THE BIBLIOPHILE (Rituranjan) · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Brilliant sequel to the excellent first novel. This book builds up further upon the foundations laid by the first. Filled with action, magic, betrayal, intrigue, and suspense, it delivers a tightly plotted story layered with varied tapestries. It is beautiful, grim, and dark in equal measure. I just admire how dazzlingly the story is written, as the prose flows like the lilting music of a flute, and sometimes like the sweet and sad trillings of a sea-shell.

Here we get a in-depth view into the forbidden city of Khanbul, along with the dragon kingdom of Atualon. The worldbuilding also integrates the mysterious dae of the Twilight world, and I loved the exotic and dangerous beauty of it. Besides that, the plot also focuses on the internal strife among the Zeeranim. There's a horrible betrayal, and it will have severe consequences upon the world, as well as the people. Deborah did a phenomenal job in bringing the different cultures of her fantasy world to life. Everything she describes is lucid, and crystal clear, and a joy to read along with the pain that it brings.

The characterisation was top notch. The trials and tribulations of Jian as he rises in rank among the Daeborn of the emperor, and his secret plans of freedom, are brought into sharp focus. I was glad to see the development of Sulema, and her own insecurities regarding her identity as a warrior and a queen. Hafsa Azeina is upto her own game, and her story was poignant and dark. I loved the interpersonal relarionships between the characters, they are flawed, conflicted, and yet try to strive and live in a harsh world filled with predators, loss, and death. Hannei's story was what broke me most, along with that of Char. And, as I've already read the third book, I can understand the cruel path they have had to take in this brutal world.

This is a book that gives us everything in detail, regarding the fantasy world of The Dragon's Legacy. It's brutal, filled with the cries of war and death, a melancholic dirge of loss and suffering. Everything is so beautifully layered, I wonder how Deborah is going to pull this off in just three books. I love how the author has subverted various mythological elements - like the Wild-Hunt, the farer of souls, and the creation myth above all. It is an absolute treat for the reader, and I'm always a lover of stories where music and song is a primary element in weaving the magic and its mystery into life.

[Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

There will be plenty of reviews that will talk about plot and characters. I'd like to discuss craftsmanship.

Most of the fantasy authors who I admire are also poets or musicians (or both.) It shows in the rhythm of their words and the images evoked by the use of descriptive prose. I found this story to be rich in beautiful words that painted vivid mental pictures. The naming is also orginal and adds to the world building. The character's dialogue creates a cultural picture without 'thee and thou' but also not contemporary slang.

And magic... I prefer my fantasy with a good dose of magic, used in a natural metaphoric way without a treatise on How it Works. This world holds many, many different magics and magical creatures.

Finally there's action! The major players here are very often on the brink of disaster. It keeps the story constantly exciting and you can't help but cheer when they just barely squeak by...yet again. That's not to say there isn't grim drama. Lose and death surrounded events because cultural conflict and Machiavellian plots are building around all these engaging people.

[Makena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wolf gave us a beautiful bud with the Dragon’s Legacy, and with the second volume she has sung the flower to bloom belladonna. Deep are the roots now, vivid and enticing the exotic petals. Poison its center, leaving readers with irregular heartbeats and staggered breaths.
Much like book one, Wolf less leads her audience down a path as she does hurl them into the Zeera, into Atualon, the Twilight Lands, and everywhere in between. Lyrical words weave their spells into readers hearts, and if volume one did not tie its mystic tendrils tight around chests, this beautiful, deadly nightshade will. And no one will regret a thing.

[BrokenMnemonic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, that was both really good and rather brutal. It looks like every nation is in the throes of massive internal change, so I'm guessing things are going to get darker still. This does feel like the middle novel of a saga - there aren't many resolutions, but all of the characters seem to be going through dark times and new (or old) threats are starting to walk the world again. The story is still imaginative and gripping, but definitely feels bleaker, and some of the major characters got far less page time than in the previous novel. This is the part of the saga where characters make Faustian bargains, it appears...

[Blake · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exquisite follow up to The Dragon’s Legacy.

Deborah A Wolf is quickly becoming one of my absolute favourite authors, and The Forbidden City has only further cemented my admiration for her writing. A complex fantasy novel that stands outside of stereotypical pseudo-medieval sword and sorcery, The Forbidden City sates my yearning for intelligent, emotional and unique tales. A novel of incredibly complex, layered characters, cultures and magical systems, a novel that challenges the reader as it ensnares their fascination.

I strongly recommend reading The Dragon’s Legacy first, not just to have the full enjoyment of The Forbidden City but because the first book itself is a magnificent reading experience. I cannot wait for the release of the next book, eager to discover what next will come for the characters that I have come to be deeply invested in.

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Forbidden City is the fantastic second book in Deborah A Wolf's Dragon's Legacy epic/high fantasy series. We pick up where we left off at the end of the first book and find out what happens next to Jian, Sulema, Hasfz Azeina and all the other POV characters from The Dragon's Legacy. I love Wolf's writing style, a combination of poetic and vivid that works really well if you enjoy beautiful language as well as a good story. Events are heating up in Atualon, Sindan and Zeera and life for our protagonists is getting harder and more brutal. Word of warning: almost all characters end up on a cliff edge, so to speak, at the end of this book - its going to be a long wait until May 2019 until we find out what becomes of them. This is the most interesting new fantasy series I've read in a long time - recommended for readers of Steven Erikson and similar who do not mind a challenging read and being thrown in at the deep end from time to time.

[Breanna Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Dragon's Legacy began the journey that led to a promising Forbidden City. Second books have a tendency to struggle especially when setting up a third book. The Forbidden City is definitely leading and preparing for the third, but it did not struggle in the slightest. Unexpected twists and turns keep the interest and excitement running even as terrible things happen to characters you have grown or are growing to like. Once you think you have it figured out, Wolf throws a curve ball that flips everything upside-down. You really don't know who to trust, and there's definitely no telling what will come in the next installment, but I eagerly await it's release.

I would recommend these books to anyone who loved the intrigue of Game of Thrones, the magical creatures of Harry Potter, and the vast world and cultures of Lord of the Rings.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Second-book syndrome hits this one, and hard. The first book had a lot of promise, but this book was rather difficult to slug through. This book continues the slow-burn fantasy feel, which I do not mind at all, but there were many more aspects of this second book that let me down. I probably should have given it two stars, but there are some aspects I still enjoyed. My overall thoughts:

There are too many POVs in this book. We have chapters from Daru, Sulema, Hannei, Hafsa Azeina, Leviathus, Ismai, Ani, and Jian. Because there are so many, we get fewer chapters from each which then leads to fewer opportunities for character growth and plot development. Many POVs work for some books, but I felt like it was a detriment here. Daru's chapters, while possibly important for the last book, seemed incredibly pointless in this book. Same with Leviathus. You could chop them out and not hurt the storyline at all.

Speaking of characters, I do still like many of them and think they are well written. Sulema disappointed me - in the first book she is head-strong and stubborn and strong, but here she becomes this naïve mewling thing who is suddenly taken by her father whom she met all of 6 months ago. Not exactly warrior material, but I have a feeling she is meant to be the "hero" or main plot point of the third book, and I really hope she's written better. Also, does the King really not care where his son is?! It's like he dropped of the face of the planet and might as well never existed for all the plot he brings in this book. Ani and Hafsa Azeina continue to be my favorite characters.

The plot - I'm still not sure what it is. After finishing this book it seems like a GOT "everyone get to the throne" type of plot, but things just meandered everywhere throughout the book. Suddenly there are pirates and never-before-heard-of daemons and gladiator-type fight rings and people coming back from the dead...pick a lane, Ms. Wolf. Jian's story, while I very much enjoy, should have been its own book. It doesn't belong with the Zeera and Atualon, it feels so much different than the rest. I would totally read a book just about Jian and that plot line.

The writing is OK, you will enjoy it if you enjoy flowery, detailed, painterly type verbiage. It takes the author quite a bit to say what she wants to say, and I found myself able to skip whole paragraphs while missing nothing. Also, the author apparently discovered the word "tintinnabulation" and uses it at every possibility. It really is OK to say "her shoes tinkled" and leave it at that. But the world-building I think is done alright - not perfect, because we suddenly get information about things that probably should have been more established - things like bonesingers, and the lore behind the sundering (and most other things besides). But the world of the Zeera and Atualon and the Forbidden City (the latter which I wished was made into a different book) feels real and has a culture(s) of their own.

Overall, I'm not sure right now if I would recommend this trilogy. Maybe for people who love detailed flowery writing and those that don't care if the book is a slow-burn, little plot kind of story. I do own the last book, and I will read it if nothing else to see where in the world the author is going to go with this story. But I also think there are better epic fantasies out there for me to recommend to others.

[Matteo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great second book of a great series, which is already one of my favourite.
To be honest I chose this series, because I read excellent reviews and most all because it was compared with Steven Erikson.
After 2 books I can say that the comparison is well earned, and I do not understand how the series doesn't have more recognition and popularity.
Well, actually I can understand it...
This is not an easy series, it is complex, epic and written in a beautiful and almost poetic style, that might be not easily appreciated by everyone.
You have a setting which is different from the classic European medieval one, different and original cultures, with different languages and terms, and different creatures from the usual elf, orcs and so on.
But most of all you are just put in the middle of this different world without too many explanations and you have to learn and understand what is happening all by yourself.
So I can understand why it might be difficult and unsettling for many readers, but personally I loved everything.
The fact that you are just put in the middle of action without too many explanations is something I love, because it forces me to concentrate much more on what is happening and to use my brain to try to understand everything, and that makes, in my opinion, the reading experience more complete.
Maybe there is something wrong in me, but I really like when, after 2 books, I still don't understand what happened to several of the main characters, what they did and most of all why the did it.

Then I loved especially the specific terms of the language used in the book, which, once you get used to them, help you to fully immerse yourself in this different world with its peculiar cultures.
This is actually one of the reasons I loved the fantasy genre, otherwise I would read just history books or the newspapers.
I look forward to reading the third book in the series, and I hope it would not be the last one.

[Darren McGowan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good and dark

This was not as captivating as the first novel, but still interesting. This dark and gritty story has a ton of plot lines that will surprise you time and again. Reminds me of game of thrones, very extensive world and Alot of cruel characters. The next novel will be highly anticipated.

[M Tat · Rating 2 out of 5]

The work is a bit of a frustrating read, as the author jumps between numerous characters. Typically this wouldn't throw the typical fantasy reader when so many authors approach ensemble writing in this fashion, however a good portion of the character's identities apparently lies in the first installment (of this trilogy?). As a result, picking up this work without having read the former presents an unfortunate and incohesive narrative full of characters and 'magic' (for lack of better word) types that are unique to the cultures presented within the text.

The author, in this work seems to play fast and loose with the individual cultures. Only in reading the briefs of The Lands of the People at the end of the work does the reader gain a minor reference for the otherwise robust cultures that the author depends upon for the politics present within the work. Unfortunately, these briefs do nothing to brief the reader on the tenets and customs that these different cultures hold dear. As a result, at least in this work, the reader has no foundation to understand why one group (such as the Emperor) is at odds with the another group (Ka Atu, some sort of mage-king?) other than commonplace 'I want your land and resources'. There were power moves and cultural struggles within the pieces of the narrative that left a great deal of questions and confusion. At one point an entire village is burned. . .but there is no motive clearly identified, especially when the ones doing the burning are supposed to be warriors whose coda is honor?

There are other times when characters seem to travel vast distances (or appear conveniently in a location) without any indicator for how they arrived there or that they were traveling in the first place. There is a map provided in the fore of the text, but the writing often made it appear as though the vast majority of characters were somehow within spitting distance of each other while also being leagues apart from each other. Not to mention that, without knowing this is a second in some-length series. . .it is difficult to determine why the author keeps certain characters alive much less why write about them? Certain characters receive a great deal of attention (Sulema) while others (Daru) receive very little attention and yet others (Hannei) seem involved in very complex political situations. . .yet those situations don't play out. Readers, then, are left to feel that they have several dozen plot threads in their hands but are lead to believe that every one is necessary when it seems--based on the writing--that only 3-4 of the plot threads are relevant. Are these characters somehow crucial to later novels' plots and if so why are they given so little attention at this stage? It's a bit confounding.
(*also on a quirky nitpickiness: just HOW LARGE or HOW SMALL is that mantid-thing of Daru's that it can sit easily on Daru's shoulder but has a mouth large enough to eat an entire mouse-head? Trying to conceptualize this creature was straining at times and is another example of how the author focuses a great deal of attention on a creature but leaves the character--that is dependent on said creature--with so less attention that the reader is left to want to ignore them)

The author does have some REALLY interesting environmental concepts occurring, and these are strengths. There are different types of bestial-bonding occurring, and the way the creatures communicate between humanoids and themselves is engaging and makes the creatures intriguing characters (unfortunately also creates a WILDLY dangling plot-line involving the lion-like ones). The creatures themselves are inventive and creative, which also engages the reader greatly. The writer excels at providing enough description to allow visualization while also allowing the reader to visualize _unto themself_ just how the whole creature appears.
Another environmental concept are types of 'magic'. There is shadow dancing, bonesinging, slumbering dragon/redirective, and dream shifting (at least those are present within this work). It isn't very particular about how each operates or how one _becomes trained_ in using the type of 'magic' (not really sure if it's magic or mysticism or something else? again, author leaves it entirely ambiguous). The descriptions of what occurs and how it occurs, when one of these types is used, is absolutely stunning. Here is where Wolf is 'best': articulating the vision of what occurs when 'magic' users employ their skills. These are identified as 'environmental concepts' because they contribute to what happens surrounding the characters (and sometimes what the characters are, as in the isuuq/daechen Jian).

In summary, Wolf's tale would be of greater quality and stronger literary merit were she able to tie-up or edit out plot threads (or at least allude to potential conclusions forthcoming in the next work), better balance attention given to characters (or contribute/develop allusions to how their actions coordinate among the tangled plot lines) so that readers -want- to pay attention to them, better develop the politics that motivate seeming key characters (like Sareta and Ishtaset) so that readers understand the complexities (and then the plot lines make sense), and provide better sense of where characters are, transit, etc. so they don't seem to appear, disappear, and reappear in different locations as though teleporting. Wolf has some excellent ideas present in the work, which may engage some, but these weaknesses may prevent many from wanting to read the work that came before and the work that comes out in May 2019.

[Echo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Worldbuilding
In this book, M(r)s. Wolf has built this world to be interesting, diverse, and intricate. The writing includes not only one country but several, with characters from all of them. For each country, a culture has also been created — customs, beliefs, leaders, kinds of civilizations, and so on. The religion is basically the same for all of the countries, but each land still has slightly different beliefs about this religion. There are cultures with cities and a people with prides (tribes). Different groups use different sorts of military. More than just that, Deborah A. Wolf describes the world richly and powerfully. I could visualize every culture.

Characters
The characters are diverse. Some come from the Zeera, some are from Atualon, and others are under the emperor's rule. Approximately eight main characters tell the story from third person. Their plotlines are different but intertwined.
The Characters
Jian — a warrior under the emperor. He learns to fight and is tortured in order to get used to pain. He fights his own fellow training Daechen. He hates fighting, but he also carries a respectful attitude about war.
Sulema — daughter of the Dragon King. Her mother bore her from a relationship with the king as his Queen Consort. Sulema was born in the Zeera, but eventually her mother brought her to the king. She wants to go back to the Zeera and be a warrior, but she can't because she doesn't want to lose her father's love and she wants to meet his expectations.
Ani — a Zeerani (former) youthmistress. She is being held captive by her own pride because she protected one of the Dragon King's children: Leviathus, his male child. When the other Zeerani women in the pride are about to kill Leviathus, she willingly fights and kills one.
Hannei — a Zeerani warrior. She is on trial in another Zeerani pride (different from where Ani is), being accused of murdering the entire end of a family line. She didn't do it, but the only one to say she's innocent is the final person in that family: Ismai.
Ismai — the final surviving member of a murdered Zeerani family. He protects Hannei when she is left in the outside after being falsely named guilty for killing his family. He was the one to witness the death of his family, yet the tribe doesn't take his voice as most important.
Leviathus — the son of the Dragon King. Leviathus runs when Ani protects him. He regrets his decision to flee. He prays that he'll find a shelter and he ends up in what he later finds is the house of the "descendents of the original Zeerani".
Hafsa Azina — the "dreameater". She ate her own heart. She travels in the dream realm, practices magic, and deals with grief. She also has an

Plot
The various plotlines are handled very well together in the same story. At first, they seem unrelated to each other, but once one has read far enough, one will begin to see that they head toward the same destination. They all point to the Dragon King and knocking him from his throne. For various reasons, every main character wants to remove him from his position, but they fear what will happen if they do. He must keep Sajani Earth Dragon asleep — or so he claims — but to do so he bleeds the magic from the land to make himself more powerful. He says he protects them, but the questions remain:
Is his way ethical? Is it right?
Does he actually do what he says he does, or is he lying?

Writing
I love to geek out over books. I readily admit. This book doesn't just have a complex, well-described, interesting, and unique story within, but also appendices, native languages of the lands, and special cultural practices. I enjoyed having the glossaries, notes on the countries and descriptions of the various important people in the story.

Beyond just that, there was so much rich description of scenery, of emotion, of destruction. The writing doesn't just tell what happens and leave you to feel whatever. The author does very well when she evokes the emotions through the scene; no scene is emotionless: they are frightening, lonely, beautiful, wistful, sad, remembering, joyful. No scene remains flat and the writer leaves no event without a complex, compelling emotional response.

Emotion
This was such an emotional, emotionally challenging story to read that I have to put a section specifically on emotions. The emotion was just so human. The range of emotions that the book was wide and realistic. The scenes all became three-dimensional because of the emotion contained within. Deborah Wolf told the story from second-person, but she didn't let that hold the emotion from emerging from the pages, visceral and unrestrained.

I rarely cry to books but this one brought me close to tears several times. When the supernatural man is held back from his love, the woman who bore a child with him, I felt all the waves of grief and loneliness. When Jian's wife was taken away, I felt the pain he experienced. In the various fights, losses, and joys in the book, I could sense every drop of emotion that the characters felt.

Summary
The Forbidden City hit me like a tidal wave with all its emotion, characters, and humanity. If I were to worship a book, it would be this one. If you like the following, you will love this book:
Fantasy
Emotion
Stories that hurt in a good way
Complex cultures
Complex universes
Books with glossaries
Complicated characters

- Echo (they/them) ⚧️

[Myridian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book continues to follow Sulema, her mother, Hafsa Azeina, and the rest of Wolf’s characters as the powerful people of the world conspire to overthrow one another and use the power of others for their own purposes.

Rather than everybody dying, though there was a lot of that, the events in this portion of the story felt like they flew in out of left field. I kept getting whiplash as different characters’ stories turned on a dime and headed off in a seemingly random direction. I did learn that within Wolf’s storytelling style you can’t count anybody out until you’ve seen their mutilated corpse. And maybe not even then. I don’t necessarily trust Wolf to bring this story to a close in a satisfying way, but I’m becoming inured to the violence and death. At the same time, I continued to relish the writing style and the characters. It is a deftly created world blending the familiar and the completely imaginary. You also have to respect how Wolf has created strong characters that can withstand (at least somewhat) the depressingly brutal forces of the world that they inhabit.

[Lex · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series confuses me. And I'm the biggest Steven Erikson fan ever. I've read Malazan 9 times so it's not that I'm just too slow to comprehend this book. I guess my issue with it and that it feels like there's very little logic to events and people's action. This book has the logic of dreams where things just keep changing and they're totally incongruent and shouldn't be there but they are. It just feels like the book operates with very little logic and so it's weird. I saw the 3rd book was just released so I'm going to pick it up and pray that it's only a trilogy!

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This 2nd book in the series is better than the first, and that is something! Very intricate plots, often coming together, sometimes not...we do lose a few characters - or not. The author's world-building in this series is awesome! The characters are growing and changing (and sometimes dying), with each chapter. I never know quite what is going to happen from moment to moment, and that is one of the best things about these books. Really good read!

[Robert Rozell II · Rating 5 out of 5]

The world-building continues, with more in-depth of the characters, both old and new.
The storyline is solid, everything is tied together in exciting ways.
This was very hard to put down. Stay up late a couple of nights.
If you are looking for a good story, and magic this book is a must, as is "The Dargon's Legacy".

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the storyline and the ending left me 🤯 I’m excited to see how it all ends in the next book. I did wish that some parts had more lead up / explanation, as well as follow up. I was still able to understand the storylines though!

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 1/2 stars. ;-)

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 1/2 stars!

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I like it, and I'll probably finish the series, but I felt myself losing interest at certain points.

[Scarlet · Rating 5 out of 5]

really underrated book, if you like dark fantasy, this is the book for you

[Mary Kniep · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5 maybe. . .

[Joy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved the first book but this one was just too disjointed for me. So many character arcs and too little connecting them.

[Tina Myers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant sequel with nuance and complexities that kept me turning the page. Waiting for the third with keen anticipation.

[Jessie Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

More of a 3.5/5 but I’ll round up for this one.

[Yeukai]

i am in love with the characters in this series. Cant wait for final installment. I am sad though, one of my strong women ....no spoilers