Tyrant's Blood

Valisar Trilogy #2

by Fiona McIntosh

'This series may be her best yet' - The Age

AN EMPIRE AT PEACE

Ten years have passed since the brutal invasion and peace has settled over Penraven. Few people remember the Valisar kings. Fewer still are eager for their return.

A PRINCE IN HIDING

Prince Leo is conflicted. His anger burns deep at the betrayal of his family but with his kingdom safe and thriving, revenge and upheaval seem to be selfish endeavours. When his hiding place is accidentally uncovered, he's forced to confront the question that has been troubling him for some time. Does he truly want to be king?

A NEW DARKNESS ON THE RISE

Lured out of his castle by the possibility of a living Valisar heir, the emperor utilises his vast network of soldiers and spies to corner Prince Leo once and for all. But the prince is not the only one with a claim to the Valisar throne, and that heir is discovering a remarkable power with dangerous consequences.

PRAISE:

'Fans of McIntosh (and there are plenty) will not be disappointed' - Bookseller + Publisher

'an imaginative world-builder ... brims with complex characters, carefully laid intrigues and hair-raising violence' - The Age

'adventure epic with a voice of its own ... McIntosh pulls no punches' - memorabletv.com

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Epic Fantasy, Science Fiction Fantasy, Collections, Science Fiction, Adult

480 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Fiona writes best selling historical adventure-romance alongside the heroic-romantic, often brutal, fantasy she built her career upon. She lives in Australia but frequently roams the world meticulously researching the locations and gathering material for her historical novels that have international settings. Her books are published worldwide and in various languages.
Her most recent historical fiction has gathered such a following that she is now hosting a tour in 2014 to Paris and Provence so eager readers can walk in the footsteps of her characters.


Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Tien · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very slow read for me but it is just so epic.

10 years have passed since the end of book 1, Royal Exile, and King Leonel has grown to be a young man. Is he ready to claim his throne? Whether he is ready or not, others are putting their own plans into motion.

There were many perspectives in this novel and there were just as many twists and turns! That ending though was pretty nearly mind-blowing. I am curious about the conclusion (book 3) but will probably take my time to get it because even if I enjoyed these 2 books, they were actually really slow and a little bit painful. I'm still giving it 4 stars for the complex weave of this universe.

[Kaarina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes I forget just how much I love Fiona McIntosh's writing and storytelling till I pick up one of her books. Because it's unpredictable. And I don't just mean it always ends with a twist, no no no, it's a constant series of twists that I, at times, have to put the book and try to collect my thoughts while mentally freaking out because and --I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT JUST HAPPENED!-- but every 20-something pages. Her books can never be said to be dull, that's for sure.

Her world building is rich, spellbinding and absolutely gorgeous and I love the contrast between Penraven in this series and Percheron from her previous series.

[Holly Anderson · Rating 2 out of 5]

With 10 years between the events of the 1st book and this one, not much has changed, and we spend alot of this book plodding about and catching up with the gossip of the past 10 years (which isn't much).
The likability of the characters is way too interchangable between this book and the next/final book... During this book the personailities of the main characters pretty much agree with how the author laid them out in the 1st book... But then in the 3rd book (which is set over a shorter period of time) their personality traits seem to change rather radically... The speed at which their personalities change doesn't seem very realistic (haha I know the genre is fantasy, but still, that doesn't mean the personalities of the characters themselves need to be unreal), although I guess it does make Book 3 more intersting as it mixes things up a bit more.
All I can really say is that it is essential to read this book in order to follow the plot from the potential of Book 1 to the entertainment of Book 3.

[Quigui · Rating 5 out of 5]

Available at Spoilers and Nuts

This review has been written for The David Gemmell Legend Awards for Fantasy site (http://gemmellaward.com/).

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Haven't found any book yet by this author that I don't like. Beautiful writing, great characters and engrossing story.

[Karine DS · Rating 4 out of 5]

 
A la fin du premier tome, un grand secret nous était révélé.
Ce second opus va mélanger les mondes, 10 années se sont écoulées sous le règne de l’Empereur.
La magie y est plus présente, je découvre avec surprise que certains personnages ont évolués dans une direction que je n’aurai jamais soupçonné.
 
Le doute plane au-dessus de plusieurs protagonistes ce qui rend incertain leurs choix concernant la suite du destin de l’Ensemble sous le règne de Loethar.
Des visions, des prémonitions, il y a un terrible danger qui approche, sa puissance reste incertaine. Sera-t-il dévastateur ?
 
Des changements longtemps enfouis sont en train de germer et avec eux une peur sourde se déploie contre une puissance inconnue.
 
Plus j’avance dans le récit plus la tension monte, les révélations sont palpitantes et troublantes. Page après page, je dévore cette histoire prenante aux multiples facettes.
Je suis confrontée à l’inattendu, c’est moins prévisionnel, la surprise se mêle à la stupeur. L’auteur nous emporte au travers d’un labyrinthe de révélations surprenantes.
Sa plume ne faiblit pas lors de ce second ouvrage de la trilogie Valisar.
J’aime beaucoup le fait de ne pas être ensevelie par une multitude de personnages différents.
 
On dit un grand pouvoir engendre de grandes responsabilités, ici chaque pouvoir demande un sacrifice personnel, il donne mais prend en échange aussi.
 
Lorsque la fin approche, de grands bouleversements l’accompagnent, avec beaucoup de divulgations qui me laisse quoi. Fiona McIntosh déboussole son auditoire, ce qui rend ce récit si attractif. Il y a de l’émotion, de l’amour, de la loyauté, de l’amitié, de la fourberie, de la magie puissante qui ne demande qu’à émerger, un brin de folie que je ne demande qu’à découvrir, des barrières tombent et surtout les mystères nous sont dévoilés enfin !
 
J’ai apprécié ce volume des Valisar, vivement la suite !
 
 

[John Hannan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have very mixed feelings about this book. I was frustrated by this book's handling of romance. Like Royal Exile, it wasn't very subtle, however I will begrudgingly admit it made the book harder to put down.The major characters have unclear motivations, and make little headway toward any goal. The excessive coincidence of the world was bordering on ridiculous - characters kept miraculously bumping into one another, and every character had a secret, important meaning to the plot. While that was annoying to me as a reader, again I will admit that the excess of revelations and twists made every chapter exciting.
The worldbuilding is decent, and I will say the final twists of the book are excellent, and I want to commend the author on her use of that very final twist - it was very bold for a fantasy novel and, upon reading, it became the main reason I wish to read book 3. All in all, though I had my gripes, it was an enjoyable and gripping read, and I will be keeping an eye out for book 3 - though I'm in no hurry to dive into it.

[Susanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of the few books I did not finish. I don't know why I did like the first book, but was so incredibly bored by the second. It may have to do with the fact that, in book 1, lots of people are being murdered, the young prince has to play a deadly sort of hide-and-seek, and stuff is just constantly happening. Book 2 delves more into the characters themselves, and I found that they lack personality. The dialogues are so incredibly unrealistic, too long and just simply boring, that they made it hard for me to continue this book. After months of not picking it up, I finally tried again today. Only to be treated with a 4 page conversation that could've taken place in less than half that space.

So, too much telling, almost no showing. Every emotion and character's thought is explicitly stated (they either say it, or the narrator just throws in 'he felt disappointed/bored').

So, did not finish, would not recommend.

[Paulina P.]

Drugi tom zaczyna się 10 lat po zakończeniu pierwszego, ale w przypadku niektórych postaci nie widać rozwoju czy też większych zmian (np. Leo jest nadal pyskatym narwańcem), a inne stają się niemal zupełnie kimś nowym. Fabuła jest niezła, a miejscami nawet ciekawa, ale przez przegadanie i overexposing brakuje kopa nawet bardziej interesującym plot twistom.


[SPOILERS:]
Piven jako zły charakter jest rozczarowujący, bo zmiana jest umotywowana magią i przegadanymi mrzonkami, które nie są ani logiczne uzasadnione ani nawet emocjonalnie. Lily jako jedyna postać żeńska pośród grupy głównych bohaterów jest do bólu miałka i ciekawsza jest już Elka, która nawet za bardzo nie dochodzi do głosu. I totalnie nie kupuję tego, że nagle potomków Valisarów zrobiło się na pęczki. A nadużywanie magii jako rozwiązania chyba wszystkiego (magia ex machina w czystej postaci) to przejaw raczej braku inwencji twórczej autorki.

[GingerOrange · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, McIntosh really stepped her game up!

So the story continues on 10 years down the line in this novel. Very exciting with loads of revelations about old characters. Loads of plot twists so it kept me on my toes. Some elements and coincidences, I didn’t believe in. Felt a little too easy and out there. But mostly, the story really developed. I’d have liked a little more character development and background into Leo though.

Overall, I’m hooked to the series and I can’t wait to start the next book.

[Chris Lindert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this second book in the Valisar trilogy. From the very different and intriguing opening chapter to the thrilling - have to read the next instalment last page - McIntosh weaves a very complex and clever tale that is relentlessly building to what promises to be an enthralling journey towards the finale. As an avid fan of the author’s later historical/romance/mystery fiction - and the often complex relationships in them, I could well and truly appreciate the dilemmas faced by more than one of the characters in this tale. Highly recommended.

[Joy Norman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book more than the first one in the series I liked the development of the characters I like the good guys versus the bad guys. Lots of twists and turns. The book I felt are evolving as the characters develop. Some of the book is gruesome and bloodthirsty. The chapters are not necessarily how they are in the end as people have hidden powers and are different to what they seem to loved the book

[Stéphane Béland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Le deuxième livre de cette trilogie est encore meilleur. Nous plongeons encore plus en profondeur dans l’intrigue, les complots, les personnages. J’ai adoré le premier livre mais encore plus le deuxième. Dans le même genre que le Trône de Fer… Le fou et l’assassin de Robin Hobb… Une aventure épique.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars

Tyrant's Blood is the second book in the Valisar series by Fiona McIntosh. It is an epic story- a high fantasy adventure that easily pulled me in and kept me invested in all the developments- right from the get-go.
One of my go-to authors as I am always guaranteed of a great read.
Didn't disappoint!

[krsteenrod · Rating 5 out of 5]

The middle book

This is the second book of an intriguing story.The characters are finely drawn through the authors words.Start with the first book and you will have to continue to this one.Believe me !

[Cameron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding, full of unexpected twists and turns. The connections between characters that are gradually revealed are very unpredictable and add a lot to the excitement/tension built throughout the book. Fiona McIntosh is a true master storyteller.

[Audrey Terry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh, Probably not going to bother with the third book.

[Ole Laursen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely better than book #1 in the trilogy.

[Merhydin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I still have several problems with the book as in the first part. But still with the ending of this part I couldn't give less than strong 4.5 stars

[Josephine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast paced, gripping, exciting, the threads are coming together, much better than volume 1.

[Yoruichi · Rating 4 out of 5]

TEllement mieux que le tome précédent, qui était somme toute assez bas du front

[Joanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. It was ok, but not great. I'll read the final book just to see what happens but will probably skim read it!

[Pauline Schutz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of magic and mayhem, twists and turns!

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

6 out of 5!!! What a twist at the end!!!

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the second book in this series annoying because a few of my favorite characters are killed off. Still a great read though.

[Frans Kempe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ten years have gone since the barbarians took over and life is fairly good but revenge and secrets are all around. The story grows on you

[Melisande · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://accrocdeslivres.blogspot.com/...

[Aimee · Rating 2 out of 5]

I gave the first book three stars because although there were flaws they weren't bad enough to stop me enjoying the story overall and I hoped it would get better. This one is actually worse than the first and only just deserving of the two stars I have given it. I have already bought the third book, but at this stage I don't know whether or not I will bother with it. It's all the more annoying because of how promising the storyline is - it really is an interesting story, but there are just too many little irritations that get in the way of my enjoyment.

Here is a list of things that annoyed me. I have put some slight spoilers towards the bottom of the list so you can just read the first part if you want to avoid them. Major spoilers are tagged.

1) It starts with a chapter in a parallel universe (not really a spoiler because it is literally the opening of the book). I don't mind stories with parallel universes, but this one really annoyed me because there was no indication of it in the first book and I don't think you can introduce something so radical this far in to a story when it has never been mentioned previously.
2) Ten years have passed between the first and second books, but somehow very little has changed and the characters haven't really grown/matured/changed at all. Others change so wildly that they don't feel like the same character at all, and only vague, unsatisfactory reasons are given to explain what happened.
3) Some characters fall in and out of love almost instantly (this happens in the first book too) and make stupid decisions because of their 'love' for characters they have only known for a few days. Other characters spend over ten years remembering one person they loved ages ago and that they could never get over, which seems just as ridiculous.
4) Children speak in the same way as adults, to the point that I was flipping back through previous chapters to remind myself how old characters were meant to be. I don't expect them to use baby-talk, but they would know less about the world and probably ask more questions. Roddy in particular, when he speaks to Ravan at the end of the book, sounds much more like an adult than a child, even though he's meant to be about ten/eleven. That also means he wouldn't really remember the Valisars, except for what he'd heard from his family, but that's never mentioned!
5) There is a bit where a character actually says the words "[Character's name], we meet again". Unironically. Need I say more?

SPOILERS (major spoilers are tagged):
6) This is linked to point 2 - A character spends ten of his formative years - basically his teenage years - living with an outlaw band in a forest, but he somehow speaks and acts completely differently to the rest of the outlaws.
7) Following on from that, another character with memory loss spends TEN YEARS wondering who they really are, before eventually deciding to investigate. That's already pretty unbelievable, but on top of that the character is then very happy to believe what they are told about themselves and inexplicably pick up pretty much where they left off before the memory loss, with ALL their memories intact. Essentially their memory loss was just a convenient plot device to keep them away from the main action for a while, which is lazy and a bit lame.
8) Characters seem to be able to work out what other characters are thinking, or what their motivations are, from the tiniest of clues. "Oh here's a fire with a half-eaten hand in it, that must mean so-and-so was here and did this thing which I happened to have heard about ages ago and which I suddenly remembered just now." I just don't buy it.
9) Characters who shouldn't really remember each other somehow do. Gavriel instantly recognizes the name Kirin Felt and knows exactly who he is, even though Kirin would have only been around in the castle at the same time as Gavriel for a few days, and Gav surely had other things on his mind. A simple "hmm, where do I know that name from?" and a short explanation would have been much more believable.
10) It's a bit too convenient that people always end up in the right place at the right time - MASSIVE SPOILERS HERE: Piven is in a tiny village just in time to save Roddy, who *happens* to be an ageis, at least that seems to be hinted at very strongly; and Gavriel just *happens* to get his memory back in time to literally stumble across the emperor in a wood. I know that this is how stories work, but usually there is at least an acknowledgement that the timing is unusual, or a decent reason for all the characters to be heading in the same direction. Here, it just feels like lazy storytelling.

[Adam Bourke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Regular readers of this blog will realise that some stuff I normally put around this review is missing (such as a picture of the cover). This will be corrected later today. They may also notice that there was no posts last week.The reason for both is that I have been summoned to sit on a jury - while in the house moving process and don't have the time to read as much. But I expect to review regularly from now on, but it'll generally be on the bus - so less info for a week or two. Anyway - the book:

I was worried when I started reading this to be honest. It had been over a year since I read the fieat in the trilogy, and there was a curious message at the beginning almost apologising for the story, and that it was written without prior planning. But McIntosh is one of my favourite authors so I read one.

And if I'm honest, that directionless style is quite clear in the plot - but surpised me by being interesting. At the end of book one, the position was clear. King Leo wanted his throne back from the invader. But by the end of this one I'm losing track of who the bad guys are, and I have no idea what's going to happen in book three. However, there are a couple of downfalls of the aimlessness I think. One character from the previous book doesn't appear until near the end of the book, and happens to chance upon an event, taking something which makes half the planning in the book seem a bit pointless. But for the most part I enjoyed the story.


The characters are generally quite good, although they seem to blur their personalities a bit when McIntosh wants them to do something a little out of character. But the most interesting thing is that the main characters from the first book are kind of relegated to the back seat in this book, allowing others to take centre stage: particularly Pevin and Kirin.

SPOILER: That surprised me. Pevin in the previous book was withdrawn and mute. He may have spoken at the end of it, but he's perfectly able to talk now. And that's the start of his story. Turns out he can do magic as well. But that's also at the start. I just don't like his character very much, possibly because it's not easy to discern his motivation. END SPOILER

Finally, I want to discuss a couple of more technical issues with the writing style itself. For example Mcintosh quite often stops a scene at a pivotal moment in a scene, or even just after someone asks a question. I assume it's something to build tension - but it's something that should be used sparingly, but isn't. It quite quickly becomes annoying. Especially when the next scene with those characters doesn't resolve the cliffhanger immediately. For example, Pevin's adopted father asks a question that will change both of their lives. Then there is a scene break, and when we get back to Pevin, the question hasn't been asked yet, and isn't for another page or two. It's an unnecessary and overused technique.

However, my overall opinion of the book was a positive one, and I particularly enjoyed the scenes with Lily and Kirin. The characterisation was generally good, and I liked most of the story. It uses McIntosh's signature device of sending someone to a different world, which has becoming a bit boring after her other three (barely related) trilogies. But I look forward to the final Valisar book.

[Marianne · Rating 1 out of 5]

The story could have been good if it wasn't for the mentally twisted/violence that is on going. Most of the book felt sadistic to me. I couldn't finish book 2.