Huge thank you to Caffeine Book Tours and Orbit Books for having me on this blog tour! I was excited to read the book and can't wait to share my thoughts with you all. Keep on reading to also enter into the giveaway for both books one and two of the series!
Author: Kacen Callender
Series: Islands of Blood & Storm #2
Age: Adult
Genres: Fantasy
Expected Publication Date: December 1, 2020
Publisher: Orbit Books
Source: ARC
Purchase: Paperback | Kindle | B&N | IndieBound | Book Depository
Synopsis:
A Caribbean-inspired fantasy about "power, privilege and survival," King of the Rising is the searing conclusion to the Islands of Blood and Storm series which began with Queen of the Conquered. (K. S. Villoso)A revolution has swept through the islands of Hans Lollik and former slave Loren Jannik has been chosen to lead the survivors in a bid to free the islands forever.But the rebels are running out of food, weapons and options. And as the Fjern inch closer to reclaiming Hans Lollik with every battle, Loren is faced with a choice that could shift the course of the revolution in their favor-or doom it to failure.
My Rating:
Quote(s) I Like:
"It'd hurt me then. It hurt that the others would see I was treated as they were, but that they would still refuse to claim me as one of their own. It's ironic. In this way, I understand Sigourney Rose. I understand what it feels like to not be accepted." - Loren
"Her meaning is clear. I understand what she wants and what she expects. She thinks it will be an easy exchange: my body for one night, for help to win our freedom from the Fjern. It might be an easy choice for others. I can feel the pressure to sacrifice myself, no matter the discomfort and disgust, no matter the rage of having my body used in the way it has been used, again and again. Sacrifice myself, for all my people and all our islands." - Loren
My Thoughts:
Let me preface this by saying that this is NOT for the faint at heart. Trigger and content warnings for this book are as follows: racism, slavery, death, torture, violence, rape and sexual assault. If you are not a fan of those in your book then don't read it. However, if you are not turned off by it I'd say it's an excellent book to read!
I had never gotten the chance to read the first book when it came out so I had to binge read both back to back and let me just say it wrecked me. I listened to the audiobook of Queen of the Conquered and I had feelings so I was expecting to feel all the feels and be wrecked. I was.
I adored that even though this wasn't a fast paced read, it read as if it were. The writing was easy to get into, the political drama added to the world and violence. I enjoyed the intensity of the drama and brutal experiences each of the characters had to go through. This made me feel so many feels from beginning to end. The struggles of each character felt authentic. The relationships and issues between characters felt real.
The dynamic between Sigourney and Loren continued to wreck me as the story progressed. There positions have changed, but they continue in this "dance" of emotions. I love that both are neither right nor wrong. They are morally grey characters trying to change things.
This duology is one that I truly enjoyed and has made me interested in reading more from Callender. The writing was superb, the world was amazing, the characters are dynamic. I highly recommend this book!
About the Author
Kacen Callender was born two days after a hurricane and was first brought home to a house without its roof. After spending their first eighteen years on St. Thomas of the US Virgin Islands, Kacen studied Japanese, Fine Arts, and Creative Writing at Sarah Lawrence College and received their MFA from the New School. Kacen is the author of the middle grade novel Hurricane Child and the young adult novel This Is Kind of an Epic Love Story.
Giveaway
- Prize is a set of finished copies of Queen of the Conquered and King of the Rising by Kacen Callender
- One (1) winner gets both books
- Open to North America
- Ends on 10 December 2020 (Philippine time)
Do you plan grabbing a copy of this beauty?!