Thank you Tor books for my copy of this title!
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Will definitely be posting reviews when I have finished but I already recommend this to everyone who loves fantasy!

Aaaaaah thank you Tor for sending this set to me I loved this installment so much. This series just keeps getting better and better and better! It’s way too complex for me to specify my opinions but I love the entire cast!

The story continues! While Khirin was ending the demon Hellmarch, Janel (my new fav) and her friends were fighting many too. This book opens up with them meeting in a tavern and telling each side of the story.

So, this one is just as complicated as the first. I say this with the utmost respect! I don’t know how it works but it just does. There are back stories and past lives and souls in different bodies and I can’t even begin to explain it all but when I’m reading, it just flows. This book centers on Janel a bit more than Khirin and I loved every second of it. Like I said above, she’s my new fav. Totally tough, strong, brilliant.

One awesome thing about this book as it progresses, is the queer rep. I’m shocked at how inclusive it is, how everyone is something different, as in gender and sex are not the same thing, and it’s no big deal (hands clapping). It’s almost hard to explain but it’s done very well and totally fits the book. It’s not a focus but instead adds to the depth.

Senara writes the utterly hilarious and fabulous footnotes. How is it possible to get me snort laughing so often? And then there are dragons, royals, gods, demons, wizards, witches… pretty much every aspect of an epic fantasy. It just blows me away the amount of story she packs in with these utterly loveable characters.

This really is a book that is in a category all on it’s own. It’s funny, action-packed, tons of queer rep, amazing character development, backstories intertwined with different lives and did I mention the delicious drama this adds? Fabulous. I just don’t know that there is another book to compare it to. Once again, I am floored that this is Lyons debut series. It’s so thought out and intricate but IT WORKS and I’m here for all of it.

horus of Dragons series, is told through multiple perspectives. In this installment, we get to see even more characters, which I really liked. Though I do wish that we got to see more of Kihrin and Tereath and Janel, but I understand with a world this big and a plot this complex we need to visit the other perspectives to see the full picture. I love how vast the story is. Though it can be overwhelming and a bit confusing at times, it is so satisfying to see the pieces come together. Jenn Lyons is an author that should be on every fantasy lovers, and diverse cast lovers radar. There are so many character representations present in this story- from bisexual, to poly relationships, to asexual, this series has it all and all of it is so well done! The romance also amps up in this book and I quite enjoyed that as well.

I can’t get too much into the specifics of the plot because the tensions, fights and enemies are all built upon the events of the previous three books, but suffice it to say that there is a ton of action and political intrigue going on The Chorus of Dragons has everything I love in a fantasy; a crazy world, a crazier plot that will really mess with you head at times (in both good and bad ways!) political intrigue galore, plot twists, betrayals, battles and plenty of adventure. I was completely fascinated by the mindscape that Jenn Lyons created. Fans of epic fantasies will really like the overall complexity of the world. I think once you really get to know the characters and the world, you will fall in love with the book. I loved the story line of this one so much and I can’t wait to see where it goes. I know it can seem daunting at first, but stick with it! It gets easier to follow along with, and this really does become an unputdownable adventure. I can’t wait to see the next installment from Jenn Lyons.

I love this series. The writing is exquisite. The world building is phenomenal. The story is complex and wonderful and the pay off is a brilliant combination of tension and escalating stakes.

I enjoyed Ruin of Kings with two big reservations. First, I'm feeling rather done reading epic fantasy about Mary Stus where every female character either wants to mother them or screw them. Second, I didn't think the back-and-forth timeline element worked well— in fact, knowing Kihrin was alive, in one piece (kind of), and back in Quur spoiled the narrative tension. But I devoured it. The magic system was interesting, I liked Kihrin despite myself, and the host of secondary characters enchanted me.

I liked this second volume even more because it directly tackles those two big issues I had with the first volume. Instead of Kihrin taking up most of the pages, we have Janel, a badass young woman who presents as a "stallion" (kind of like the difference between gender and sex) in her society. The timeline skipping works here— Janel and another character are telling Kihrin a story in the hopes that he will ally himself with them. The breaks back to the present keep Kihrin in the plot, which is a nice compromise to prevent the bait-and-switch feeling of reading one book you really like and then finding out the sequel is mostly about another character.

My qualms with this volume are minor— like the first, there are inscrutable mythologies I'm dubious about learning and too many characters with similar names, but these are qualities of many epic fantasies. I will gladly pick up volume three!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and to the publisher for providing me with this e-Arc. I am very grateful! Will definitely read more from this author in the near future.

Thank you to Stephen Haskins, Jamie Lee Nardone and Tor UK/Tor for giving me an ARC of this book.

The second entry into the Chorus of Dragons triology is by far a mystifying and enchanting exploration of fantasy and combines the gender aspects into a wonderful narrative. This story is told through a flashback, which as you guessed, Janel narrating her story. Combine that with Brother Qown, and there a backstory is filled out for you.

In some aspects, I think the story could have been shorter. Most of the time, Janel presents herself as a devoted person, a heroic person. I’m getting the feeling that after finishing this book, she’s not that heroic as she presents herself. Sure, she questions the reader, forcing us to think on dilemmas that are very important. This book focuses on gender aspects a lot, and focuses on the role of women within society. Does freeing a band of women that are married to a Duke cause more issues for a male-dominated society? Or is Janel using them to cause something else? I feel she is the secret villain of this story. Some would agree with me, some would disagree with me. But as you’ll read on, you’ll figure out a lot of secrets for sure.

Kihrin’s story itself is under-developed – but there is a reason for this. To understand Janel’s relationship with Kihrin, this backstory has been developed. After all, it was Kihrin who was being tracked down by Janel and Qown to remind him of his past life. And all of this happens, dear reader, in three days. The fact that the entire flashback is narrated within the essance of three days is a brilliant writing technique. It’s hard to do. It’s not easy to do. It would involve the revision of writing many times as this story loves to jump forward in time. My favorite villains themselves were Relor Vars and Duke Kaen. I felt more affinity for them in some aspect. Because this story itself has dragons and battles, it has a badass Janel slaughtering demons in the afterlife. There are so many hidden secrets its a lot. The worldbuilding is extensive and it would be a lot for me to write it down. Therefore you’ll be able to figure out once you read. I do feel the story could have been shorter in some parts.

The writing is great, the story illustrates a tale of woe, tradegy and conflict. This is bascially the Crusader Kings III of fantasy. Recently, Crusader Kings III got praise for its marvellous handling of combining family dynasty politics and the Sims mechanics (As in you should play the game as if you were playing the Sims). I’ve been reading a lot of stories of players that have had wonderful interactions with their family trees, and a reviewer on IGN noted that the game’s potential had the ability to make well crafted historical fiction novels. He gave it a 10/10. I feel if there is an overhaul fantasy mod for CKIII, it should take some inspiration from her novel. Plus! This will be a fascinating discovery but Jenn worked at EA Games and the Lord of the Rings. So from me, I think she’ll be familiar with CKIII 🙂

So far, I like this story. I did feel there’s so much story contained in this that it could be a series running on forever. Mind you, it wouldn’t be bad for a Netflix adaption or a HBO adapation for that matter. The series has that right potential. It feels like there needs to be even more lore. I will be reviewing Book 3 on September 4th. This book, is the novel version of CKIII combined with breath-taking lore and a lot of gore and blood. You really should get this.

Once again Jenn has crafted a beautiful fantasy! This was just as good as book one. I loved the reveals and how the "missing" info from The Ruin of Kings was revealed in this book. Also seeing the other side of the story from the characters. The world-building was good, still so much to be desired about the world. I enjoyed learning more about the history of Quur and seeing other places. The writing is still not a linear story. The flashbacks are much different from how the first book wrote them, but it's still told in two distinct POVs. This book really explorers the grey area of ones morals which I enjoyed immensely.

I wasn't completely sold on the new characters but still loved Kihrin and Janel the most. They are two peas in a pod. I hope they stay together, even thought that reveal with Teraeth threw me for a loop! I'm ready for them to kick butt together against Relos Var.

The dragons are my second favorite thing in the story. So far we've meet about five dragons, so there are four more to meet. I love their personalities and how they interact with the characters. They are all funny!

Relos Var with his "arc" is still annoying as heck to me! I didn't know whether he was good or bad because he kept playing the bad guy who does good things. However, I officially dislike his character! Brother Qown broke my heart! I was so rooting for him, but he had to go and mess things up.

The cast of characters was just as insane as book one, but I just wasn't sold on them all. I did enjoy Senera, Arasgon, Dorna, Nina, Xivan and Wryga though. I love that this book has so much LGBTQ+rep in it!!! I was here for all the different conversations about Jorat and sexuality. Stallion vs Mare LOL -- I couldn't help but giggle at how amazing it was.

That ending was pretty good and has me excited to book three, The Memory of Souls. My only question is are the gods good or evil LOL. One minute they are good and the next thing they are not.

Side Note: This is not a fantasy for everyone. If you did not enjoy book one, you might not like book two.

In Lyon's second Chorus of Dragons book, The Name of All Things, is recorded this time by Senera, one of Relos Var's associates, and the majority consists of Janel and Qown telling Kihrin their story, in a bid to gain his assistance. During the time they are storytelling, they and the rest of Janel's people are trapped by the dragon Aeyan'arric in the tavern they are at. Janel was waiting on Kihrin and one other in order to tackle another dragon problem. The other Janel refuses to disclose at first. Sometimes enemies become temporary allies. Sometimes not.

First off, I loved Senera's footnotes! Even more than Thurvishar's notations in Ruin of Kings, these were full of deliciously sarcastic humour. The perspective switches were easy to follow, and had different voices. The last maybe one-fourth of the book was a return to the present, when Janel's mysterious contact finally arrives, and they take the fight to the great dragon Morios.

I might not agree with Var's methods, but through Senera, Janel, and Qown's eyes one begins to see a much more complex and complicated adversary. Var is old, older than most even realise, and these plans have had centuries to solidify, and those plans make sense! It's as they realise in the book, sometimes you have to choose the best of two unpalatable options. Of course, with his gift and curse of longevity, Var sees time differently. I'll be interested to see if he continues as the 'villain' in the next book, or if they'll work together again.

I gained more appreciation for Var, but my favourite character in the book is Brother Qown, who ends up in some pretty rough situations, but still manages to plug along. He's a sweet, gentle-tempered man with a compassionate heart that threatens to get him in trouble sometimes.

We get to see more Cornerstones in this book! Qown has Worldhearth, which allows him to spy or communicate through light sources. Senera has The Name of All Things, which can answer any question. Just be careful how you ask, or you could end up stuck writing out the answer til you die of dehydration! Var has Warmonger, though we don't learn how that Cornerstone works. Each Cornerstone is tied to one of the dragons. And there's one dragon whose Cornerstone I really want to learn.

Highly recommended!

***Many thanks to the Netgalley and Macmillan Tor/ Forge for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. Reviewed for JBN Book Tours.

I raved about the first book so I’m very sorry to say this sequel is horrible. I really don’t know how a writer in the same series can write in such a completely different way. The first book was epic in scope and I loved the world building but most of all I loved the story through Kihrin’s eyes. This sequel is so awful I gave up on it. It starts off very muddled with random characters and dizzying jumps in POV and time. The first book had continuity jumps but it was clear each time which timeline we were in. This book felt like it really lost both the scope of the story and the heart of Kihrin’s narration. I was bored and completely uninterested this book. I would recommend reading a sample before buying to see if you are interested or agree this follow up is a mess. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This was very misleading. There was no where in the description where it was stated that this was a sample. So, pretty disappointed. In the future it should be clearer that this is the case. The first book in this series was spectacular and I was so excited to get this second book in the series.

Interesting story line but very short, so difficult to get really involved. I would certainly like to read more.

I’m late to the party on this book, but forgive me – there’s a lot to discuss in the second instalment of the A Chorus of Dragons series…

Phew… Where to begin on this book?! I suppose the first thing to say is that this is the sequel to The Ruin of Kings, and you 100%, definitely, no excuses, need to read the first book to have even the tiniest inkling of what is going on here! I reviewed The Ruin of Kings back in February last year, and I was blown away by the epic twistiness of it, so I was expecting good things from the sequel. I wish I’d reread the first book before starting this, as I was floundering for quite a while as I tried to remember all the twists and turns of the previous book (we discover that pretty much no one is who we thought they were, and it was tricky to keep track even at the time), but I eventually caught up, making good use of the appendices at the back. There is a recap of sorts at the beginning, which will get you up to speed with the plot, but obviously it couldn’t cover all the dozens of tiny but world-changing secrets revealed. You’d be well-advised to reread or find a very spoilery recap before you go in – but when you do, it’ll be so worth it! And if you were expecting the twists to let up in this second book, you have another think coming, because boy are there some new and world-shattering revelations here, as well as the quieter fleshing-out of the story.

This book introduces some characters whom we have only heard about up to this point. I will try to keep things un-spoilery if I can! A large part of the book focuses on the recent doings of Janel Theranon, whose story is told in part by her in first-person, and in part by her companion Brother Qown, who tells it as a third-person history as he’s been writing it down for posterity. Both these characters are great additions to the cast, and have fun narrative voices that are really easy to slip into. Janel in particular became a favourite, with her strict moral code, capable nature, and bucketloads of attitude.

Most of the story is also set in locations we haven’t visited before, and it’s fascinating to see how Janel’s upbringing in Jorat has influenced her. The depth of the world-building is really one of the most amazing things about this book – every place is genuinely unique, even taking into account the differences from village to village (ie, all Joratese people are not the same! There are regional differences!). This is so immersive and wonderful to read, and also allows the author to play with so many different concepts of society. Jorat, for example, has very different gender and sex politics to Quur, where Kihrin grew up, so there are some brilliant conversations between him and Janel when they realise their assumptions don’t match up. It’s such a rich and detailed world – I mentioned in the review of the previous book that I feel like this is only one of the possible stories in this world, and it’s even truer here. You get the sense that every single aspect of this world has a life of its own.

There’s so much else I want to talk about, but I fear would be too spoilery, so if anyone wants to yell about this after they’ve read it, come find me on Twitter! It’s just genuinely an extraordinary work, with SO much content that you’ll be amazed. For all it added new and interesting wrinkles to my forehead, I have to say that I just loved it, and truly think this series is going to be a masterpiece overall.

Things get a little bit meta, with some thoughts about narrative structure and the state of the genre in the next part, so you can skip to the final paragraph if you just want a basic review!

I will say that I was a little bit underwhelmed with the construction of the narrative, but only in a minor way. Some people complained in their reviews about the dual narrative of The Ruin of Kings, which I loved (it started with two narrators, telling the same story simultaneously, in alternating chapters, from the beginning to the middle and from the middle to the end) – I saw people saying this was confusing, but for me it really helped to keep things fresh. However, I think that the narrative trick used in this book didn’t work for me nearly as well. The book opens directly after the events of the first book, with Kihrin arriving at a tavern where he meets Janel, a character we the reader have not met before. She and her companion then take turns retelling *their* story, which happened more-or-less concurrently with the events of the first book, and at the end of each of their storytelling sessions, we pop back to the bar for some discussion with Kihrin about what he’s just been told. For me, this didn’t work for two reasons: firstly, I was invested in Janel and Qown’s story, and the interruptions made it hard to stay immersed in that story; and secondly, it meant that Kihrin’s plotline lost a lot of urgency. He’s supposed to be on this super important quest, and he spends hundreds of pages sitting in a bar.

HOWEVER. I’ve been thinking about how I would have done this differently – bringing Kihrin and the reader up to speed on the important happenings of the other important characters – and I think the only way to do it would have been to lose Kihrin altogether for a while, and just have Janel and Brother Qown tell their story in alternating chapters, then bring Kihrin in when they got to the same point in time and do a quick handwave of ‘they told him their tale’. I don’t think this would work in the current fantasy genre. I think it would be a smoother read for this single book, but I think it would annoy people who were invested in Kihrin’s story and expecting a continuation of it. I get the feeling that if this book had been published 20 or 30 years ago, and was an already completed series, the audience might have been more tolerant about heading off on a tangent for the second book, and then having the characters of the first and second books meet in the third to carry on together, but with the fast-consuming culture of today, I feel like people are much more likely to give up on series without seeing them through if they don’t like something. George RR Martin did something like what I’m thinking with A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons (two books covering the same time period with different characters), but this was a) further through the series, so people were already attached to both sets of characters, and b) in my friendship group at least, not received well (I liked it as a concept but disliked the technicalities of the split as all my favourite viewpoints were in one book and my least in the other). So, I’m not sure if a character split would have benefited this series in the long run, however much I think it might have fixed my problem with this particular book. This is an epic series that reminds me of nothing so much as the Wheel of Time books – I think once it’s completed, the full work will have so much brilliance going on that slight weaknesses like this will be totally negligible.

With all that being said, I am still going to give this four and a half out of five cats. I have my issues with it, but I don’t see how they could have been solved, and I think it’s a vital and compelling volume in a fantastic series. I await the third with bated breath (and a reread planned in advance!)

I absolutely loved Jenn Lyons' THE RUIN OF KINGS when I read it earlier this year, so THE NAME OF ALL THINGS was high on my TBR for the end of this year. This chapter sampler, though short in comparison to the totality of the book, gave me the perfect taste test for the book. I'm even more excited to pick up the full story as soon as possible.

The Name of All Things follows up Jenn Lyons’ debut novel The Ruin of Kings, though “follows” is a bit of a misnomer since the vast majority of the book actually take place concurrent with its predecessor’s action. I had some issues with book one, mostly with the structure, and while some of that carries over, albeit in different fashion, I found The Name of All Things to be an improvement overall.

The story opens shortly after the ending of The Ruin of Kings, with that novel’s main character Kihrin meeting Count Janel Teranon and her companion Brother Qown, who seek his help to kill a dragon. As Janel and Qown wait for a third compatriot, they take turns telling their story to Kihrin, explaining how they’ve gotten to this point and why they need to kill a dragon. Their background runs parallel to much of the plot of book one, with Janel telling her story in first person and Qown telling his in third as they travel through a new part of this universe — Jorat, home to the intelligent horse creatures called Firebloods — and unravel a villainous conspiracy that threatens the stability of Janel’s homeland and the world itself.

My major issue with the first book was its overly and unnecessarily convoluted structure. Here again, I confess, I didn’t think the back and forth structure added much to the story and felt at times contrived and repetitive. And while like with Ruin, a snide narrator adds some welcome humor, it does at times feel forced or prove distracting. That said, the structure is far less of a hindrance thanks to its more linear progression, though the novel does have some pacing issues outside the narrative structure, bogging down in several segments.

Mostly though, Lyons tells a solid story with some strong set pieces, such as an attack on a city by a massive and wonderfully creative dragon (I won’t spoil the description here) or what equates to a bioterrorism attack on a smaller town. One of the strengths of Ruin was its world-building and that remains true here as the world expands. Jorat, as noted, is a culture centered around the Fireblood, but Lyons takes it a step beyond what we usually see of horse cultures in fantasy, with the thinking more wholly woven into their language, society, viewpoints toward gender, and more. We don’t get the same level of detail really outside of Jorat, but what we do get creates a sense of richness to this universe, as well as hinting at potential for further exploration in later books.

There’s also a nice sense of complexity and depth to the story, as Lyons deals with issues with clear analogues in our own world, such as colonialism/imperialism or gender and sexuality. At times I’d argue the writing is a bit too on the nose in the way the issues rise to the surface, but mostly to the extent of being noticeable rather than problematic. Characterization, particularly of Janel, is also nicely complex as are questions regarding who is doing “good” and who is doing “evil,” if again, at times too bluntly raised.

I can’t say the story was compelling; I wouldn’t call it a page-turner. And I felt pretty confident it could have lost a 100-150 or so pages. But despite the afore-mentioned bog-downs and feeling its length, it held my attention throughout and had me finishing it over two days. And the improvement from book one I’d say bodes well for the third book, which I’m assuming will move the story along more fully in terms of time. So far so good then.

Dun, dun, dun…

After the ending of Ruin of Kings, I was eagerly anticipating the sequel, and The Name of All Things did not disappoint! This picks up three days after the events of Ruin of Kings though it relays the same timeline as Kihrin told Talon from a different perspective, Janel and Qown, and in a different part of the world. I loved that this really added to the world building of Chorus of Dragons series and really appreciate how unique each area of Quur is and how the god-kings That ruled that area influenced the culture.

I found the Joratese gender system interesting, but as a trans reader I was mildly discomforted that sexual attraction still seemed to come down to genitals. I love that the world has room for non-binary folks and there’s a Festival of Turning which allows Joratese trans folks to have their body reflect the truth of their gender. I did like and appreciate that gender wasn’t just about body, but also about roles and presentation in Jorat, but some of that kinda felt undone that when Kihrin is asked if he prefers mares or stallions, that’s the only time it refers to the body of the partners he prefers, which feels like having attraction come down to genitals.

There is a lot going on and prophecies are being manipulated to come to fruition sooner than the gods hoped for. The ending is super dramatic and makes me eagerly anticipate the next book. I do hope Thurvishar will be the one making footnotes again because Senera, while a very intriguing character with complicated motives, her footnotes felt like sarcastic asides rather than something that furthered the story, worldbuilding, or my understanding of context, for the most part.

This is definitely an excellent addition to the series and I’m eagerly anticipating the continuation of Kihrin and Janel’s stories.

I enjoyed what I read but believe the review copy sent to be incomplete at only 1267 pages. I would like to review a full copy.

I was given the chance to read an extended sample prior to publication. I had read "The Ruin of Kings" and loved it. When I heard the next book was due out so soon after I was excited. The book picks up right after the events at the end of the first with Kihrin on the run after his actions in that book. The narrative format is similar with narrations from different POV characters which keeps it interesting. It is different characters used so that was a nice change up to keep things new and fresh. There are also the annotations from the scribe who has compiled the narratives to give the story to the unknown emperor they serve.

The world building continues and more details get added to the fantasy world inhabited by these characters. l loved it and am looking forward to finishing the book ASAP.

I loved the first book, and this one was no different. I absolutely loved second installment in The Chorus of Dragons series. I'm a sucker for all things dragons/fantasy, so this series is right in my wheelhouse. I also love a fantasy series that explores sexuality and that is completely free of homophobia, racism, and sexism. We need to see more of this in fantasy. I love seeing a female fantasy author thrive! Lyons' world building is exceptional, and her characters are so well rounded and fleshed out. This series does a great job at telling an incredible story, while also remaining character focused. It takes a special book to be able to fully tackle both successfully. Honestly, this series is everything, and I'm so happy that I have three more books to look forward to. Thanks so much to TOR for sending me an early e-arc of this book!