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Wrath & Athenaeum #2
The Tree: A Novel of the Wrath & Athenaeum
The sequel to The Root, a compelling urban fantasy series set between modern-day San Francisco and an alternate dimension filled with gods and worlds of dark magic. In Corpiliu, an alternate dimension to our own, a darkness grows, devouring whole cities as it spreads. Robbed of her greatest power, separated from her siblings and thrown among people she does not trust, Lil, a ’dant from the city Zebub, must find a way to turn everything around, to trust in a power she knows nothing about.Erik travels from San Francisco to Zebub, haunted by the ghost of his ex, still coming to terms with his true identity as a descendant of the gods, and unsure how to fight what seems to have no weakness. Pushing back against taboos meant to keep the true history of Corpiliu secret, he gains many enemies and few allies, and strange visions will make him question his own sanity.Between Earth and Corpiliu, a war is developing on two fronts, one that might well mean the end of both dimensions. In The Tree, the dynamic follow-up to the exciting fantasy debut The Root, long-held secrets will be revealed, and long-trusted loyalties will be put to the test.
386 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 23, 2018
5 people are currently reading
240 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 23, 2018
Please Note: I received an advance copy of this book from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. This did not influence the opinions of my review in any way.
Ever since I met him at the Bay Area Book Festival, I have been a huge fan of this author, Na'amen Gobert Tilahun. His books are filled with so much creativity, diversity, and heart, that I am instantly drawn it. The Tree is the next book in the complicated world that The Root introduced us to. With it's dual settings of the San Francisco Bay area, and the city of Corpiliu on the world of Zebub, Na'amen manages to create characters in both worlds who were confused, complex, and ultimately courageous. I was deeply invested in these characters and in this highly entertaining book.
For the full review, please go to my blog, http://ponderingtheprose.blogspot.com It will be posted on January 23rd, 2018.
Ever since I met him at the Bay Area Book Festival, I have been a huge fan of this author, Na'amen Gobert Tilahun. His books are filled with so much creativity, diversity, and heart, that I am instantly drawn it. The Tree is the next book in the complicated world that The Root introduced us to. With it's dual settings of the San Francisco Bay area, and the city of Corpiliu on the world of Zebub, Na'amen manages to create characters in both worlds who were confused, complex, and ultimately courageous. I was deeply invested in these characters and in this highly entertaining book.
For the full review, please go to my blog, http://ponderingtheprose.blogspot.com It will be posted on January 23rd, 2018.
January 24, 2018
The Tree is the sequel to urban fantasy/portal fantasy hybrid novel, The Root. Like a lot of series, this one needs to be read in order! Trust me, you’ll be so confused otherwise.
Earth is at war, but most of humanity doesn’t know it yet. Demonic beings from an alternate dimension, Corpiliu, have been making inroads into our world. Their world is being devoured by a strange and powerful darkness, and defeat looks inevitable. So they are in need of a new world, and their sights are pinned on Earth.
Erik, at only eighteen years old, is now head of the Agency, one of two secret organizations that deals with magic, alternate dimensions, demonic beings, and Blooded (the descendants of ancient gods, gifted with some of their powers). He and some of his friends and allies plan a diplomatic trip to Zebub, the alternate version of San Francisco. Meanwhile, his mother and grandmother will manage San Francisco, trying to unite different fractions of Blooded and keep the city and its people safe.
Of course, Erik is one of two main protagonists. Lil, a young woman from Zebub, is in dire straits. She’s been badly injured, although she’s healing, and due to the loss of her tongue no longer has the ability to speak Bable, the language of power. She’s apart from the younger siblings she wishes desperately to protect, and she’s reliant on a group of humans who claim to be a resistance to Zebub’s demonic overlords. Also, the darkness is still advancing on Lil’s city.
The biggest flaw with The Tree is the same one I had with The Root: there are just so many POV characters. It feels like practically everyone with a name gets a POV chapter. It’s a lot to keep track of! Also, the narrative would leave one character in a cliffhanger situation, and by the time it circles back through POV characters to get to them, I would have completely forgotten that they were in trouble. I think The Tree would have been a stronger novel if the POV characters were narrowed down some. We don’t need to know every detail of what’s happening to everyone.
However, The Tree has this key success: I care about the characters and the conflict. I love the complicated dynamics of Erik’s family, how he’s growing into his own, how Lil is so determined to save her siblings and how she’s finding her own worth and strength. In my review of The Root, I talked about how wonderfully diverse the cast is. That continues to be true here, and I think it covers some different aspects of diversity, since Lil is now disabled after the end of The Root. And she’s as badass as ever, if not more so.
While I would have appreciated a tighter narrative focus, The Tree continues to bring me everything I loved about The Root. In addition, I finally get to see Erik and Lil’s sections intertwine! It’s a beautifully inventive series, and I plan on following it to the end.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
I received an ARC in exchange for a free and honest review.
Earth is at war, but most of humanity doesn’t know it yet. Demonic beings from an alternate dimension, Corpiliu, have been making inroads into our world. Their world is being devoured by a strange and powerful darkness, and defeat looks inevitable. So they are in need of a new world, and their sights are pinned on Earth.
Erik, at only eighteen years old, is now head of the Agency, one of two secret organizations that deals with magic, alternate dimensions, demonic beings, and Blooded (the descendants of ancient gods, gifted with some of their powers). He and some of his friends and allies plan a diplomatic trip to Zebub, the alternate version of San Francisco. Meanwhile, his mother and grandmother will manage San Francisco, trying to unite different fractions of Blooded and keep the city and its people safe.
Of course, Erik is one of two main protagonists. Lil, a young woman from Zebub, is in dire straits. She’s been badly injured, although she’s healing, and due to the loss of her tongue no longer has the ability to speak Bable, the language of power. She’s apart from the younger siblings she wishes desperately to protect, and she’s reliant on a group of humans who claim to be a resistance to Zebub’s demonic overlords. Also, the darkness is still advancing on Lil’s city.
The biggest flaw with The Tree is the same one I had with The Root: there are just so many POV characters. It feels like practically everyone with a name gets a POV chapter. It’s a lot to keep track of! Also, the narrative would leave one character in a cliffhanger situation, and by the time it circles back through POV characters to get to them, I would have completely forgotten that they were in trouble. I think The Tree would have been a stronger novel if the POV characters were narrowed down some. We don’t need to know every detail of what’s happening to everyone.
However, The Tree has this key success: I care about the characters and the conflict. I love the complicated dynamics of Erik’s family, how he’s growing into his own, how Lil is so determined to save her siblings and how she’s finding her own worth and strength. In my review of The Root, I talked about how wonderfully diverse the cast is. That continues to be true here, and I think it covers some different aspects of diversity, since Lil is now disabled after the end of The Root. And she’s as badass as ever, if not more so.
While I would have appreciated a tighter narrative focus, The Tree continues to bring me everything I loved about The Root. In addition, I finally get to see Erik and Lil’s sections intertwine! It’s a beautifully inventive series, and I plan on following it to the end.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
I received an ARC in exchange for a free and honest review.
December 4, 2018
I love this book with all my heart.
I adore all the characters and I can't get enough of the writing and the incredible worlds Tilahun created. The intricacies and delicate weaving of plots and narratives, the detailed and engaging descriptions mixed with action-packed scenes, the natural flow of things and how they all come together in the most surprising and explosive ways. I could stay in this world forever.
Plus the queerness of it all makes my heart happy. And there's a special feeling in the way Tilahun connects his characters, explores interpersonal relationships of all kinds, from family to friends to lovers, from love to hate to a complex, layered *mess* of too many feelings to even name. It's unique and lovely, and deeply touching.
I cannot wait to read the next book in the series and all other works this author might ever publish.
The only reason why I don't give 5 stars is because I wished the publisher would've done this incredible book more justice regarding editing and proofreading. It didn't lessen my love for the book or the series at all, but it did throw me a time or two and this book deserved better.
I adore all the characters and I can't get enough of the writing and the incredible worlds Tilahun created. The intricacies and delicate weaving of plots and narratives, the detailed and engaging descriptions mixed with action-packed scenes, the natural flow of things and how they all come together in the most surprising and explosive ways. I could stay in this world forever.
Plus the queerness of it all makes my heart happy. And there's a special feeling in the way Tilahun connects his characters, explores interpersonal relationships of all kinds, from family to friends to lovers, from love to hate to a complex, layered *mess* of too many feelings to even name. It's unique and lovely, and deeply touching.
I cannot wait to read the next book in the series and all other works this author might ever publish.
The only reason why I don't give 5 stars is because I wished the publisher would've done this incredible book more justice regarding editing and proofreading. It didn't lessen my love for the book or the series at all, but it did throw me a time or two and this book deserved better.
February 1, 2018
THIS IS 100% MY SHIT.
Not only is there a brilliant world, deep & identifiable characters, and a super compelling & meaningful continuation of the story, but also countless wonderful little moments that give me life and make me only ever want to read books by queer authors forever. A few of them:
- A super awesome dig at Milo Yiannapolos
- One non-binary character often gets misgendered but when corrected everyone just is like, "Oh, sorry," and then NEVER DOES IT AGAIN
- Gay gay gay so gaaay
- Someone is disrespectful of someone else's trauma because they are blinded by their own trauma, and when they realize it they make up for it and like are kind to each other
-etc.
The one thing I wish for this book is some better copy editing, because there were a lot of small mistakes that a good editor could have caught. But that is on Night Shade Books & not on Tilahun. Dear night shade books do you want to hire me to edit the next one?
Not only is there a brilliant world, deep & identifiable characters, and a super compelling & meaningful continuation of the story, but also countless wonderful little moments that give me life and make me only ever want to read books by queer authors forever. A few of them:
- A super awesome dig at Milo Yiannapolos
- One non-binary character often gets misgendered but when corrected everyone just is like, "Oh, sorry," and then NEVER DOES IT AGAIN
- Gay gay gay so gaaay
- Someone is disrespectful of someone else's trauma because they are blinded by their own trauma, and when they realize it they make up for it and like are kind to each other
-etc.
The one thing I wish for this book is some better copy editing, because there were a lot of small mistakes that a good editor could have caught. But that is on Night Shade Books & not on Tilahun. Dear night shade books do you want to hire me to edit the next one?
May 13, 2018
i love it i cant wait for the next one :D
July 8, 2019
Exciting further developments in a richly drawn world
The Root, the first book in the Anthenaeum, was amazing, and this one has taken the promise of the first and fulfilled it.
It’s extremely rare to read a series that transforms so thoroughly in the second book. An absolute must-read- after you’ve read The Root, of course.
The characters are well drawn, the worlds are believable, and you’ll be left very much looking forward to what comes next.
The Root, the first book in the Anthenaeum, was amazing, and this one has taken the promise of the first and fulfilled it.
It’s extremely rare to read a series that transforms so thoroughly in the second book. An absolute must-read- after you’ve read The Root, of course.
The characters are well drawn, the worlds are believable, and you’ll be left very much looking forward to what comes next.
March 1, 2018
Everyone should totally read this book! It's a superhero book in disguise, masquerading as ... fantasy because the blooded are descended of gods ... science fiction because of the tech and aliens. It rocks, it keeps going without becoming fomulaic and mostly you don't see things coming.
I can't even tell if there will be another book- but I certainly hope to read more by Tilamun!
I can't even tell if there will be another book- but I certainly hope to read more by Tilamun!
September 8, 2019
Has a few compelling moments (particularly when one character argues with a magical entity about that entity's purpose in the world), but the story is mostly a slog as the characters slowly figure out parts of fairly obvious plots while doing little to develop and differentiate the huge cast of characters.
December 14, 2018
As usual, will write a longer review on the blog later, hopefully by the end of the year. I will say now this is an excellent continuation of the series though at times it did get a tad grisly. Still well worth the read for some original fantasy.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews