The Splinter King: The God-King Chronicles Book 2

The God-King Chronicles #2

by Mike Brooks

Epic worldbuilding at its finest, The Splinter King is the second book in the unmissable series started with The Black Coast. Filled with war-dragons, armoured knights, sea-faring raiders, dangerous magic and battle scenes.

Still reeling from the events of The Black Coast, and the rise of the daemonic warlord, the political machinations, betrayals, new friendships, duels and battles continue to unfold as new characters appear and old return. 

As the quest for the new God-King begins and a deadly coup is planned, the Nardia seems to be a kingdom forever in turmoil.

Praise for Mike Brooks

"Mike Brook's Dark Run is a rambunctious, rapidfire rollercoaster of a read. Get signed up and strapped in for a helluva ride!" -- Michael Cobley, author of the Humanity’s Fire series

"Great fun... Golden Age chic!" -- Stephen Baxter on Dark Run

"Brooks’s terrific debut demonstrates that a good caper tale can take place anywhere, even in interstellar space ... Fans of rip-roaring space adventures will greatly enjoy this one." -- Publisher's Weekly

"Dark Run is a thrill-ride of non-stop action, wise-crackery and adventure in the vast vaults of outer space. I look forward to revisiting Ichabod Drift and the crew of the Keiko time and again… " -- Luke Scull

"... if you’re looking for a Firefly-like tale, filled with characters like Damian Frey and the crew of the Ketty Jay, you won’t be disappointed with this one. A quick read, but an immensely entertaining one." -- sffworld.com

"The bonds among the crew continue to be a high point of the writing, as are Brooks's terrific action sequences."-- Publishers Weekly on Dark Deeds, starred review

"Intrigue, piracy and action, Dark Run is a page turning SF romp with an edge as sharp as mono-molecular blade." -- Gavin Smith, author of Veteran and War in Heaven

"A fast and wry SF adventure full of the deviousness and wit of Firefly." -- Stephen Deas on Dark Run

Genres: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Queer, Fiction, LGBT, Adult, Science Fiction Fantasy

623 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 15, 2021

About the author

Mike Brooks was born in Ipswich, Suffolk and moved to Nottingham when he was 18 to go to university. He’s stayed there ever since, and now lives with his wife, two cats, two snakes and a collection of tropical fish. When not working for a homelessness charity he plays guitar and sings in a punk band, watches football (soccer), MMA and nature/science documentaries, goes walking in the Peak District or other areas of splendid scenery, and DJs wherever anyone will tolerate him.

And, y’know, writes.

Reviews

[Dannii Elle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second instalment in The God-King Chronicles.

A daemonic warlord caused two warring kingdoms to collide, as one fled to the safety of another's shores. The two people were forced to work together, understand their differences, and allow for varying cultures and beliefs to share the same space. But now the warlord has followed those who escaped him and freedom won't be granted to those he seeks to overrule again.

Just as in the previous series instalment, I became immediately immersed in this story. Book one focused on a growing understanding for the differences of these people, with skirmishes and bloodshed still also delivered. Book two upped the ante, with tension created from the increasing closeness of the new threat to the lives of this beloved and diverse cast.

I highly enjoyed all previously delivered and appreciated the knowledge it allowed me to possess. Reading the first book before diving directly into this sequel ensured my focus remained on the battlefield and on the new political drive behind it, instead of in attempting to figure out the surrounding rocky geographical, cultural, and bureaucratic terrain. I love fantasy series with such interesting and well-grounded foundations!

The multitude of perspectives also allowed for a 360-view of events to be delivered. It seemed no angle was spared the reader, and neither was any emotion. The reader was invited to see and smell and feel everything that occurred, which had me feeling devastated in some scenes and joyous during others. I truly felt I shared in everything the characters were exposed to.

Mike Brooks has crafted something of sublime brilliance with this series. The covers are as beautiful as all that is inside them and both ensure this is a real jewel of the adult fantasy genre.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, Mike Brooks, and the publisher, Orbit, for this opportunity.

[charlotte, · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rep: gay mcs, nonbinary mcs, bi/pan mc, trans side character

CWs: violence, gore

[Craig Bookwyrm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent sequel. Excellent series. One of the best fantasy worlds and characters.

[Kitty G Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

I dived into this one pretty quickly after having finished the first and although it had a little bit of ‘middle-book-syndrome’ I felt like it was a solid continuation and I enjoyed it.

Some things I particularly liked in this book:
Zhanna being an awesome leader and getting her chance to shine as she led a group into the mountains to discover the fate of the Smoking Valley people. Her chance to show her skills away from her mother and to demonstrate how she could invent plans and keep her group of allies together.
Darel is the next character who takes centre stage after being mostly background in the first book. He is travelling to seek approval if his town and their peace with the invaders, and he hopes to learn a lot more of the world on his way as he is a keen scholar at heart too.
Finally Jaya also becomes more prominent in this one and her adventure with her lover and their quest to reclaim his inheritance and find out about what’s going on with the people on the streets that she loves is intriguing (though still probably my least favourite of the plots at this point).
We do still get hints at the black creek leader and the Divine Princess and God-King, but they are a little more in the background here as opposed to being a bigger part of book 1.

I mentioned before this book suffered a little from being the middle book. I think the shift in character focus and the shift in direction make this a little slower to get into than I expected. I would have liked to be a little quicker to get back to the characters I knew and loved, but I enjoyed their parts and got used to the new set up once I realised that was the way it would be.

The issues of LGBTQ+, pronouns and clashes of culture are still present in this book although a little more background as Brooks covered a lot of the groundwork for the set up in book one. I liked seeing how the different levels of class and privilege were addressed a little more here with Sars and Thanes and Kings and Gods. There’s also a section of people who are enslaved in this and I think their oppression and enslavement was key to the story but also showed the way some of the people of the world believe in their own superiority.

Overall, a good book once I got into it and adjusted to the new perspectives. I definitely intend to continue it and I’m excited for the next one to come out fairly soon :) 4*s.

[Booksblabbering || Cait❣️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Those who achieved great things became great heroes. Those who died attempting great things, like Fireheart, were remembered in song. Those trying to salvage something after bloody fools had died attempting great things had a thankless task with little potential for glory and a lot of potential of blame, but it still needed to be done.

Rumours of a rival God-King spread which will splinter the power of the current regime.

Darel joins Marshal Brightwater to Idramar to get God-King Natan’s blessing for the Brown Eagle clan’s presence.
Black Keep tries to rebuild and cement their new community. Admittedly, there’s less focus here as the story moves on to the greater worries and future of the kingdom.

In the city, Marin and his husband are drawn into a palace coup, and Princess Tila resorts to murder to keep her hold on power without taking on her criminal guise.
The newly discovered Splinter King only escaped with his life due to being with street-thief Jeya. Together, they try to reclaim his birthright whilst having no idea who to trust full of people who would be glad to see them dead.

Thankfully, Brooks includes a superb summary of book one in case you need a refresh!

I liked how Brooks justifies faith, prophecy, and divine rights - providing different perspectives from each character from all sorts of wakes of life.

”The prophecies are a map for the faithful," Genyel said, "and maps are meant to be used and followed. If the Divine One's return was inexorable, what purpose would there be in a prophecy? Quite clearly, they are for learned men to study and to act upon, to help bring them to pass."

Knowing Brooks was inspired to write this trilogy following Brexit, following the Inner Council was hilarious. However, interestingly, both Prince and Princess are very aware of the conniving and corrupt squabbling of the members.

Tila had a momentary vision of swapping the Inner Council with this group of thieves, extortionists, and murderers, and wondered whether her nation would be that much worse off. Alarmingly, it might fare slightly better.

I would recommend this if you liked The Ruin of Kings.

Bookstagram

[Dom · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book that I really enjoyed. I knew enough about it going in because I'd read the first book in the series, but I was still a little bit nervous because I thought that it was going to be a bit of a departure from what we had in The Black Coast. In there, you have one main storyline, but there are elements of what's going on in the rest of the world, and that's where I thought we were going to be here. Although we do see more of an expansion of the world, we still spend a fair bit of time with the characters from the first book, so I was really pleased with that.

They send a delegation off to speak to the God-King to essentially get permission for the raiders from book one to stay and make a home for themselves, and you've also got another delegation that goes off to one of their neighbours because they haven't been around. They normally come down from the mountain to trade, but not this year, so they want to send some people off to find out why.

Along with that, you've then got the other elements that appear in much smaller detail in The Black Coast. I liked the way this allowed us to expand what we know of the world while still staying very true to what we had in the first book. I did actually think that the expansion that you got in here made this a better book because it was a bit more well-rounded. In the first book, those additional parts of the storyline were very small in comparison, so they felt a little bit out of place, but I thought this one did a much better job of keeping them all together and integrating the key storylines.

As with the first book, the narration of the audiobook here was excellent and really helped with some of the mannerisms that I’ve heard some people struggle a bit with. Those are so easy to get used to though, and once you do, it’s a fantastic experience.

[Maed Between the Pages · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars.

An intriguing sequel to The Black Coast (which I loved with all of my heart), The Splinter King expands the fascinating worlds Brooks established in the first installment. We find out more about the Naridan political landscape by visiting the capital city, explore the streets of a gender fluid society through the daily life of two street thieves, and dive deeper into the clashes between different cultures that try to coincide in the coastal town of Black Keep.

This book also hinted at the possibility of meddling gods which we all know is a buzzword for me. I truly hope we see more of that in future books!

While I thoroughly enjoyed the act of exploring this world, there were a few too many POVs for my liking. I often found myself turning the page to see a name denoting character I had no memory of, and it was a bit jarring. I often wanted to speed through those chapters and get back to the main POVs that I’d actually grown to care for. I also wanted a lot more of the dragons in this world. For creatures that factored quite heavily in book one, they were surprisingly elusive in this sequel.

I wouldn’t say this book suffered from the dreaded “second book syndrome” but the plot did feel meandering at times. As a character-based reader this didn’t bother me much, but keep that in mind if plot is your main thing.

Brooks certainly still excelled in his exploration of culture clashes and how one might negotiate differences in ways of life, which was one of my favorite aspects in The Black Coast so I thoroughly enjoyed myself there. I will definitely be picking up the third in the series and look forward to seeing how all of the various plot threads come together in the conclusion of the story.

[L.L. MacRae · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun sequel that was a great continuation of book one!

Much like book one, I engaged far more with the second half (final third, really) than the opening. A lot of the high stakes felt like they’d dropped off somewhat, but bigger ones slowly started to be built up, which was great.

We spent a lot of time with a lot of characters, some of them newer (or at least their POVs were), and I particularly enjoyed Jeya, Tina, and Darel’s stories.

As a second book, it is very much moving the established parts into place for the finale, but the pacing was solid throughout and it never lulled.

Once again the narration was excellent and kept me engaged throughout.

I enjoyed The Black Coast more than this - because it was more my reading jam (smaller scale, more intimate stories within bigger epics) and this sequel really grew things so it felt like we spent less personal time with some of the characters (Daimon felt more like a background character for large parts of this), but it was still a great read.

I’m very curious how the trilogy will wrap up!

[Katy · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book has definite second book syndrome, but in like the best way possible <3

[Lorraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 1/2 Stars

“Three of your men saw sense, and their lives have been spared,” the priest declared, in a tone as neutral as if he were discussing the weather. “One, in fact, has been healed of his wounds by the Divine One himself. The rest of you will, as this priest promised, be left out for the scavengers.” - Prologue, The Splinter King, Mike Brooks

And so it begins…

The Splinter King builds beautifully on The Black Coast. It is structured same, each chapter focuses on a different character from the third person point of view, and characters refer to themselves frequently in the third person. Gender fluidity is part of the narrative; however, Saana has accepted it. It is now more part of “background,” rather than it at the forefront. I think this is a brilliant way to handle it. Make an issue that can be divisive, have the main characters work through it, and it becomes perfectly normal, as it should be. The character development is once again superb. While The Black Coast focused quite a bit on Daimon, Saana, Tila, and Rikkut, with the other characters filling in, the Splinter King’s focus was on different characters. I very much liked how this was done, as we were able to get to know the other characters more in-depth. Zhanna, Darel, and Jeya become the focal point. The other characters are present, but they are relegated to only a few chapters each.

The prose in the book is much the same as it was in The Black Coast. However, where I felt it was a little awkward in book one, it now flows smoothly. It is a very different way of writing, and how characters speak, but by The Splinter King, I felt I knew the “language.” I also felt it hit more of a stride, so to speak, in the way it was written and flowed effortlessly. The time between character points of view was lessened, so the reader was not waiting for several chapters to pass to return to where a character was in the plot. This was also a nice improvement in this sequel and also contributed to the smooth flow of both the prose and the story. In writing, high born individuals, such as lords and thanes, speak very clearly, even when referring to themselves in the third person. Low born characters, such as sailors and servants, are little more difficult to understand. This method of characterization was, for this reader, unique to this series. Examples of such are this from a high-born individual:

“This lord cannot, of course, speak for his brother in this matter,” Daimon admitted. “However, he can say with certainty that so far in his life, Lord Darel has never expressed attraction to a woman. It is of course possible that Lady Yarmina may be the exception, but,” he smiled politely, “he does not consider it to be likely.”

One can see how the character refers to themselves in the third person. The words are formal and I found them to flow easier by the time I was reading The Splinter King. The low-born do the same, but the language is not as formal, as illustrated:

“Never listen to what the Keepers say,” Marin chided her. “S’man’s in here due to a misunderstanding from a good five years ago, would you believe? He came back to the city with his husband, and may Nari have mercy on him, he only runs into a Keeper…Literally ran into”

The pacing of the book is excellent. The action was spread more evenly throughout, and it was page turning action. Mr. Brooks writes excellent, well thought out action scenes. From a battle with pirates to a sneak attack on the Smoking Valley Mountain village, they keep the reader engaged and wanting more. Again, I thought that the spacing of character perspectives between chapters was much better in the Splinter King. That could be a result of more smaller action scenes rather than one cumulating battle, but either way, I was excited to read these scenes. Chapters did end off on cliffhangers and it only added to the anticipation and excitement.

The characters were fully developed in both books. Zhanna is given the chance to lead a group from Black Keep to find out what has happened to the people of the Smoking Valley. She is a strong female protagonist who is eager to prove herself as a warrior and leader. Darel is level headed and smart. He has never left Black Keep and going to Indramar is wondrous to him. Darel is nervous about going before the God-King to present his case about the Brown Eagle clan settling in Black Keep. Seeing Darel come to life on the pages brought out the differences between him and Daimon. Daimon is more of a warrior while Darel is more of a thinker. They complement each other very well. Jeya was in The Black Coast, but she is more present in The Splinter King. She is a street orphan who is now hiding the Splinter King heir, as the only survivor of the murder of his family. Using the name Galem, she not only helps him survive, but they have fallen in love. There are interesting twists here, but to write more would be spoilers. Jeya is street smart, loyal, caring and truly loves Galem. The other characters are present, but again, they not the main focus as they were in The Black Coast. They play a big part, and their stories continue to develop as well. Two other characters worth noting are Marin and Laz. Marin, once a university student, and his husband Laz, set out with a small group to find if Nari, the god Naridians worship, has indeed been re-born.

The world building was excellent. We see more of Narida and they are vividly brought to life. The Smoking Valley Mountain was amazing and really unique, where the people live in cliff houses in the mountains. It is called the Smoking Valley because the pools of water in the forest give off smoke, and periodically erupts. A sacred river runs through it. We spend more time in the capital city of Indramar. It is described a beautiful city, and the seat of the Sun Palace where the God-King lives. I could picture a gleaming white city, where a palace sat atop it. The City of Islands, where Jeya and the Splinter King live, is also more prominent. It is not as impressive as Indramar. It is a trade center due to its location and island life. There are various rich quarters in the city and the poorer areas where Jeya grew up. Unlike the majority of Narida, the City of Islands has slave trade. As the two books progress, we can feel an undercurrent of something major that is going to happen with both the “re-birth” of Nari, The Golden, and the Splinter King.

The Splinter King, Book 2 of the God-King Chronicles, continues the story of this a unique and engaging fantasy. I found this book to have hit its stride in the series and was excellent. The characters were the same, though the focus shifted to others, and they are just complex, well thought out and developed. As we get to know the characters more, we find that some are morally ambiguous and others will surprise you. I liked the twists and turns that the characters took. The prose flowed smoothly, and I had a better grasp with a third person narrative and characters referring to themselves in the third person. I thought it would improve as the series progressed and it has. The action and battle scenes were once again excellent and on par with the best of the fantasy genre. In The Splinter King, the action was well paced throughout the book and keeps the reader on edge and engaged. The world building is excellent, as we see more of Naridia beyond Black Keep. Once again, the ending is fantastic. I highly recommend The Splinter King. This series is only getting better and I eagerly await the next book.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with eBook copy in exchange for an honest review.

See review on my website: https://bookandnatureprofessor.com/20...

[Gabriele | QueerBookdom · Rating 4 out of 5]

DRC provided by Little, Brown Book Group UK via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Representation: gay protagonists, queer protagonists, trans secondary character, secondary and tertiary characters of colour, queer secondary and tertiary characters.

Content Warning: death (graphic), war, mention of execution, enslavement, violence (graphic), misogyny, sexism.

The Splinter King by Mike Brooks is the second astounding instalment in Brooks’ The God-King Chronicles series.

Following the events of the first tome (which are generously summarised at the beginning), Darel, now thane of Black Keep, begins his journey to Idramar, capital of the Naridan kingdom to plead with the God-King for his people’s life while Daimon remains at Black Keep to act on his behalf; the remaining Tjakorshi warriors, sent by the Golden to kill Saana, unwelcome on Naridan land and facing certain death on their homeland, set off towards the City of Islands; the spreading of rumours of Nari’s rebirth upset the equilibrium Tila has fought to maintain in the Sun Palace; the uncommon nonappearance of the Smoking Valley people at Black Keep prompts Zhanna to request the launch of an expedition into the mountains to discover the cause of the atypical occurrence; while Jeya and Galem, after the attack to hìs house the previous night, start planning how to keep hìm safe from harm in Kiburu ce Alaba.

I loved this tome even more than the first one and I loved reading from Darel’s point-of-view the most as it was and still is my favourite character! I am adding a link to my review of the first volume as it holds some information about this fantastic world Brooks created that I do not wish to copy and paste. Every sentiment I held while writing of my reading experience of the first book only developed and grew.

The Black Coast

Both The Black Coast and The Splinter King are amazing epic fantasies that will hold your attention throughout the whole five-hundred and plus pages. I will be fervently looking forward to this series conclusion!

[Jade · Rating 2 out of 5]

A readable but disappointing book, on the whole. The world building is really fantastic, as with the Black Coast, which is my favourite part of these books. Like the first book, I really enjoyed Daimon and Saana's chapters and returning to Blackcreek, but the majority of the secondary characters let it down for me. There seemed to be a greater emphasis on smaller side quests with these secondary characters than the main storyline which was frustrating. The storyline featuring the Splinter King was pretty boring - I didn't feel very interested in the motivations of the characters. Half of the time I wanted to skim over the chapters featuring the characters I didn't like.

It's a shame to say that I'm disappointed because I enjoyed the first book and was excited to see what would happen next, particularly with The Golden. The book started off extremely strongly to me but the lack of story progression soon became evident. It was a struggle to get through, honestly, especially the last quarter of the book. The ending was also anti-climactic.

[Doomscribe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary: The Splinter King by Mike Brooks is a fun sequel that develops excitingly on the plot threads set up in the first book. There are more dragons, more intrigue, and more of the hopeful attitude that helped me fall in love with the series.

From the blurb, you’d be forgiven for assuming that the people of Black Keep, and my personal favourites Saana and Daimon, get ignored in this entry. While they are less of a focus than in the previous entry, their storylines are still progressed, as unwelcome guests come to meddle in their affairs. Princess Tila and urchin Jeya get more satisfying continuations to their storylines this time round, and we get new adventures for thief Marin, newly made thane Darel, defeated raider Stonejaw, and Saana’s daughter Zhanna.

What works really well for me in this book is how Brooks expands and deepens the world, while still tying everything in to the plotlines that have already been established. Everything feels relevant, and I instantly attached to the new storylines because of how they tied back in to Blackkeep, and Narida as a whole.

The element of hopefulness is a through-line that continues into this book – while still focused mostly in Blackkeep, there is the feeling that if only the characters worked together, things would work out for the better. It’s one of the main things I love about the series – it doesn’t shy away from betrayal and violence and epic scenes, but infuses everything with a hopefulness that makes me feel like the protagonists (for the most part) will leave the world better than they left it.

Unfortunately, this book suffers badly from middle book-itis – many of the climaxes are relatively small, the spread of POVs meaning there were several separate climaxes this time. And like the last book, one of the storylines just sort of ends abruptly, this time leaving us in the middle of a conflict that we’ll have to wait to see the resolution of. If the next book comes out as quickly as this one, I’ll forgive it somewhat, but it does leave things feeling a little incomplete.

The dragons are back, and this time there are even more varieties! Since this is the sequel review, I’ll just come out and say it – the dragons are basically variations on dinosaurs (feathered ones at that). There’s definitely a couple of moments that put me in mind of Jurassic Park, in a very good way. There’s not really all that much in the way of magic in this entry, although there are hints to it becoming more prevalent in the next book(s?).

As far as the different plotlines go, the only lowlight for me would be Jeya, and even then, I didn’t mind her sections – I particularly love the City of Islands setting and its progressive approach to gender, and it was great seeing Galem figure out who they are past the obligations forced upon them. The politicking in Tila’s plotline was great, as was Darel’s introduction to Idramar and Zhanna’s journey to the mountains. And of course I loved seeing how Saana and Daimon’s relationship and co-leadership is developing in Blackkeep. This was one of those chunky books that doesn’t feel its length, and I am very much ready to read the next instalment as soon as possible!

So, while its status as a middle book leaves it somewhat diminished, The Splinter King is still a great new entry to the series, bringing us more of everything that worked so well on the first book. If you enjoyed the first book, please read this one too. If not, go and get the first book!

Rating: 8.5/10

Thanks to Netgalley and Orbit for providing me with an e-arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

For reviews like this and more, visit my blog

[Rowan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher Orbit for providing me with an e-arc of this book! My opinions are my own.

After reading The Black Coast, The Splinter King became one of my most anticipated reads for 2021! I had already fallen in love with the world Mike Brooks created and could not wait to learn more about the characters, especially those in Blackcreek. While I wasn't as blown away as I was with the first book, this is a more than worthy sequel and by Nari am I anxious to read book 3 when it comes out!

After a summary of the first book (which was much appreciated!) The Splinter King takes off right where The Black Coast ended. The God-King's family is not the only thing to be splintered... It's also an apt description for the many POVs in this book. All of them are important to the story though - even if it is not yet clear how they will all come together. Nothing is certain yet, so many things are happening at once. While everyone is fighting for their own peace and the right to live their own lives, things are set in motion that will turn Narida and its neighbouring countries upside down.

If you haven't picked up this series yet, I suggest you quickly start reading it! This is one of those series you don't want to miss if you like a fantasy book that focuses on embracing differences instead of going to war over them.

[Lianne Pheno · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5
https://delivreenlivres.home.blog/202...

On multiplie les intrigues différentes dans ce tome, et j’ai bien apprécié ce gros développement du monde.

Je savais déjà après avoir vu passer rapidement certains avis sur cette suite que ce tome ci était bien différent du premier. Et c’est vrai, même si je ne dirais pas qu’il était si différent que ça. Disons qu’il ne se concentre pas du tout sur les même choses, et du coup il donne un autre ressenti que le premier.

Le premier tome nous racontait principalement le parcours de deux peuples différents tentant de cohabiter pour le bien de tous. Mais cette partie la n’est en fait qu’une des différentes constituantes du récit global.

On avait aussi d’autres points de vue dans le premier, mais ils étaient vraiment juste pour nous montrer le reste du monde et pour lancer l’intrigue, ils n’avaient quasiment pas de développement. Du coup voila, ce tome ci est le développement de ces autres parties de l’intrigue.

La situation dans l’Empire Naridan et ses voisins est un peu troublée.
La princesse Tila, sœur du God-Emperor tente de maintenir l’empire à flot via son réseau d’espions. Mais ça n’est pas chose facile quand son frère n’a aucun désir de pouvoir et se laisse porter, alors qu’elle même ne peut rien faire de façon directe. En effet dans l’empire seul le God Emperor et ses descendants directs on un vrai pouvoir de décision. Tila est du coup de la mauvaise génération, elle n’a donc techniquement aucun pouvoir sur rien. Elle n’a pu rester que parce qu’elle jouait à la fille fragile et que les gens au pouvoir pensent manipuler son frère avec elle.

Mais les chose qui vont tout changer viennent d’ailleurs. Une menace énorme se pointe : on parle partout de cet homme qui se présente comme étant la réincarnation du premier God Emperor. Sa venue est annoncée dans la religion en place qui est totalement basée sur l’attente de cette venue.

Mais évidement personne au pouvoir n’y crois vraiment, il y a eu de nombreuses autres faux God Emperors avant, et tant que certains signes n’arrivent pas il y a peu de chance que cette personne soit la vrai.
Mais bien sur, ça rend le règne du présent empereur encore plus instable, et certains généraux aimeraient bien en profiter pour faire des changement …

Evidemment ça n’est pas la seule menace du moment, même si Tila et le cœur de l’empire ne le savent pas encore.
En effet les pillards qui tentent de s’intégrer qu’on suivait dans le premier tome fuyaient une créature magique qui prétend que la fin du monde arrive et en profite pour prendre le pouvoir par la force dans les îles du nord. Et il se trouve que maintenant il lorgne du coté du continent, et que le volcan principal de l’atoll est entré en éruption !
La justesse de ses prédictions rassemblent tout les clans de nomades pillards, et les voila parti pour des contrées plus accueillantes que leurs îles en train de sombrer dans la mer …

Et encore, je ne vous raconte même pas tout, car il y a en tout 2 autres intrigues qui viennent se rajouter à celles ci et qui parlent d’autres endroit et d’autres menaces.
En gros tout semble arriver en même temps et les choses s’accélèrent petit à petit.
De nombreuses questions sont posées dans ce tome ci, qui fait vraiment énormément évoluer la situation globale du monde entier. La déstabilisation totale de l’empire semble arriver de plus en plus vite !

Ce tome m’a bien plu, en tout cas on ne peux pas dire qu’il ne se passe rien ou qu’il fasse penser à un tome intermédiaire. Mais c’est vrai que cet intérêt est différent et du coup moins touchant que le premier tome. Etant donné que le coté touchant et humain était vraiment le gros point positif du premier, je comprend que certaines personnes aient moins apprécié celui ci.

De mon coté je ne peux pas dire que j’ai moins apprécié, mais c’est vrai que j’ai apprécié pour d’autres raisons.
Ce qui m’a plu était cette fois ci du au coté un peu « waou » de l’ensemble des différentes intrigues du monde. Il y a tellement d’éléments intéressants qu’on ne sait plus trop ou donner de la tête au final. Je dirais que le gros point fort pour moi a été que toutes les composantes, tout les points de vues du roman m’ont plu. Ça m’arrive souvent dans les romans de fantasy d’avoir des préférences, voir même de finir par lire en mode rapide certains points de vue que j’apprécie moins. Je dirais même qu’il est rare de trouver des livres où ça n’est pas le cas, et celui ci est l’un d’entre eux.

Du coup je suis très satisfaite de l’ensemble et dans c’était une bonne lecture qui renforce encore l’univers. J’ai hâte de lire la suite pour en savoir plus !

[Francisca Liliana · Rating 4 out of 5]

“We come with you. And we bring death.”

There are some stories that we want to rave about from the rooftops for everyone to hear. Books that we crave to have long and insightful discussions on but can’t due to the story being one few have read. The God-King Chronicles is such a series, and I cannot imagine why more people aren’t talking about these books!

The Splinter King starts off where we were left off at the end of The Black Coast. Sanna and Daimon are continuing to navigate their way around getting to know each other while confronting some dark forces. Darel is sent to the capital to inform the God-King of the happenings at Blackkeep, but politics is a tricky thing. Jeya and Galem hide in plain sight, but those closest to our street urchins have betrayed them. Marin travels with his husband in the search of the Nari Reborn. His findings are unexpected and will change the rest of his life. Zhanna, ever eager to prove herself a warrior, hikes up the mountains to The Smoking Valley, where she may find more than she bargained for. In the capital, Tila will do anything to keep her family in power, even murder. All the while, demonic forces are traveling overseas to take everything for themselves.

The second installment in the God-King Chronicles builds on everything I loved in the first. The Naridan’s and the Tjakorshi have their differences, but in The Splinter King we see the fruits of their labor. The culture clashes are less prevalent but still a factor in these character interactions. Now it’s more about convincing the rest of Narida that the Tjakorshi are contributing members of this society. The third-person speech is still my absolute favorite part of these books, and now that it’s been established, the speech is effortless for characters unfamiliar with it. I deeply appreciate the attention to detail in the descriptions and mesmerizing dialogue in this book. I loved the conversations that were had and the witty comebacks. Looking at you Marin!

Gender is still one of the larger themes in this series, but takes a far more direct approach with The Splinter King due to the amount of time we are immersed in the Alaban culture. I really enjoyed diving deep into the how’s and why’s of those who use 6 forms of addressing people according to how someone identifies. A certain character explores how they themselves identify and it is a great journey into their growth. I love how Brooks handles gender and it continues to be a highlight throughout the entire book.

Many of the characters such as Marin, Jeya, and Darel who had little page time in The Black Coast now have their time in the spotlight. All the other characters I loved in the first book still have their moments, gaining at least one chapter dedicated to them. I didn’t mind this because Brooks did an excellent job fleshing out their characters in their first book. So, I wasn’t itching to be back in their perspectives. Instead, I greatly enjoyed the focus on these previously labeled side-characters. The plots started to come together and characters who’ve never met before are suddenly facing each other down. This book builds on the last with great character moments and new points of views.

There were some chapters, I thought, where we spent too much time in one place. Just as I began to become impatient for the story to progress it would, but I still found it a bit frustrating from time to time. There were some confrontations I thought to be a tad underwhelming, but not terrible. I just wanted more. I enjoyed the ending to this book and the cliff hangers to many of the character chapters, but I was still left with the feeling of wanting there to have been a bit more. I was entertained and intrigued by the plot and character journeys, but I wasn’t quite blown away like I was with The Black Coast.

This is still an excellent read and a worthy sequel. I am promptly pressing that pre-order button for the third book, The Godbreaker!

3.75/5

[rhysciar · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars.
Strong, solid part of the series. I was afraid of it in the beginning, knowing the second-book-in-a-series curse, but I shouldn't have. This was as exciting as the first part in the series, and did everything a second book should do: opened up the world and flashed out the already known characters more. It was especially exciting to see how the author will handle tropes after I realised how much homage there is in this book to the Wheel of Time. I think this is why I like this series so much. Everything good WoT has, this book has it too mixed with some other stuff, or altered to something different. It was great to see Aiel customs mixing with viking ones, making them the Tjakorshi; see the False Dragon trope brought here in the face of the reborn god Nari (I'm still wondering about that one, if it will be a humbug or a real god here); or how the author brought intrigue into his book, and did a wonderful job (this last one reminded me of GoT)! So I'm utterly perplexed by this book, I really loved it! My only complaint is that the first quarter was rather boring, and all this issues with gender is a bit forced now, but apart from that, I loved everything here, and I'm eager to finish this trilogy in 2024. Way to end the year!

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I kindly received a copy of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

After reading the first book earlier this year I was excited to continue with the story. I enjoyed The Splinter King much more than book 1, I felt the addition of pronoun explanation at the start was really helpful as well as the synopsis of book 1. . This was a reason I only gave book 1 four stars. Although I read it a few months ago it was still helpful to have a recap.

I enjoyed the additional, and many, POV's in this book and felt it showed the differences in geographical people, cultures and beliefs. The variety in the POV's was also a strength with a mixture of heroics, humour, worry etc. being told to the reader.

The story flowed really nicely and despite the wide geographical range I didn't find myself struggling to keep up. There is just so much going on - assassins chasing down noble families, nobles with double lives, back stabbing thanes, scary golden demons, witches and great sea battles. The book is full of LGBT representation, battles, pirates, dragons, gods and assassins.

A fantastic read.

[Jeramie Vens · Rating 5 out of 5]

This reader enjoyed this sequel just as much as they enjoyed the first book. This has some of the best LGBTQIA representations I have ever seen in epic fantasy. It has many similarities to Game of Thrones, but far far better and more representative. The use of languages and diverse culture make all of the different viewpoints very interesting, and the political intrigue is far better in this book than the already quite good first book. This person would highly recommend this series to anyone who enjoys epic fantasy with very progressive values winning out over oppressive conservative ones.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so epic, and funny, and charming. The entire experience felt like payoff after all the setup invested into The Black Coast, and I loved it SO MUCH.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Because of the book‘s title I was a little worried that the book would focus a lot of attention on the Splinter King, but the POVs from the first book continued nicely. I enjoyed this a lot. There were plenty of unexpected revelations and plot developments. Some fascinating ones, some scary ones. Revolution and fighting on all fronts. I am really looking forward to the next book and how their stories will continue.

[imyril is not really here any more · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hohum. I loved The Black Coast, but if I hadn’t been so invested in the future of Black Keep, The Splinter King could easily have been a DNF. I love the themes and there’s plenty to enjoy on the way (my best boy Daimon, the most wholesome marital communication, Zhanna growing into her command, Ekram finding his feet, the focus on culture change and language barriers and open mindedness and loyalty), but The Splinter King had too many meanders, too little tension, and some resolutions that felt heavily engineered.

The biggest problem for me was way too many POVs. In contrast to the first volume, where the plethora of POVs were mostly colocated and interconnected, here they’re largely parallel and in different locations - so it’s just loads of related but independent storylines that progress frustratingly slowly (to the extent that some chapters start with recaps of that plot line within this book, which is a huge red flag for me. Love the book one recap, but reminding us what happened in the book we’re reading? Whew).

I really hope it sits better in retrospect / in the context of the completed trilogy (altho I don’t see how Brooks can wrap this in just one book) - but I didn’t feel The Splinter King worked on its own merits; the mini arcs just aren’t developed enough to be satisfying.

Full review

I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[Me, My Shelf, & I · Rating 4 out of 5]

So here's the thing-- this is a very good second entry, but it does suffer from a bit of a pacing problem and I think it's mostly to do with the vast size of the cast. Personally, most fantasy books take me a good 100-200 pages before I'm fully invested in the story and I think that's largely due to setting a backdrop before flying right into the action. With so many storylines slowly building steam, it took me about half the book before I was really feeling it.

But there are so many things happening! And while we do spend less time with my favs from book 1, several other characters get some much needed development and there are definitely more dragons! By the end I was happily switching between POVs as all the storylines had me wanting more.

I'm not 100% sure if this is going to be a trilogy or a longer saga, but Brooks certainly builds on themes in the first book, adds complexity to several plotlines, and packs in the action + intrigue. If you enjoyed the first entry, The Splinter King is certainly worth your while!

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Sarah Aubert · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

I enjoyed Book 2 a little more than 1, but it still suffers from too many perspectives. I continue to enjoy the worldbuilding (though that's never the biggest draw for me when reading) and I'm interested in many of the threads (Darel, Jeya, and Tila especially), but I'd enjoy a tighter story even more. It's hard to care enough about The Golden, even though he's poised to make up most of the conflict in the final volume . Enjoyable, but just a little too expansive for me to fall in love with.

[kathrine · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5

Missing the spark the first one had, and doesn't progress the story in any meaningful way

After being pleasantly surprised by The Black Coast, I was ready to love this one. But for me, this just wasn't enough. I was ready for the plot to really get started, but so much of this felt like filler, and after over a thousand total pages over these two books, I'm shocked that I don't feel like I really know or care about these characters. Not a bad book at all, the world is still great and the action is fun, but this was ultimately a letdown for me.

I don't have too much to say about the plot except that 90% of it felt like filler. Saw somewhere that this is going to be a trilogy, and if so, this suffers from severe middle book syndrome. Some of the events that this ended with, were events that I was expecting at the beginning. All of the characters have their own little sidequests, which I really hope is building up to something in book three, but most of the storylines felt wasted and unimportant to the overall plot. The ending also felt forced, especially with the focus suddenly coming back to the Black Keep after they were absent for most of the book, in a kind of poor attempt to recreate the last battle in the first book. I just think for a sequel, this did next to nothing to advance the story.

In my review of the first book, I didn't have a lot to say about the characters, and I'm sad to say that I still don't. I was expecting to get to know these characters better, but I'm still not invested in them. Sure, I like some of them, like Saana, Daimon, Marin and Zal, but I wouldn't say I'm that invested in them. Each character's chapters are usually short, which makes them much easier to get through and much more action-packed, but the downside to that is that I just couldn't get attached to any of them. Coupled with the fact that each character's "side quest" felt so unimportant, led me to be bored for the majority of this.

Most of my praise of the first book was for the world. The world is still excellent, and I like the differences between these peoples, but it felt like after the freshness and uniqueness of the first book kind of wore off. I'm now used to this world, and as a result, it's not as interesting to me. I don't exactly know how to explain it, but my favorite part about The Black Coat was how it its different cultures and peoples combined with their different world views to create interesting conflict. That was largely absent here, and the dynamic between the Naridans and Tjakorshi people is still here, but underutilized. So, in summary, the best things about the first book just weren't as good in this one. That might be because the uniqueness has worn off for me, or that it doesn't use its strengths as well in this sequel, or a combination of the two.

Overall, this was a disappointment after how much I enjoyed the first book. This isn't a bad book at all, but I think it needed to do more than it did, and these characters are still not living up to their potential. This ends on several cliffhangers, so I'm still going to check out the third one.

[Siavahda · Rating 3 out of 5]

HIGHLIGHTS
~excuse me sir, those are not dragons they are dinosaurs
~‘cease this foolishness and die quietly’ is a Vibe
~a society that meets in secret is a secret society, Marin
~don’t fight ‘well’, fight smart
~libraries are sexy

I really wasn’t sure what to expect from The Splinter King after the ending of book one, The Black Coast (and if you haven’t read Black Coast, please proceed no further, because spoilers!) Now that I’m finished, I’m in two minds about it.

I loved a lot of things about Black Coast, but the worldbuilding was definitely the winner for me: if you’ve been following my reviews at all, it should be clear to you by now that there is no faster way to win my heart than by presenting me with truly excellent worldbuilding. Bonus points if it’s queer. And the God-King Chronicles gets those bonus points.

But The Splinter King is the second book in a series – in a trilogy, actually, according to one interview Brooks gave – which means I’m already familiar with the worldbuilding (bar some new, small bits and pieces introduced here and there). So it had to give me something else to make me love it.

…And it didn’t, really.

It’s a very readable book; I ended up reading about 70% of it in two days. The prose is perfectly pleasant and I liked most of the cast. But for the most part, it kind of felt like nothing really happened. Which is strange, because actually, too much was happening. Where most of the POVs of book one interacted with at least a few of the others – Sanna and Damien and Zhanna were all in Blackcreek, for example – here, they all got spread out. The result felt like every character had their own side-quest – most of which weren’t very interesting and weren’t really all that important to the story – and the book was completely lacking a central plot.

Read the rest at Every Book a Doorway!

[Donna Bull · Rating 4 out of 5]

A terrific follow up to The Black Coast and really moves the series forward in so many interesting ways!! The developments through each of the POV's went to unexpected places and I enjoyed each of them very much. The story picks up right after the events in The Black Coast, Darel has left as Thane of Blackcreek to go to Idramar and faces challenges along the way. His introduction to court life and his feeling completely out of place is understandable and has funny moments, he also finds a new friend and ally in Hiran. Tila continues to try and pick up the pieces after her return but is thwarted in new ways that have deadly consequences. Daimon and Saana deal with an envoy from Darkspur and realize that they are an eminent threat to the peace they have built there. Jeya certainly deals with the most changes and realizations that shakes them right to the core and the results have the potential to affect the entire kingdom. I thoroughly enjoy Mar and Laz's relationship and the trek to find and save the reborn Nari adds some great funny moments. I found this book had much better flow to it and as the events moved along it really keeps you engaged in the story. Part of that may be that I was familiar with each of the different cultures and their speech patterns so that probably helped a lot in the overall enjoyment of the book. I am really hooked on these characters now and really looking forward to the return of the Unmaker and all of these story lines coming together in the next book!!

Thanks to Penguin Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

[Raksha · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of these days, I'll write my reviews on time but I LOVED this book and wanted to put something out before the release day.

The Splinter King is the sequel to The Black Coast which I had really enjoyed reading at the end of last year. Looking back at my review for it, I want to take back the two "quibbles" I had (past me, why do I want to slap you so bad?). I know I was disappointed that there were only non-flying dragons in it. Guess what? We got soo many freaking dragons in The Splinter King that I lost count (I kept imagining them as the dinosaurs from Jurassic Park, bless my heart). Two, I know I was also complaining about the many POVs but I ended up loving all the different parallel storylines we got in The Splinter King. Many things definitely made a lot more sense and the multiple POVs are so justified.
There is also political intrigue, scary dead gods awakening, queer rep, and SO MUCH MORE.

I'll write out a better review over the weekend but READ THIS!!

[Tyra Leann · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 stars.

I do think this book really allowed each narrative thread to hit it's stride. There are 10 POV characters, but many of them intertwine. Overall, I'd say there are three major plot threads to manage with one or two minor ones that I can see converging in book three. I really enjoy the diversity in characters, but it did take me awhile to appreciate it. There are three major settings which are also just as diverse a dark coastal setting that's Norse-inspired, the capital of the Empire where the God-King resides, and the Southern islands.

I'm looking forward to the conclusion in book three and I think if you're a fan of ASOIF and craving something similarly complex and full of political machinations but also dragons, then check this series out.

[Mark Redman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Splinter King is an excellent follow up to the Black Coast. Darel, dragon knight and the new leader of Black Keep, must travel to the palace of the God-King to beg for the lives of his people. But in the capital of Narida, Marin and his warrior husband will be drawn into a palace coup, and Princess Tila will resort to murder to keep her hold on power.

In the far reaches of the kingdom an heir in exile is hunted by assassins, rumours of a rival God-King abound, and daemonic forces from across the seas draw ever nearer.

In the Splinter King, like Black Coast there are multiple POVs, I counted more than six. The majority of characters from the first book are carried over, as well as some new ones introduced. Tila, Darel and Zhanna, were my favourites, Jeya, not so much. The character work by Brooks is just excellent with distinctive voices, which made it an enjoyable and exciting read. Each character story arc links at some point in the plot. All of the characters appear often enough so we don't forget them! The author also uses diacritics to denote gender, Which worked very well.

The world-building was established in the first book Black Coast, it continues to be rich and diverse, fully realised and detailed, although not expanded much in this book.

The plot and story were well done, both gripping and highly entertaining. At a massive 638 pages, I never felt overwhelmed by the size. The pages seemed to turn at a good pace, chapters roughly 10 pages, which made it a fast-paced, absorbing and immersive read.

Overall an excellent series, one that deserves to have a much wider readership. Book three, The God-Breaker out in June is a highly anticipated read.