A review by lizshayne
The Fires of Vengeance by Evan Winter

adventurous dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I really need to be stopped from reading sequels several years after the original, because it almost always leads to me saying "I'm sure this would be deeply affecting if I remembered a single thing from the first book. I did appreciate the "previously on" at the beginning, but I think the effect of the emotional punches is blunted somewhat when one has forgotten the character names and relationships.
It does put a certain cast on the question of legitimacy and authority in the story, though, and the way. that this is fundamentally a story that is about hierarchies and upending them while still trying to preserve the idea of authority and obedience. (The difference between "this" king is the problem and "monarchy" is the problem.) And I appreciate how interested this book is in how change revolts its way into being.