If you’re a fan of long whimsical, makes you feel like you’re in that world, sentences then this series is for you! This writing is not for everyone but I thoroughly enjoyed this sequel! It didn’t live up to my full expectations, as I’m rating it 4 stars, but I still loved it!

Doors of Midnight ARC Review

Thank you so much to RR Virdi and Tor books for the opportunity to read and review this book!

Doors of Midnight is a high fantasy novel and book two in the Tales of Tremaine series. As always this review will be spoiler free, so if this seems vague - that’s why. After the events at the end of the first book, The First Binding, Ari continues his story of how he must now continue to grow and learn his magic.

This was another interesting read for me. The world continued to expand and grow within this book as Ari continues to tell his story. Unfortunately, the things I struggled with in the first book continued into this one. It felt tedious and way too wordy. While the characters grew a little bit more, I still didn’t feel like I was attached to any of them

Overall this was a three star read for the world building. I’m still struggling with the length of the books and unnecessarily wordy prose. This book did have some darker moments, so please check triggers if you’re sensitive

If you’re a fan of high fantasy with complex world building, intricate magic systems and interesting storytelling, then absolutely check this one out.

If you read The First Binding, you knew book two would be another beast of beautifully lyrical writing, rich world building and weaved with folklore from around the world. Without question, The Doors of Midnight ticked all those boxes.

We start where we left off in both Ari's past and present, he had just been expelled from the Ashram for nearly burning the place down (past) and thrown in jail for the murder of a prince (present). Consequently, the present storyline takes place entirely in the castle while past-Ari's storyline takes us all over, from the Ashram to the desert to the Shaen world. And in keeping with all we've come to expect from Ari, he has more sass than sense across the board. That said, he does manage to grow a little bit and keep his mouth closed on occasion, such a surprise that even Master Binder, Rishi Ibrahm, is astounded.

It's a little difficult to talk about the book, which is kind of two storylines that will hopefully one day meet, because of course Ari's past is what's influencing his present....well everything. I'm going to try though.

So past-Ari - we have a lot more happening in what are obviously years gone by. I loved seeing the rumours about him growing more and more, the little ways which they changed from what he initially cultivated to what they became. There was more found family for him and even more bad decisions based on his Superman complex but because it's Ari we know it all worked out fine. (Also he's literally telling us the story so that kind of gives away that he wasn't killed for the many things people tried to kill him over.) One thing I loved was the humour we got. Certain moments had me laughing, particularly from Rishi Ibrahm this time. I also think there is a lot more to his background than we've gotten to see yet. There was more Radi and Aram and of course more Shola, king of the story. Yes, there was also Nitham and I think we can all agree he's awful.

Into the desert, I really hope we get more Aisha, Qimari and Khalil. Given all that's gone on with the merchant king, Arfan, I think (and hope) we'll be seeing them again. The part in the desert that I loved, and I shouted about how much I loved it to R.R. Virdi, was Enshae. From the first book we know Ari 'spent one hundred and one nights with Enshae' but now we get to see it and what he learned from his time there. I adored her character and she broke my heart. I massively hope we get to see her again and her world.

Onto present Ari - of course we get to know about all of the above because he is still telling his story to Eloine. They're still going through their push and pull dance of flirtation that even Danil reappears and has something to say about it. Virdi does their relationship so well and you can feel the flirtation, tension and longing between them. I'm not sure I've ever seen two characters totally have each other wrapped around their fingers but still play hard-to-get. I will argue with Eloine on this one but accosting someone quite literally locked up in prison is not the time to sit down like it's storytime. Evidently it was but I'm going to say that probably wouldn't work for just anyone.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It was a really slow start. I found it kind of confusing in the beginning, but after a couple of chapters, I was hooked and couldn't put it down. Finished pretty quickly after that. I love the premise of the stories and how they work in a different way than you would think. It was so interesting how they made the stories into the kind of focus and how they work. It reminded me of 1001 Nights. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you NetGalley and Tor books for the e-arc!
I have been waiting for the continuation of this series since The First Binding released! The first book was an unbelievable epic fantasy inspired by the silk roads with charming characters and impeccable writing. I am so happy to say the second book brings the same amazing level of quality to the writing and the story continues to be captivating and engaging. Avoiding spoilers but this book focuses heavily on the magic of storytelling and identity.
Verdi’s style of writing is defiantly worth checking out. Upon starting this book, I remembered why I absolutely adored the first book. Different POV’s and timelines throughout the book really make this story pop.

So many books try and fail for these kinds of tropes, but this really does the trick!! Was hooked almost instantly. While I read a lot of books that touch on these themes, this felt fresh and interesting. I often struggle with some of the FMCs, but I really like this take!! The characters are all unique and feel like their own people without being massive cliches which is unfortunately what I run into a lot. Great mix of world building, tension, spice and mystery. Fresh find!

It’s beautifully descriptive. A bit slow for pacing but there’s so much world building and I really enjoy it. The tale seems to take a slow methodical route to weaving the story together. It’s good and Ari is charismatic and full of mischief. I feel like it’s almost missing the build up for the romance with Eloine or I’ve missed a key detail while reading.

This is the second book in the series and it was amazing! It did a wonderful job of building from the first book. The world building in this was top tier and has me so excited for the next book. I loved the magic system.

3.75/5 🌟

The whole experience of reading The Doors of Midnight was a roller coaster. Virdi doesn’t tap into anything truly epic in scope yet with this story but continues an extremely singular and personal journey with some big hills and valleys for Ari and the reader. The hills are knives in the dark, beautifully written conversation in dungeons and shop fronts, and steps into new and interesting places. The valleys stem from seemingly the same place; repeated mention of the knives in the dark, heavy handed prose and dialog seemingly trying to make every scene a beautiful interaction, and overstaying welcome in interesting places. The bugaboo for me lies in the present and not the past, I was often engrossed in the young Ari and his cast of characters while being bored with Storyteller and his cast. All that is to say The Doors of Midnight is an uneven experience that is building to something that could be grand and will keep me coming back for the rest of this saga.

I really like Virdi's writing but struggle with his books. He goes from his tale as an adult to his tale as a child and then tell the tale of someone else. It becomes taxing to read. I love the world and the characters, If I had it in a word document I'd pull it apart and do a linerar progession of the story line.
I recommend the book if you are patient.

I wanted to love this one. After reading The First Binding, I wanted something more than a Silk Road Name of the Wind fanfiction, and I did get that. I just wasn't impressed with the story or the prose. I DNF'd this one about 40% in because I never felt invested.

Just noticed this book is book 2 when I hit 30% and checked Amazon. So, decided to pause this one and listen to a copy of the book 1 audiobook. I already know I'll like it well enough to return to book 2.
The framing narrative works for me and I could have read volume 2 well enough without book 1 (was already into the characters), the author's style is consistent, but I love an origin story (the younger years) and I wanted the full experience of these two characters (Ari and Eloise) which in book 1 is "800 pages" of sassy flirting.

You love or you'll hate the framing narrative characteristics: usually very slow to make a point, showing more than telling many episodes of his life until the present. This series is perfect to help us slow down, reduce stress, listen or read outside enjoy a break, or let it keep us company while assembling a puzzle... just traveling into another world with magic and stories from a storyteller. For a fan of Mercedes Lackey such as the Obsidian trilogy like myself.

Thank you, publisher and NetGalley for e-arc

This book is the sequel to a book I really enjoyed, and thus it had a lot to live up to. We pick up the plot pretty much straight away with Ari, our main character, trapped for a deed he didn’t commit. He’s in a prison reliving parts of his life as he tells his tale and reminisces on his many misdeeds. The plot is meandering with many stories inside of stories, very much like the first in the series, and yet this book went in some directions I didn’t anticipate and didn’t love as much as I hoped to.

What I did really like about this book is that we do see Ari learns and grow as a person with his decision-making and his magic. I liked his evolution and I really enjoyed seeing him as a leader and a support for those less fortunate than him that he encountered along the way. His passion for the underdog was a trait I enjoyed in him in book #1 and it’s still the same here, and his many stories being spun into tall tales were also delightful to watch unfold.

With that being said, there’s a long period of this book set in the desert and also in another world altogether. Both of these sections teach Ari a lot and make him confront his quest and how he might be able to achieve his aims, but they were slow and arduous and as a reader I found them a bit dull. I did appreciate the lessons learned but I felt as if these sections (both big sections) slowed the pace of the book immensely and meant that I really took a long time to get into this one. Ultimately these parts have value but I think they could have been streamlined a bit more and then I would have finished this one up a lot faster.

Overall I still really enjoyed the magical bindings of this world and learning about how they work and how Ari has wound up in the middle of so many plots and problems around this world. He is a fascinating character and learning anything about him is fun, but sometimes the slower pace of this one did draw me out of the book a bit and I had a few breaks in the middle of reading for faster-paced books. 3*s and I would like to see where this goes, but be prepared it’s a long journey and if you’re not happy to swerve all around on tangents and other stories and adventures then this one won’t be for you.

An amazing continuation of the story. I couldn’t put it down and am in love with Virdi’s writing style, world building and am eager for more.

I really enjoyed this mythical story to follow up to its book 1! I found it to be coherent and I just love the writing style as well. If you’re looking for a magical, dramatic read that wastes no time catching your attention, this one’s for you!!

YES!!! ANOTHER RR Virdi!!!! I adore this series and am so so thankful to Net Galley, RR Virdi, and Tor publishing for letting me review this early. It’s epic, lively, worldly, and so much fun to immerse in. The poetic and descriptive nature continues on in this sequel from the previous book and is thrilling. Can not wait to dive into more of Virdi’s books!

This series is definatly for fans of the king killer chronicles, or other sweeping epics that have a slower build. I live how this series just allows me to sit down and take in the stories, the world building around me like it was waiting for the perfect time to engulf me into it's embrace.

This book did make me reread the first book but I just like doing that when reading series in general.
If any of the above struck you, pull up a chair and wait for the story teller to take you on a journey!

The Doors of Midnight
by R.R. Virdi
Pub Date: 13 Aug 2024

Some stories are hidden for a reason. All tales have a price. And every debt must be paid.

I killed three men as a child and earned the name Bloodletter. Then I set fire to the fabled Ashram. I've been a bird and robbed a merchant king of a ransom of gold. And I have crossed desert sands and cutthroat alleys to repay my debt.

I’ve stood before the eyes of god, faced his judgement, and cast aside the thousand arrows that came with it. And I have passed through the Doors of Midnight and lived to tell the tale.

I have traded one hundred and one stories with a creature as old as time, and survived with only my cleverness, a candle, and a broken promise.

And most recently of all, I have killed a prince, though the stories say I have killed more than one.

My name is Ari. These are my legends.

And these are my lies.

Fantastically realized fantasy and a worthy sequel to The First Binding! Between the rich worldbuilding and the excellent characters, I found this book nearly impossible to put down! Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Immersive and engaging. A recommended purchase for collections where fantasy and the previous title are popular.