The prologue made me cry. Since this was book two, I went looking for book 1 - only to discover that I had already attempted to read the book (by a different author) and it was also book #24 of another series. At some point I might have to give the real book #1 a try. And I want to read something by this author. The writing was phenomenal but I couldn’t bring myself to wade through all the exposition of the first 24 books. Thanks NetGalley for the free copy.

Thank you for sending me the review copy. Unfortunately, I was unable to read it, and as a result, I could not leave a review on social media.

Why I picked it up: I grabbed this one for two reasons. First, I just finished reading The Companions by R. A. Salvatore (the book before this one in the Sundering series of the Forgotten Realm books). Second, it’s another NetGalley backlist that I am clearing out.

What it’s all about: This is the story of the god Mask and the goddess Shar. But really it is the story of their agents on Toril. There is a baby, Vasen, born out of his time. There are three…characters: Riven, Rivalen, and Mephistophales, who each hold a part of Mask’s divinity. Gerek wants nothing more than to save his family. Orsin is a mystery. Toril is still reeling from the effects of the Spellplague and war has crossed the threshold into the Dales. It’s going to take a lot of planning and patience followed by quick thinking to put all the pieces in place in time to save anyone.

What I Thought: Woah. A disclaimer first: I, as any other reader might, expected this novel to pick up where The Companions left off, bringing the reader along on the adventures of Drizzt and his companions. This book set up an entirely different part of the story. Much like the first book, I appreciated the long-range plans of the gods in this book. At first I kept reading, needing to know how all the different parts were going to come together, and as those threads did indeed converge, I couldn’t look away from the action and the consequences. This book felt much like a game of chess. The first two-thirds of the book are putting all the players in their places, and the final third is the fast paced end game until the queen is killed. This book is darker than the first, there is very little happiness to be found in its pages (not a negative for me). It’s worth traveling through the darkness to see the end, which is really just another beginning.

Favorite Character: Orsin, hands down. Orsin is a deva traveling the paths he has traveled in previous lives. He can call to the shadows. He defends his friends with animal ferocity, and challenges them to reconsider the world around them. He is a realist and an optimist. And he has a charming habit of drawing lines on the ground to denote a new beginning or an ending. The man (deva) is as insightful as he is wiley, and the book is so much better for him being in it.

Rating: 4.5 stars
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Intended Audience: Adults (there is no reason that a teen couldn’t read it).
Recommended for: epic fantasy is often the type of thing that only epic fantasy fans will enjoy. This is one of those books. HOWEVER, this author has said that this book is a standalone story that tells the full story he intended for it to tell, and so it could easily be an intro into the Forgotten Realms books.

I did not read the first book so I think that made this harder to review. I definitely think with a would as big as this one, the first book needs to be read.

“PAIN WRACKED VARRA, KNIFE STABS OF AGONY THAT KEPT TIME WITH HER contractions.”
This story begins with a miraculous birth of sorts accompanied by the tragic death of the mother at childbirth. So a dark and bloody beginning. Unfortunately this is where the story fails to grab me.

Two confessions: (1) I did not read any of the other books in “The Sundering” series. (2) I do not play Dungeons and Dragons.

Beginning with the Prologue, the novel introduces a long list of characters whose connection to one another and the story is unclear. This presents another problem for me. I don’t mind a fantasy with a complex setting or intricate mythology or dark villains. However, to keep my interest, the story has to introduce me to a character that I care about. I made multiple attempts to plod through the following chapter with the hope that at one point there would be a character I liked. I put the book down for a long time and picked it up again with the hope that a fresh look would help me get into the story. Alas, it was not to be. The problem may be mine alone. It may be that for fans of Dungeons and Dragons this story is the mage’s meow. Sadly, it was not for me.

Cleaning up my NetGalley account. Unfortunately, I had a few titles I could not get to before they were published. Should I read the title in the future, I will be sure to promote a review via my Goodreads and/or my blog. Thank you for the opportunity.

Awesome book, great characters and the plot is phenomenal. This was a new to me author and his writing is very nice and the book was compelling.

Kemp does it again with this riveting tale. His surgical precision with narration blasts away any sense of self and helped me to fall deeply into the mythos of his world.

I did not have a chance to read this book, but it is effecting my feedback rating. I am giving books 5 stars that I haven't read to improve my feedback rating. I am not recommending the book for my classroom or students since I have not read the book. There needs to be a better system of leaving feedback for books not read.

Maybe it was just me, but it was hard to get into this book. I was a little lost since I hadn't read any of the Erevis Cave or most of the related books. Also, it looks like it's the second book of a series. I guess that explains it. But the writing wasn't bad or anything at least. :)

My rating (***) -- Nothing in this book related to the first book in the series, but I eventually got drawn into the story. It was good, but gory. And I still don't know what the series is about.

I've always enjoyed book based in the Forgotten Realms world, but I found this one difficult to read. The story was there, but the writing just couldn't pull me in.