Review: Empire of Dust by Eleanor Herman

Empire of Dust by Eleanor Herman

Book Two of the Blood of Gods and Royals series

Publisher: Harlequin TEEN

Publication Date: June 28, 2016

Rating: 4 stars

Source: eARC from NetGalley

Summary (from Goodreads):

In Macedon, war rises like smoke, forbidden romance blooms and ancient magic tempered with rage threatens to turn an empire to dust 

After winning his first battle, Prince Alexander fights to become the ruler his kingdom demands—but the line between leader and tyrant blurs with each new threat. 

Meanwhile, Hephaestion, cast aside by Alexander for killing the wrong man, must conceal the devastating secret of a divine prophecy from Katerina even as the two of them are thrust together on a dangerous mission to Egypt. 

The warrior, Jacob, determined to forget his first love, vows to eradicate the ancient Blood Magics and believes that royal prisoner Cynane holds the key to Macedon's undoing. 

And in chains, the Persian princess Zofia still longs to find the Spirit Eaters, but first must grapple with the secrets of her handsome—and deadly—captor. 

New York Times bestselling author Eleanor Herman entwines the real scandals of history with epic fantasy to reimagine the world's most brilliant ruler, Alexander the Great, in the second book of the Blood of Gods and Royals series.

What I Liked:

I debated about how I wanted to rate this book, because it's getting a solid 3.5 stars from me. But I need to round, and I've decided to round up! Ultimately I liked this book more than I liked Legacy of Kings (which I thought was okay - boring in the first half, but much better in the last quarter or so). This still isn't a favorite series ever, but I'm happy to see a better sequel than its predecessor!

So many plots happening at once. Alexander is the prince regent, trying to gain the respect of his people, and trying to win wars happening all at once. Hephaestion, his best friend, is struggling with no longer being needed as a friend by Alexander. But Heph has new things to worry about - like a prophecy he has found, that could prove to be deadly for Alexander and Katerina. Katerina is still secretly Alexander's twin sister - no one knows except a select few people. She and Heph are sent by Alexander on a secret mission to retrieve something. Jacob, who is in love with Katerina (since childhood), is now one of the Aeserian Lords, enemies of Prince Alexander. The Lords' new prisoner, Princess Cynane, seems to have Blood Magic, which the Lords are out to eradicate. And then we have Zofia, the princess who was engaged to Alexander, but is now declared missing and possibly dead. She's trapped by her captor, who doesn't seem to be buying her cover story... and is as seductive as he is mysterious. Much trouble is brewing in this intense sequel novel that had me hooked from start to finish.

That would be the first thing I'd like to talk about - I experienced basically none of the boredom I felt while reading Legacy of Kings - the first half of that book, anyway. I remember a ton of people DNF-ing Legacy of Kings, citing that it was boring and/or they couldn't get into the story. And I don't blame them! The story really picked up in the last twenty-five percent. In THIS book (Empire of Dust), the story is pretty much on "go" from start to finish. I don't think I felt bored at any one spot! There were a few times when I flipped a page faster than I usually would, but mostly because I wanted to know what was happening next.

There are SO many plots and perspectives in this book. Let's see... we have Alexander', Heph's, Katerina's, Jacob's, Cynane's, Zofia's, and Olympia's (Alexander and Katerina' mother). But most of the POVs overlap - like, Heph and Katerina were almost always in the scene together. So it really wasn't bad! Especially since all of the POVs were in third person, so you never really got confused.

My favorite POV to read from - probably Heph's, surprisingly. I didn't really care much for Heph, in Legacy of Kings - in fact, I don't think I liked him at all. But I really felt for him, in this book. He gets punished in many ways, mostly emotionally.

Alexander's plot wasn't the most exciting, despite him running wars and such. He has someone beheaded, and replaces basically his whole counsel, in an attempt to look more powerful and in control, but it shakes him. I preferred reading about Heph and Katerina, who were off to a faraway (ish) land to find something. Zofia's story was also a favorite. At first I hated her captor, and was sure that this would turn into Stockholm Syndrome. BUT that wasn't the case. 

I should talk about romance. I TOTALLY ship Zofia and her captor. Oh my goodness, I feel so bad for her. She's conflicted because she spent days, weeks hating him for capturing her. But then he reveals something critical, and she realizes many things. I felt the chemistry between them many times, and the emotional part of their relationship. No Stockholm Syndrome (in my opinion).

Heph... and Katerina! They're (hopefully) going to be a thing. I ship them! Heph is a lot swoonier than in book one. Jacob is far away and doing evil things with the Aeserian Lords, and Cynane is isolating herself by also doing crazy things. Alexander is a solitary creature, so there is no romance there. I love Heph and Katerina, and Zofia and her captor (who shall not be named at the moment). This captor is also rather swoony!

So, I liked Heph more (he matures and grows and he's not as dumb - though he has one STUPID moment that made me want to kick him where it counts). I liked Katerina just fine, and she also experiences some good character growth. I think I was most impressed with Heph and Zofia's character growth. Everything else, I either liked or appreciated, and they had good depth. But I liked Heph, Katerina, and Zofia the most!

World-building = flawless. Seriously, Herman does an amazing job with crafting the setting and characters and adding touches of authenticity to the story. This is a unique story because you don't find a lot of YA books set in this time!

Overall, great characters, better story/progression, more interesting twists (I didn't really mention the plot and twists, but they're there and they're intriguing!), cute romances (no love triangles though). MUCH better than Legacy of Kings, in my opinion.

What I Did Not Like:

I will say that there were times when I was read a chapter from one character's POV and really REALLY wanted the next chapter to be in that same character's POV, because of what was about to happen to that character. I don't like when scenes are broken like that. But, it comes with the multiple-POV territory!

There were a lot of anachronistic phrases in this book, sadly. They stuck out like sore thumbs. I wish I'd flagged them in the eARC as I read. But they are so obvious! You cannot have colloquial twenty-first century slang and speech in this time of story, set in 300-400 B.C.!

Would I Recommend It:

If you read Legacy of Kings and liked it, I highly recommend continuing this series. I'm not sure what to say about those who read Legacy of Kings and hated it, or DNF'd it. Maybe don't bother? I personally think this series is going on an uphill trend, which is excellent.

Rating:

3.5 stars -> rounded up to 4 stars. It's a nice feeling when you like a sequel more than the previous book! It shows that the author is writing better, the story is getting more interesting, and the reader is becoming more invested. I cannot wait to read Reign of Serpents!

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Swoon Thursday (#178): Empire of Dust by Eleanor Herman

- From the book you’re currently reading, or one you just finished, tell us what made you SWOON. What got your heart pounding, your skin tingling, and your stomach fluttering

- Try to make the swoon excerpt 140 characters (or less), if you are going to tweet about it. Use the hashtag #YABOUND when tweeting

This week, my swoon is from Empire of Dust by Eleanor Herman!

For a second, she thinks she's gone too far. Now his eyes are black. Blacker than the sea at midnight, and she's can't tell what he's thinking. "I do," he says gruffly, and then he leans forward, closing the gap between them. His lips touch hers and suddenly he's kissing her, hard and deep.

And she's kissing him back.

Heat floods her, rolling in waves from her head to her toes. She leans in, and his tongue curls around hers even as one of his hands finds her waist. The pain is still inside her, but it pulses now, hot and passionate, surging into her fingers until she can't help but let them run through his hair. 

- eARC, 36%

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Legacy of Kings review | Empire of Dust review

Heph and Katerina are one of my favorite ships in this series! There are multiple ships (but no triangles or weird love geometries), which is fun. :D

Waiting on Wednesday (#161): Empire of Dust by Eleanor Herman

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week, I'm featuring:

Empire of Dust by Eleanor Herman

Book Two of the Blood of Gods and Royals series

Publisher: Harlequin TEEN

Publication Date: June 28, 2016

Summary (from Edelweiss):

In Macedon, war rises like smoke, forbidden romance blooms and ancient magic tempered with rage threatens to turn an empire to dust. 

After winning his first battle, Prince Alexander fights to become the ruler his kingdom demands—but the line between leader and tyrant blurs with each new threat. 

Meanwhile, Hephaestion, cast aside by Alexander for killing the wrong man, must conceal the devastating secret of a divine prophecy from Katerina even as the two of them are thrust together on a dangerous mission to Egypt. 

The warrior, Jacob, determined to forget his first love, vows to eradicate the ancient Blood Magics and believes that royal prisoner Cynane holds the key to Macedon's undoing. 

And in chains, the Persian princess Zofia still longs to find the Spirit Eaters, but first must grapple with the secrets of her handsome—and deadly—captor. 

New York Times bestselling author Eleanor Herman entwines the real scandals of history with epic fantasy to reimagine the world's most brilliant ruler, Alexander the Great, in the second book of the Blood of Gods and Royals series.

Author Website | Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

I thought Legacy of Kings was pretty decent, definitely worthy of continuing the series. I hope this sequel does not disappoint!

Review: Legacy of Kings by Eleanor Herman

Legacy of Kings by Eleanor Herman

Book One of the Blood of Gods an Royals series

Publisher: Harlequin TEEN

Publication Date: August 18, 2015

Rating: 3 stars

Source: eARC from NetGalley

Summary (from Goodreads):

Imagine a time when the gods turn a blind eye to the agony of men, when the last of the hellions roam the plains and evil stirs beyond the edges of the map. A time when cities burn, and in their ashes, empires rise.

Alexander, Macedonia’s sixteen-year-old heir, is on the brink of discovering his fated role in conquering the known world but finds himself drawn to newcomer Katerina, who must navigate the dark secrets of court life while hiding her own mission: kill the Queen. But Kat’s first love, Jacob, will go to unthinkable lengths to win her, even if it means competing for her heart with Hephaestion, a murderer sheltered by the prince. And far across the sea, Zofia, a Persian princess and Alexander’s unmet fiancée, wants to alter her destiny by seeking the famed and deadly Spirit Eaters.

Weaving fantasy with the salacious and fascinating details of real history, New York Times bestselling author Eleanor Herman reimagines the greatest emperor the world has ever known: Alexander the Great, in the first book of the Blood of Gods and Royals series.

What I Liked:

Don't pay too much attention to my rating. I hate three-star ratings, because there are positive three-star ratings, and there are negative three-star ratings. This one is more on the positive side. There was one seriously large thing I didn't like about this book, and then a few small ones, but for the most part, I enjoyed it. It took a while for me to regain my interest, but I finished the book quickly after my interest was rekindled. 

Prince Alexander is named regent in his father's absence. The tournament has just begun, yet danger is all around Macedonia. Hephaestion is Pella's champion in the tournament, and Alexander's best friend. Cynane is Alexander's half-sister, who tries to turn Hephaestion against Alexander. Katerina is an orphan in Erissa, a friend of Jacob. Jacob is a contestant in the tournament, who is in love with Kat and wants to make a better future for her, should she agree to marry him. Zofia is a princess who is in love with a soldier, but will be given to Alexander to marry, if she does not find the Spirit Eaters and change her future. This is a complex story with so many intertwining lives and so much at stake.

I LOVE ancient history. Anything medieval, ancient, etc. History is one of my favorite subjects, and so it's no surprise that historical fiction is one of my favorite genres. Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome has always fascinated (one of the first stories I ever wrote as a child was set in Ancient Greece!), and ancient times in Macedonia is a time of particular. I LOVE the story of Alexander the Great! So I was excited to see what Herman came up with, in Legacy of Kings.

While I am giving this book three stars, it is not in disappointment! I liked this book and will certainly be reading the sequel come next year. The setting is very high fantasy esque - with kings, queens, betrayals, scheming (SO MUCH SCHEMING), swords, fantastical creatures... it's easy to mistake this for more of a high fantasy novel than anything else. This seems to historical fantasy! Herman mixes magic with history, and it is quite alluring!

There are a lot of characters in this book (see my note on this in the next section). Kat is introduced first, so I think of her as the primary protagonist of the story (though she probably isn't - the bajillion protagonists in this book are likely of equal importance). I liked Kat the most anyway - she is calm and calculating, kind and selfless. She isn't in love with Jacob, her childhood best friend. But she accompanies him to the tournament, and she is noticed by the prince. Alexander takes her into the palace, all on a whim.

A lot of things in this book are based on whims. Kat came with Jacob because it felt like something she needed to do. Alexander saved Kat and brought her to the palace because something about her mystified him. The queen didn't investigate a disturbance outside of her window because she didn't feel like she had to. The characters of this world rely on prophecies and intuition and the gods, so they often do things based on feelings and intuition. 

I liked Alexander a lot. He is scarred in the leg, and this is apparently not good luck. Everyone does not want him on the throne because of this deformity, which is so unfair. He is more than capable, more than competent. He is an able-bodied fighter, and a smart prince. Alexander has a clever mind and a good, kind heart.

The other characters in this book are important as well. Hephaestion, Alexander's best friend. Cynane, Alexander scheming, wild half-sister. Zofia, Alexander's future fiancee, in love with another man. Jacob, champion at the tournament, in love with Kat. The queen, Alexander's mother, creepy and power-hungry.

The story starts off rather slow (see below), but it picks up around the one-fifth mark, and I finished pretty quickly after my interest was piqued. I didn't want this book to disappoint me, and I knew I would finish it regardless. Nevertheless, I had no problems finishing the book.

Romance - there is little romance in this novel. Jacob is in love with Kat from the start, but Kat is not in love with him. Nor does she really fall for anyone. Zofia has her own love story, but that looks like it's not going anywhere. Also, she is supposed to be getting engaged to Alexander at some point, so we'll see if that happens or not. I do have a main ship, but I will not mention the names in the review.

I LOVE how this book finishes. All the deceit comes to light, especially in terms of Hephaestion and Cynane. Alexander finds out something very important, as does Kat. Cynane might actually get what she deserves. Zofia might not. So much happens at the end, it was hard to keep up! Not in a bad way though. I cannot wait to read Empire of Dust - if only to find out more about the title! But seriously, I anxiously await the sequel!

What I Did Not Like:

Several things made the rating of this book drop. The most significant - the sheer amount of perspectives this book had. What hurt the book most was the amount of points-of-view the author employed. All third-person, which was probably good, given the amount of perspectives. Kat, Alexander, Hephaestion, Cynane, Zofia, Jacob... I think those were all? Six. Six different POVs. That was waaaay too many. The story felt disjointed and disconnected at first. The pieces didn't fit together, the perspectives didn't make sense against one another.

As the story went on, things started to make more sense. But at first, the book was very slow, and it did not help. I was not getting into the story, especially with so many switches in perspectives. There were way too many perspectives, and the beginning was way too slow.

We need more answers! I'm sure the author will answer a hundred of my question in Empire of Dust, but one of the most frustrating things about reading this book (WHILE reading it) was the feeling of not knowing everything. And yet, some things were very obvious (like the green eyes). 

My biggest problem was definitely the number of perspectives though. That was crippling.

Would I Recommend It:

Still, despite the dislikes, I recommend this book. It is excellent historical fiction, with a generous side of fantasy. Did I mention magic? Kat, Alexander, and the queen have interesting abilities, as does Kat's mother, and some minor characters in the book. Oracles, Pegasus, hellions, and other supernatural beings abound in this book. Very cool stuff! An intriguing novel, worth the read, though you definitely have to muscle through the beginning.

Rating:

3.5 stars -> rounded down to 3 stars. Again, kind of ignore the rating? 3.5 stars is more accurate than 3 stars. I liked this book, and will definitely be looking forward to reading Empire of Dust!

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