City of Wonders by James A. Moore
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The Sa'ba Taalor and their Gods have declared war on the Fellein Empire. People are retreating to Canhoon, also known as the City of Wonders, as the Taalor annihilate everything in their path. Desh Krohan's peers and apprentice search for a way to stop them while a mysterious individual is gathering people and heading for Canhoon.
City of Wonders is truly brutal. The Sa'ba Taalor aren't like normal Invaders who wish to take everything for themselves. They are butchers and the entire Fellein Empire is the fattened calf. The book feels largely hopeless as the Taalor have been forged for battle since birth while those of the Fellein have never experienced anything that could truly be called a war.
No character except perhaps the mysterious Pilgrim stands out in this book. Everyone largely stays the same except perhaps Nachia who appears to have learned fear by the book's end.
There are a few moments that are massively unexpected and I truly appreciated each of those moments. One of which had me whispering no as it was revealed. I'm glad the book didn't stop providing surprises as the fighting began in earnest.
City of Wonders was a devastating book that has me eager to see the conclusion.
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