Of Dawn and Darkness by Will Wight
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
The Empire is leaderless, in turmoil, and fracturing in two. The Imperialists hope to hold it together with a new Emperor. Calder Marten is determined to be that man and the Imperialists are ready for Calder to be seated on the throne as soon as possible. The threats to the Empire didn't die with the previous Emperor and humanity needs every weapon it can get to defend itself.
Of Dawn and Darkness was a solid sequel. I made the decision to treat the companion books as two completely separate series since I didn't care for Shera. Whenever I continue I'll head to Of Kings and Killers rather than Of Darkness and Dawn. I may eventually read the other side, but the sleepy sociopath Shera isn't my cup of tea at all.
I find the story somewhat engaging and the characters somewhat interesting, but nothing about this series really grabs me. Bliss is probably the most interesting character, but even she is likely best in small doses. Her lack of understanding would get old if she was around more.
The biggest thought I find myself having is that everyone involved with the guild Civil War is being idiotic. Humanity has an opponent with power that dwarfs their own. Their best fighters have to take the power of the Elders into themselves to even have a chance. I don't understand why the people who want to defend humanity can't come to an agreement outside of murdering one another. They should always be training and inventing new ways to strengthen humanity to face the onslaught. If that means the Empire splits in two, then so be it as long as they vow to come to one another's aid. Everyone is too focused on gaining or keeping their power to have enough foresight to be fully prepared.
Of Dawn and Darkness is just good enough that it makes me want to see how the series ends.
View all my reviews