Charlie has such a spectacular vision and I love losing myself in her fabulous worlds of fantasy.

This is the second book in the Numina Trio so if you haven’t read book 1...stop...go back...devour...now proceed.

I’m totally engrossed of this world of magic and monsters. On the edge of my seat wondering how they will stop the rising darkness and escape this smog laden town full of misery.

Jaw dropping ending in a gloriously cliffy fashion but the ride is more than worth the wait.

Sandis finds herself in the care of her rich Uncle Tabor, the same uncle who originally sold her to Kazen. She struggles with this knowledge and with Rone's betrayal. She struggles with knowing that Kazen is still alive and that the other vessels are still missing. Sandis decides that she must do something and sets off to right the wrongs done to her and the other vessels.
Rone struggles with his betraying of Sandis, his desire to run away to his mother, and his need to stay to protect Sandis. He is still angered that he lost the amarinth and feels he needs to retrieve it . He also finds that he cannot reconcile these feelings and that he needs to act upon them so he sets out to right the wrongs that have been done.
Sandis and Rone decide to work together to finish Kazen and to locate the other vessels, with the hope that they will recover the amarinth along the way. They have no idea of the challenges they will face or the feeling they will have to come to terms with.
This was a good story filled with action and adventure.  I felt that this part of the series emphasized on the romantic aspect of Sandis and Rone more than the first story but since it was significant to the plot, I didn't mind that much. I was disappointed in the ending in that it was slightly predictable. I won't say much more because to do so would be a spoiler. All in all, the story is definitely worth reading and fits perfectly  with the first book in the series. 
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of the book. The opinions are my own.

Myths & Mortals is a book I couldn’t put down. It has everything you could want from a sequel and more. We get the continued story that started with the brilliant Smoke & Summons, following Sandis and Rone as they attempt to free the city of the evil summoner Kazen. In this second book, we get so much more. We see Sandis continuing to grow into her powers, to accept her connection with her numina and to strive for its return. We see Rone become the hero he was meant to be as he attempts to make amends for his previous betrayal. The threat of Kolosos continues to haunt the imagination. All of this, combined with a mysterious assassin and a bevy of new characters, makes for a wonderful addition to the series.

There’s a definite action-adventure feel to the book, throwing in more fight scenes and death-defying acts by our newly expanded group of protagonists. Action sprouts up when least expected, keeping you on your toes from start to finish. The mysterious assassin adds an interesting flair of unexpectedness, showing us extreme fighting moves straight out of the best kung-fu movie.

The numina are made very real and we see them in all of their glory. This time, they’re helping Sandis and Rone, making them worthy adversaries to the many enemies lurking in the city. We also begin to see a more positive side to some of these demons. There’s still evil in their realm, to be sure, but seeing Sandis’ growing relationship with Ireth reveals a kind of hierarchy that might not be all bad.

In a way, the feeling of this second book is much different from the first. In Smoke & Summons, there was a deep fear that permeated the pages. We were afraid for Sandis and the man who had enslaved her. At the time, he was the greatest threat. In Myths & Mortals, Kazen seems like a fly compared to the terrors of Kolosos. We continue to learn more about this beast and, as we near the end, a massive reveal shows just how horrifying it truly is.

In the end, Myths & Mortals is a perfect sequel, providing a story that’s just as compelling and breathtaking as its predecessor. The ending is a definite surprise, leaving a desperation for the third book to come out. I’ll definitely be lining up to read this epic conclusion in September.

Review to be published on 5/1: https://reviewsandrobots.com/2019/05/01/smoke-and-summons-book-review

When it comes right down to it, I just don't think the darker themes in this series are best suited to the style of Charlie N. Holmberg . The charming books that make up her Paper Magician series are fun, light, and sweet. Everything that I found delightful in that series is lacking in this one. The Paper Magician series had likable main characters who fit well within the settings and the universe created around them. Here I found many of the same flaws repeated in this sequel, and while I hesitate to pigeon-hole any author into a single genre or style, I just don't think this one works.

Getting past the long introduction that served as the first book, Smoke & Summons, I hoped that this second book would really open up the world and explain the unexplained...or at least lay out a firmer path for the mystical portions. However, I found that instead of laying better groundwork, new questions were just created. I still don't think the world-building has been dealt with—the city, the black market kind of culture, the slavery trade, the summoners, the vessels, the ancient spirits...I know next to nothing...or simply not enough.

While the pacing and the action sequences were improved, and there were fewer run, run, run scenes leading into more run, run, run scenes, I still think there was a lot of nothing happening in this book. At least not enough to keep me engaged. Same to be said for the two main characters. I am surprised at how little I find to either like or care about Sandis and Rone. I don't know enough about them, and the narration is very removed with feelings and emotions being told to me (the reader) instead of being played out.

The amount of dialogue improved, as well, but I still found it lacking and aimless. Sandis is angry with Rone because of his betrayal from the first book, and I do really like how she takes quite a while to open back up to him and try to be friends. However, there is a definite lack of chemistry between them and I cannot figure out how they are romantically attracted to each other. It just doesn't seem to fit. They also seem too cute for the dark themes that stretch over the surface of this book. I don't think I'll continue with this series from Holmberg, but I still won't hesitate to check out another work by this author.

MYTHS AND MORTALS is a strong second installment in Holmberg's Numina Trilogy! I was worried at the end of the first book about Sandis' relationships and how she might be able to repair them (or not) in this book. I was pleased to find that sufficient attention was given to the relationships so that they progressed believably.

While this Numina Trilogy is unlike any of Holmberg's other works, it is equally as gripping and fun to read. Currently counting down the weeks until book three is released!

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book much more than the first (and that one was really good). I loved the way the characters grew and the way the story continued. It definitely flowed seamlessly from the first, picking up immediately where the other had left off. The side characters that were introduced are excellent and well-fleshed out. Even though this is definitely more of a YA novel, Holmberg doesn't shy away from difficult plot points. Looking forward to the next book in the series!

I was extremely excited to get approved for an ARC of this via NetGalley! This has been an anticipated read for me after the first one of the series came out. Loved it!

We continue further with Sandis and Rone, Kazen, Talbur and the other vessels through betrayal after betrayal.
They run, they fight and run again until they find out what Kazen intends to do.
I have to say that I like Rone as a character more than Sandis. Sometimes she doesn't make much sense to me (she's afraid to go outside alone and find somewhere to sleep and in further along she's gunning someone down). Her character development feels a bit off.
I enjoyed reading the second installment, but I've got to admit I prefer the first book. Might be middle book syndrome.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an eARC.

Very well written. Engaging characters and smooth conversation. You definitely need the first book to fully understand the plot.

What an ending! I’m really enjoying this series so far - it has a sort of western dystopia, almost steampunk feel to it. At times, it did feel a little circular with little direction as Rone exhausts all his contacts on a fruitless mission. But his relationship with Sandis is endearing, and her grief and trauma is well fleshed out in a sympathetic way. The twist at the end felt a little ‘thrown in’, and this book of the series seems almost like a tangential story to the overarching danger. But the growth of Rone and Sandis is well played out and the concentration on their development redeems any issues with the pacing and trajectory of the plot.

This is a great book, I powered through the first before I read this one and it carries on so well.

The story of Sandis and Rone continue and I swear there were so many times I didn't know what was coming next, and the ending was amazing.

I am excited for the next book, Holmberg does it again!

This was an amazing book. I have a hard time reviewing without spoiling so I will just say the plot is outstanding. Every detail is well thought out and the action flows incredibly smoothly. The characters are very believable also. Great book.

As with the first book, Smoke & Summons, I received a free eARC from NetGalley and publisher 47North. Like the first book, Myths & Mortals feels like original and competent urban fantasy. Charlie N. Holmberg adds more layers to the saga of Sandis Gwenwig, such as it is. However, this book does little to assuage my grumping from the first book. Another cliffhanger ending, and not all that much development of Sandis’ character either.

Spoilers for the first book but not for this one.

Sandis has successfully escaped Kazen, for now, although he has Rone’s amarinth and the 1-minute immortality it grants every 24 hours. Rone is trying to win his way back into Sandis’ good graces, but it’s not really taking. Sandis is too enamoured of her new uncle, Talbur—or at least, she is for a little bit, until she realizes how cold a man he can be. With nowhere else left to turn, Sandis finds herself throwing in with Rone again. Soon they’re trying to stop Kazen from summoning Kolossos again, with or without whatever allies they can find.

There are some betrayals you can’t come back from, and I’m partly of the mind that Rone’s is one of them. So I like how Holmberg handles Sandis’ reluctance to see Rone again or accept his help. It would have been so jarring if the book had started with Sandis flying back into Rone’s open arms the moment she realizes that Talbur is up to no good. As it is, being forced together by circumstance is believable and interesting. I’m not sure Rone really deserves Sandis’ forgiveness, but at least he’s trying to repent for what he did.

There are some new characters here, like Bastien, and more page time for characters we only really glimpsed in Smoke & Summons. However, these characters don’t receive much in the way of development. Even Bastien seems very stock. He has … some kind of thing with puns? Other than that, he’s a vessel and therefore a convenient plot device for Holmberg to hook Sandis up with Ireth again.

I think when I really stop and ponder why these books don’t excite me more, it has to come back to this problem of characterization. We get a few scenes here from Kazen’s limited third person perspective. While somewhat illuminating, these scenes also portray him as a madman bent on revenge—which he might very well be, at this point. The Angelic is the world’s worst father once again—but then we see him a second time, later in the book, with slightly different behaviour (not necessarily better) without much in the way of setup or prompting. Even the no-good Talbur, whom any reader will peg as a bad dude from the first page, is one-dimensional in that respect.

The whole concept of summoning demons—uh, numina—into vessels is great. From there, Holmberg branches out into similarly interesting lore and ideas. Even the plot itself, although somewhat basic, is stimulating. Alas, the characters just don’t work for me. This doesn’t change by the ending of Myths & Mortals. Once again, not a fan of the blatant cliffhanger ending—although I will say I at least liked this one a good deal.

There are things to like, perhaps even love, about these books. Will I read the third? A definite maybe on that one: whereas I hoped Myths & Mortals might surprise me by being much improved over the first book, it has instead mostly confirmed the mediocrity of this series. Enjoyable enough as a distraction, but I’m not sure I’ll be talking about them that much.

I received a complimentary ARC copy of Myths and Mortals Numina, Book 2 by Charlie N. Holmberg from NetGalley and 47th North

…created another brilliant series, one filled with brilliantly crafted plotlines, compelling and unique characters and her world building…

True to form Charlie Holmberg has created another brilliant series, one filled with brilliantly crafted plotlines, compelling and unique characters and her world building skills are well…out of this world!

Myths and Mortals picks up right where Smoke and Summons left off. Sandis is no longer a vessel for Ireth and living with the only family she has, her Uncle. Although grateful for having somewhere to go now that she is no longer a numina, she is still grieving, terrified and feels alone in the world. Still destroyed by Rone’s betrayal and plagued by bad dreams of the vessels left behind and of Kolossus, a numen, who can destroy humanity. Although she lives her life doing unusual jobs for her corrupt Uncle. When she refuses a particularly unsavoury one, he kicks her out without anywhere to go, there is only one person she can think of…Rone. Rone managed to get his mother across the border to safety and even though he had papers to join her, he has stayed behind. Rone won’t rest until he knows Sandis is alright and he hopes to have her understand why he betrayed her.

Although Sandis doesn’t completely trust Rone when they are hunted by an assassin and learn that Kazen might still be alive and looking for a new vessel for Kolossus they team up. The two start out trying to find the other vessels to save them from a fate worse than death. On their journey, they pick up allies and make enemies as they find clues to Kazan’s whereabouts all leading to one terrifying cliffhanger.


All in all, a fantastic, fun series that I would highly recommend for young and old alike.

Charlie Holmberg knocked it one out of this realm! This trilogy has been an amazing journey with character growth and I'm already counting down to the release of Siege & Sacrifice in September!

I loved the way this book continued the journey of Sandis. I loved her from the very beginning and this book only made me love her more. The adventure in this book was just as good as it was in the first book. The ending of this book was a major cliffhanger and I cannot wait to know what comes next, so the author did a great job of pulling me in, and now I will be eagerly waiting for the third book in this series, which I am hopeful will come. The authors voice was very clear and descriptive.

Sandis has escaped one form of slavery for another. Her loyalty to family has bound her to an uncle she never knew, but now that she does she finds herself internally battling her bond of blood with her own ethics. She thought getting out and reaching her family would solve everything, but it proves only the beginning of her challenges. At the same time she still feels for Rone, despite the betrayal that weighs heavy on her, she just can't let go. Some soul searching leads her to recognize her true power, Sandis begins to realize family may not be only blood, and rallies others around her toward a mission to save others like her.

The first quarter of this is a bit mired in the angst of Sandis feelings that Rone used and betrayed her, yet she herself consistently thinks you should do anything for family, as he did in the past Once she finds her spine, deciding to bring a holy (or perhaps unholy in this case) fight for the vessels, the plot pulled me in - though she still struggles with her personal lines when she must use others to achieve her ends. We also delve into the criminal underworld of the city a great deal more in this volume, learning of other summoners and black markets, as well as more about the Celestial religion, really fleshing out the world in a compelling way. The revelations in the final chapters will definitely keep me going with this series.

3.5 stars for this one.

I enjoyed this sequel more than the first in the series - it brought the story together more cohesively and allowed Sandis to feel like a more rounded character. While this series is not my favorite of Holmberg’s, I am looking forward to the ending in the follow-on book.

I received an ARC from the publisher through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Aah ! The pain of reading and suggesting a really amazing underrated novel!

Here's my review for Smoke and Summons (#1 of numina trilogy) if you guys wanna read it.

Review

Anyway , we travel with Rone and Sandis where we left off in Smoke and Summons.

Kazen on loose , Riggers and Grafters on the chase , Sandis and Rone have much more to run from before they even think of making up to each other.

Myths and mortals started off kinda slow but (thankfully) didn't have the second book syndrome. The plot wasn't mainstream but Charlie managed to keep us in the edge of the kindle or page (lol) 24×7.

Sandis and Rone had a lot of issues to go through while running and hiding and chasing. We meet a lot of characters on the way old and new. Bastien is one of them. He is another fellow vessel and a really underrated character. He's loyal and aaamazing. Just as smoke and summons , we have a lot of underrated characters , dialogues and moves. I'll try to cover them as much as possible.

Rone and Bastien bonding moments were just outright hilarious (for us) like this.
“Raisin’ the raisins.” Rone crooked an eyebrow. “What?” Bastien shrugged. “It’s a joke.” Rone hesitated before saying, “That . . . was a really bad joke.”

Sandis had loads of character development even though she's irritating at times.
Half of her wanted that door to open. The other half wanted to bar it shut and set a match to the entire flat.

And ofcourse , sandis × Rone relationship was OTP (heart eyes , heart eyes) af.
Sandis could hate him, hit him, berate him. But he couldn’t leave her.

I’ll follow you anywhere, Sandis. To the Arctic Ribbon or the heart of hell.

There is a new character who is almost a replica of Yara Greyjoy from GoT.
Don’t ask me again, or I’ll break your fingers.

Other than the above mentioned amazing things , the plot and world building is awesome. We explore everywhere in a different perspective.

And as usual we have the characters we want to kick their asses and the mysterious ones. Of course, a cliffhanger which wants us craving for more.

PR review of Myths and Mortals by Charlie N Holmberg
NB- I received this book for free via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
Myths and Mortals is an engrossing read, that builds on the amazing groundwork set in place by Smoke and Summons. The conflict introduced between Sandis and Rone is thoroughly explored, the cliffhanger book one ends on leads neatly to some of the conflict in Myths and Mortals, and while the pacing at times seemed odd, the book was interesting and engaging from start to finish.
Kazen’s history is hinted at several times in the novel, and more is learnt about the vessels Sandis essentially grew up with. It’s interesting to see her interact with the people who were once her peers, and really highlights the myriad of ways in which she has grown. The growth, temptations and struggles that Sandis faces in this book are well-written, each chosen to test another aspect of her personality. Her relationship with Rone, Talbur, Ireth and the other vessels are all explored in a little more depth, and she once more proves herself as a worthy hero.
Several things she does in this novel are surprising, but foreshadowed so effectively that they make perfect sense. Even though Sandis is a powerful character, it never reads as though she is being given special treatment or unreasonable strength. What she has, she works and suffers for (neatly avoiding the unsatisfying special treatment of many main characters).
Rone had a lot of big character moments in Smoke and Summons, so it makes sense that in Myths and Mortals he takes a second seat to Sandis. That being said, he still faced several challenges, and came to a couple of important realisations over the course of this novel, so Rone by no mean stagnates.
Bastien’s introduction in this book was interesting and effective, but he will most likely become more important in book three of the trilogy, as there’s a lot about him that remains shrouded in mystery. His dad-jokes and helpful information served an important role in this book, providing comic relief and effectively moving the plot along. More information about his origins and motivations could make him a more relatable character, but he served his role of supporting character in Myths and Mortals very well.
A lot happens in this book, no seriously, a lot. The finale is a rollercoaster of emotions and occurrences, with a huge twist and several key reveals. The cliffhanger that Smoke and Summons ended on is nothing compared to that of Myths and Mortals, book three can’t come soon enough!
Myths and Mortals develops the world and mythology of the world of the Numina Trilogy, with the Dark Market, rules of the mob, hierarchy of the church and corruption of the police force all coming into play at various points to move the plot along.
One minor complaint is that the book almost seems to follow the same path and characters as Smoke and Summons, even when it doesn’t make as much narrative sense. It may have been more effective for several scenes to be combined, or just be shuffled around a little bit to improve the story’s flow and drive tension with more near misses with Myths and Mortals’s primary antagonist.
All in all, Myths and Mortals was an amazing read, a fitting sequel to Smoke and Summons, and is sure to build anticipation of book three. I’d recommend the Numina Trilogy to fans of Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn trilogy (Sandis is actually a lot like Elend), the Queen’s Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner, or Steeplejack by AJ Hartley. Myths and Mortals would be a great choice for readers who enjoy entertaining, action packed urban fantasy, with a character driven plot.