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Reawakening #2
Resistance
How do you rebuild a broken nation? Iskandir doesn’t know, but as resistance leader turned peacetime governor, he’s trying his best, even though he believes his best will never be good enough.
But things are about to get a lot worse in Tiallat. First, the rats begin to die. Next, humans begin to sicken too. As the plague spreads across an already devastated country, the people turn their prayers to Tiallat’s Dual God, who has been missing for years.
What they don’t know is that a thousand years ago, Iskandir of Rulat was a wild steppes spirit who fought in the Dragon Wars or that after that war, he became Tiallat’s god.
Now the dragon who once loved that laughing spirit is flying south to seek him out and Dual God’s people are dying as their prayers go unanswered. Iskandir must wrestle with his guilt and secrets to decide who he is and what power he wields, in a time when it feels like no miracle is great enough to save the people he promised to protect.
CONTENT WARNING: This book, first published in 2015, contains a detailed and historically accurate depiction of an outbreak of bubonic plague and the emotional toll of the quarantine and epidemic.
But things are about to get a lot worse in Tiallat. First, the rats begin to die. Next, humans begin to sicken too. As the plague spreads across an already devastated country, the people turn their prayers to Tiallat’s Dual God, who has been missing for years.
What they don’t know is that a thousand years ago, Iskandir of Rulat was a wild steppes spirit who fought in the Dragon Wars or that after that war, he became Tiallat’s god.
Now the dragon who once loved that laughing spirit is flying south to seek him out and Dual God’s people are dying as their prayers go unanswered. Iskandir must wrestle with his guilt and secrets to decide who he is and what power he wields, in a time when it feels like no miracle is great enough to save the people he promised to protect.
CONTENT WARNING: This book, first published in 2015, contains a detailed and historically accurate depiction of an outbreak of bubonic plague and the emotional toll of the quarantine and epidemic.
Kindle Edition
First published December 29, 2015
15 people are currently reading
337 people want to read
About the author
Amy Rae Durreson
34 books385 followersAmy Rae Durreson is a quiet Brit with a degree in early English literature, which she blames for her somewhat medieval approach to spelling, and at various times has been fluent in Latin, Old English, Ancient Greek, and Old Icelandic, though these days she mostly uses this knowledge to bore her students. Amy started her first novel a quarter of a century ago and has been scribbling away ever since. Despite these long years of experience, she has yet to master the arcane art of the semicolon. She was a winner in the 2017 Rainbow Awards.
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July 25, 2016This book. This bloody book. Or, more accurately, this bloody protagonist. I have never written a character I loved as much or one who I was so tempted to set on fire and drop into a bottomless pit.
Ahem.
So, this is the sequel to Reawakening, and it couldn't be more different from its predecessor. That was quite deliberate. Having written a book which romped across a fantasy world at high speed, I wanted to go into depth here, for many reasons. Partly, I wanted to take this incredibly troubled country, which we had seen through hostile outsider eyes in the first book, and show what it looked like to someone who belonged there, all its flaws and strengths, all the tiny triumphs and small tragedies that an outsider can't see. I also wanted to tell the story of what happens after the big evil is defeated--how a place can start to recover from years of tyranny and suffering. To do that, I needed a tight focus and lots of gritty details. In the first book, Tarn swoops his way across the world, gathering all manner of people in his wake. This book has eight significant characters and is set in one city. I knew that resistance would be key to the book--the survivors of the resistance who are now struggling to hold the country together, Iskandir's resistance of Hal's love, the terrifying struggle to resist the plague (and, yes, it is proper plague--y.pestis at its medieval nastiest).
I wasn't expecting Iskandir to resist his author too. Every time I thought I'd got him to a point where he would finally find the courage to act, he slithered off in a different direction. Eventually, I stopped fighting and let that conflict drive the story. This isn't an adventure story. It's definitely not a romance, although love runs through it. It's one man trying to find the courage not just to act, but to overcome his doubts and speak his truths freely.
Also, y'know, dragons, plague, assassins, atheist gods, gallows humour, friendship, and lots and lots of tea.
Ahem.
So, this is the sequel to Reawakening, and it couldn't be more different from its predecessor. That was quite deliberate. Having written a book which romped across a fantasy world at high speed, I wanted to go into depth here, for many reasons. Partly, I wanted to take this incredibly troubled country, which we had seen through hostile outsider eyes in the first book, and show what it looked like to someone who belonged there, all its flaws and strengths, all the tiny triumphs and small tragedies that an outsider can't see. I also wanted to tell the story of what happens after the big evil is defeated--how a place can start to recover from years of tyranny and suffering. To do that, I needed a tight focus and lots of gritty details. In the first book, Tarn swoops his way across the world, gathering all manner of people in his wake. This book has eight significant characters and is set in one city. I knew that resistance would be key to the book--the survivors of the resistance who are now struggling to hold the country together, Iskandir's resistance of Hal's love, the terrifying struggle to resist the plague (and, yes, it is proper plague--y.pestis at its medieval nastiest).
I wasn't expecting Iskandir to resist his author too. Every time I thought I'd got him to a point where he would finally find the courage to act, he slithered off in a different direction. Eventually, I stopped fighting and let that conflict drive the story. This isn't an adventure story. It's definitely not a romance, although love runs through it. It's one man trying to find the courage not just to act, but to overcome his doubts and speak his truths freely.
Also, y'know, dragons, plague, assassins, atheist gods, gallows humour, friendship, and lots and lots of tea.
April 8, 2019
Yes, finally ... finally an author delivering an idea about gods and what's more: an idea I'm able to follow and which is not done in an instructive way but completely as part of the story flow. A god who remembers his human origins, his time together with his twin as horse lords on the steppe of Riulat where they became first some kind of sprite and as such suddenly part of a dragon hoard fighting against the dark shadow. The victory over the shadow comes with a cost: his twin dead, his dragon lover in a coma, the largest part of the civilization decimated by black death and even the landscape changed completely. That was the time Iskandir slowly became the Dual God of Tiallat for the span of more than a century before the dark shadow rose again.
In book 1 we see the reawakening of the dragon king and the 2nd destruction of the shadow. Now book 2 is showing that history doesn't stop at the end of an epic battle and that the rebuilding of a nation isn't the easiest task even if a god of justice is part of the government especially if said god is still hiding behind his human disguise as the leader of the resistance because he doesn't believe he has a right to be the local god and even has atheistic phases. Doesn't help much that his dragon lord is now also awake and comes to Tiallat to claim him again because at the same time ancient history is repeating and the plague is back again.
The story is becoming darker, shows sometimes even a claustrophobic feeling and doesn't shy away from the death of important characters. Even a god is quite helpless facing the plague, his own self-doubts and the dwindling believe - until they recognize that it's not only the plague.
Ms. Durreson wrote that Iskandir didn't only resist the dragon's love but also the author and that is shown wonderfully in the story that became exactly what she said it is:
It's one man trying to find the courage not just to act, but to overcome his doubts and speak his truths freely.
I enjoyed the focus on Tiallat and the situation after the battle greatly. I liked book 2 better than its predecessor (although I'm the minority here). The characters are real, there is feeling, moderate steam, enough darkness to make it interesting and all the details I missed in the fist book ... and as an unexpected extra at the end a glossary (one of the rare glossary I really read) pointing at the next book.
In book 1 we see the reawakening of the dragon king and the 2nd destruction of the shadow. Now book 2 is showing that history doesn't stop at the end of an epic battle and that the rebuilding of a nation isn't the easiest task even if a god of justice is part of the government especially if said god is still hiding behind his human disguise as the leader of the resistance because he doesn't believe he has a right to be the local god and even has atheistic phases. Doesn't help much that his dragon lord is now also awake and comes to Tiallat to claim him again because at the same time ancient history is repeating and the plague is back again.
The story is becoming darker, shows sometimes even a claustrophobic feeling and doesn't shy away from the death of important characters. Even a god is quite helpless facing the plague, his own self-doubts and the dwindling believe - until they recognize that it's not only the plague.
Ms. Durreson wrote that Iskandir didn't only resist the dragon's love but also the author and that is shown wonderfully in the story that became exactly what she said it is:
It's one man trying to find the courage not just to act, but to overcome his doubts and speak his truths freely.
I enjoyed the focus on Tiallat and the situation after the battle greatly. I liked book 2 better than its predecessor (although I'm the minority here). The characters are real, there is feeling, moderate steam, enough darkness to make it interesting and all the details I missed in the fist book ... and as an unexpected extra at the end a glossary (one of the rare glossary I really read) pointing at the next book.
July 21, 2023
Enjoyable follow-up! This one felt a bit darker than the first book, as it deals with a plague and quite a lot of people die. It also continues on the Shadow plotline, following a new couple but with cameos from book one, which were all done very organically and didn't at all feel forced to me. While Tarn is still my favorite character overall, I enjoyed this couple a lot more on the whole. Excited to read the next book!
April 30, 2018
Book 1 of this terrific trilogy was all heat (and snark). Book 2 shows what happens after a Big Battle - the sober reality is that for every famous victory, there's an equally difficult aftermath. It makes for a more downbeat continuation, certainly, but Durreson channels the story through such 3-D characters that she keeps this fascinating world believeable and mesmerising.
The book's set in a medieval version of a North African country (Tiallat), just after the evil that is The Shadow has been driven out. The plot is complex (although it reads very simply): Iskandir (formerly leader of the resistance against The Shadow) has taken over government of his exhausted, impoverished country, but the recovering city of Taila is almost immediately battered by the ravages of bubonic plague. He is still mourning his twin brother (the dynamic one of the pair) when Iskandir's former lover, the dragon Hal (whom he has not seem for...some considerable time) is summoned to his aid. But Iskandir is miserably conscious that, in the intervening years, he has changed significantly from the youth Hal had fallen for - there's no way that, if Hal really knew what Iskandir had become, what he had done, he would still love him. And on top of all that, it transpires that The Shadow has not, perhaps, been permanently defeated.
I loved the hugely positive account of Tiallat's religion and practices, influenced heavily by Islam. These play a significant role in the book, as do Iskandir's own ideas of how a God and his people should communicate. There's a more serious vein running through this book than its predecessor, with some thoughtful observations on the nature of leadership, but Durreson wisely frames the debate at a human/personal level. Iskandir/Hal's relationship is very touching, and no less so because it's a second chance romance.
In theory, this is a standalone, but Book 1 (Reawakening) is so good (and helps explain the background), so maybe read it first, if possible.
The book's set in a medieval version of a North African country (Tiallat), just after the evil that is The Shadow has been driven out. The plot is complex (although it reads very simply): Iskandir (formerly leader of the resistance against The Shadow) has taken over government of his exhausted, impoverished country, but the recovering city of Taila is almost immediately battered by the ravages of bubonic plague. He is still mourning his twin brother (the dynamic one of the pair) when Iskandir's former lover, the dragon Hal (whom he has not seem for...some considerable time) is summoned to his aid. But Iskandir is miserably conscious that, in the intervening years, he has changed significantly from the youth Hal had fallen for - there's no way that, if Hal really knew what Iskandir had become, what he had done, he would still love him. And on top of all that, it transpires that The Shadow has not, perhaps, been permanently defeated.
I loved the hugely positive account of Tiallat's religion and practices, influenced heavily by Islam. These play a significant role in the book, as do Iskandir's own ideas of how a God and his people should communicate. There's a more serious vein running through this book than its predecessor, with some thoughtful observations on the nature of leadership, but Durreson wisely frames the debate at a human/personal level. Iskandir/Hal's relationship is very touching, and no less so because it's a second chance romance.
In theory, this is a standalone, but Book 1 (Reawakening) is so good (and helps explain the background), so maybe read it first, if possible.
February 29, 2024
This is one of those second chance romances that does everything right. I loved Hal and Iskandir and this story of (losing and gaining) faith and hope.
Quotes
NSFW infos
There's frotting and penetrative sex but I can't remember if it's strict top/bottom or vers
Quotes
"How much time?"
"A season."
"Done." Hal offered his hand and Iskandir took it, eyeing him warily.
"That was easy."
Hal smirked at him. "I plan to keep you forever. A season is not very long to wait." (Loc 1564)
He could feel Hal's spirit again—that great sense of a dragon's love, as vast as a cloud, wrapping him tightly until their hearts beat together. "Mine," Hal breathed, rubbing his hands gently across Iskandir's bare back. "Always mine." (Loc 6066)
NSFW infos
There's frotting and penetrative sex but I can't remember if it's strict top/bottom or vers
February 13, 2016
Just look at that cover!!!
*swoons*
Too bad the book didn't wow me as much. I usually expect tons of good feelz from Amy Rae Durreson's stories. They are so enchanting and full of warm fuzzies.
Well, not this one. It was all bleakness, poverty, plague, starvation...it was like reading a Dark Ages historical. Except there are gods and dragons here.
Very depressing, and at times, very boring. There wasn't even much of a romance here- and I was so happy at first when I realized this was a lovers-reunited story. Imagine the sparks and heartache! But OMG, Iskandir was such a downer! He never gave himself or Halsarr a chance. Add to that the whole Dark Age atmosphere - and I was really struggling with this book.
Would have been a 2-star rating, except the ending has livened the things up. So I bump it up to 3-it-was-okay stars.
*swoons*
Too bad the book didn't wow me as much. I usually expect tons of good feelz from Amy Rae Durreson's stories. They are so enchanting and full of warm fuzzies.
Well, not this one. It was all bleakness, poverty, plague, starvation...it was like reading a Dark Ages historical. Except there are gods and dragons here.
Very depressing, and at times, very boring. There wasn't even much of a romance here- and I was so happy at first when I realized this was a lovers-reunited story. Imagine the sparks and heartache! But OMG, Iskandir was such a downer! He never gave himself or Halsarr a chance. Add to that the whole Dark Age atmosphere - and I was really struggling with this book.
Would have been a 2-star rating, except the ending has livened the things up. So I bump it up to 3-it-was-okay stars.
February 15, 2024
2.5 Stars
Sadly, I did not really enjoy Resistance at all. It was hella depressing, and Iskander was a difficult charcter to like, since he spends more than half the book feeling rather sorry for himself. Also, way way way too much religion for me, even if it wasn't entirely a modern one. I think I'll still give book 3 a try, though.
Sadly, I did not really enjoy Resistance at all. It was hella depressing, and Iskander was a difficult charcter to like, since he spends more than half the book feeling rather sorry for himself. Also, way way way too much religion for me, even if it wasn't entirely a modern one. I think I'll still give book 3 a try, though.
January 9, 2016
This was a bit bleak and wasn't as magical as past works. The main character is always doubting himself, and he and his people go through terrible times. A couple of the characters from the last book make brief appearances. The main couple here share similarities to the one in the last book.
I managed to finish this in a couple days in London when it was too cold and dreary to go out.
Despite what I said above, there are complex, interesting characters, humor, and grand adventures. I was confused by a few statements and infrequently mentioned names but didn't dwell on them. There are several missing words, the most important of which on the Kindle edition is at location 1986, chapter 15: "Because a thousand years ago...rather than percent." A number should precede that percent.
I managed to finish this in a couple days in London when it was too cold and dreary to go out.
Despite what I said above, there are complex, interesting characters, humor, and grand adventures. I was confused by a few statements and infrequently mentioned names but didn't dwell on them. There are several missing words, the most important of which on the Kindle edition is at location 1986, chapter 15: "Because a thousand years ago...rather than percent." A number should precede that percent.
October 27, 2021
This book. This book made me cry and not once.
Our main hero is called Iskandir and he is a god. Turns out, you avoid death a certain number of times and you become immortal - and then people start to worship you and some centuries later... well, you are god. He is Dual God of Tiallat, both bright and dark, joy and sadness, life and death, etc.
And he is miserable, depressed and basically atheistic.
He abandoned his people and fled, only to return to fight for them in the resistence against the big bad, the Shadow. The Shadow was defeated, but Iskandir still feels guilty he hadn't been there for his people and doesn't believe in himself or his powers. He pretends he is just an ordinary guy (and unlike Tarn from the first book, he is pretty good at it) and helps by ordinary means.
Then, it turns out his past lover, dragon Halsarr (who is also a surgeon and pacifist) is awake and wants to rekindle their relationship... However, Iskandir is filled with self-doubt, that Hal won't love him anymore, because he changed.
Oh and there is also a plague. Big, nasty, long, ugly plague, like out of the textbook on Medieval times.
This book is longer, sadder and also better than the first one. (it also doesnt contain unneccesary sex scenes, yay!) I honestly loved Iskandir, for all this self-doubt, because he felt so real. Despite being a God, he was incredibly relatable character. Other characters are great too, they feel real and when some of them die you will cry. And lot of them die (plague and all that), so prepare your tissues.
I liked how the author handled the setting - especially because she didnt went the easy "european" route, but chose the "middle-east" (or how to put it) setting. The culture and all surrounding it it portrayed in positive light (including things like women wearing veils, etc). It basically shows a country that was under the rule of opressive fundamentalist regime (something like ISIS or Wetsboro Baptism church) slowly going back to itself and to its genuine culture. However, I am not from Middle East myself, so maybe there are some blunders in this regard which I wouldn't be able to recognize.
All in all, it was an amazing read.
Now, where is the the third book? I need the third book about Arden the funny dragon. Please, author, give it to us, please.
Our main hero is called Iskandir and he is a god. Turns out, you avoid death a certain number of times and you become immortal - and then people start to worship you and some centuries later... well, you are god. He is Dual God of Tiallat, both bright and dark, joy and sadness, life and death, etc.
And he is miserable, depressed and basically atheistic.
He abandoned his people and fled, only to return to fight for them in the resistence against the big bad, the Shadow. The Shadow was defeated, but Iskandir still feels guilty he hadn't been there for his people and doesn't believe in himself or his powers. He pretends he is just an ordinary guy (and unlike Tarn from the first book, he is pretty good at it) and helps by ordinary means.
Then, it turns out his past lover, dragon Halsarr (who is also a surgeon and pacifist) is awake and wants to rekindle their relationship... However, Iskandir is filled with self-doubt, that Hal won't love him anymore, because he changed.
Oh and there is also a plague. Big, nasty, long, ugly plague, like out of the textbook on Medieval times.
This book is longer, sadder and also better than the first one. (it also doesnt contain unneccesary sex scenes, yay!) I honestly loved Iskandir, for all this self-doubt, because he felt so real. Despite being a God, he was incredibly relatable character. Other characters are great too, they feel real and when some of them die you will cry. And lot of them die (plague and all that), so prepare your tissues.
I liked how the author handled the setting - especially because she didnt went the easy "european" route, but chose the "middle-east" (or how to put it) setting. The culture and all surrounding it it portrayed in positive light (including things like women wearing veils, etc). It basically shows a country that was under the rule of opressive fundamentalist regime (something like ISIS or Wetsboro Baptism church) slowly going back to itself and to its genuine culture. However, I am not from Middle East myself, so maybe there are some blunders in this regard which I wouldn't be able to recognize.
All in all, it was an amazing read.
Now, where is the the third book? I need the third book about Arden the funny dragon. Please, author, give it to us, please.
May 12, 2017
Review written for Love Bytes Reviews.
Iskandir doesn’t feel like much of a God; his country is in shambles, his people are hurt and hungry and the faith that has sustained him is waning. Regardless, he is determined to do everything he can to help, even as he hides who he really is. When Tarnamell awoke, the world was unprepared to deal with the returned dragon king but when Halsarr awakes, Iskandir finds he is at just as much of a loss.
One thousand years of separation has left Iskandir changed, however, and when people begin falling sick and then start dying in droves, working with Halsarr may prove to be the only hope his people have. Iskandir will just have to hope he doesn’t lose his heart again in the process.
Oh my god I was so excited for this book! I thought the first one was amazing and this was no different. Iskandir was briefly mentioned near the end of the previous book but this is where we really get to meet him, both as the leader of the resistance and as the dual God of Tiallat. I loved Iskandir’s character; he isn’t perfect by any means but he’s trying his best to do what’s right for his people while struggling with his own personal demons. Halsarr was kind of an enigma to me; he wasn’t anything like his brother, Tarnamell, and while its great he stood out as an individual, I never felt as though I understood him as well.
The pacing of the story is also different from the first book but it worked really well; there was a lot of movement and action in the first book but this one revolves more around the city of Tiallat and the problems left in the wake of the shadow. Things are far from over in that fight but this is where you really get to see how bad the fight with the shadow is going to get.
A couple of characters from the previous book make an appearance but the focus is on Iskandir and his people, which was great. I did find this a bit bittersweet though as there was a lot of loss in this book; I found myself in tears at a couple of different points in the story but I think that made the end of the book much more powerful.
This really was a fantastic read but you do have to read the previous book, Reawakening, in order to understand what’s going on. I can’t even tell you how much I’m looking forward to the next one!
Iskandir doesn’t feel like much of a God; his country is in shambles, his people are hurt and hungry and the faith that has sustained him is waning. Regardless, he is determined to do everything he can to help, even as he hides who he really is. When Tarnamell awoke, the world was unprepared to deal with the returned dragon king but when Halsarr awakes, Iskandir finds he is at just as much of a loss.
One thousand years of separation has left Iskandir changed, however, and when people begin falling sick and then start dying in droves, working with Halsarr may prove to be the only hope his people have. Iskandir will just have to hope he doesn’t lose his heart again in the process.
Oh my god I was so excited for this book! I thought the first one was amazing and this was no different. Iskandir was briefly mentioned near the end of the previous book but this is where we really get to meet him, both as the leader of the resistance and as the dual God of Tiallat. I loved Iskandir’s character; he isn’t perfect by any means but he’s trying his best to do what’s right for his people while struggling with his own personal demons. Halsarr was kind of an enigma to me; he wasn’t anything like his brother, Tarnamell, and while its great he stood out as an individual, I never felt as though I understood him as well.
The pacing of the story is also different from the first book but it worked really well; there was a lot of movement and action in the first book but this one revolves more around the city of Tiallat and the problems left in the wake of the shadow. Things are far from over in that fight but this is where you really get to see how bad the fight with the shadow is going to get.
A couple of characters from the previous book make an appearance but the focus is on Iskandir and his people, which was great. I did find this a bit bittersweet though as there was a lot of loss in this book; I found myself in tears at a couple of different points in the story but I think that made the end of the book much more powerful.
This really was a fantastic read but you do have to read the previous book, Reawakening, in order to understand what’s going on. I can’t even tell you how much I’m looking forward to the next one!
October 26, 2016
2016 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: Resistance by Amy Rae Durreson
1) A story of a God who, humbled by life and his decisions, does not feel worthy of being the God he feels his people, and his lover, a dragon, deserve. This was a fascinating take on how a god is created, and how very human he actually is. We can see Iskandar, the leader of his people after the fall of a restrictive religious regime, and his four counsel members rebuilding a city and a society. The angst and the despair of Iskandar does not drag the story down; though at times I wanted to shake the character to see his worth rather than his flaws. The secondary story, the glossary, is written as if it was centuries later, but a university scribe. Some of the humor fell flat, as the asides were a bit confusing as to who wrote it, the scribe or his patron, the Dragon Adrian. This glossary gave a bit more depth into areas that that story could not; and gave little information where the story was a bit more robust in the characters. The seemed to be fun for the author to write, though it was superfluous and really was not needed. Overall, the story kept my attention and it was an enjoyable read.
2) Wow. I fell in love with this book right from the beginning. The world building was detailed, with a rich complex history and the settings were very easy to visualise. The characters are interesting, realistic and struggle with the decisions they’ve made and have still yet to make. I particularly loved Hal the dragon, and the fact that his hoard wasn’t the usual gold and treasure but the people he takes into his heart and protects. There are a few twists in the plot, and not all the main characters survive the story unscathed but that makes it all the more realistic. Although I haven’t read book 1, I didn’t have any problems picking up the series part way in, but now I need to go find that first book. Hoping the author has another planned, and that hint I picked up on that there is another story to be told wasn’t just wishful thinking on my part.
1) A story of a God who, humbled by life and his decisions, does not feel worthy of being the God he feels his people, and his lover, a dragon, deserve. This was a fascinating take on how a god is created, and how very human he actually is. We can see Iskandar, the leader of his people after the fall of a restrictive religious regime, and his four counsel members rebuilding a city and a society. The angst and the despair of Iskandar does not drag the story down; though at times I wanted to shake the character to see his worth rather than his flaws. The secondary story, the glossary, is written as if it was centuries later, but a university scribe. Some of the humor fell flat, as the asides were a bit confusing as to who wrote it, the scribe or his patron, the Dragon Adrian. This glossary gave a bit more depth into areas that that story could not; and gave little information where the story was a bit more robust in the characters. The seemed to be fun for the author to write, though it was superfluous and really was not needed. Overall, the story kept my attention and it was an enjoyable read.
2) Wow. I fell in love with this book right from the beginning. The world building was detailed, with a rich complex history and the settings were very easy to visualise. The characters are interesting, realistic and struggle with the decisions they’ve made and have still yet to make. I particularly loved Hal the dragon, and the fact that his hoard wasn’t the usual gold and treasure but the people he takes into his heart and protects. There are a few twists in the plot, and not all the main characters survive the story unscathed but that makes it all the more realistic. Although I haven’t read book 1, I didn’t have any problems picking up the series part way in, but now I need to go find that first book. Hoping the author has another planned, and that hint I picked up on that there is another story to be told wasn’t just wishful thinking on my part.
January 4, 2016
4.5 stars. Wonderful. Lovely writing, superb world-building, and interesting characters, as one can expect from this author. This book is about a plague as well as love and adventure and dragons, so it's a bit grim, but it's a great book and I loved it. Perhaps not as completely compelling and exciting as the first in the series, but for me, Durreson's fantasy romances are somewhat on a different level, so it's still really excellent and totally engaging. I love that this series (at least the first two books) is set in the desert and that it's about desert-dwelling people, as that is less common, and I love the richly-drawn world. The characters are complex and well developed and engaging. The glossary (as in the first book) is informative and entertaining and the small glimpses of Arden therein make me even more keen for the third book. The cover is lovely.
January 2, 2016
Good story, but not as good as the first book. The heartache dealing with the plague and the Shadow was the best part of this story. I really liked Hal. I didn't like Iskandir as much because he was a depressing type character who took most of the book to wake up out of his depression in order to fulfill his duty as a god and protector of his people. I really love Tarn and Gard and their story in the Reawakening book, so I'm a little disappointed that I can't say that about Iskandir and Hal's story. It looks like Raif and Arden may be the next two MCs in a third book for this series and Arden sounds like he may be more interesting than Raif has been so far. I hope Arden will be the MC in the next book, since he didn't appear in the first two books.
May 8, 2016
Another disappointment... I had high hopes.
But those two main characters just didn't do it for me.
And the plague setting really really depressed me to no end.
It was well written, but not very enjoyable to me.
But those two main characters just didn't do it for me.
And the plague setting really really depressed me to no end.
It was well written, but not very enjoyable to me.
Read
February 14, 2025In Resistance, the second novel of the Reawakening series, the romance is again between a dragon, who also takes human form, and a spirit--or, in this case, a god. It's a second chance romance without the angst of a break-up since the reason they haven't been together is that the dragon has been sleeping for centuries (like hibernating).
Although there's little angst between the pairing after they meet again, the novel is really bleak and angsty. It involves the bubonic plague, which is grim in itself, and dealing with the plague takes up a large portion of the plot. Too large, in my opinion. Disproportionate compared to the romance which has very little happening, since both men are still into each other, more or less. We are treated to many chapters about how they deal with the epidemic of the Black Death, the incredible death rate, how hospitals get full and doctors get sick and people quarantine. Now that we've all been through covid, this feels too real and too dark. (gotta say, though, it did make me grateful that we only had flu-like symptoms and not swollen, pus-filled lymph nodes and coughing blood.)
Not a fun novel to read, especially combined with the main character's self-doubts, but the pairing was cute, and the ending took a turn that I didn't expect. Finally, one of the things I love about this author is the amazing world-building. Some of the details of this world truly delighted me, like the twintales, the flashbacks to Iskandir as a horse lord, the Dual God as a concept, and the. The author manages to make her worlds feel real and lived and vivid, which is a huge plus in my books.
Although there's little angst between the pairing after they meet again, the novel is really bleak and angsty. It involves the bubonic plague, which is grim in itself, and dealing with the plague takes up a large portion of the plot. Too large, in my opinion. Disproportionate compared to the romance which has very little happening, since both men are still into each other, more or less. We are treated to many chapters about how they deal with the epidemic of the Black Death, the incredible death rate, how hospitals get full and doctors get sick and people quarantine. Now that we've all been through covid, this feels too real and too dark. (gotta say, though, it did make me grateful that we only had flu-like symptoms and not swollen, pus-filled lymph nodes and coughing blood.)
Not a fun novel to read, especially combined with the main character's self-doubts, but the pairing was cute, and the ending took a turn that I didn't expect. Finally, one of the things I love about this author is the amazing world-building. Some of the details of this world truly delighted me, like the twintales, the flashbacks to Iskandir as a horse lord, the Dual God as a concept, and the. The author manages to make her worlds feel real and lived and vivid, which is a huge plus in my books.
December 23, 2020
3.5 stars. This book was very, very different in tone from the first one. It's a lot darker and bleaker. It expands the fantasy universe created in Reawakening, introducing a new dragon, a god, and different geography from the first. It's emphatically not a romance, or at least the romance is a side plot. The main plot centres around an outbreak of a plague and the protagonists' efforts to contain it. It was honestly a little hard for me to read at times - despite being set in a completely made-up fantasy world, the infection control measures felt so familiar it was almost unpleasant. That said, it was beautifully written and I enjoyed the world-building a lot. I would probably have enjoyed it a lot more in any other year though.
January 24, 2024
beautifully written
Despite really enjoying the story, even with the recent events in the world that echo the book, I found it so slow… it didn’t help that the story actually ends at 75% with the rest being bonus content. Oddly, it made the book feel longer for me as I’d check the % and it’d still have so much left…
That being said, I loved the character growth, the relationships between all the characters, and how the events in the book were handled. I had suspicions about certain outcomes that proved true…
Iskandir and Hal just fit.
Despite really enjoying the story, even with the recent events in the world that echo the book, I found it so slow… it didn’t help that the story actually ends at 75% with the rest being bonus content. Oddly, it made the book feel longer for me as I’d check the % and it’d still have so much left…
That being said, I loved the character growth, the relationships between all the characters, and how the events in the book were handled. I had suspicions about certain outcomes that proved true…
Iskandir and Hal just fit.
November 4, 2023
Oh man. Okay, let’s get started. I rarely actually finish books that I rate this low (low-ly?) but this one had elements that were good enough that I just kept reading! And having thoughts about what I was reading! And here they are haha. I’ve marked this for spoilers because I will be talking about the entire thing, plot and all.
I’ll start with the good:
WORDS
This author can write! In terms of word choice, the rhythm of the language, pacing on a sentence/paragraph level, imagery - she can write very well! Even though the story she was telling doesn’t really work in the telling, on almost any level, I wanted to keep reading and I think that’s down to the fact that on the sentence level this book was really strong. This was definitely one of those books that you read and spend the whole time thinking of how it could be better - because you know the potential is there! If the author is this good at this on a purely sentence level, there’s no way this book *needed* to be bad everywhere else.
And I wanted to see if she would pull it out the bag somehow! She ultimately did not, but I think she *could* have, so this book was a fascinating reading experience in that regard.
ISKANDIR, THE CHARACTER
Because the premise of this book is pretty excellent! I really really enjoyed the concept of Iskandir, the main character, this god who has basically given up. When the book begins, he’s lost his confidence almost completely after having fled the oppressive government that took over his country. He’s supposed to be the Dual God, but as far as we can tell he’s just the Dark God/Dark Lord - there is no brightness to be seen. Even though his resistance has “won” - although if I remember correctly from the last book the bad guys were mostly defeated by that dragon protagonist or something, not Iskandir - they are still reeling from the destruction and the aftermath of the repressive dictatorship that had been in charge. Iskandir is ashamed and feels like a failure. And that’s how the book starts.
This is a great concept! I was totally on board! This powerful character who is choosing to be powerless and anonymous, a god who has lost faith in himself - the drama!! I was here for it.
THE ROMANTIC ARC, THEORETICALLY SPEAKING
And on top of that, the premise of the romance was fantastic also. Such a compelling idea, so prime for interesting stuff to happen - the person you loved comes back into your life at a time when you’re at your worst, exhausted, depressive, fatalistic. How can you even begin to admit your shame to them when they weren’t there experiencing all those terrible events with you? Like this: “‘I haven’t spoken plainly to anyone in years,’ Iskandir said, trying to make a joke of it. ‘I think I’ve forgotten how.’ […] ‘How many years?’ Hal demanded. Iskandir ignored him.”
See, doesn’t that sound dramatic and fun to read about? Especially because the love interest here is a very smart dragon who was also a doctor, and this age/power/knowledge dynamic between Iskandir and Hal heightens the tension between how Iskandir sees himself and how he wishes/hopes/worries Hal sees him even more.
But then… but then.
EXPOSITION AD ABSURDUM
Okay, this story is about 90% exposition. Even when stuff happens… nothing happens. Some low points include:
-The way the plague ~rollout~ is described. I’ll talk about this more in the next section, don’t worry lol. Same with the romance.
-All the magic spells and facts and abilities that only get mentioned when they’re actively being used. All of the… strings… that connect people’s hearts and mean stuff and do stuff? Iskandir’s various god abilities which the story just keeps adding to whenever the plot needs them. Look that “twist - a new power!” thing cannnnn work I suppose, but not without setup and not this many times in one book. Like this typical passage: “Iskandir was still avoiding him, but he hadn’t repudiated Hal, which meant he was still the heart of Hal’s hoard. Hal would assume that meant Iskandir was entitled to his protection regardless of the agreement they had made.” Why is this very detailed information delivered like this? The last book conveyed a lot of the same dragon ~intel~ but didn’t do it this clonk-ily.
-All the nameless faceless dialogue-less people who die of the plague, and we’re supposed to care because after they die Iskandir thinks about who they were, because he was their god so he knows this stuff. Look, they never came up before and now they’re dead so why would I care now? (It seems like the book is aiming for poignancy but instead it’s giving “padded word count.”) Particularly bad for the side characters who die, especially Nuray. They reminisce after her death with all these anecdotes about her which - instead of telling me after she’s dead, why wouldn’t you have shown me what she was like when she was actually alive? Then maybe I would have developed some emotional investment.
-All of Iskandir’s moments of personal realization and growth just get described to us when they happen. Totally implausible, coming out of nowhere, no basis or justification in the text, and therefore completely unbelievable on any level. Sure, Iskandir has realized his worth again. Great. Why not. Like this: “He needed to know if there was any hope of saving his brother. He also wanted answers. He’d always wondered what had drawn the Shadow to his country, what he’s done to his people to make them so appealing to it.” Had he wondered?? Had he?? Or “Iskandir had spent years waiting for perfect moments: to reveal himself, to act against the Shadow, and lately to accept Hal. Eventually, though, everyone had to stop thinking and hesitating and simply act, even if the moment wasn’t perfect and the plans not quite complete.” Really?? Tell me when in the book before this moment Iskandir was depicted as waiting for ~perfect moments~. Seriously. Or “He had been that god once, even after he’s lost Zohrab. He had laughed once, flirted with poets by shining rivers, danced at countless weddings, and drunk sweet wine by a thousand fires. He had once been more than moonlight.” ……okay. This lil thought was delivered mid-final climactic battle with the bad guy. !!!! I’m sorry, what? You don’t think this info could have been conveyed at ANY point before this?? Give me some flashback sequences where we see a different Iskandir, I mean give me *something*!
And then the entire conflict with the bad guy is resolved because Iskander suddenly realized that he’s the Dual God so he can be Bright too? Per the end of the book when he realizes this, “He had assumed that his people needed the Dark God more—the watcher over suffering, the invisible mourner at every funeral, the eternal avenger. Instead, he should have given them hope, comfort, and light in these dark days.” Sure, except that absolutely is not consistent with his characterization anywhere else in the book. Wasn’t he the Dark God only bc he was depressed? Or wait, wasn’t he the Dark God because there was a fragment of the Shadow in him and everyone else? Or wait, wasn’t he the Dark God because his Bright twin Zohrab was actually still alive the whole time? But instead some other, totally different explanation is thrown in at the last minute.
Idk I think the whole “Iskandir is the Bright Lord too” thing is a major copout. I mean, it’s very weird to spend the entire book talking about how Iskander is the “dark” half of these twin gods and/or Iskandir is the “Dual God” who has both darkness and light within him…. Only for the climax of the book to involve Iskandir becoming the “Bright Lord” and using light to kill the bad guy, a cloud of darkness literally called “the Shadow.” So is darkness bad or good? Knowing the answer to that question is, imho, pretty key for your fantasy worldbuilding and yet this author somehow wrote a whole book about “light and dark are the two sides of the coin, one cannot be at peace without the other” and then got to the very end of the novel and was like “uh…….. light good darkness bad actually, changed my mind.”
-And then the crowning glory from a plot perspective was bringing in the MC from the last book halfway through this one as a deus ex machina. Aka the Tom-Sawyer-shows-up-in-The-Adventures-of-Huck-Finn-bc-Mark-Twain-ran-out-of-ideas move (this reference is derogatory to all involved). A red flag for any author, frankly if you’re thinking about pulling that move it’s a sign a structural rewrite is in order!
Yeah, the more I read the more I think this book is built on a good idea but would need to be totally restructured in order to actually work.
PANDEMIC REALISM
A lot of this is just proof I think that the pandemic plot got away from this author - she knew she had to find some way to create momentum in the plot but couldn’t work out a way to do so organically when she’s writing about a depressed MC living through a plague. Which, I understand this book was written in 2015 and we have since all had a fun opportunity to experience life in a plague-ridden world for ourselves so I don’t want to judge this book too harshly just bc it doesn’t respect the experience of living through COVID exactly. But idk I mean Connie Willis got it right in Doomsday Book in two time periods at once, and that came out in 1992.
There was just so. much. exposition. about the plague spreading. Facts, figures, lots and lots and lots of descriptions. No action, from a character-level emotional perspective. At one point a chapter started with “Three weeks after” and I was really torn bc on the one hand it felt like the author was just handwaving because she didn’t want to keep writing about the plague that had JUST been introduced into the story - but on the other hand I felt as though I had already read enough exposition for at LEAST three months of plot events.
I think maybe the issue was that the author wanted to tell a pandemic story rooted in the individual emotional experiences of fear and isolation. But she wrote a fantasy novel about characters who are running a country. So the book felt like a weird Frankenstein’ed mashup of “my COVID quarantine diary” and “A Day with Dr. Fauci.” On the one hand we had Iskandir, supposedly the *king*, and he and his friends (technically his *advisors*) are just sealing themselves into their palace so they don’t get the plague. On the hand we had Hal. I expected this famous dragon-doctor, impervious to disease, to be in the wards healing patients or something but instead he was more like a CDC head with wings - issuing isolation guidelines for the townspeople and then flying away to go warn heads of state of other countries about the pandemic spreading, looking up infectious disease research along the way. It just… didn’t work.
And then despite all the plot exposition there was a serious lack of good characterization. I think maybe the idea of trying to get the reader to care about all these dying people was overwhelming - hey, uh, been there irl!! But the outcome was lots of pointless anecdotes about dead characters that were barely on-page to begin with. The only one that really meant anything to me as I was read was Durul - unsurprisingly, the one character that actually tried to go out and work in the hospital helping people. And yet the way the book was written, we don’t actually see him firsthand at all. We just got Iskandir sitting passively in the palace thinking about how he could psychically follow along as Durul eventually got sick and died… and yet not once do Iskandir or Hal feel back about not doing more. It just rang extremely false to me.
ORIENTALISM
Honestly all the people of the city and even most of the side characters felt like a painted backdrop to me, like there was really no thought put into their experiences and no time put into developing them as fully rounded characters on the page. They were just there to (very slightly) advance the protagonist’s journey by suffering and dying.
Yeah…. This book felt Orientalist to me. I guess caveats whatever, I’m not from the region this fantasy world is clearly based on, but the Orientalism imo showed up in a couple different elements. First, the way all these background characters pop up, talk about their culture/religion/customs/hardships, and then suffer and die - not great. Didn’t feel as though they were more than depressing stock footage. Second - there is a particular passage early on where Iskandir thinks “Did [Hal] only see, as so many outsiders did, the headscarves and the veils, the secrecy and reserve that his people embraced, or could he see the faces behind? Could he read, as Iskandir could, the significance of a lifted brow or the flirt of lashes, the quizzical tilt of a head or the curve of a hand flung out towards a friend?” Idk I mean I think there is potential there for a nuanced depiction of Iskandir having to navigate his expectations about how Hal, a financially secure person from another culture, sees him and his country as it struggles to recover from an oppressive religious dictatorship. …This book is not pulling that depiction off at all. Instead, this passage and some other lines seem very entry-level privileged-person-tries-to-empathize-with-oppressed-person in the sense that the focus is still on the POV of the privileged outsider.
And then - look, this plague is clearly based almost exactly on the Black Death, dead rats and armpit/groin swellings and quick death turnaround time and all. But combining that plot line with this Iran/Afghanistan-inspired setting makes the “oh no, our pandemic-era public health needs clash with our cultural norms” stuff feel sort of weirdly pointed in a way that, I assume, was not intended. And the Iskandir/Hal character stuff on top of that creates this “logical privileged West versus emotional irrational poverty-stricken East that just needs to pull itself up by its own bootstraps” throughline which is not uh ideal.
ROMANTIC ARC ACTUALLY JUST A COUPLE POINTS
Let’s talk about the Iskandir/Hal stuff. Because it had so much potential! And yet reading this book, it felt like their *romantic* plotline took place mostly in scenes that got cut or something. Like it just wasn’t on the page at all. There’s the initial tense meetings - which were great! - and then nothing, and then at the end of the book suddenly: “Hal loved him. ‘Hal,’ he said again and stumbled forward. He caught himself on Hal’s shoulders, holding himself up. Hal looked back at him, fond and a little puzzled, and the joy rose through Iskandir again. He threw back his head and laughed, loudly and boldly. ‘Hal!’” Yeah, after an entire book of him saying they shouldn’t be together, he suddenly changes his mind. Based on nothing. Like… nothing. There was no arc, there was no growth, there was no change in their romantic relationship. Just got the end of the book, flipped a switch, and oh look now there’s an HEA. How nice.
(Don’t even ask me about Hal’s personal arc! There is none. He doesn’t learn, he doesn’t grow, he doesn’t change. He’s just… there, while Iskandir thinks about the character traits he totally has, like his pacifism which is mentioned numerous times and never comes up in any way that is relevant or meaningful to the plot.)
No, there was no actual romantic arc… but what there was, was a lot of weirdly shoehorned-in sex scenes that just felt unnecessary from a plot perspective and weirdly graphic from a tonal perspective. Like I was reading them thinking “this book should have been closed-door.” A low point was when they get back to town after defeating the bad guy and then they immediately have a pages-long sex scene even though Iskandir is the political leader OF THE CITY which still absolutely has the plague and still absolutely does not know the big bad has been vanquished. !!! It was a real “Kim, there’s people that are dying!” moment for me which…….. I did not expect when I started this book lolololol.
You know, the writing on a word/sentence level in this book is so good that it’s the kind of book where you constantly find yourself brainstorming ways in which it could have worked better. The general concept that Iskandir is depressed and ashamed and therefore unwilling to commit to Hal but he still seeks comfort in their physical relationship? Great in theory. Absolutely does not work the way it is written here… but it could have been good!! Again, it absolutely wasn’t.
To sum up, the romantic content here mostly did not exist on page, and I would have preferred if the erotic content hadn’t either.
SHIPPING THE STRAIGHTS, OR, AN EXAMINATION OF HOMONORMATIVITY IN MID-2010s M/M ROMANCE
Funnily enough…………………. In a completed unexpected turn of events………………. I instead ended up shipping the spunky blonde niece/assassin (yes she’s essentially Black Widow fantasy-style) and the gay idealistic virgin youth who is clearly intended to be the MC in the next book in this series (and therefore destined to be mated to yet another male dragon).
How did this happen? I can’t say. I suppose there’s just something about the way the virginal gay youth is so insistently gay (everyone is always talking about how he’s definitely only interested in men!) that in this m/m romance fantasy world I’m rooting for him to break barriers! And fall in love with a woman. I know the authority figures in his life would be disappointed but he has to live his life for himself!!
Yeah lol it’s way the whole narrative is so crafted to be like “he’s gay! He’s saving himself for someone special! He MUST fuck the dragon in the next book! It’s his DESTINY!” Every time the book reinforced that message - the only right way to be is gay, and in a committed monogamous relationship with a dragon - I just rebelled more on his behalf. Maybe he DOES want to date the hot crafty blonde assassin who’s good with her hands (and I’m not just talking about her knife skills… hehehe). She will be weirded out and yet intrigued by his naïveté. He will be wowed by her competence and intimidated (but not too intimidated!) by her self-assurance. Then, one day when they’re alone together…
Okay, sorry, I got distracted. Where was I?
Right, yeah, this book. FYI if you haven’t read it yet and you’re still considering it, don’t worry - the novel ends 75% into the Kindle ebook and then the rest is just character prequels from the author’s blog or something. So you have that to look forward to!
I’ll start with the good:
WORDS
This author can write! In terms of word choice, the rhythm of the language, pacing on a sentence/paragraph level, imagery - she can write very well! Even though the story she was telling doesn’t really work in the telling, on almost any level, I wanted to keep reading and I think that’s down to the fact that on the sentence level this book was really strong. This was definitely one of those books that you read and spend the whole time thinking of how it could be better - because you know the potential is there! If the author is this good at this on a purely sentence level, there’s no way this book *needed* to be bad everywhere else.
And I wanted to see if she would pull it out the bag somehow! She ultimately did not, but I think she *could* have, so this book was a fascinating reading experience in that regard.
ISKANDIR, THE CHARACTER
Because the premise of this book is pretty excellent! I really really enjoyed the concept of Iskandir, the main character, this god who has basically given up. When the book begins, he’s lost his confidence almost completely after having fled the oppressive government that took over his country. He’s supposed to be the Dual God, but as far as we can tell he’s just the Dark God/Dark Lord - there is no brightness to be seen. Even though his resistance has “won” - although if I remember correctly from the last book the bad guys were mostly defeated by that dragon protagonist or something, not Iskandir - they are still reeling from the destruction and the aftermath of the repressive dictatorship that had been in charge. Iskandir is ashamed and feels like a failure. And that’s how the book starts.
This is a great concept! I was totally on board! This powerful character who is choosing to be powerless and anonymous, a god who has lost faith in himself - the drama!! I was here for it.
THE ROMANTIC ARC, THEORETICALLY SPEAKING
And on top of that, the premise of the romance was fantastic also. Such a compelling idea, so prime for interesting stuff to happen - the person you loved comes back into your life at a time when you’re at your worst, exhausted, depressive, fatalistic. How can you even begin to admit your shame to them when they weren’t there experiencing all those terrible events with you? Like this: “‘I haven’t spoken plainly to anyone in years,’ Iskandir said, trying to make a joke of it. ‘I think I’ve forgotten how.’ […] ‘How many years?’ Hal demanded. Iskandir ignored him.”
See, doesn’t that sound dramatic and fun to read about? Especially because the love interest here is a very smart dragon who was also a doctor, and this age/power/knowledge dynamic between Iskandir and Hal heightens the tension between how Iskandir sees himself and how he wishes/hopes/worries Hal sees him even more.
But then… but then.
EXPOSITION AD ABSURDUM
Okay, this story is about 90% exposition. Even when stuff happens… nothing happens. Some low points include:
-The way the plague ~rollout~ is described. I’ll talk about this more in the next section, don’t worry lol. Same with the romance.
-All the magic spells and facts and abilities that only get mentioned when they’re actively being used. All of the… strings… that connect people’s hearts and mean stuff and do stuff? Iskandir’s various god abilities which the story just keeps adding to whenever the plot needs them. Look that “twist - a new power!” thing cannnnn work I suppose, but not without setup and not this many times in one book. Like this typical passage: “Iskandir was still avoiding him, but he hadn’t repudiated Hal, which meant he was still the heart of Hal’s hoard. Hal would assume that meant Iskandir was entitled to his protection regardless of the agreement they had made.” Why is this very detailed information delivered like this? The last book conveyed a lot of the same dragon ~intel~ but didn’t do it this clonk-ily.
-All the nameless faceless dialogue-less people who die of the plague, and we’re supposed to care because after they die Iskandir thinks about who they were, because he was their god so he knows this stuff. Look, they never came up before and now they’re dead so why would I care now? (It seems like the book is aiming for poignancy but instead it’s giving “padded word count.”) Particularly bad for the side characters who die, especially Nuray. They reminisce after her death with all these anecdotes about her which - instead of telling me after she’s dead, why wouldn’t you have shown me what she was like when she was actually alive? Then maybe I would have developed some emotional investment.
-All of Iskandir’s moments of personal realization and growth just get described to us when they happen. Totally implausible, coming out of nowhere, no basis or justification in the text, and therefore completely unbelievable on any level. Sure, Iskandir has realized his worth again. Great. Why not. Like this: “He needed to know if there was any hope of saving his brother. He also wanted answers. He’d always wondered what had drawn the Shadow to his country, what he’s done to his people to make them so appealing to it.” Had he wondered?? Had he?? Or “Iskandir had spent years waiting for perfect moments: to reveal himself, to act against the Shadow, and lately to accept Hal. Eventually, though, everyone had to stop thinking and hesitating and simply act, even if the moment wasn’t perfect and the plans not quite complete.” Really?? Tell me when in the book before this moment Iskandir was depicted as waiting for ~perfect moments~. Seriously. Or “He had been that god once, even after he’s lost Zohrab. He had laughed once, flirted with poets by shining rivers, danced at countless weddings, and drunk sweet wine by a thousand fires. He had once been more than moonlight.” ……okay. This lil thought was delivered mid-final climactic battle with the bad guy. !!!! I’m sorry, what? You don’t think this info could have been conveyed at ANY point before this?? Give me some flashback sequences where we see a different Iskandir, I mean give me *something*!
And then the entire conflict with the bad guy is resolved because Iskander suddenly realized that he’s the Dual God so he can be Bright too? Per the end of the book when he realizes this, “He had assumed that his people needed the Dark God more—the watcher over suffering, the invisible mourner at every funeral, the eternal avenger. Instead, he should have given them hope, comfort, and light in these dark days.” Sure, except that absolutely is not consistent with his characterization anywhere else in the book. Wasn’t he the Dark God only bc he was depressed? Or wait, wasn’t he the Dark God because there was a fragment of the Shadow in him and everyone else? Or wait, wasn’t he the Dark God because his Bright twin Zohrab was actually still alive the whole time? But instead some other, totally different explanation is thrown in at the last minute.
Idk I think the whole “Iskandir is the Bright Lord too” thing is a major copout. I mean, it’s very weird to spend the entire book talking about how Iskander is the “dark” half of these twin gods and/or Iskandir is the “Dual God” who has both darkness and light within him…. Only for the climax of the book to involve Iskandir becoming the “Bright Lord” and using light to kill the bad guy, a cloud of darkness literally called “the Shadow.” So is darkness bad or good? Knowing the answer to that question is, imho, pretty key for your fantasy worldbuilding and yet this author somehow wrote a whole book about “light and dark are the two sides of the coin, one cannot be at peace without the other” and then got to the very end of the novel and was like “uh…….. light good darkness bad actually, changed my mind.”
-And then the crowning glory from a plot perspective was bringing in the MC from the last book halfway through this one as a deus ex machina. Aka the Tom-Sawyer-shows-up-in-The-Adventures-of-Huck-Finn-bc-Mark-Twain-ran-out-of-ideas move (this reference is derogatory to all involved). A red flag for any author, frankly if you’re thinking about pulling that move it’s a sign a structural rewrite is in order!
Yeah, the more I read the more I think this book is built on a good idea but would need to be totally restructured in order to actually work.
PANDEMIC REALISM
A lot of this is just proof I think that the pandemic plot got away from this author - she knew she had to find some way to create momentum in the plot but couldn’t work out a way to do so organically when she’s writing about a depressed MC living through a plague. Which, I understand this book was written in 2015 and we have since all had a fun opportunity to experience life in a plague-ridden world for ourselves so I don’t want to judge this book too harshly just bc it doesn’t respect the experience of living through COVID exactly. But idk I mean Connie Willis got it right in Doomsday Book in two time periods at once, and that came out in 1992.
There was just so. much. exposition. about the plague spreading. Facts, figures, lots and lots and lots of descriptions. No action, from a character-level emotional perspective. At one point a chapter started with “Three weeks after” and I was really torn bc on the one hand it felt like the author was just handwaving because she didn’t want to keep writing about the plague that had JUST been introduced into the story - but on the other hand I felt as though I had already read enough exposition for at LEAST three months of plot events.
I think maybe the issue was that the author wanted to tell a pandemic story rooted in the individual emotional experiences of fear and isolation. But she wrote a fantasy novel about characters who are running a country. So the book felt like a weird Frankenstein’ed mashup of “my COVID quarantine diary” and “A Day with Dr. Fauci.” On the one hand we had Iskandir, supposedly the *king*, and he and his friends (technically his *advisors*) are just sealing themselves into their palace so they don’t get the plague. On the hand we had Hal. I expected this famous dragon-doctor, impervious to disease, to be in the wards healing patients or something but instead he was more like a CDC head with wings - issuing isolation guidelines for the townspeople and then flying away to go warn heads of state of other countries about the pandemic spreading, looking up infectious disease research along the way. It just… didn’t work.
And then despite all the plot exposition there was a serious lack of good characterization. I think maybe the idea of trying to get the reader to care about all these dying people was overwhelming - hey, uh, been there irl!! But the outcome was lots of pointless anecdotes about dead characters that were barely on-page to begin with. The only one that really meant anything to me as I was read was Durul - unsurprisingly, the one character that actually tried to go out and work in the hospital helping people. And yet the way the book was written, we don’t actually see him firsthand at all. We just got Iskandir sitting passively in the palace thinking about how he could psychically follow along as Durul eventually got sick and died… and yet not once do Iskandir or Hal feel back about not doing more. It just rang extremely false to me.
ORIENTALISM
Honestly all the people of the city and even most of the side characters felt like a painted backdrop to me, like there was really no thought put into their experiences and no time put into developing them as fully rounded characters on the page. They were just there to (very slightly) advance the protagonist’s journey by suffering and dying.
Yeah…. This book felt Orientalist to me. I guess caveats whatever, I’m not from the region this fantasy world is clearly based on, but the Orientalism imo showed up in a couple different elements. First, the way all these background characters pop up, talk about their culture/religion/customs/hardships, and then suffer and die - not great. Didn’t feel as though they were more than depressing stock footage. Second - there is a particular passage early on where Iskandir thinks “Did [Hal] only see, as so many outsiders did, the headscarves and the veils, the secrecy and reserve that his people embraced, or could he see the faces behind? Could he read, as Iskandir could, the significance of a lifted brow or the flirt of lashes, the quizzical tilt of a head or the curve of a hand flung out towards a friend?” Idk I mean I think there is potential there for a nuanced depiction of Iskandir having to navigate his expectations about how Hal, a financially secure person from another culture, sees him and his country as it struggles to recover from an oppressive religious dictatorship. …This book is not pulling that depiction off at all. Instead, this passage and some other lines seem very entry-level privileged-person-tries-to-empathize-with-oppressed-person in the sense that the focus is still on the POV of the privileged outsider.
And then - look, this plague is clearly based almost exactly on the Black Death, dead rats and armpit/groin swellings and quick death turnaround time and all. But combining that plot line with this Iran/Afghanistan-inspired setting makes the “oh no, our pandemic-era public health needs clash with our cultural norms” stuff feel sort of weirdly pointed in a way that, I assume, was not intended. And the Iskandir/Hal character stuff on top of that creates this “logical privileged West versus emotional irrational poverty-stricken East that just needs to pull itself up by its own bootstraps” throughline which is not uh ideal.
ROMANTIC ARC ACTUALLY JUST A COUPLE POINTS
Let’s talk about the Iskandir/Hal stuff. Because it had so much potential! And yet reading this book, it felt like their *romantic* plotline took place mostly in scenes that got cut or something. Like it just wasn’t on the page at all. There’s the initial tense meetings - which were great! - and then nothing, and then at the end of the book suddenly: “Hal loved him. ‘Hal,’ he said again and stumbled forward. He caught himself on Hal’s shoulders, holding himself up. Hal looked back at him, fond and a little puzzled, and the joy rose through Iskandir again. He threw back his head and laughed, loudly and boldly. ‘Hal!’” Yeah, after an entire book of him saying they shouldn’t be together, he suddenly changes his mind. Based on nothing. Like… nothing. There was no arc, there was no growth, there was no change in their romantic relationship. Just got the end of the book, flipped a switch, and oh look now there’s an HEA. How nice.
(Don’t even ask me about Hal’s personal arc! There is none. He doesn’t learn, he doesn’t grow, he doesn’t change. He’s just… there, while Iskandir thinks about the character traits he totally has, like his pacifism which is mentioned numerous times and never comes up in any way that is relevant or meaningful to the plot.)
No, there was no actual romantic arc… but what there was, was a lot of weirdly shoehorned-in sex scenes that just felt unnecessary from a plot perspective and weirdly graphic from a tonal perspective. Like I was reading them thinking “this book should have been closed-door.” A low point was when they get back to town after defeating the bad guy and then they immediately have a pages-long sex scene even though Iskandir is the political leader OF THE CITY which still absolutely has the plague and still absolutely does not know the big bad has been vanquished. !!! It was a real “Kim, there’s people that are dying!” moment for me which…….. I did not expect when I started this book lolololol.
You know, the writing on a word/sentence level in this book is so good that it’s the kind of book where you constantly find yourself brainstorming ways in which it could have worked better. The general concept that Iskandir is depressed and ashamed and therefore unwilling to commit to Hal but he still seeks comfort in their physical relationship? Great in theory. Absolutely does not work the way it is written here… but it could have been good!! Again, it absolutely wasn’t.
To sum up, the romantic content here mostly did not exist on page, and I would have preferred if the erotic content hadn’t either.
SHIPPING THE STRAIGHTS, OR, AN EXAMINATION OF HOMONORMATIVITY IN MID-2010s M/M ROMANCE
Funnily enough…………………. In a completed unexpected turn of events………………. I instead ended up shipping the spunky blonde niece/assassin (yes she’s essentially Black Widow fantasy-style) and the gay idealistic virgin youth who is clearly intended to be the MC in the next book in this series (and therefore destined to be mated to yet another male dragon).
How did this happen? I can’t say. I suppose there’s just something about the way the virginal gay youth is so insistently gay (everyone is always talking about how he’s definitely only interested in men!) that in this m/m romance fantasy world I’m rooting for him to break barriers! And fall in love with a woman. I know the authority figures in his life would be disappointed but he has to live his life for himself!!
Yeah lol it’s way the whole narrative is so crafted to be like “he’s gay! He’s saving himself for someone special! He MUST fuck the dragon in the next book! It’s his DESTINY!” Every time the book reinforced that message - the only right way to be is gay, and in a committed monogamous relationship with a dragon - I just rebelled more on his behalf. Maybe he DOES want to date the hot crafty blonde assassin who’s good with her hands (and I’m not just talking about her knife skills… hehehe). She will be weirded out and yet intrigued by his naïveté. He will be wowed by her competence and intimidated (but not too intimidated!) by her self-assurance. Then, one day when they’re alone together…
Okay, sorry, I got distracted. Where was I?
Right, yeah, this book. FYI if you haven’t read it yet and you’re still considering it, don’t worry - the novel ends 75% into the Kindle ebook and then the rest is just character prequels from the author’s blog or something. So you have that to look forward to!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 7, 2017
A decent book, but not as good as the first in the series. This one is dark and depressing for the most part. The plague isn't a very nice theme. I'm an emotional reader and I could feel the despair of Tiallat a little too much for my own comfort. Characters are well written and complex but Iskandir is a bit too gloomy and self-doubting for my liking and Hal lack the spirit that his older brother has or his presence . The most interesting part of the story is where they (finally) leave Talia and seek their enemy in the mountains. I loved the twintales though, and the culture of Tiallatai and the Dual God concept.
February 12, 2023
Series (through #3) reviewed here.
May 14, 2023
Iskandir is the leader of the resistance in Tiallat's population. After the events of Reawakening, he has been tapped to be governor of the country during rebuilding. Only he's hiding a secret... he's a god, and he knows he's not the god his people need. Thousands of years ago, he and his twin brother were dual-faced gods of the horse-lords that ruled Tiallat's open plains; Zohrab was the Bright Lord and Iskandir was the Dark God. Then came the Shadow's invasion a thousand years ago, and the dragons summoned all their hoards to battle, where Iskandir met Hal the dragon and they fell in love. Then came the war-ending battle of Eye, where Zohrab is killed by the Shadow... and Hal falls into a thousand years long sleep, along with the rest of the dragons. Iskandir, now alone, and grieving, struggles with guilt and subsiding powers over a millennia as he tries to guide his people to survive.
Now, after the dragons begin to awaken, Iskandir must once again deal with not feeling worthy of Hal, who's not-so-subtly wants him back, even as they battle a (bubonic) plague that spares no one, which leads to a surprising source.
I mostly liked this one, but felt like the plague dragged out a little long. The first 20% set up the story mostly, then from 20% to about 60% it was slow. Then the twist is finally revealed (which if you pay attention at ALL, you'll pick up early-on.) The final 15% of this edition were cut (and unedited) chapters from the book which... well, they didn't add much to the story but they did explore the first meetings and history with Iskandir that other characters had.
Three stars.
Now, after the dragons begin to awaken, Iskandir must once again deal with not feeling worthy of Hal, who's not-so-subtly wants him back, even as they battle a (bubonic) plague that spares no one, which leads to a surprising source.
I mostly liked this one, but felt like the plague dragged out a little long. The first 20% set up the story mostly, then from 20% to about 60% it was slow. Then the twist is finally revealed (which if you pay attention at ALL, you'll pick up early-on.) The final 15% of this edition were cut (and unedited) chapters from the book which... well, they didn't add much to the story but they did explore the first meetings and history with Iskandir that other characters had.
Three stars.
November 16, 2025
3.5 ⭐
I really liked the depiction of the plague in this novel. I loved each of the characters in the novel and it was saddening to see some of them die even the ones who didn't have that much of an impact. I was genuinely surprised that the author killed off characters in the main character's inner circle since generally authors tend to allow the close friends to live. The scenes where those people die was so heartbreaking and I teared up a lot. I found it funny how the books reimagines the story of Prophet Sulaiman [Solomon] and the baby story but with Iskandir giving the judgement instead. I really like how this story connects with this previous book and its characters. While I had reread this in 2020, I had forgotten to see the plot twist and it was quite surprising. I'm really excited to see what happens in the next book
Things I didn't like low-key:
The fact that Iskandir's brother got to live was kind of annoying like he still caused the deaths of so many people and it would've been more impactful if he died. It was already one thing for the assassin girl (I forgot her name) to be redeemed like it made sense but for the brother to be allowed to not only go scots free but to live is crazy. I personally didn't like Iskandir's low self-esteem to do with his relationship with Hal. I could understand when they first re-met but it got tiring really fast being in Iskandir's voice and hearing him mope about how Hal would eventually leave him. I much prefered the emphasis of the plague over their romance at that point. Once they had gotten mostly over it, it was better.
I really liked the depiction of the plague in this novel. I loved each of the characters in the novel and it was saddening to see some of them die even the ones who didn't have that much of an impact. I was genuinely surprised that the author killed off characters in the main character's inner circle since generally authors tend to allow the close friends to live. The scenes where those people die was so heartbreaking and I teared up a lot. I found it funny how the books reimagines the story of Prophet Sulaiman [Solomon] and the baby story but with Iskandir giving the judgement instead. I really like how this story connects with this previous book and its characters. While I had reread this in 2020, I had forgotten to see the plot twist and it was quite surprising. I'm really excited to see what happens in the next book
Things I didn't like low-key:
The fact that Iskandir's brother got to live was kind of annoying like he still caused the deaths of so many people and it would've been more impactful if he died. It was already one thing for the assassin girl (I forgot her name) to be redeemed like it made sense but for the brother to be allowed to not only go scots free but to live is crazy. I personally didn't like Iskandir's low self-esteem to do with his relationship with Hal. I could understand when they first re-met but it got tiring really fast being in Iskandir's voice and hearing him mope about how Hal would eventually leave him. I much prefered the emphasis of the plague over their romance at that point. Once they had gotten mostly over it, it was better.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 23, 2016
Wow. I fell in love with this book right from the beginning. The world building was detailed, with a rich complex history and the settings were very easy to visualise. The characters are interesting, realistic and struggle with the decisions they’ve made and have still yet to make. I particularly loved Hal the dragon, and the fact that his hoard wasn’t the usual gold and treasure but the people he takes into his heart and protects. There are a few twists in the plot, and not all the main characters survive the story unscathed but that makes it all the more realistic. Although I haven’t read book 1, I didn’t have any problems picking up the series part way in, but now I need to go find that first book. Hoping the author has another planned, and that hint I picked up on that there is another story to be told wasn’t just wishful thinking on my part.
July 25, 2017
Iskandir is my favorite non-dragon MC out of the first three books. I really loved his character (I also really wanted to kick his ass a lot, but it never diminished my love for him). Halsarr we don't get to know as well, but seemed pretty cool. I think this might have been my favorite story line out of all three, but that is hard to judge really, because they are all so different. The first is more adventure, the second more drama/survival, the third more mystery/investigative. There is the added bonus that Halsarr did not set off my protective urges towards Iskandir like Gard did with Tarn (I might have been a tiny, little bit irrational over that in my last review.)
Once again there were great secondary characters and the plague story line just really fascinated me.
Once again there were great secondary characters and the plague story line just really fascinated me.
February 12, 2019
I definitely liked this book more than its predecessor. Iskandir’s story had layers, depths, and actual growth; it wasn’t rushed and everything that was happening wasn’t too damn convenient unlike Tarn’s adventures. Hal was patient and sweet and he did great supporting Iskandir throughout the story. I still have no idea what he is like, but I figured I didn’t quite feel the characters in either installment and it’s fine, I enjoyed the books nonetheless.
The one thing I had to skip again was sex. I’m usually all for some steamy action between the protagonists but maybe this author’s style isn’t my cup of tea in general.
The one thing I had to skip again was sex. I’m usually all for some steamy action between the protagonists but maybe this author’s style isn’t my cup of tea in general.
July 29, 2021
I am afraid this one was a bit... sad (tragic) really and in a mood where that wasn't exactly welcome not o mention... plague. People catching "invisible" illness. That starts looking like a cold. Like coughing. And people die. Some people won't admit they're sick, some decide they're sick of staying in a quarantine and then there is another outbreak and measures are tightened further. And people die. Tell me more!
2021 is just an ideal time for this novel, what can I say though I've played and read more than one of these too-close-to-home. And I am not even really suffering from it (almost not at all).
2021 is just an ideal time for this novel, what can I say though I've played and read more than one of these too-close-to-home. And I am not even really suffering from it (almost not at all).
April 7, 2016
Buku ini suram dan sedih sekali jika dibandingkan dengan buku pertamanya.
Kematian, kedukaan, penyesalan, ketidakberdayaan, keputusasaan, keraguan diri, penyalahan diri menghiasi 3/4 buku ini. Ditambah naratornya yg juga muram dan sedih terus, seorang empath pastilah tak tahan untuk tidak menitikkan air mata melihat penderitaan para tokoh dalam buku ini, sedari awal hingga akhir buku ini, begitu banyaknya kematian dalam buku ini. Dan berkat kehebatan author jugalah yg sanggup membuat empath turut bersedih utk para tokoh minor yg meninggal karena wabah.
Cerita tentang wabah selalu menyedihkan. Apalagi wabah yg satu ini hampir menghapus satu negara karenanya. Tiallat yg baru saja bernafas lega karena terlepas dari tirani Savattin dan Shadow, harus berjuang untuk membangun kembali moral dan kota yg hancur karenanya. Kelaparan dan kemiskinan kemudian terasa begitu remeh saat dewa kematian berwujud wabah mematikan akhirnya menyerang Tiallat dari dalam, menghancurkan kotanya secara perlahan-lahan dan membuat Tiallat praktis dilabeli kota yg hampir mati dan tersegel dari dunia luar.
Bisakah Iskandir, The Dual God (The Bright God and The Dark God) yg melemah karena cobaan yg tiada hentinya selama ribuan tahun ini, membawa 'cahaya' bagi Tiallat setelah sekian lama menjadi Dark God? Ia bukan dewa yg sempurna, ia awalnya adalah manusia biasa, yg setelah berhasil hidup kembali/luput dari kematian sebanyak 7 kali, membuatnya menjadi seorang dewa yg memiliki pengikut yg banyak pada awalnya. Namun karena suatu hal di masa lalunya (yg dengan sengaja tdk kubocorkan di sini), ia kehilangan pengikut dan menyembunyikan identitas aslinya dan menyaru jadi manusia biasa, yg kemudian menjadi seorang pemimpin Resistance yg bertujuan menggulingkan Savattin. Berkat bantuan Tarn si naga emas di buku 1, Resistance akhirnya berhasil mengusir para pengikut Savattin dari Tiallat, dan para elit Resistance termasuk Iskandir kemudian menduduki posisi dewan di Tiallat utk sementara selagi Tiallat memulihkan tubuh dari racun Savattin, tanpa tahu bahwa racun yg lebih mematikan sedang menanti mereka.
Kali ini, pasangannya masih tetap immortal yaitu Iskandir si dewa yg sedih dan letih dengan Halsarr si naga cerdas yg berprofesi sebagai dokter. Hal adalah naga yg kalem dan pasifis ketimbang saudara2nya (terutama Tarn) yg berdarah panas dan mostly brawn daripada brain, lol. Ceritanya sih seputar Hal yg meyakinkan Iskandir bahwa ia tetap mencintai iskandir biarpun pasangannya itu sudah berubah setelah ia ditinggal tidur oleh Hal selama ribuan tahun. Mungkin banyak yg mengeluh karena kekeraskepalaan Iskandir yg terus menolak Hal, ditambah keraguan diri dan penyesalan dirinya sepanjang buku ini, tapi untuk ukuran cobaan yg dialaminya selama ini, aku bisa memahami kenapa ia jadi begitu taat menghukum dirinya, menganggap dirinya tak pantas utk Hal, sekaligus takut terluka parah jika Hal memutuskan utk meninggalkannya setelah mengetahui masa lalunya. Kepercayaan diri Iskandir begitu rapuh sehingga ia memblokir semuanya, membangun keterbatasan dirinya sebegitu rupa sehingga Hal harus benar2 berusaha keras untuk merobohkan dinding penghalang di antara mereka. Tentu saja, pada akhirnya Hal berhasil memenangkan hati Iskandir, dan berkat bantuan Raif yg begitu setia sebagai pengikut Dual God, Iskandir berhasil menemukan kepercayaan dirinya yg hilang.
Dan karena itulah, menurutku buku ini jauh lebih bagus dari buku 1 jika dilihat dari sudut emosionalnya dan character development-nya. Tapi untuk segi magic, petualangan, action dalam 1 paket, yg unggul adalah buku 1. Dan itulah kenapa pembaca yg tdk suka kisah yg berbau angsty apalagi dgn karakter seperti Iskandir yg bermuram durja sepanjang waktu dijamin bakal ngasi bintang yg rendah. Beberapa reviewer bahkan mengatakan mereka bosan dan ingin lebih banyak action. Walaupun aku bingung, bagaimana bisa penderitaan orang-orang yg sedang berjuang melawan wabah dianggap membosankan... -___-
Yah pokoknya kalo kamu tipe yg lebih suka kisah action, kurasa mending jangan baca buku ini, karena di buku ini lebih fokus ke character development, walaupun plot dan world building-nya juga sama menariknya dengan buku 1. Plot twist-nya juga oke, aku tak menyangka sama sekali, haha.
Sejujurnya, baca review orang tentang betapa suramnya buku ini membuatku sempat memberi jeda 1 hari antara buku 1 dan buku 2 karenanya, tdk langsung digarap setelah kelar baca buku 1. Tampaknya aku mulai lelah karena baca buku yg bikin depresi dan sedih berturut-turut dari Maret hingga awal April ini. Kemarin nyari buku komedi tapi malah dapatnya buku yg sedih dan bikin frustasi lagi, hhh...
Anyway, aku sangat menanti-nantikan kisah Raif yg alim x Arden si naga nakal yg sedang ditulis author. XD Judulnya adalah Recovery dan baru saja membaca excerpt-nya di situs author sudah bikin aku terkikik-kikik geli membayangkan Arden yg sibuk menggoda dan mengganggu Raif si virgin boy yg begitu serius.
Dan tebakanku, tampaknya seri ini takkan berhenti di buku ketiga karena banyak stok naga yg disimpan author untuk menghibur kita, lol. Yg menariknya dari buku ketiga adalah kali ini pasangannya si naga bukanlah dewa seperti di dua buku sebelumnya, melainkan manusia biasa. Walaupun sedih juga karena jika Raif tdk naik status sebagai dewa, Arden bakal sedih bukan buatan saat Raif meninggal karena usia tua. Aku sama sekali tdk punya ide kira2 bagaimana author mengakali bagian Raif yg mortal ini menjadi immortal, karena aku lumayan yakin kalo Raif bakal immortal. ;)
Kematian, kedukaan, penyesalan, ketidakberdayaan, keputusasaan, keraguan diri, penyalahan diri menghiasi 3/4 buku ini. Ditambah naratornya yg juga muram dan sedih terus, seorang empath pastilah tak tahan untuk tidak menitikkan air mata melihat penderitaan para tokoh dalam buku ini, sedari awal hingga akhir buku ini, begitu banyaknya kematian dalam buku ini. Dan berkat kehebatan author jugalah yg sanggup membuat empath turut bersedih utk para tokoh minor yg meninggal karena wabah.
Cerita tentang wabah selalu menyedihkan. Apalagi wabah yg satu ini hampir menghapus satu negara karenanya. Tiallat yg baru saja bernafas lega karena terlepas dari tirani Savattin dan Shadow, harus berjuang untuk membangun kembali moral dan kota yg hancur karenanya. Kelaparan dan kemiskinan kemudian terasa begitu remeh saat dewa kematian berwujud wabah mematikan akhirnya menyerang Tiallat dari dalam, menghancurkan kotanya secara perlahan-lahan dan membuat Tiallat praktis dilabeli kota yg hampir mati dan tersegel dari dunia luar.
Bisakah Iskandir, The Dual God (The Bright God and The Dark God) yg melemah karena cobaan yg tiada hentinya selama ribuan tahun ini, membawa 'cahaya' bagi Tiallat setelah sekian lama menjadi Dark God? Ia bukan dewa yg sempurna, ia awalnya adalah manusia biasa, yg setelah berhasil hidup kembali/luput dari kematian sebanyak 7 kali, membuatnya menjadi seorang dewa yg memiliki pengikut yg banyak pada awalnya. Namun karena suatu hal di masa lalunya (yg dengan sengaja tdk kubocorkan di sini), ia kehilangan pengikut dan menyembunyikan identitas aslinya dan menyaru jadi manusia biasa, yg kemudian menjadi seorang pemimpin Resistance yg bertujuan menggulingkan Savattin. Berkat bantuan Tarn si naga emas di buku 1, Resistance akhirnya berhasil mengusir para pengikut Savattin dari Tiallat, dan para elit Resistance termasuk Iskandir kemudian menduduki posisi dewan di Tiallat utk sementara selagi Tiallat memulihkan tubuh dari racun Savattin, tanpa tahu bahwa racun yg lebih mematikan sedang menanti mereka.
Kali ini, pasangannya masih tetap immortal yaitu Iskandir si dewa yg sedih dan letih dengan Halsarr si naga cerdas yg berprofesi sebagai dokter. Hal adalah naga yg kalem dan pasifis ketimbang saudara2nya (terutama Tarn) yg berdarah panas dan mostly brawn daripada brain, lol. Ceritanya sih seputar Hal yg meyakinkan Iskandir bahwa ia tetap mencintai iskandir biarpun pasangannya itu sudah berubah setelah ia ditinggal tidur oleh Hal selama ribuan tahun. Mungkin banyak yg mengeluh karena kekeraskepalaan Iskandir yg terus menolak Hal, ditambah keraguan diri dan penyesalan dirinya sepanjang buku ini, tapi untuk ukuran cobaan yg dialaminya selama ini, aku bisa memahami kenapa ia jadi begitu taat menghukum dirinya, menganggap dirinya tak pantas utk Hal, sekaligus takut terluka parah jika Hal memutuskan utk meninggalkannya setelah mengetahui masa lalunya. Kepercayaan diri Iskandir begitu rapuh sehingga ia memblokir semuanya, membangun keterbatasan dirinya sebegitu rupa sehingga Hal harus benar2 berusaha keras untuk merobohkan dinding penghalang di antara mereka. Tentu saja, pada akhirnya Hal berhasil memenangkan hati Iskandir, dan berkat bantuan Raif yg begitu setia sebagai pengikut Dual God, Iskandir berhasil menemukan kepercayaan dirinya yg hilang.
Dan karena itulah, menurutku buku ini jauh lebih bagus dari buku 1 jika dilihat dari sudut emosionalnya dan character development-nya. Tapi untuk segi magic, petualangan, action dalam 1 paket, yg unggul adalah buku 1. Dan itulah kenapa pembaca yg tdk suka kisah yg berbau angsty apalagi dgn karakter seperti Iskandir yg bermuram durja sepanjang waktu dijamin bakal ngasi bintang yg rendah. Beberapa reviewer bahkan mengatakan mereka bosan dan ingin lebih banyak action. Walaupun aku bingung, bagaimana bisa penderitaan orang-orang yg sedang berjuang melawan wabah dianggap membosankan... -___-
Yah pokoknya kalo kamu tipe yg lebih suka kisah action, kurasa mending jangan baca buku ini, karena di buku ini lebih fokus ke character development, walaupun plot dan world building-nya juga sama menariknya dengan buku 1. Plot twist-nya juga oke, aku tak menyangka sama sekali, haha.
Sejujurnya, baca review orang tentang betapa suramnya buku ini membuatku sempat memberi jeda 1 hari antara buku 1 dan buku 2 karenanya, tdk langsung digarap setelah kelar baca buku 1. Tampaknya aku mulai lelah karena baca buku yg bikin depresi dan sedih berturut-turut dari Maret hingga awal April ini. Kemarin nyari buku komedi tapi malah dapatnya buku yg sedih dan bikin frustasi lagi, hhh...
Anyway, aku sangat menanti-nantikan kisah Raif yg alim x Arden si naga nakal yg sedang ditulis author. XD Judulnya adalah Recovery dan baru saja membaca excerpt-nya di situs author sudah bikin aku terkikik-kikik geli membayangkan Arden yg sibuk menggoda dan mengganggu Raif si virgin boy yg begitu serius.
Dan tebakanku, tampaknya seri ini takkan berhenti di buku ketiga karena banyak stok naga yg disimpan author untuk menghibur kita, lol. Yg menariknya dari buku ketiga adalah kali ini pasangannya si naga bukanlah dewa seperti di dua buku sebelumnya, melainkan manusia biasa. Walaupun sedih juga karena jika Raif tdk naik status sebagai dewa, Arden bakal sedih bukan buatan saat Raif meninggal karena usia tua. Aku sama sekali tdk punya ide kira2 bagaimana author mengakali bagian Raif yg mortal ini menjadi immortal, karena aku lumayan yakin kalo Raif bakal immortal. ;)
July 29, 2017
The beginning and end of the story were informative and moved the series along. However, once the that I absolutely could have done without.
Here's hoping the 3rd installment is better.
Here's hoping the 3rd installment is better.
July 5, 2022
Timing is odd, looks like it was published for a second time just as the Covid pandemic was starting to happen, but written a good few years earlier. Very spooky. Likeable, sensible characters, and well written, I enjoyed it.
March 5, 2017
Maybe this time a bit less than 4 stars because of the depressing subject. I'm obviously looking forward to the next book.
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