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The Necromancer Chronicles #4
The Poison Court
Savedra Severos is no stranger to intrigue. Mistress to the king of Selafai and daughter of a rival noble house, she navigates the treacheries of court with every breath.
On the eve of delicate peace talks, the court mage is found murdered. As Savedra investigates, she stumbles further into a web of secrets that enmeshes three kingdoms--entangling spies and sorcerers, lovers and enemies, strangers and kin. Among those secrets are Savedra’s own, dangerous enough to destroy her king and her family if they come to light.
Traitors walk the palace halls, but the danger is more than political. Spirits prowl the city. Once a force of justice, now they seek only retribution--and they prey on those with blood on their hands. In a court fueled by schemes and secrets, not even Savedra is safe from their venomous touch.
On the eve of delicate peace talks, the court mage is found murdered. As Savedra investigates, she stumbles further into a web of secrets that enmeshes three kingdoms--entangling spies and sorcerers, lovers and enemies, strangers and kin. Among those secrets are Savedra’s own, dangerous enough to destroy her king and her family if they come to light.
Traitors walk the palace halls, but the danger is more than political. Spirits prowl the city. Once a force of justice, now they seek only retribution--and they prey on those with blood on their hands. In a court fueled by schemes and secrets, not even Savedra is safe from their venomous touch.
- GenresFantasy
ebook
Published March 1, 2019
15 people are currently reading
135 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
February 28, 2019
I've been waiting for this novel for quite sometime and Downum did not disappoint. For fans of The Necromancer Chronicles, you'll remember Savedra Severos as the highlight of The Bone Palace and be glad that she's back to take center stage as she deals with scheming nobles, divided loyalties and one very inconvenient corpse. Varis Severos, mage and unwilling ally to the Crown, is back as well in his perfumed and painted glory, chewing scenery and pulling focus each time he appears. We didn't get much of him in The Bone Palace and I'm glad Downum chose him as one of her leads. Rounding out the leads is Narkissa Jsutien, current heir to House Jsutien and unwilling participant in her aunt's schemes. A new character that suffers because of parallels with her sister- the former heir, Narkissa finds herself caught up in plots much larger than herself and must navigate the murky waters of international politics to survive.
This book is about tangled loyalties, hidden truths, what a person is willing to sacrifice for the things they care about, and whether those sacrifices really matter in the end all wrapped up with mages, ghosts and foreign spirits. Downum's almost lyrical prose is missing in this novel, but her sentence structure and word choice is still beautiful and effective. My only critique was the scope of this novel. I would have loved to see more of Erisin. Downum paints the picture of a rich and diverse city built on the bones of things both human and otherwise. Hopefully, there will be more Stories of Erisin like The Poison Court and The Bone Garden to satisfy my curiosity.
This book is about tangled loyalties, hidden truths, what a person is willing to sacrifice for the things they care about, and whether those sacrifices really matter in the end all wrapped up with mages, ghosts and foreign spirits. Downum's almost lyrical prose is missing in this novel, but her sentence structure and word choice is still beautiful and effective. My only critique was the scope of this novel. I would have loved to see more of Erisin. Downum paints the picture of a rich and diverse city built on the bones of things both human and otherwise. Hopefully, there will be more Stories of Erisin like The Poison Court and The Bone Garden to satisfy my curiosity.
September 16, 2019
Worth the wait!
I've waited four years to see Savedra again, and it was worth the wait. This book was political fantasy done brilliantly well and I hope to see more.
I've waited four years to see Savedra again, and it was worth the wait. This book was political fantasy done brilliantly well and I hope to see more.
May 30, 2023
Fourth in Amanda Downum's excellent Necromancer Chronicles, although this one does not, in fact, feature the titular Necromancer, Isyllt Iskaldur.
Instead, this is more of a sequel to the second book (The Bone Palace), returning to the city of Erisén as the royal court and ambassadors deal with the fallout of the events of the previous book.
Our chief POV is probably Savedra, official mistress to the King (and occasional unofficial mistress to the queen, and as a result the queen's child might not actually be the king's? it's complicated), but she's just one of many.
The book begins (as do all good books) with a murder at a royal party, and spirals outward from there, drawing a diverse and fascinating cast of characters (some of whom are no longer technically "alive") into a series of really twisty intrigues, plots and wheels-within-wheels machinations; plus, you know, sometimes the heart wants what the heart wants.
An altogether great book, and if Amanda Downum ever returns to this world, I'll happily read whatever she writes.
Instead, this is more of a sequel to the second book (The Bone Palace), returning to the city of Erisén as the royal court and ambassadors deal with the fallout of the events of the previous book.
Our chief POV is probably Savedra, official mistress to the King (and occasional unofficial mistress to the queen, and as a result the queen's child might not actually be the king's? it's complicated), but she's just one of many.
The book begins (as do all good books) with a murder at a royal party, and spirals outward from there, drawing a diverse and fascinating cast of characters (some of whom are no longer technically "alive") into a series of really twisty intrigues, plots and wheels-within-wheels machinations; plus, you know, sometimes the heart wants what the heart wants.
An altogether great book, and if Amanda Downum ever returns to this world, I'll happily read whatever she writes.
June 22, 2019
"No one had died at a royal ball in over a year."
A segue from the main story line of The Necromancer Chronicles, The Poison Court delivers all of Downum's signature richness of imagination and luscious sense of style.
As the rulers of three kingdoms gather in Erisin to forge a alliance in the face of a common threat, Savedra Severos, mistress to the king of Selafai, must attempt to penetrate a conspiracy that would see this new beginning destroyed in the name of vengeance for past wrongs - and in the city of bones, such passions invariably attract the attention of spirits, demons and old gods. In a milieu where only the Machiavellian prosper, unleashing justice incarnate is a dangerous thing!
One of the delights of The Drowning City, The Bone Palace and Kingdoms of Dust is the sheer ingenuity of the magic on display. The Poison Court plays deftly with the established rotes of exorcism and spiritual attack, and explores even further, more twisted questions of right, wrong and boundaries than Bone Garden: An Erisinian Intrigue. Of course, not everyone possesses magic - despite what the heretics say - and sometimes one must fall back on more prosaic resources; that is, blackmail, bladework and witticisms.
"You shouldn't frown so," Varis Severos said, leaning against a column beside her. "You look as though you're at a funeral, not a ball." He eyed an elaborate headdress of silk orchids swaying across the room. "A funeral for taste."
This is dark fantasy at its lustrous best. Guided by such flawed and fascinating characters through all the crumbling magnificence of palace and demimonde, accompanied by the whisper of ghosts and the scent of blood and lilacs, the reader can scarcely help succumbing to the temptations on offer. And if the price should be exacted as a haunting - by such strange visions of sensuality and cruelty, but also of love, as this book provides - then this reader can only say along with Varis, that it was totally worth it.
A segue from the main story line of The Necromancer Chronicles, The Poison Court delivers all of Downum's signature richness of imagination and luscious sense of style.
As the rulers of three kingdoms gather in Erisin to forge a alliance in the face of a common threat, Savedra Severos, mistress to the king of Selafai, must attempt to penetrate a conspiracy that would see this new beginning destroyed in the name of vengeance for past wrongs - and in the city of bones, such passions invariably attract the attention of spirits, demons and old gods. In a milieu where only the Machiavellian prosper, unleashing justice incarnate is a dangerous thing!
One of the delights of The Drowning City, The Bone Palace and Kingdoms of Dust is the sheer ingenuity of the magic on display. The Poison Court plays deftly with the established rotes of exorcism and spiritual attack, and explores even further, more twisted questions of right, wrong and boundaries than Bone Garden: An Erisinian Intrigue. Of course, not everyone possesses magic - despite what the heretics say - and sometimes one must fall back on more prosaic resources; that is, blackmail, bladework and witticisms.
"You shouldn't frown so," Varis Severos said, leaning against a column beside her. "You look as though you're at a funeral, not a ball." He eyed an elaborate headdress of silk orchids swaying across the room. "A funeral for taste."
This is dark fantasy at its lustrous best. Guided by such flawed and fascinating characters through all the crumbling magnificence of palace and demimonde, accompanied by the whisper of ghosts and the scent of blood and lilacs, the reader can scarcely help succumbing to the temptations on offer. And if the price should be exacted as a haunting - by such strange visions of sensuality and cruelty, but also of love, as this book provides - then this reader can only say along with Varis, that it was totally worth it.
December 2, 2019
Amanda Downum has a magical way with words when weaving a story together in Erisin. A beautiful world building book, albeit the world was already being built in the Necromancer Chronicles, the history that was uncovered in The Poison Court helped to bring former support characters to the front. Familiar faces will turn up and even get expanded roles. It was awesome to get to know new characters and older ones better.
Some of the action that was seen in previous novels did get toned down at times but in the end it made for a better story going beyond magical fighting or assassinations, still present, and into a realm of intrigue.
A must read for any Downum fan!
Some of the action that was seen in previous novels did get toned down at times but in the end it made for a better story going beyond magical fighting or assassinations, still present, and into a realm of intrigue.
A must read for any Downum fan!
March 14, 2019
'The Poison Court' is an extremely good novel about spies and secrets, murder and regrets, and the things we do to protect what we love. The gulf between what is necessary and what is forgivable is a vast one, in a court full of intrigue and deception. I loved all of the characters, and their struggles with these problems -- there's the king's mistress and reluctant spymaster, protecting the secret of her relationship with the queen and their child together from the rest of the court; there's the mage who wants to be nothing more than to be a court dandy and to protect his heart, falling for a foreign agent; there's an arranged political marriage between two people who barely know each other, caught between family loyalties and their desire to escape the deadly games their houses play -- they're all great, believably torn and tortured by the choices they have to make. It's also a very queer book (trans, bi, and poly significantly), and while none of them are afflicted because of their queerness, it adds a relatableness for the reader of all these characters struggling with the distance between what is acceptable in society and what they truly desire for themselves. It's very telling that at the end of the book, after the climax where all their regrets, all their secrets, all the plotting and bloodshed crashes together, the characters who come out happiest as those who were best able to reconcile those differences, to set aside secrecy to let themselves be loved and known. Definitely go read this -- it's thrilling and heart-wrenching and very satisfying.
March 2, 2019
Sorcery, intrigue, and murder
I’m a longtime fan of Amanda’s work, and this is just as excellent as her previous books in this setting. We’re revisiting Savedra and the court of Erisin, and rejoining the endless dance of court intrigue, love, and revenge. Savedra, mistress and lover to both the king and queen of Erisin, and father to their child and heir, finds herself entangled in the murder of the newly appointed court mage and a plot to assassinate the sultana of a neighboring kingdom, as well as a mysterious plague of holy vengeance demons. There’s intrigue, heartbreak, bloodshed, and sorcery aplenty, as well as a nice shoutout to Muad’dib’s little sister that I particularly enjoyed. Cannot wait for the next one!
I’m a longtime fan of Amanda’s work, and this is just as excellent as her previous books in this setting. We’re revisiting Savedra and the court of Erisin, and rejoining the endless dance of court intrigue, love, and revenge. Savedra, mistress and lover to both the king and queen of Erisin, and father to their child and heir, finds herself entangled in the murder of the newly appointed court mage and a plot to assassinate the sultana of a neighboring kingdom, as well as a mysterious plague of holy vengeance demons. There’s intrigue, heartbreak, bloodshed, and sorcery aplenty, as well as a nice shoutout to Muad’dib’s little sister that I particularly enjoyed. Cannot wait for the next one!
April 30, 2019
Apart from wishing I had reread “The Bone Palace” before reading this one (I do recommend doing that simply because BP introduces the characters, provides some context and is an excellent read), I thoroughly enjoyed this fantasy about plots within plots. The main protagonist, Saavedra, is a transwoman who is romantically involved with both the king and queen, as well as being the (secret) parent of the heir to the throne. She is in the process of taking on a grand vizier/king’s chancellor role in Downum’s richly textured fantasy city of Erisin and is the nexus of numerous plots and counterplots. It is an excellent read and I’m very pleased to see Saavedra get her own story. I hope there’s more!
March 10, 2019
I really enjoyed The Necromancer Chronicles and I was so excited to see another story set in Ersín (especially one that features Savedra)! I was not disappointed. I loved all the intrigue, and was delighted to see Savedra and Varis (and a number of other characters) again! I really hope there’s a sequel at some point – I would love to read more about Savedra, and I’m curious about the aftermath of various plot points.
July 4, 2022
I hadn't realised until I started it that this was a continuation of Downum's massively underrated Necromancer chronicles setting.
Great characters and a satisfying amount of magic and intrigue. I think it's fair to describe this as a return to form.
Plus, the editing issues that beset some of the earlier books are entirely absent here.
Great characters and a satisfying amount of magic and intrigue. I think it's fair to describe this as a return to form.
Plus, the editing issues that beset some of the earlier books are entirely absent here.
December 15, 2022
Loved the previous books, this one not as much but still a good story with a lot of intricacies. Probably closer to 3.5 stars for me. Listened on audiobook and the names and family names got confusing, seemed like less action-packed than the previous books and more political intrigue. Still a worthwhile and entertaining read / listen!
April 17, 2019
I'd been waiting for this to come out for literal years and then it comes out and I don't even notice until it appears in my recs!!! like!!! anyway it was amazing. I love Savedra. I love Varis. I love everyone.
March 7, 2019
Really glad Downum returned to this world with a small 'arg no not the eyes why' caveat.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews