The Tower Lord by Anthony RyanMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
So Much Plot!!!!
Wow, where to start with reviewing this book?
This book is structured in a different way from the first. The POV is separated into several sections in order to convey all the action, because there is a lot.
Vaelin is back in the Realm and is slowly making his way back to Varinshold. He is attacked by a young woman, Reva, who has been brainwashed to hate Vaelin as someone reviled by her faith. However, she’s not very well trained and Vaelin is. This action starts the first step along a very long road, that takes them in different directions, both of which we follow in this book.
We also follow Lyrna, a Princess of the Realm, as she starts a journey to negotiate peace with Lornak, something not achieved in centuries. Her journey in the lands of Lornak begin to change her into someone better than she has been before. She becomes warmer and she earns true friendship for the first time in her life. This is the first step on her own epic journey of magic, fire and blood.
Lastly, we follow Frentis, the former thief, turned Brother of the 6th Order and honorary little brother to Vaelin. He was stolen away at the end of the battle for Untesh. Taken to Volar to fight in the pits, his tenure there ends with being bought by a strange woman. His slavery is absolute and his hatred of her all encompassing. Their journey together is filled with murder and hatred and through his story we learn of the enemy to the Realm.
This multiple stranded approach can be overwhelming in a shorter book, but in a book this length it gives the reader a break from one view point. It also gives a more complete view of the plot that drives the whole series. Without each story line we would have little understanding of why each character acts the way they do. However, it is easy to forget how each character relates to the others as there is a huge cast of characters!
The world building in this series is on the epic scale and the magic system is captivating. Within all this grand building of plot and place are the characters. This book fleshes out the people we are introduced to in the first book of the series. It tests those characters and they are often changed by the events described. Each change is believable and is a natural progression, as life often changes our personality as we journey through it. I also like how the relationships evolve. People who have nothing in common are bonded by their situation. Affection is found in the midst of blood and death and is made sweeter for the circumstances.
There is so much still unlearned by the end of this book, but that draws the reader on to the next book, to find out what happens next, and more importantly - why.
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