I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
A Blight of Blackwings (Seven Kennings, #2) by Kevin HearneSeries: Seven Kennings
Published by Orbit on February 6, 2020
Genres: fantasy
Pages: 512
Format: ARC, eBook
Source: Netgalley
Alternative cover edition of ISBN 9780356509617 found here
From the New York Times bestselling creator of The Iron Druid Chronicles comes the highly anticipated sequel to A Plague of Giants: A world-breaking war--an invasion of giant warriors--that inspires a movement to fight back.
SOLDIER AND AVENGERDaryck is from a city that was devastated by the war with the Bone Giants, and now he and a band of warriors seek revenge against the giants for the loved ones they lost. But will vengeance be enough to salve their grief?
DREAMER AND LEADERHanima is part of a new generation with extraordinary magical talents: She can speak to fantastical animals. But when this gift becomes a threat to the powers-that-be, Hanima becomes the leader of a movement to use this magic to bring power to the people.
SISTER AND SEEKERKoesha is the captain of an all-female crew on a perilous voyage to explore unknown waters. Though Koesha's crew is seeking a path around the globe, Koesha is also looking for her sister, lost at sea two years ago. But what lies beyond the edges of the map is far more dangerous than storms and sea monsters. . . .
In this sequel to A Plague of Giants, these characters and more will become the voices of a new generation bringing hope and revolution to a war-torn world.
So I’m bad, bad, bad, bad, because I’ve been meaning to tell you guys about this sequel since I got my eARC from NetGalley. Go here if you haven’t read the first book, and read my review of that one.
If the first book was a story of war, and tragedy, and the ways in which humans respond to grief, then this book is a larger and more advanced version of that. Now is the time for rebuilding (or revenge), renewal (or revolution), exploration of new discoveries (or a desperate search for that which was lost).
As in the first book, we see many different points of view — some old, some new — as told in a public recounting to the narrator of the book (among many others). It’s an oddly layered way of storytelling, but it somehow works. Hearne has truly come a long way in his skill since Hounded — which was also a damned good book, don’t get me wrong!
I told a few friends, shortly after finishing this book, that I recommended it. I did so with the following explanation.
It’s about grief and rage, revenge and kindness, revolution, and how human-kind rebuilds after tragedy, and it’s amazing.
Me, to friends. January, 2020.
I meant it then, and I repeat it here for you now. In this second book, the story gets larger and deeper. We resolve a few questions, and discover several more we should be asking. If you haven’t picked it up yet, get going! And don’t forget that you can always pay a visit to your local library!
