Thank you NetGalley for an e-arc of this book. I was very curious for this after enjoying the 1st volume. It is an interesting, surprising story, something I haven't read before. As this is the 2nd volume I cannot say much about the story and characters, but I loved all of them. It made me even more curious for the 3rd volume and I cannot wait to read it.

I highly recommend this series!

I enjoyed the first two chapters and then realised it was a sequel!

I will be reviewing this book properly when I have gone back and read the first one!

The second book in the Tales of Fenet trilogy by the author duo D.K. Fields.

I wasn't aware, when I requested the ARC, that this was the second book. So I missed some information about the mystery when the story, obviously picked up from where book 1 ended.

This felt a lot like a middle book in a trilogy. The story was preparing the reader for the conclusion in the third book and, to be honest, might have been dealt with in a short novella. I particularly didn't like the story-within-the-story, because it pulled me out of the flow of the main plot.

This is the second story in a series and I had not read the first book so it did take a little time for me to grasp who and what had happened. However this story is so beautifully told that it kept me hooked and I quickly felt I caught up on things.
As the story progresses from a murder mystery to a political conspiracy I found myself hooked and couldn't stop reading.
I will definitely be picking up book one and will read that and reread book two before the next one is released.

My thanks to Head of Zeus for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Stitcher and the Mute’ by D.K. Fields in exchange for an honest review. I subsequently bought its ebook and audiobook,
narrated by Sophie Roberts.

This is Book 2 in their Tales of Fenest trilogy, which began in 2019 with ‘Widow’s Welcome’. It again combines the themes of politics and storytelling with a police procedural set in a fantasy realm. As this is a trilogy the books should be read in order.

Detective Cora Gorderheim is continuing her investigation into the shocking murder of a storyteller. It turns out to be a more complex case than she had first imagined as she comes up against powerful forces that have been lurking in the shadows.

Again, all this takes place against the backdrop of the election as storytellers from the six realms present their tales in Fenest. The outcome will determine which realm will rule for the next five years. Here the Torn and Perlish tales form part of the narrative.

I found it quite easy to immerse myself once more in the intrigues of Fenest. Cora is a delight, very tenacious in her desire to uncover the truth. It is well plotted and a highly engaging read. The world building remains impressive, noting the elegant way in which its authors have woven the spoken tales into the broader plot.

In addition, the storytelling elements work very well on audio.

The final book, ‘Farewell to the Liar’, is listed for publication in August 2021.

Certainly a book and trilogy that I found very original in its premise and that I am very happy to recommend.

Please note: I requested to read this despite not knowing this was a sequel (my fault, really). Nevertheless, I enjoyed this read.

𝐆𝐔𝐒𝐇:
• a captivating and gripping read with an intriguing premise and an original and fascinating world-building
• interesting characters (the main character, Cora, is my favourite)
• mystery aspects kept me hooked

𝐆𝐑𝐈𝐏𝐄:
• I really wished I read the first book (that's on me) as it was a little difficult to get into the story. I would have liked to read this after reading the first book.

𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫: fans of fantasy + crime

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What a great sequel! I can't say much but this action-packed was more enjoyable than the first! The writing was beautiful and eerie, and I liked how the characters developed! This was so much fun.

I hadn't read the first book and so it took a while to find my feet in this story. The world felt so beautifully developed, but a prior understanding of the story would have been good (this is my own fault, not that of the author). The system was so intricate and I was fascinated by the political system. As a mystery, I found the pacing good, though there was something that didn't quite grip me completely which is why it's a 4* rather than 5*.

The first book in this trilogy was good, this one is excellent.
This unusual mix of fantasy and thriller is a gripping and highly entertaining read that kept me hooked.
The fascinating and original world building is as interesting as was in the first book and I loved how we get to know more about this world.
The plot flows and is tightly knitted, the characters are interesting.
I can't wait to read the last installment in the Fenest trilogy.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I'm really sad because A. I didn't realise this was a sequel ( think it could have been highlighted better) and B. Bought book one to get myself up to speed and really couldn't get into the story. I think this was definitely more me than the book though, I really liked the authors writing style and the almost stories within stories style plot, but I just couldn't get myself invested in the characters or plot.

The Fenest Trilogy continues to be one is the most interesting, original and compelling I have ever read.

Synopsis:

Detective Cora Gorderheim has found the man who killed the Wayward storyteller, but he was just a small part of a much bigger picture. Someone powerful ordered a murder and made sure the murderers will disappear before Detective finds any connection. As she continues her investigations, Cora is warned not to pry into the great and the good of Fenest. Cora keeps digging and begins to piece together a conspiracy that reaches from the gutter dwellers of the Union of Realms right to the top: the Chambers. Even after hearing many warnings, it doesn’t stop her to continue the investigation. As the Audience hear the Torn and Perlish tales, Cora realises she must return to her own story, to its very beginning.

Book Review:

The Stitcher and The Mute is the second book in the Tales of Fenest series. When I requested this book, I had no idea about it. I noticed it after halfway through the book. However, it wasn’t an issue with this book because all the events from the first part were well explained.

The book was divided into two parts; one was the interrogation of Cara Gorderheim and the second was the tales of the storytellers. It was an interesting combination. I was sure that the author will just summarize the stories, however, each story was described on almost or over 50 pages. It didn’t bother me though. They were sometimes more interesting than the main story. The stories were about foreign nations so we could learn more about the world that the author built.

The main story wasn’t boring. The detective is a very smart woman who knows where to lurk to find what she’s looking for. Personally, I didn’t like her. I couldn’t feel any connection and empathy to her. She’s very cold and also kind of empty in my opinion. She’s a good person. She’s one of two people there that actually care about this investigation. She’s giving herself for this case and does everything to find a person who stands behind the murders. She was ready to risk her dream job to find the truth. I was very impressed that nothing scared her away.


The ending wasn’t surprising. There were so many clues within the story that you could figure it out yourself. Few parts were unexpected, but they didn’t give me the “WOW” feeling. The plot was quite creative. I like the world-building very much but I feel like the characters and the whole story luck emotions. With this change, I would like this book much more.
I would like to thank NetGalley, Head of Zeus, and D.K. Fields. I enjoyed this mystery series and I can’t wait to find out where the story leads us.

From Good Reads:
A great mixture of crime and fantasy novel - and we get the benefit of a self contained story in one volume within an ongoing world/series.
Love the world this is set in and the prominence and importance of stories and our hard nosed detective is becoming clearer, more interesting and more fleshed out as we go.
Looking forward to the next.

I liked the first one but this follow up wasn't as good as that was. I did like how it started but it missed that mark overall. I would read the follow up as I did enjoy it generally.

Sadly this book wasn't for me and I won't be sharing reviews in any social media platforms. There was no tension in the story and it failed to grip my attention and as a result I couldn't finish it.

Sorry I had not realised this was a sequel. I have now bought the first volume on Kindle and will return to review this book once I have read them both.

This is the second book in a trilogy and I read book one in anticipation of reading this. Where book one contained a lot a exciting world building, book two takes those building blocks and creates an even more well structured book. Both enjoyable and well written, this book really is one for people who love a good detective story with a twist.

What I found most impressive was the layers of story telling. Nothing happens in this book by accident, and nothing in this book is inconsequential. Can't wait for the third book.

Absolutely loved The Stitcher and the Mute. It picks up where book 1, The Widows Welcome, left off so isn’t really suited as a standalone read. The author has an amazing way with words that brings everything to life and you almost forget you are reading a story. I can’t wait to read the final book in this trilogy and anything else the author writes.

This was a great sequel to the first book. I enjoyed it a lot. It was fun to return to this fantastical world and learn more about what happens.
The writing is very easy to follow, very charming to read.
Thanks a lot to NG and the publisher for this copy.

I LOVED this book. It did everything that a '2 of 3' needs to do in an elegant and engaging way.

The worldbuilding set up in book 1 is used masterfully as a base for nuance and detail in this book.

The pacing is excellent, it has a nice rhythm that matches the story.

The plot is imaginative and the layers of story telling are awe inspiring, I really like how both book 1 and this book have a distinct story that is told and resolved within that 'episode' while still keeping the broader arc is sight and moving along.

The characters are brilliant, they are all three dimensional and have clear voices, stories and motivations.

I'm really looking forward to book 3.