Great book, very gritty

I really enjoyed the first book and have enjoyed this one. It is unrelentingly "gritty". I know this will appeal to some but for me it was a little too much and there are only so many descriptions of torture and physical and mental suffering that you want to hear on any given day. If I was reading I would have skimmed those bits but audio books make that difficult.

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5 people found this helpful

Great work, staveley!

Loved it, its got twists and turns and revelations galore and the two brothers and the kettral unit are fantastically written. Cant wait for the next one

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2 people found this helpful

Great continuation of the series

The second book from Brian Staveley in this series is better than the first book. The first book was building up the world and characters. This book progress the plot.
I really enjoyed the book and now have to wait for the third book to be released.

There were a couple of things i didn't like. Now, this is a little spoilerish, so don't read on.

The first is the fact the three story point of views seemed to follow the same path. All three got captured around the same time, and got freedom around the same time. It felt a little lazy - but it did not detract too much from the plot.
The last was the end. I like a cliff hanger when i know there will be another book - but this didn't have one. It could have, but didn't.

The audio version was excellent as always.

This series is building up nicely and if it continues like this, then i will be awarding the next book 5 stars.

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Engaging and Addictive

As a sequel, this book was good but not as good as the first, only because I did not like the ending, the cliffhanger, so much!! But the brilliance and uniqueness of the author shown through as conquests, plots and characters were made more complex and unsuspecting!! I'm left reeling with both more anxiety and questions and hope I do not have to wait too long for the 3rd book in the series!!

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Holy Hull it's awesome!

Would you consider the audio edition of The Providence of Fire to be better than the print version?

Definitely! Simon Vance is awesome.

What did you like best about this story?

The fast pace and roller coaster of a ride!

Which character – as performed by Simon Vance – was your favourite?

Valyn

Any additional comments?

I have been waiting for this shael spawned sequel to Emperor’s Blades since early last year and sometimes it felt like an eternity until Providence of Fire would be released, but holy Hull was the wait worth it!
I never thought it would be possible for Brian Staveley to top his first novel, but he has done it in style. Providence of Fire is bigger, bolder and brasher than its prequel and it will take you on a roller coaster of a ride that will see you drastically changing your opinions of some main characters while discovering more of the Annurian Empire and the world it inhabits.
Mr. Staveley’s ability to grow, develop and then utterly destroy some of the relationships along with a fast, hard action and a captivating story will leave you wondering where he will lead you next. By the end of this book you will not know who you should like, trust or believe and like many of us you will be screaming for the third book in this series.
I listened to this book in audio format with the wonderful Simon Vance back as narrator and only finished it this morning, but already I’m having withdrawal symptoms. It is a sad day when a year has just started and already you are wishing it would end, but that is how I now feel (If I wasn’t already bald, I would be pulling my hair out) waiting for the final instalment in this trilogy.
I had this book placed at number two in my most anticipated releases for 2015, but book three has now secured the No. 1 spot for next year. I honestly believe that we are witnessing the birth of one of the greatest series in epic fantasy and that Brian Staveley will be thought of as one of the genres greatest authors. If you haven’t read either of the books in this Unhewn Throne series then you need to get to a Kent kissing book store and sort it out.

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fantastic

loved this book. Simon Vance was fantastic great voices and emotional connection with the characters

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1 person found this helpful

Better than book one and that was excellent

I've returned a few audio books recently but there was no way this one was going back. The audio equivalent of a page turner!

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Epic...

First of all, HAL YES!! The gang survived!!

Second, screw Adea.

Loving every bit of this series. Love the mythos, the world building and the characters.

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Better yet

Simply good all the way through and the audiobook reading by Simon Vance is masterful.
I really enjoyed the first in the series, but this is even better.

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3 people found this helpful

Much to Play For

Valyn and his wing have left the Aerie and heading to the mountains and to Kaden to warn him of the threat to his life. The conspiracy is in full swing now. Adare has learnt that Ran il Tornja was her father's assassin, unfortunately after she slept with him. She now flees the Dawn Palace to try to raise an army of her own from the Sons of Flame. She then marches her followers back to Annur to learn that her father's assassin has taken the army to fight the invading Urghul hordes up North.

Each of the children now must follow separate paths to try and defeat those that would destroy the kingdom. However, I found Valyn was still the dullest lightbulb in the box. I found Adare to be a schemer with her schemes producing disastrous consequences. Kaden on the other hand is more of a thinker and gains information from Kiel, a Csestriim historian who explains to Kaden the centuries old history about the game now being played. However, my favourite characters in this trilogy are Pyrre and Annick. Pyrre for her quiet control and quips and Annick for her determination and mastery. Both of these are very strong characters my opinion.

This book has many characters and I found it difficult at times to keep up. However, there is all to play for and betrayal is in the air.

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1 person found this helpful