The Shattered Lands

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The first book in this series was captivating with its setting and plot in a word that felt fresh and new. The second book unfortunately loses that sense of grandeur in lieu of telling a simple quest story. Disappointingly the whole book is a quest to heal one of the main characters of a mental illness he received in the first book. There’s an interesting variety of stories and although each one is a separate tale, they also move a larger narrative forward. The final story does a great job of bringing threads from previous episodes together and sets up the next book well. Dive deep into British Raj politics with 100+ political leaders and 650+ political advisors across six ideologies: Monarchist, Nationalist, Democratic, Communist, Religious (Islamic), and Religious (Dharmic).

This was such an addictive book! I have been looking forward to reading this for so long, and was so excited when I got approved on NetGalley. This is an enemies-to-lovers, forbidden romance surrounded by political intrigue and an elemental magic system. This is what makes Hanuvar such a lodestone: he serves to remind us that family and friends and shared experiences are more important than conflict or revenge. No matter how riveting, fantastical, or terrifying each story was, Hanuvar's interactions with others served to highlight poignant glimpses of humanity which serves to ground the reader.

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Hanuvar, last and greatest general of Volanus, still lives. He now travels the length of the Dervan Empire that conquered his homeland, driven by a singular purpose—to find what remains of his people who were carried into slavery across the empire, and free them from subjugation by any means necessary. Sapphire is an absolute ray of sunshine (with a darker side) and her character arc throughout this book constantly had me on the edge of my seat. i regularly found myself going “just one more chapter”. she is the perfect character to follow on the journey in this book because much like the reader, she hasn’t got a clue what is going on. this meant that when information was revealed I was having the same reactions as Sapphire. I absolutely adore her and the way she is written means it’s absolutely impossible for you to not fall in love with her. For the Killing of Kings is a fast, fun swords-and-sorcery tale in the grand style, but updated for a modern reader. Magic, mayhem, betrayal, reversal, sword fights, court intrigue? This book hits all the right notes and has a great time doing it." —Kelly McCullough, author of the Fallen Blade and WebMage series All that being said the couple items below are why for me, though I really liked it, it didn't quite hit that 5 star experience, but I think all these critiques just come down to my particular tastes with genre fiction. I’m also not comfortable about so much obvious kink content in a lower YA book (14+). Whilst there’s no overly explicit scenes there’s constant uses of ‘good girl’ etc. This includes scenes with throat pinning etc. Theres scenes with knife play, begging, and brat like scenes. There’s also innuendos which were fine but only added to it (like sapphire liking her wet.) And a clear sub/dom vibe. This is also FREQUENT.

The drought of 1934 experienced by the British crown colony of Ceylon went from bad to worse as the drought was followed by floods in October and an outbreak of malaria. A severe shortage of rice further aggravated the situation, with the population now facing widespread malnutrition. The tone-deaf collection of funds for British war veterans by colonial authorities may not go down well. The Dervans are compelling villians as well. HAJ does a great job at making them unique and very human. There's shades of grey here, not in a grimdark 'everyone is terrible' sense but in a genuine sense of everyone being human. I really enjoyed the supporting cast. The Dervans thought that Hanuvar perished during the siege of Volanus, but he survived and in these fourteen tales he fights to reunite his people. He faces Dervan soldiers, monsters, sorcerers, and spirits. As Hanuvar has his adventures we learn more about his world, its history, and its people. As exciting as the adventures are, the characters are a big reason why I like this book so much, characters on all sides of the conflict. As i listen to stuff while driving (and i do a lot of driving) i would not be able to listen to the whole book. Yes i'm still one of those people that like better to actually read a book when available. the premise of this book is one of my favourites: princess x witch, enemies to lovers, and while in this book the romance is definitely not the focal point of the story, the parts with the romance absolutely shine.It finally ditched the badly written mystery tropes from the previous book for better written ones.

I recommend the books to people who enjoy sapphic fantasy wlw books that feature witches and royals.ll start with grammar and wording then move on to problematic content (racism & kink content) and likenesses to existing works.✖️

Coming from Penguin on 16 March, The Shattered Lands by Brenna Nation is a bewitching tale of a lost princess, forbidden love and a magical country divided. Ty to penguin books for providing me with a copy. I believe the copy I have is a finished copy which is why I have brought up the grammar/repetition as an issue.I just had the privilege to read this extraordinary book. The Shattered Lands by Brenna Nation has been a book I have been patiently waiting for since I first saw her tiktok several several months ago. I can say with absolute certainty that this book is 5/5 stars. Lord of a Shattered Land is filled with action, but it is married to themes that are far more adult, more ambitious and thought-provoking, than sword & sorcery is usually credited with. Hanuvar is a man of deep feeling and thought; an aging man who has grown children and a lifetime of allies and enemies spread across his world. We are meeting him at the twilight of his career, and yet his determination burns like the fires of the lighthouse of Alexandria. This first volume is a roller-coaster of wildly different adventures that leaves Hanuvar on the cusp of a major decision, and we the readers clamoring for more. Note: I was sent an ARC copy of this book ahead of its publication by the publisher Baen books in exchange for an honest review.