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The House War #2
City of Night
Demonic activity has escalated in both the Undercity and the mortal surface level city as the worshipers and servants of the Lord of the Hells strive to complete the rituals that will return their god to the mortal realm. As Rath joins with mages and the Twin Kings' agents to wage a secret battle against this nearly unstoppable foe, he gives Jewel Markess and her den of orphans the opportunity to escape the chaos by providing them with a note of introduction to the head of House Terafin, where Jewel will discover her destiny.
467 pages, Hardcover
First published December 17, 2009
60 people are currently reading
685 people want to read
About the author
Michelle West
73 books466 followersSee also:
Michelle Sagara West
Michelle Sagara
Michelle is an author, bookseller, and lover of literature based in Toronto. She writes fantasy novels as both Michelle Sagara and Michelle West (and sometimes as Michelle Sagara West). You can find her books at fine booksellers.
She lives in Toronto with her long-suffering husband and her two children, and to her regret has no dogs.
Reading is one of her life-long passions, and she is sometimes paid for her opinions about what she’s read by the venerable Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. No matter how many bookshelves she buys, there is Never Enough Shelf space. Ever.
She has published as Michelle Sagara (her legal name), as Michelle West (her husband's surname), and as Michelle Sagara West (a combination of the two).
Michelle Sagara West
Michelle Sagara
Michelle is an author, bookseller, and lover of literature based in Toronto. She writes fantasy novels as both Michelle Sagara and Michelle West (and sometimes as Michelle Sagara West). You can find her books at fine booksellers.
She lives in Toronto with her long-suffering husband and her two children, and to her regret has no dogs.
Reading is one of her life-long passions, and she is sometimes paid for her opinions about what she’s read by the venerable Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. No matter how many bookshelves she buys, there is Never Enough Shelf space. Ever.
She has published as Michelle Sagara (her legal name), as Michelle West (her husband's surname), and as Michelle Sagara West (a combination of the two).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews
December 13, 2022
I will not lie to you. This book had me a bit choked up more than once. I can watch the most dramatic of tear-jerker movies without batting an eyelash, but put a heartbreaking moment in a well-written book and I cannot hold them back. At three different moments I *so* want to talk about (but won't because... spoilers) I had to put the book down and grab me some tissues.
The first 2/3 the book was a slow burn similar to The Hidden City. Many of the same characters are here, now three years older. This brings them into their early teens and Michelle West does an excellent job of portraying the dynamic of a household of kids, orphans, all this age living together. They have moved out from living with Rath and have been scraping along by occasionally finding and selling an artifact from the Hidden City. (Or should we now call it the "City of Night"?)
Then the first big bad happens. And the second. Grab the tissues, come back, and now it seems almost like I am reading a different novel. The pacing has changed. The perspectives are often very different. And from here to the end it is almost as if we are reading a different novel. It is still in itself good, but the change is a bit jarring.
While MW's characterization and world-building are excellent, her magic system is not. It's a minor complaint and considering how many more books there are in the series, there is plenty of time to flesh it out better. The only other thing I did not appreciate was her too frequent use of the "d" word. Though I don't curse myself, I don't get all prissy with occasional profanity, but it seemed like every other sentence was "d" this and "d" that. Perhaps it has to do with how she thought a bunch of young teens would talk and think? Either way, it was overdone but a minor issue in comparison with this excellent story.
Now... Where can I get my hands on a copy of House Name?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
2nd read edit.
I think knowing what was going to happen only made this book more emotional. Now that I've read the Sun Sword series and two more books in this one, the anticipation alone gets me choked up. The first time I meet Lefty and Aaron (in book 1) I am almost in tears. The same when Duster takes her birthday present after everyone else is sleeping. And when they decide to go back down even after Rath has warned Jewel... oh my goodness the feels. Michelle West has me so invested in these characters, even the ones I know are going to die.
The first 2/3 the book was a slow burn similar to The Hidden City. Many of the same characters are here, now three years older. This brings them into their early teens and Michelle West does an excellent job of portraying the dynamic of a household of kids, orphans, all this age living together. They have moved out from living with Rath and have been scraping along by occasionally finding and selling an artifact from the Hidden City. (Or should we now call it the "City of Night"?)
Then the first big bad happens. And the second. Grab the tissues, come back, and now it seems almost like I am reading a different novel. The pacing has changed. The perspectives are often very different. And from here to the end it is almost as if we are reading a different novel. It is still in itself good, but the change is a bit jarring.
While MW's characterization and world-building are excellent, her magic system is not. It's a minor complaint and considering how many more books there are in the series, there is plenty of time to flesh it out better. The only other thing I did not appreciate was her too frequent use of the "d" word. Though I don't curse myself, I don't get all prissy with occasional profanity, but it seemed like every other sentence was "d" this and "d" that. Perhaps it has to do with how she thought a bunch of young teens would talk and think? Either way, it was overdone but a minor issue in comparison with this excellent story.
Now... Where can I get my hands on a copy of House Name?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
2nd read edit.
I think knowing what was going to happen only made this book more emotional. Now that I've read the Sun Sword series and two more books in this one, the anticipation alone gets me choked up. The first time I meet Lefty and Aaron (in book 1) I am almost in tears. The same when Duster takes her birthday present after everyone else is sleeping. And when they decide to go back down even after Rath has warned Jewel... oh my goodness the feels. Michelle West has me so invested in these characters, even the ones I know are going to die.
July 29, 2016
One of the most frustrating books that I ever read. It seems that the writer has a penchant for using uncommon words and extra flowery language. What could be said in 10 words she says in a 100. That for me was very frustrating.
The characters keep contemplating the same old thoughts in their heads repeatedly and many times, when they are in difficult situations. In life threatening situations. She also keeps rehashing past events that happen in the same book and yet, a lot of things (especially about magic and demons) remain very unclear. The lack of proper backstory telling clearly lacks here.
She is pretty poor at writing battle scenes and I personally couldn't make head or tale of what the hell was it that she was trying to say.
This is all a pity coz the characters are likeable and I genuinely want to know what happens in the story. Towards the end of the book she redeems herself abut I dearly hope that her writing improves in the subsequent books.
She has a good grasp on writing characters but fails when it comes to their arcs and when it comes to writing about situations that they are in. It is as if she has some checklist of "things that should be in a fantasy novel" and she is desperate to tick them all.
The story is good but no denying the fact that this is a difficult read. The writing remains poor.
The characters keep contemplating the same old thoughts in their heads repeatedly and many times, when they are in difficult situations. In life threatening situations. She also keeps rehashing past events that happen in the same book and yet, a lot of things (especially about magic and demons) remain very unclear. The lack of proper backstory telling clearly lacks here.
She is pretty poor at writing battle scenes and I personally couldn't make head or tale of what the hell was it that she was trying to say.
This is all a pity coz the characters are likeable and I genuinely want to know what happens in the story. Towards the end of the book she redeems herself abut I dearly hope that her writing improves in the subsequent books.
She has a good grasp on writing characters but fails when it comes to their arcs and when it comes to writing about situations that they are in. It is as if she has some checklist of "things that should be in a fantasy novel" and she is desperate to tick them all.
The story is good but no denying the fact that this is a difficult read. The writing remains poor.
October 3, 2025
The words needed to convey what this book means to me; what each line, each word, each framing of thought embodied within each of the characters speaks to my soul are all but lost to the burgeoning waves of grief, loss, and yet understanding that this work has wrought within me. I stand here spellbound, with my mouth wide open, still trying to process what has happened, and the delicately handled nuance behind why it happened. This book did so much in 500+ pages that it felt like I was reading a 1000 page book.
Rath what a character you are. You are the very highlight of this book and a special one at that 😭. I have not seen the concept of Choice been so perfectly explored in a character. His character arc had been one of reminiscence and regret at the choices he made in the past with his sister Amarais and how they parallel what is faced before him in the person of Jewel Markess. The shadows of things he ignored, things he believed he was right and justified in, now hanging bare before him in naked truth and scorn, and thus propelling to make desperate calculated decisions. Decisions that he was told by a seer would lead to certain death. Yet he was not dissuaded. He trudged on ahead with such awareness, felt the fear of it yet discarded it. The dialogues with Jewel in the early chapters were so ominous and I cried so much for what awaited him.
And it's not just his acceptance of his death, but how everything leads up to it. Choice followed him to the point he got to choose how he would die 😭. It was such a masterstroke both narratively and thematically. This is ART in perfection.
This book is so laden with emotional weight. Grief and loss is so well explored. Jewel Oh Jewel I don't even know what to say 😭. Her ideals are challenged in this book. And the very home she struggled to build in book one starts crashing down bit by bit 😭
I could hear the echoes of the dialogue she had with Rath in the stone garden in Book one. Where he told her she can't save everyone. And she'll try and fail 😭. I felt so bad for her, for her den. Everything was falling apart. They were dying 😭 and she could do nothing.
This book offers so much insight into themes of power. And not power from a political standpoint, but a different kind of power, an ethereal and otherworldly one, the unique beauty within the power to alter civilizations and bring an age to an end. It is devastating. But that devastation is the beauty to those who wield such power. The narrative also meanders into history and how time affects us. It has tentacles stretched wide to host myriads of themes I'll even forget to list out were I to make such an attempt.
And so here I am at the end of this review still surrounded with the energetic fluctuations in my soul this book left me with. City of Night is definitely tied with Ships of Merior as my best second entry into a series. I have been entranced in wonder like no other
Rath what a character you are. You are the very highlight of this book and a special one at that 😭. I have not seen the concept of Choice been so perfectly explored in a character. His character arc had been one of reminiscence and regret at the choices he made in the past with his sister Amarais and how they parallel what is faced before him in the person of Jewel Markess. The shadows of things he ignored, things he believed he was right and justified in, now hanging bare before him in naked truth and scorn, and thus propelling to make desperate calculated decisions. Decisions that he was told by a seer would lead to certain death. Yet he was not dissuaded. He trudged on ahead with such awareness, felt the fear of it yet discarded it. The dialogues with Jewel in the early chapters were so ominous and I cried so much for what awaited him.
And it's not just his acceptance of his death, but how everything leads up to it. Choice followed him to the point he got to choose how he would die 😭. It was such a masterstroke both narratively and thematically. This is ART in perfection.
This book is so laden with emotional weight. Grief and loss is so well explored. Jewel Oh Jewel I don't even know what to say 😭. Her ideals are challenged in this book. And the very home she struggled to build in book one starts crashing down bit by bit 😭
I could hear the echoes of the dialogue she had with Rath in the stone garden in Book one. Where he told her she can't save everyone. And she'll try and fail 😭. I felt so bad for her, for her den. Everything was falling apart. They were dying 😭 and she could do nothing.
This book offers so much insight into themes of power. And not power from a political standpoint, but a different kind of power, an ethereal and otherworldly one, the unique beauty within the power to alter civilizations and bring an age to an end. It is devastating. But that devastation is the beauty to those who wield such power. The narrative also meanders into history and how time affects us. It has tentacles stretched wide to host myriads of themes I'll even forget to list out were I to make such an attempt.
And so here I am at the end of this review still surrounded with the energetic fluctuations in my soul this book left me with. City of Night is definitely tied with Ships of Merior as my best second entry into a series. I have been entranced in wonder like no other
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 27, 2019
Well. That was terrible.
CITY OF NIGHT picks up three years after the events of THE HIDDEN CITY. Jewel and her camaraderie still eek out an existence in the lower holdings of the City, supporting themselves by selling artifacts from the undercity when necessary and avoiding confrontations with rival gangs. However, something's wrong with the undercity; it's collapsing more and more as of late, and something even more dangerous lurks in its dark streets. Jewel needs to do something to ensure the safety of her den, and time--and money--is running out.
Up until about page 320~, CITY OF NIGHT was an adequate sequel to THE HIDDEN CITY. As a book it wasn't very good--the plot moves slower than molasses, the first sixty pages were wasted on introducing a brand new character who’s boring as shit, the most compelling element of the first book, Jewel and Rath’s relationship, was entirely absent, it’s repetitive as all get-out, and most of the conflict only existed because one of the main characters abject refusal to communicate with anyone else--but fantasy sequels are rarely "good" in the traditional sense. Second books in a series have to set up a deeper story without the advantage of a satisfying endpoint, which is difficult for even great fantasy authors to manage.
After slogging through two hundred pages of internal whining, the story even started to perk up a bit. Mainly because my favorite character, Rath, finally had a POV chapter, and Rath can evaluate even the worst material. Nonetheless, it was improving, and I looked forward to whatever twists West was going to throw at us.
Then the book loses its shit.
Judging from other reviews, CITY OF NIGHT ties into some of Michelle West’s other works. Nothing wrong with having a shared universe, but I suspect West completely forgot she hadn’t actually set up most of said universe in this series, particularly its magical and religious systems. The story begins as a low fantasy where magic and gods exist, yes, but in small and subtle ways. Cue a smash cut to some half-baked epic of gods, demons, and their eternal warfare. Who needs intricate political powerplays when previously unmentioned deities can show up, narrate the rest of the book to the main characters, and forcefully lead them off into an equally previously unestablished magical war?
Even if I had read the other books by West and better understood what was happening, the battle doesn’t work in this novel. The first two-thirds of CITY OF NIGHT are a slow burn, where Jewel and her “den” from the first book are forced to realized they can’t live off the streets of both the undercity and the poverty-stricken over-City for much longer. I assumed, foolishly, this was building to the den transitioning from a group of child-thieves to infiltrating the rich and powerful elite of the City; putting them in greater danger from demons, yes, but ensuring their survival, nonetheless. The book hinted at a greater conflict happening behind the scenes, yes, but I assumed it was set up for events to unfold in the next seven books. Not whatever the fuck the Great Hunt was trying to be, at any rate.
Technically, the book ended exactly where I thought it would. The final seventy pages even managed to redeem some of the bloated and convoluted mess tying down the rest of the novel. Will I continue reading the rest of the series? Maybe, if only because I want to know what really happened to (spoilers).
CITY OF NIGHT picks up three years after the events of THE HIDDEN CITY. Jewel and her camaraderie still eek out an existence in the lower holdings of the City, supporting themselves by selling artifacts from the undercity when necessary and avoiding confrontations with rival gangs. However, something's wrong with the undercity; it's collapsing more and more as of late, and something even more dangerous lurks in its dark streets. Jewel needs to do something to ensure the safety of her den, and time--and money--is running out.
Up until about page 320~, CITY OF NIGHT was an adequate sequel to THE HIDDEN CITY. As a book it wasn't very good--the plot moves slower than molasses, the first sixty pages were wasted on introducing a brand new character who’s boring as shit, the most compelling element of the first book, Jewel and Rath’s relationship, was entirely absent, it’s repetitive as all get-out, and most of the conflict only existed because one of the main characters abject refusal to communicate with anyone else--but fantasy sequels are rarely "good" in the traditional sense. Second books in a series have to set up a deeper story without the advantage of a satisfying endpoint, which is difficult for even great fantasy authors to manage.
After slogging through two hundred pages of internal whining, the story even started to perk up a bit. Mainly because my favorite character, Rath, finally had a POV chapter, and Rath can evaluate even the worst material. Nonetheless, it was improving, and I looked forward to whatever twists West was going to throw at us.
Then the book loses its shit.
Judging from other reviews, CITY OF NIGHT ties into some of Michelle West’s other works. Nothing wrong with having a shared universe, but I suspect West completely forgot she hadn’t actually set up most of said universe in this series, particularly its magical and religious systems. The story begins as a low fantasy where magic and gods exist, yes, but in small and subtle ways. Cue a smash cut to some half-baked epic of gods, demons, and their eternal warfare. Who needs intricate political powerplays when previously unmentioned deities can show up, narrate the rest of the book to the main characters, and forcefully lead them off into an equally previously unestablished magical war?
Even if I had read the other books by West and better understood what was happening, the battle doesn’t work in this novel. The first two-thirds of CITY OF NIGHT are a slow burn, where Jewel and her “den” from the first book are forced to realized they can’t live off the streets of both the undercity and the poverty-stricken over-City for much longer. I assumed, foolishly, this was building to the den transitioning from a group of child-thieves to infiltrating the rich and powerful elite of the City; putting them in greater danger from demons, yes, but ensuring their survival, nonetheless. The book hinted at a greater conflict happening behind the scenes, yes, but I assumed it was set up for events to unfold in the next seven books. Not whatever the fuck the Great Hunt was trying to be, at any rate.
Technically, the book ended exactly where I thought it would. The final seventy pages even managed to redeem some of the bloated and convoluted mess tying down the rest of the novel. Will I continue reading the rest of the series? Maybe, if only because I want to know what really happened to (spoilers).
March 3, 2010
While I liked this book, I marked it down from the 4 stars that the writing deserves because, yet again, it is in many ways a fuller more detailed retelling of events in Hunters Death. I guess West could be saying that people might be coming into this series of books without having read the Hunter duology or the Sun Sword quinotology and need background. In essence, if you do read the second Hunter book, the character of Jay is foisted onto the story (and clearly needed its own story), but some authors may have handled that with a 10 page forward of the events before or if need be in one book, however, West wrote two very large volumes to cover essentially the same ground as this reader travelled in her earlier books. So although old readers of West have read about these events once before, maybe these books are for the benefit of new fans, and West wants to fully flesh out the characters in the duology who were kind of more postage stamp characters in the first set of books, namely Rath, Duster, Angel, and the Mages.
If you like West, or if you have never read her earlier books, and were coming into this fresh, these descriptions and the story of the early beginnings of the demon war is actually very well written. Rath is a very honorable guy.
However, if you come into these books after having read the Sun Sword, expecting West to advance the plot of Jay's battle for control of the House and actually interaction with her domicis and becoming what she is, I think again you will be disappointed,
If you like West, or if you have never read her earlier books, and were coming into this fresh, these descriptions and the story of the early beginnings of the demon war is actually very well written. Rath is a very honorable guy.
However, if you come into these books after having read the Sun Sword, expecting West to advance the plot of Jay's battle for control of the House and actually interaction with her domicis and becoming what she is, I think again you will be disappointed,
August 19, 2021
Per my rules: if a book makes me cry physical tears, it’s a five star book.
June 12, 2023
Actual Rating: 3.75
Read
May 20, 2023I felt like this one really dragged in the middle, but I sped up the audio a fair bit for the ending and go back into it so hard I went and started book 3 right after.
July 17, 2013
"It was okay."
It pains me to go so low for this one when The Hidden City was a near-5, but as always, I strictly go by the Goodreads definitions of each rating, and "okay" is as far as I can go for City of Night.
I loved The Hidden City. I especially loved the mystery of the demons, the relationship between Rath and Jewel, and the relationship between Jewel and Duster. The last hundred pages of that book were intense and full of a lot of crazy shit that didn't get fully addressed by the abrupt ending. Duster being offered a place in Hell by the demons to commit to how far gone her soul was, Jewel being raped by Waverly, and Rath's survivor's guilt over having let it happen. I was so looking forward to delving into the continuation of that stuff, but now only did City of Night dance around and never quite address any of it, it was also just sort of a clumsy, awkwardly told story, crammed tight with threads of too many different stories to carry its own weight.
And ultimately, I think that's why City of Night is a bit of a disaster. This series is being written as a tie-in to not just one, but two of the author's Michelle West series. It's a pure prequel to the Sun Crown novels and a concurrent narrative with the Sacred Hunt novels, and while The Hidden City felt like it totally merited existing and stood well on it own, I am pretty sure that City of Night is just a clusterfuck of trying to tie in to about 13 books that I have never personally read. Which would have been fine if not for the fact that I am reading this series in the author's recommended reading order. Michelle Sagara West herself says that you should skip the Sacred Hunt books altogether, which is bullshit, because the death of a major character in this book is a baffling sequence that seems to come out a difference book altogether ... which it does. The Sacred Hunt books that I was supposed to be skipping.
I'm frustrated mostly because I genuinely love the characters of this book and this series. Jewel, Sigurne, Duster, Rath, and the den kids are all wonderful characters who I love. There were a lot of deaths of major characters in this book and they really got to me. The last three pages had me bawling as Finch and Jester surveyed where they were and what they had left and tried to make sense of it. But so much of the book was a slog to get through because I felt like I was repeatedly just reading things that were a big winking reference to things I didn't understand -- which one again wouldn't bother me if this wasn't the author's goddamn recommended reading order.
It's not that I don't love the characters and events of this book for what they are. It's that I'm angry that these characters and this story that I'm invested in are having their time in the spotlight wasted by like, the Wild Hunt and Evayne and Meralonne APhaniel, whatever the hell is up with him. And worse, I didn't know what was relevant to this story and what was meant to expand on a different one, so I could never tell whether or not something was important!
This is what I get from reading in chronological rather than published order, I guess. I don't know if I'll read House Name next ... it might be better for me to just jump to The Broken Crown and go from there. I don't think I can deal with being this frustrated again. This book deserves a lot more than this amount of stars and this negative a review but it's impossible to judge it in a greater whole that I haven't read because --
-- AGAIN --
-- I was going in the author's goddamn recommended reading order instead of following my own common fucking sense!
Duster, I love you so much, you deserved so much better.
(Also, what the FUCK is up with Angel?)
It pains me to go so low for this one when The Hidden City was a near-5, but as always, I strictly go by the Goodreads definitions of each rating, and "okay" is as far as I can go for City of Night.
I loved The Hidden City. I especially loved the mystery of the demons, the relationship between Rath and Jewel, and the relationship between Jewel and Duster. The last hundred pages of that book were intense and full of a lot of crazy shit that didn't get fully addressed by the abrupt ending. Duster being offered a place in Hell by the demons to commit to how far gone her soul was, Jewel being raped by Waverly, and Rath's survivor's guilt over having let it happen. I was so looking forward to delving into the continuation of that stuff, but now only did City of Night dance around and never quite address any of it, it was also just sort of a clumsy, awkwardly told story, crammed tight with threads of too many different stories to carry its own weight.
And ultimately, I think that's why City of Night is a bit of a disaster. This series is being written as a tie-in to not just one, but two of the author's Michelle West series. It's a pure prequel to the Sun Crown novels and a concurrent narrative with the Sacred Hunt novels, and while The Hidden City felt like it totally merited existing and stood well on it own, I am pretty sure that City of Night is just a clusterfuck of trying to tie in to about 13 books that I have never personally read. Which would have been fine if not for the fact that I am reading this series in the author's recommended reading order. Michelle Sagara West herself says that you should skip the Sacred Hunt books altogether, which is bullshit, because the death of a major character in this book is a baffling sequence that seems to come out a difference book altogether ... which it does. The Sacred Hunt books that I was supposed to be skipping.
I'm frustrated mostly because I genuinely love the characters of this book and this series. Jewel, Sigurne, Duster, Rath, and the den kids are all wonderful characters who I love. There were a lot of deaths of major characters in this book and they really got to me. The last three pages had me bawling as Finch and Jester surveyed where they were and what they had left and tried to make sense of it. But so much of the book was a slog to get through because I felt like I was repeatedly just reading things that were a big winking reference to things I didn't understand -- which one again wouldn't bother me if this wasn't the author's goddamn recommended reading order.
It's not that I don't love the characters and events of this book for what they are. It's that I'm angry that these characters and this story that I'm invested in are having their time in the spotlight wasted by like, the Wild Hunt and Evayne and Meralonne APhaniel, whatever the hell is up with him. And worse, I didn't know what was relevant to this story and what was meant to expand on a different one, so I could never tell whether or not something was important!
This is what I get from reading in chronological rather than published order, I guess. I don't know if I'll read House Name next ... it might be better for me to just jump to The Broken Crown and go from there. I don't think I can deal with being this frustrated again. This book deserves a lot more than this amount of stars and this negative a review but it's impossible to judge it in a greater whole that I haven't read because --
-- AGAIN --
-- I was going in the author's goddamn recommended reading order instead of following my own common fucking sense!
Duster, I love you so much, you deserved so much better.
(Also, what the FUCK is up with Angel?)
November 2, 2011
I'll probably never finish this one, so I'll just mark it here. First grievance--they didn't list it as being the second book in a series ("A House Wars Novel" means to me it takes place within a certain world, but isn't necessarily a consecutive book in a series). So, that made it hard, from the very start, to understand the story & characters.
Secondly--this book starts with a really interesting tale about a boy seeking revenge. The style of the writing was intriguing, slightly detached, and felt very much like a short story, and it wasn't truely resolved. Since it didn't resemble the book's description, I was a bit confused, but still enjoyed it.
But then it merged into the main story. And this boy became a nothing background character in a typical orphan kids' street gang, with somebody else as the main protagonist. And the story completely stalled out--all it seemed to be was this other character going back and forth between places, without ever a good reason for doing why, or moving the story forward. Pretty mundane stuff; the threat was not threatening, and the writing became dull.
And after the initial interesting start, it was very flat. And made me fall asleep while reading it. Which I don't usually do, as a rule. (And I'm a fast reader, so I should have been able to finish it quickly, and I couldn't do that, either.)
Secondly--this book starts with a really interesting tale about a boy seeking revenge. The style of the writing was intriguing, slightly detached, and felt very much like a short story, and it wasn't truely resolved. Since it didn't resemble the book's description, I was a bit confused, but still enjoyed it.
But then it merged into the main story. And this boy became a nothing background character in a typical orphan kids' street gang, with somebody else as the main protagonist. And the story completely stalled out--all it seemed to be was this other character going back and forth between places, without ever a good reason for doing why, or moving the story forward. Pretty mundane stuff; the threat was not threatening, and the writing became dull.
And after the initial interesting start, it was very flat. And made me fall asleep while reading it. Which I don't usually do, as a rule. (And I'm a fast reader, so I should have been able to finish it quickly, and I couldn't do that, either.)
February 9, 2022
I have to say I am not willing to finish this book. It feels like depression porn: you know everyone is doomed, and will probably die, slowly over the course of the book, and all you can do is hold on. I'm not willing to stay on this ride.
December 28, 2012
Loved it. It's 2 am and I'm going to buy the next book right now and start reading it..
January 25, 2021
3.5
This is a strange series for me because there’s a lot of things about the prose and pacing I don’t particularly like, but I still find the series addictive and am eager to read the next one. And this immediate need is more than I can say for a lot of books that I thought were more tightly and better written. So it’s hard for me to rate.
Pros:
Main characters: I really like Jewel and Duster and Rath, and want to spend more time with them and for them to succeed (well, just Jewel now). I am very invested in Jewel’s growth and how all of her, mostly traumatic, experiences have shaped her, and I want to know how the radically different Terafin House will further mold her. I also admire how despite everything she does want to do good.
Emotional stakes: Even if I didn’t care about some of the side characters who died too much (i.e. Fisher, Lander, Lefty to some extent), I still somewhat cared solely because Jewel and the rest of the den cared so deeply. And Duster’s death made me simultaneously sad but proud of how much she’s grown. I’m glad Rath was able to make his choice and make a difference.
Atmosphere: While the pacing is sometimes off, when it’s on it can have an extremely effective atmosphere. Creeping horror as Jewel and Duster are almost trapped in the under city, or as children just disappear. The intensity of the dreams. The awe of beings so much more powerful than man, and what they leave behind. She’s good (sometimes) at evoking emotion from me.
No time wasted on unnecessary romance plots! It’s unbelievably refreshing, honestly.
Cons:
Pacing: The first 14% of the book, according to Kindle, was prologue. It took over an hour to read. That’s ridiculous. It was all backstory for a brand new character, which was annoying when I wanted to read about all the characters who I got invested in from the first book, and then it didn’t really pay off to anything by the end. Angel was just sort of absorbed into the den and then didn’t do a ton. Presumably it will pay off more next book? But it was ridiculous. There was also a bunch of repetition and spelling out characters feelings and emotions to an absurd degree, but that was similar to the first book and I kind of got used to it.
Side characters: While some of the side characters, like Sigurne and the Terafine House mage, were good, a lot of the ones I feel like I was supposed to be invested in, like the aforementioned Fisher and Lander and Lefty, were just kind of there. A lot of the den blended together in the background, until they were killed off, and honestly part of me was kind of thankful they were killed off because there were fewer members I had to remember and the ones I actually cared about survived (read: Carver, Finch, Arann; the only exception was Duster). I only felt bad because characters I actually cared about felt bad, not because they died in and of itself. Even now the only things I know about Jester are his tragic backstory (and even then, nothing about his family) and that he cracks jokes. That’s it. The only den-killing I was truly sad about was Duster, and I’d argue she was more a main character than a side character based on the POV time she got. That’s probably the reason I was sad, honestly.
Lastly, there are an awful lot of schemers who are extremely observant and very good at hiding all their feelings while expounding upon how observant they are and how they are hiding their feelings and sometimes it gets tiring.
As I said, though, despite all of the above I am extremely invested in Jewel and her story and her growth and changes and I am therefore going to continue this series way faster than I have others. What can I say, I like her found family and their unconditional loyalty to each other and Jewel, and am curious where they will go. Also curious about Amarais now that she’s finally appeared in the story. RIP Duster.
This is a strange series for me because there’s a lot of things about the prose and pacing I don’t particularly like, but I still find the series addictive and am eager to read the next one. And this immediate need is more than I can say for a lot of books that I thought were more tightly and better written. So it’s hard for me to rate.
Pros:
Main characters: I really like Jewel and Duster and Rath, and want to spend more time with them and for them to succeed (well, just Jewel now). I am very invested in Jewel’s growth and how all of her, mostly traumatic, experiences have shaped her, and I want to know how the radically different Terafin House will further mold her. I also admire how despite everything she does want to do good.
Emotional stakes: Even if I didn’t care about some of the side characters who died too much (i.e. Fisher, Lander, Lefty to some extent), I still somewhat cared solely because Jewel and the rest of the den cared so deeply. And Duster’s death made me simultaneously sad but proud of how much she’s grown. I’m glad Rath was able to make his choice and make a difference.
Atmosphere: While the pacing is sometimes off, when it’s on it can have an extremely effective atmosphere. Creeping horror as Jewel and Duster are almost trapped in the under city, or as children just disappear. The intensity of the dreams. The awe of beings so much more powerful than man, and what they leave behind. She’s good (sometimes) at evoking emotion from me.
No time wasted on unnecessary romance plots! It’s unbelievably refreshing, honestly.
Cons:
Pacing: The first 14% of the book, according to Kindle, was prologue. It took over an hour to read. That’s ridiculous. It was all backstory for a brand new character, which was annoying when I wanted to read about all the characters who I got invested in from the first book, and then it didn’t really pay off to anything by the end. Angel was just sort of absorbed into the den and then didn’t do a ton. Presumably it will pay off more next book? But it was ridiculous. There was also a bunch of repetition and spelling out characters feelings and emotions to an absurd degree, but that was similar to the first book and I kind of got used to it.
Side characters: While some of the side characters, like Sigurne and the Terafine House mage, were good, a lot of the ones I feel like I was supposed to be invested in, like the aforementioned Fisher and Lander and Lefty, were just kind of there. A lot of the den blended together in the background, until they were killed off, and honestly part of me was kind of thankful they were killed off because there were fewer members I had to remember and the ones I actually cared about survived (read: Carver, Finch, Arann; the only exception was Duster). I only felt bad because characters I actually cared about felt bad, not because they died in and of itself. Even now the only things I know about Jester are his tragic backstory (and even then, nothing about his family) and that he cracks jokes. That’s it. The only den-killing I was truly sad about was Duster, and I’d argue she was more a main character than a side character based on the POV time she got. That’s probably the reason I was sad, honestly.
Lastly, there are an awful lot of schemers who are extremely observant and very good at hiding all their feelings while expounding upon how observant they are and how they are hiding their feelings and sometimes it gets tiring.
As I said, though, despite all of the above I am extremely invested in Jewel and her story and her growth and changes and I am therefore going to continue this series way faster than I have others. What can I say, I like her found family and their unconditional loyalty to each other and Jewel, and am curious where they will go. Also curious about Amarais now that she’s finally appeared in the story. RIP Duster.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 14, 2025
This book, like the first, is well written but lacks a strong plot. Instead, we get hints of magic and great power that we only know a little about. It's a character-centered novel, where we follow Jay and her den, along with a few key members of the society they live in.
Jay or Jewel is the head of the den. In this book, instead of gathering homeless children, she tries to teach and care for the ones she gathered in book 1. The den live alone, instead of with Rath, and Jay consults Rath a few times. He warns them to stay out of the undercity but they are drawn to it to try and find artifacts to buy food. After the loss of two den members in the undercity (Fisher and Lefty), the group try to steal to eat. They have so little food, clothing, and bedding but they are strongly loyal to each other. Then two big events drive them to seek help.
At one point, Jay and Duster find a mysterious grand room in the undercity. They are trapped inside but Duster calls for divine help to escape. This is our first big hint of greater magic. Then, in the later part of the novel, Rath (Ararath) is trapped by someone with powerful magic and realizes he cannot win against the demons. .
Then, a counterfeit Rath appears, but Jay knows it's not their Rath. The children battle against demons and lose two more of their number (Lander and Duster). Arann is nearly killed so the den take him to the ATerafin, a powerful, wealthy leader. They talk with Sigurne (Ararath's sister) as well as other powerful people: Meralonne APhaniel, and Ellerson. The healer Alowan is able to bring Arann back from the brink of death. Suddenly, the den has food, warm baths, soft beds. But it is clear a battle with demons is coming.
I like the prose, as well as many of the characters. The author gives them much depth. But the pace of this novel is very slow.
Jay or Jewel is the head of the den. In this book, instead of gathering homeless children, she tries to teach and care for the ones she gathered in book 1. The den live alone, instead of with Rath, and Jay consults Rath a few times. He warns them to stay out of the undercity but they are drawn to it to try and find artifacts to buy food. After the loss of two den members in the undercity (Fisher and Lefty), the group try to steal to eat. They have so little food, clothing, and bedding but they are strongly loyal to each other. Then two big events drive them to seek help.
At one point, Jay and Duster find a mysterious grand room in the undercity. They are trapped inside but Duster calls for divine help to escape. This is our first big hint of greater magic. Then, in the later part of the novel, Rath (Ararath) is trapped by someone with powerful magic and realizes he cannot win against the demons. .
Then, a counterfeit Rath appears, but Jay knows it's not their Rath. The children battle against demons and lose two more of their number (Lander and Duster). Arann is nearly killed so the den take him to the ATerafin, a powerful, wealthy leader. They talk with Sigurne (Ararath's sister) as well as other powerful people: Meralonne APhaniel, and Ellerson. The healer Alowan is able to bring Arann back from the brink of death. Suddenly, the den has food, warm baths, soft beds. But it is clear a battle with demons is coming.
I like the prose, as well as many of the characters. The author gives them much depth. But the pace of this novel is very slow.
April 20, 2024
Well, at least one of my quibbles from the Sunsword series was answered.
I had always wondered how it was that Rath's knowledge of Jay's seerness wasn't understood by the Kin once they took over his body. Now it has been explained. Of course, how it is that the Handernesse family got a ring with a Winter spell on it without having an obligation to Winter is still up in the air. Oh well, I shall be satisfied with the quelling of my curiosity for now.
I also got affirmation that A'Phaniel isn't human. At least, Sigurne also doesn't think he's human. So I wonder what he is? A kialli that didn't go with the Lord to the Hells? Something else? He's not godborn. He's not a god. But then again, what are the kialli? They aren't gods or godborn either. Are they the equivalent to the riders that ride along with Winter? Some sort of in between existence? The cosmology of this world is so complicated.
This book was not as annoying as the prior book, I think it's just that West is better at writing adult characters than she is at writing child characters. Or rather, she's fine at writing taciturn children, but not very good at writing bellicose children. She can hide a lot of unnatural behavior or thinking in silence.
This book ended in a particularly poignant scene between Finch and Jester that brought him into life as a character. I felt that Lander and Fisher never really got developed, they kind of only existed to get killed off. But seeing how Jester reacted to their loss, as well as to the loss of Duster and Lefty, made the tragedy more apparent than even Jay's anger and silence and guilt. I thought it was an excellent scene to end with.
My one complaint is about digital libraries. Why don't they have all of a series? I keep having to bounce around libraries to try and get all of this series. It's annoying.
I had always wondered how it was that Rath's knowledge of Jay's seerness wasn't understood by the Kin once they took over his body. Now it has been explained. Of course, how it is that the Handernesse family got a ring with a Winter spell on it without having an obligation to Winter is still up in the air. Oh well, I shall be satisfied with the quelling of my curiosity for now.
I also got affirmation that A'Phaniel isn't human. At least, Sigurne also doesn't think he's human. So I wonder what he is? A kialli that didn't go with the Lord to the Hells? Something else? He's not godborn. He's not a god. But then again, what are the kialli? They aren't gods or godborn either. Are they the equivalent to the riders that ride along with Winter? Some sort of in between existence? The cosmology of this world is so complicated.
This book was not as annoying as the prior book, I think it's just that West is better at writing adult characters than she is at writing child characters. Or rather, she's fine at writing taciturn children, but not very good at writing bellicose children. She can hide a lot of unnatural behavior or thinking in silence.
This book ended in a particularly poignant scene between Finch and Jester that brought him into life as a character. I felt that Lander and Fisher never really got developed, they kind of only existed to get killed off. But seeing how Jester reacted to their loss, as well as to the loss of Duster and Lefty, made the tragedy more apparent than even Jay's anger and silence and guilt. I thought it was an excellent scene to end with.
My one complaint is about digital libraries. Why don't they have all of a series? I keep having to bounce around libraries to try and get all of this series. It's annoying.
April 10, 2024
I loved the first book, so I was chomping at the bit to dive into this one.
Initially, I was taken aback at the seemingly completely irrelevant and unconnected prologue, but I trusted West, and by the end, I thought I could see where things were headed and why she started where she did. (For the record, I was proved correct.)
Slow to start, this installment took some time to generate momentum. Several of the events began back in book one culminated here, which was satisfying from a storytelling perspective if nothing else. However, I felt I had to wait awhile for my patience to be rewarded. Perhaps if I hadn’t been so completely absorbed by the story I might have been able to judiciously gauge the actual pacing and possibly enjoy any finesse shown in telling the story. But since I was greedy for answers and plot revelations, I was barreling through as fast as I could.
Imagine my stupefaction when I ran into the metaphorical brick wall of the rather abrupt ending. Though there are not any seriously imminent events in train that need to be immediately resolved by the end, there are still plenty of things left up in the air for the end of this book to be satisfying. If you love the series, be warned that you need to prepare yourself for that mentally. Or else have book three waiting. :)
Initially, I was taken aback at the seemingly completely irrelevant and unconnected prologue, but I trusted West, and by the end, I thought I could see where things were headed and why she started where she did. (For the record, I was proved correct.)
Slow to start, this installment took some time to generate momentum. Several of the events began back in book one culminated here, which was satisfying from a storytelling perspective if nothing else. However, I felt I had to wait awhile for my patience to be rewarded. Perhaps if I hadn’t been so completely absorbed by the story I might have been able to judiciously gauge the actual pacing and possibly enjoy any finesse shown in telling the story. But since I was greedy for answers and plot revelations, I was barreling through as fast as I could.
Imagine my stupefaction when I ran into the metaphorical brick wall of the rather abrupt ending. Though there are not any seriously imminent events in train that need to be immediately resolved by the end, there are still plenty of things left up in the air for the end of this book to be satisfying. If you love the series, be warned that you need to prepare yourself for that mentally. Or else have book three waiting. :)
February 6, 2018
I'm really enjoying this series - don't be fooled by my slow read-time on this... I've been insanely busy this last week, but I'm carrying my kindle everywhere with me, to steal snatches of time to read every time I get a chance.
The opening was a bit of a slog - we're introduced to a new character in an extended prologue, and I feel like spending that much time focused only on Angel was ... unnecessary. The couple key bits of info we got - where he's from, the mission he's on, that the god-born believe there is a great and terrible war coming - were sparse enough that I wasn't sure it was worth the time. We could have gotten all that, and met with Angel, in a much smaller chunk of the book, that let the other characters play as well. Especially given that 3 years had passed since the previous book, I'd just rather have gotten some fill-in of that time, instead.
But that's my only quibble.
I cried, I laughed, ... but honestly, mostly I cried. Lots of horrible things happened in this book. This world is headed down a dark, dark path.
I'm very interested to see Jay develop her abilities, because they seemed to come up short for her a lot in this book. But I'm already partway into the next, so hopefully I'll see some training soon.
The opening was a bit of a slog - we're introduced to a new character in an extended prologue, and I feel like spending that much time focused only on Angel was ... unnecessary. The couple key bits of info we got - where he's from, the mission he's on, that the god-born believe there is a great and terrible war coming - were sparse enough that I wasn't sure it was worth the time. We could have gotten all that, and met with Angel, in a much smaller chunk of the book, that let the other characters play as well. Especially given that 3 years had passed since the previous book, I'd just rather have gotten some fill-in of that time, instead.
But that's my only quibble.
I cried, I laughed, ... but honestly, mostly I cried. Lots of horrible things happened in this book. This world is headed down a dark, dark path.
I'm very interested to see Jay develop her abilities, because they seemed to come up short for her a lot in this book. But I'm already partway into the next, so hopefully I'll see some training soon.
October 18, 2024
She is a wonderful author, and I've read her books under both of her names, West and Sagara. I couldn't put this one down, but I don't think that I will read the next one, or the ones after that. It's too Dark for my tastes. I was born shortly after WW II, and grew up in the 50s and 60s. I've seen and experienced more than enough Dark in my life, that I don't need or want more. Still I would recommend this book to anyone to try. For comparison, In my opinion, it isn't as dark as The Game of Throne.
November 16, 2019
This book wasn't as fun as the previous book, but we see Rath making his choice leading up to the events of The Sacred Hunt Duology. Other than that, this book is a rather slow burn, but it did feel a little repetitive.
2.5/5 stars - not keen to continue with this series.
2.5/5 stars - not keen to continue with this series.
October 29, 2021
3.5ish (first 100 or so pages 2 but by end felt like a 5)
This book was a really slow start but it definitely picked up about halfway through. This is not a happy fantasy but it manages to avoid veering into the grimdark area, which I appreciate. West does an excellent job of really highlighting the stark difference (and distance) between the rich and poor, something that I feel a lot of fantasy authors struggle with.
This book was a really slow start but it definitely picked up about halfway through. This is not a happy fantasy but it manages to avoid veering into the grimdark area, which I appreciate. West does an excellent job of really highlighting the stark difference (and distance) between the rich and poor, something that I feel a lot of fantasy authors struggle with.
December 31, 2021
OMG this book *-* The found family trope that I adore so much is explosive in this one! It's the main driving force! This book is full of loss and yet hope for the future, but not in the way that everyone wants or expects.
It's a great continuation from the first book with demons running wild and children suddenly disappearing without a trace.
There are so many strands for future installments that need exploring, there are plenty of unpredictable paths this could take.
It's a great continuation from the first book with demons running wild and children suddenly disappearing without a trace.
There are so many strands for future installments that need exploring, there are plenty of unpredictable paths this could take.
September 14, 2019
Good plot, great world building.
Great read, a survivors tale about a group of young people who find and save each other. They survive the elements, starvation and abuse and then they encounter demons.
Great read, a survivors tale about a group of young people who find and save each other. They survive the elements, starvation and abuse and then they encounter demons.
September 25, 2019
Slow burn the tension ratchets up slowly. Felt a bit weird how slowly things moved after the events of the first novel. It keeps up the mixture of the mundane world of the orphans with elevated world of magic and otherworldly beings.
December 8, 2020
I love Jay’s den
This is one of the slowest reads of the series, but I still loved this one. Since this is the second time I’ve read it, i knew this when I picked it up, but I still enjoyed it as a stepping stone to the other books in the series and in this universe.
This is one of the slowest reads of the series, but I still loved this one. Since this is the second time I’ve read it, i knew this when I picked it up, but I still enjoyed it as a stepping stone to the other books in the series and in this universe.
March 21, 2022
This book took a really long time to get moving, it meandered here and meandered there. And then some bad stuff happened but it still meandered around, before finishing with extreme drama and sadness.
November 24, 2024
Oh man. This one was so hard, even though you KNOW what's coming if you read the Sun Sword series. Beautifully written, and well plotted, this installation brought so much depth to characters I'd already fallen in love with. Can't wait to watch the den rise from here on out!
Definitely read it.
Definitely read it.
June 4, 2019
It made me cry for all of the den mates.
Felt concern for Old Roth and how even he touched other. A very moving book. I will read the series.
Felt concern for Old Roth and how even he touched other. A very moving book. I will read the series.
April 30, 2020
Good sequel to the first in the series. Just as complex & magical.
December 11, 2020
it is hard to rate I find the storey a bit slow and yet engaging - three stars. The characters well developed and compelling so four stars.
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