The Emperor is Dead. Long live the Emperor.
Lin Sukai finally sits on the throne she won at so much cost, but her struggles are only just beginning. Her people don’t trust her. Her political alliances are weak. And in the north-east of the Empire, a rebel army of constructs is gathering, its leader determined to take the throne by force.
Yet an even greater threat is on the horizon, for the Alanga – the powerful magicians of legend – have returned to the Empire. They claim they come in peace, and Lin will need their help in order to defeat the rebels and restore peace.
But can she trust them?
The Review: {contains spoilers}
This is possibly my favorite book of the entire year, equaled only by The Girl and The Mountain by Mark Lawrence. This series has everything I like: mystery, magic, a compelling villain, lore, adorable fantastical creatures, a dash of romance, battles, and lots of strong women. LOTS of strong women. I both love and love to hate the characters in this world, but even the villains are...sad. I feel so conflicted for Nisong/Sand in particular and I'm not really sure what to do with these feelings. I feel for her so much, but she's also wicked as hell. That's the fun thing about the people Stewart has written; they are so well developed that it makes it hard to really hate even the people who I would ordinarily not think twice of condemning.
On the other hand, I have no problem at all hating Ragan. The ossalen are just--to me-- the embodiment of purity and compassion and kindness and inner strength. I can't forgive him for poor Lozshi. I cannot even wait to find out where the little dudes come from, how they bond with people, what that bond actually signifies, why Thrana is so much larger even than Mephi...where they went or if they existed at all for the past Alanga. So many questions. I hate that Lozshi is basically...enslaved and misused and abused. I hope that somehow, he is freed.
I also am intrigued by the question of whether made things like constructs have souls. I think that's been the core issue at the heart of this book, do they count as people? How would you distinguish what level has more right than the other? We see complex constructs like Nisong and then there are the shamblers. Nisong is, at least in the beginning, fighting for human rights for her fellow constructs, yet basically uses her own people as tools to do her will, even if they have the complexity to disagree with her. Now, I do think at some point it became less about fighting for a just cause and more about power for the sake of power for her. Everyone is expendable as long as it furthers her goal. It does beg the question though of whether something/someone created by magic, powered by the life force of a naturally born person, has the same rights. Who would decide which constructs are the same as a person born from a mother? That's something I'm not sure any human would have the capacity to figure without bias, regardless of how noble they may be. And just going by logic would also not be a solution, compassion would play a role in that or it's a path straight to genocide. I'm torn if you couldn't tell.
I'm rating this a five out of five because it's just...GOOD. I loved reading it and I definitely foresee me coming back to this trilogy again and again. My fingers are crossed that all of my questions will be answered in book three but either way, I'm already pretty sure I'm in love with Andrea Stewart and her writing and world building. Do yourself a favor and read these books. If your reading preferences are anything like mine, you will be utterly lost in the best possible way.
