I really enjoyed the first book in this series, especially the worldbuilding. But, I found that World's Edge didn't hit home in quite the same way. It was still an enjoyable enough read, and there were some cinematic moments, but it felt as though some of the depth had disappeared and it was a struggle to get back into the world and story because it felt as though something was missing.

Received arc from Quercus Books and Netgalley for honest read and review.
This is book 2 in the series and follows after events from book 1 Maps Edge.
Really excellent story and thoroughly enjoyable read,had me hooked from the beginning.

I will admit that it took me a while to get back into Hair’s world – I’ve read a lot of books in between Map's Edge and this, and I’d forgotten the details of the characters and events. The author’s style of writing – at least in this series – also lends itself to doing a lot of slow set up for the first part of the book before flipping all the switches about 40% of the way through, hooking me suddenly by bringing everything together in a really satisfying way. This makes for a great ending but it did make for a less enthusiastic beginning, and I found I had to work a little to care about most of the characters again.

Book two does begin right where the first one left off, though (with a handy summary of events to refresh the memory), and that is with the discovery of a tribe called the Tangato, living in the shadow of Rath Argentium – the fabled floating city. Though they were the reason Raythe Vyre’s people did not die at the hand of the Bolgravian army, the Tangato serve as the next point of tension in Raythe’s quest. They have taken his daughter captive and demand that the newcomers leave the city, because it is sacred and forbidden ground. They also believed, until this moment, that they were the only survivors of the magically induced Ice Age, and must now come to terms with the world being much larger than they believed.

At the beginning of World’s Edge I was a little concerned about the portrayal of the Tangato, which are heavily influenced by the Maōri (the author is from New Zealand so this makes sense), as well as a few other native cultures around the world. I was worried there would be too much stereotype-ing, especially since we only see them from the perspective of the ‘colonisers’ for the first while, but once we start to get a few points of view from the Tangato characters I got much more into the story as we explored their culture, with its hierarchy, history, and secrets. It was definitely the most interesting element of the book, for me.

The other thing I really loved was the way Hair brings legend and history into the present in this book; he did that in Map’s Edge a little by having the characters discover a fabled city, building the legend slowly through the stories the characters tell one another, until it manifests as a reality at the climax. He takes it to a whole other level in this sequel, and I don’t want to give away details, but it’s really cool. The world he has built grows out of the pages, and I am left feeling as I was at the end of book one – anticipating the next instalment and eager to see what else will be revealed, especially as I feel more of the chess pieces were set during World’s Edge than they were in Map’s Edge. Hopefully I won’t have to wait too long!

Firstly, if you haven’t had the pleasure of reading the first book, Map’s Edge, I strongly advise that you do so before tucking into this one. The action picks up right where Map’s Edge left off and you’ll probably be floundering at the start. That said, if you did read the first book a while ago and can’t quite recall all the important details, Hair has thoughtfully provided a very useful ‘Story So Far’ which handily jogs the memory. However, I don’t recommend that you rely on it instead of reading the first book – you’ll lose far too much of the detail, nuances and sheer energy of this cracking fantasy adventure for that to be a remotely satisfactory substitute for the actual book.

Once again, we are plunged into the middle of the unfolding emergency as two cultures collide. One group is on the run from a powerful regime committed to stamping their own way of doing things onto the subjects of a recently defeated nation, while the other group is the remnant of a mighty magical people responsible for the environmental catastrophe that has overtaken the planet. Hair explores this fascinating dynamic through a number of vivid, well written characters whose adventures and experiences had me reading far later than I’d intended. And at a climactic part of the story, my stomach was churning as I kept turning the pages – which doesn’t happen all that often.

I loved the directions in which the story went – and while there are some villains in the story that I loved to hate, I could understand why they made the choices they did. It takes a storyteller with power and charisma to provide that depth of characterisation and clarity of vision within a narrative crammed with action. I’ve found myself thinking a lot about this one since I put it down – the powerful characters and the discovery of a lost civilisation has resonated with me. Very highly recommended for fans of epic fantasy full of memorable characters, a riveting setting and a twisting plot full of action. While I obtained an arc of World’s Edge from the publisher via Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own.
10/10

My thanks to Quercus Books Jo Fletcher Books for an invitation to review via NetGalley ‘World’s Edge’ by David Hair. I had previously read and enjoyed the Olympus Trilogy written by Hair with Cath Mayo so was very pleased to read this epic fantasy.

It is Book 2 in The Tethered Citadel trilogy. Although I hadn’t read Book 1, ‘Map’s Edge’, I had no difficulty as the author began the novel with a section titled ‘What Went Before’. This introduced the world of Shamaya, aspects of its history, peoples, magical systems, and a finally a summary of events in ‘Map’s Edge’.

This was very helpful and I wish more writers of fantasy novels told over two or three volumes would instigate a similar protocol.

Fleeing imperial oppression, healer/sorcerer Raythe Vyre has led a ragtag group of refugees into the frozen wastes of the North. They are not only seeking freedom but wealth in the form of a rare mineral called istariol. They discover Rath Argentium, the legendary city of the long-vanished Aldar. This citadel floats above the land upon a mountain peak tethered to the ground by giant chains. It’s a powerful image.

More unexpectedly they encounter the Tangato, the remnants of the people who had served the Aldar. They are shocked to learn that they're not alone in the world and definitely hostile to Raythe and his people. No further details to avoid spoilers for both books.

I felt that David Hair’s world-building was excellent and found myself quickly drawn into the narrative. His many characters were well realised. Some of the language was a bit modern for my taste, like the use of ‘Dad’, though this was a minor issue.

Within its pages are battles, duels, magic both light and dark, betrayals and alliances and of course the secrets long held in the floating citadel. Some scenes were quite strong in terms of horror and violence.

The novel ends with a preview of Book 3, ‘Sorcerer’s Edge’. I can hardly wait for it and also intend to read ‘Map’s Edge’, currently waiting on my Kindle.

This book has all the elements that made me love Map's Edge and something more as we meet the descendants of the Aldar and a different civilization.
It's fascinating to see how the different sides deal with the culture clash and how a civilization that doesn't go to war and live without exploiting the environment can be considered "primitive".
There's a lot going on in this book: plenty of action, treason, intrigues and some gore.
The characters are well developed and I think there's was an improvement as they're more nuanced.
I'm wondering what will be next and I cannot wait to read the next story.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to Jo Fletcher Books and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

"World's Edge" is the second book in the series "The Tethered Citadel". After reading "Map's Edge" (book 1), I was very much looking forward to the next book, so I was thrilled to get my hands on an early copy... and even more thrilled that it lived up to my hopes. I still love David Hair's writing, and his world-building and character development are a joy. Book 3 can't come soon enough!

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.

From GoodReads:

Loved the worldbuilding the the first volume and this carried on into the second - loved seeing development of the tribe - their lives, culture and politics.

Many of the characters we loved and didn't love return and we are set up nicely for the third in the series.

Simply incredible. If you thought the first book of this trilogy was good, this book surpasses it in every aspect.
There is such ambition here, with a plot that is encompassing and enthralling. Best of all, this book is very hard to predict & that is very refreshing.

I had no idea how this second book would pan out & reading this, I just loved every second. The loved (and not so loved) characters return, along with some new and bold characters, which just injects new life and fun into this & takes the story into new realms. Very, very enjoyable.

This was fast paced and an exciting read. I'm looking forward to exploring the world more and I'll be checking out David Hair's other works.
Thank you NetGalley for this ARC

This is the second in the Tethered Citadel series following on from Map’s Edge. Sorceror and commander, Raythe Vyre and his followers have settled in the deserted city of Rath Argentium where they are hoping to find supplies of istariol to make their fortunes. However, the lost civilisation of the Tangato view the city as a sacred place and want Vyre and his companions to leave. They also have Vyre’s daughter, Zar and have adopted her into their tribe as a sorcerer. The book mainly concerns the powerplay on both sides; Vyre is continually being challenged by the mercenaries in his group and the tribes of the Rangato are in dispute over who should rule and how Vyre’s group should be treated. Also, you can throw in the fact that the rulers of the Tangato are directly descended from the legendary Aldur with their magic powers. The story moves between the two sides and comes to a climax up in the tethered citadel.
I really enjoyed the world building of the lost civilisation and the ruined city and also the continued build up of the characters of Vyre, Kemara, Jesco, Vaharana etc. The political organisation of the Tangato tribes is interesting with their female rulers and the way their civilisation has developed since the fall of the Aldur. Zarelda’s growth arc is a key feature of this book as she learns about her magic and begins to settle into the Tangato. There is also plenty of action as the different factions compete for the rule of their followers
This is a solid second book in this series and I continue to enjoy David Hair’s writing. The scene is set for the third book with the reintroduction of the Bolgravians and Toran Zorne.
Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I may just have been in the wrong mood for this, or it may just not be my kind of book. I'm not sure.

The first volume's big faults were worldbuilding lifted largely from real-world cultures (though with some alterations), and helping the plot along with several big coincidences at the end. I gave it a pass, and even four stars and a place in my Best of the Year list (though barely), because it was adventurous and exciting and everyone gets to make one or two mistakes. I noted, too, that the copy editing even in the pre-release copy I had from Netgalley was quite clean.

This one hasn't been as thoroughly copy edited prior to being sent out for review (I assume it will be before publication, though), revealing the author to be a sloppy typist with a habit of omitting or transposing words. Maybe that wore away at my enjoyment enough that I wasn't as gripped by the plot or charmed by the characters, who don't seem to get a lot more development than they'd had at the end of the previous book. To be fair, they were reasonably well developed at that point; I just felt that this was so much a plot-driven story that character development wasn't as much of a strength as in the first book.

There are certainly plenty of things going on, with multiple factions on each side of an armed stand-off, lots of treachery, and interludes that remind us that there's another worse threat on its way. War and treachery are not themes I generally seek out in my fiction, and that is probably another element of why I didn't like it much (which is about my personal taste, not the book's quality). There's also some gruesome torture, multiple graphic fights, and several threats of rape.

What pushed me over the edge into deciding that I wouldn't continue with the series, though, is another big coincidence near the end. Vaguely enough to avoid spoilers: there's something that's been going on for centuries, and it stops (by complete chance) in the same minute that some of the characters enter the scene. Great for cinematic drama; terrible for suspension of disbelief.

Also bad for my suspension of disbelief was the character armour/badass quotient of the main characters. Again, it's cinematic (though probably with an R rating for graphic violence).

So maybe part of the problem was that the tone was inconsistent. Sometimes grittily realistic (which I didn't personally enjoy), sometimes cinematic (which I found challenged credibility), sometimes a more standard epic fantasy feel lying between the two. The combination meant I could never really settle into the story, and overall I just didn't quite love it.