Second instalments are notoriously difficult. That’s true of sophomore school years, second seasons of TV shows or — as with Daniel Abraham’s new Blade of Dream — middle novels of trilogies. In the aftermath of a fresh, new opening, the pitfalls are numerous.

10 / 10 ✪

https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/2024/02/15/blade-of-dream-by-daniel-abraham-review/
I always wondered how a story written over three books—all set concurrently—would play out. If done well, it could be a masterpiece, with each volume getting more and more immersive, each revealing minute details you’d have to reread the previous to understand fully. A bit like three people drawing the same map; individually, none would stand out, but when overlaid upon one another, each adding details only noticed by that person, the grander picture would come slowly into focus. Age of Ash was slow, I already said. Though it did tell a complete story. But only here, after Blade of Dream, does the larger scale come into view.

I didn’t relate much to Alys (I’m neither cocksure, nor ambitious), and while I enjoyed Sammish more, I never really got to love her. Garreth and Elaine I fell in love with at the start. Two affluent youngsters, with their futures already laid out before them, set in stone. And yet they feel lost, unsure whether either wants to accept the path that is before them, inevitable or not. They happen upon one another, and it’s like the eye of the storm—only the other is visible, yet that’s all either has eyes for anyway. I’m at a time in my life where nothing is clear, lost in a fog where before their was nothing but clear skies. Not only did this come at the perfect time for me, but I related well to both the characters I was presented with. Neither of which could be said of the first book.

The build was a bit slow, but after the scene was set and I got into it—I was out. Just ran through it. When I wasn’t reading it, I was thinking about reading it. When I wasn’t thinking about reading it, I was dissecting every detail I remembered from Book 1. Heck, I even went back and reread passages from Age of Ash to compare the two events side-by-side. Even now, weeks after I finished it, the story is still at the front of my mind. None of my more recent reads have replaced, or even competed with it. And yet…

I’ve seen a lot of reviews from people who loved the first book, but were less than thrilled with the second. A few that loved both, and a few that were mediocre either way. It’s going to be difficult for me to recommend a book that I know really worked for me because of who I am. Just like I couldn’t recommend the first book—for the exact same reason. I will say that the two work very well together, but I’m still not sure if that’ll be enough to get some of you to approach this series. As I know firsthand, what works for one person may not work well for the next, especially with entries that don’t really share any characters between their pages. Yes, the setting is the same, but the cast has flipped entirely. It’s like turning on the season premier of your favorite show and learning that they’ve decided to go in a different direction, sacked and completely replaced the cast, relocated to a different part of town—though the overarching plot and settings remain the same. It’s the sort of thing that would raise an eyebrow. And lose not a little amount of viewers.

I mean… if you loved the first—maybe you’ll like the second? If you were on the fence—well, maybe you’ll like the second? If you’re intrigued and want to see how it all comes together—yeah, feel encouraged to check out the series. Maybe even read them together, I dunno. But I do know that while I didn’t love the first, I adored the second, and am very much anticipating the release of the third, to see how it all ties together!

Really enjoyed this! Excited to see where the story goes from here! Thanks for the opportunity to let me read this!

An massive improvement to me over Age of Ash, which I think was very well written but I really didn't like the character we were following. This book takes place across the same time period, but due to my disinterest in AoA and the time it's been since I've tried it, I didn't catch a single reference to the first book. So it works perfectly well on its own.

Abraham is excellent at making realistic characters and having all their decisions make sense. He is great with dialogue. My failure to connect here is mostly with the plot, which I didn't think gripped me at all until the last third. I will definitely read the third one and will probably do a full series reread before tackling it when it comes out.

I gave the first book in the Kithamar trilogy, *Age of Ash*, 3 stars. I was generally reserving judgment. Book 2 reassured me that this trilogy is probably going to be up to Daniel Abraham’s usually high standard. However, I am - with great reluctance - going to say that if you haven’t started the series, you’re probably better off waiting until 3 comes out.

This trilogy has an interesting concept. They all take place within a single city, and each book covers the same year. But each book centers on a different character, giving a wildly differing view of events. And only when we have read all three, are we assured, will we understand the full story. Hence my very cautious optimism after book 1; it was a good book, and told a good story, but it was odd in that the story ended but in a very incomplete way.

Having read book 2, I’ve changed the way I’m understanding this trilogy. The main character of the Kithamar trilogy isn’t a person: it’s the city of Kithamar itself. Each volume (assuming #3 follows the same pattern) tells the story of one person within the city. Put those together, and you get that combination of complete, but not; both books 1 and 2 finished the story of their respective protagonists, but we only got a piece of the meta-story of Kithamar.

For those who read book 1, the main character here is Garreth Left, the city guardsman we see briefly in book 1. There’s a prominent secondary protagonist in Elaine a Sal, daughter to and heir of the Prince of Kithamar. We do see the protagonist of book 1, though only briefly (more or less as much as we see Garreth in book 1). Many of the city-wide events from book 1 are seen here, but with different perspectives. The story of the protagonist of book 1 is only hinted at. I dearly wish I’d reread book 1 before this, because I know I missed a good deal. I definitely plan to do so before book 3.

Regarding what you’re getting in the books more generally: for those who have read Abraham’s other stuff, this has more of the feel of the Long Price Quartet than the Dagger & the Coin or the Expanse. It’s very atmospheric, with a definite melancholy running through it all. It’s a highly experimental book, almost the literary equivalent of a concept album, but it’s a promising one.

4.25/5 stars! This is the second book in the Kithamar series by Daniel Abraham. At times this story felt unbelievable and I STILL couldn't help but be pulled in. I read it in 2 sittings and need the final book to come out like ASAP.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

(subset of my full review on Nerds of a Feather: http://www.nerds-feather.com/2023/10/review-age-of-ash-kithamar-1-and-blade.html)

The perspective of a story’s narrative can have enormous consequences for how readers react to its events. This is why head-hopping and multi-POV structures are so effective. When done well, we can see the internal motivations of an action in one chapter, and then explore the external effects or perceptions of that same action in another. When done extremely well, it can overset a tale entirely, yanking out our foundational assumptions and collapsing our understanding of how things fit together into a pile of rubble, from which a new understanding can emerge.

This is what Abraham is aiming to do with the first two books of his Kithamar trilogy. The first, Age of Ash, was a solid introduction to the city of Kithamar, characterized primarily by its very sensitive exploration of how grief can cause people to do unhinged, ill-thought-out, usefully plot-advancing things. It ends with a temporary—but by no means permanent—pause in the broader plot, which ties up the primary viewpoint characters' stories beautifully, while leaving open the possibility for the primary antagonist to advance its goals.

This is why Blade of Dream, the second book in the series, simply did not work for me. Because in Blade of Dream, events do not advance. We go back to the beginning again. Structurally, it’s clear what it’s intended to do. It relates the same events from Age of Ash, taking place over the course of the year, starting with the death of one ruler, old Prince Ausai, and ascension of his heir, and ending with the death of the second ruler and the ascension of a third. But the same events of this turbulent year are now related from a different set of perspectives. Rather than viewing the titanic struggles for control of the city from the perspective of street rats, now we see it from the perspective of the wealthy, the royal.

The problem with this structural exercise, though, is that we don’t really learn anything new. The events of Age of Ash were not unclear or mysterious. They were pretty straightforward by the end. I knew what the maguffin did; who opposed it; why the various participants in the power struggle did the things they did. Seeing all of the same events from the other side didn’t shed any new light or overset any old understandings. The same characters appear and do the same things, and nothing changes the second time round. As just one example, in Age of Ash, a protagonist named Alys is ordered to kill a canoodling couple, and we see the event unfold from her perspective. In Blade of Dream, we see the same sequence from the perspective of the canoodlers. But nothing was gained by revisiting the event. The canoodling couple did not do anything unexpected or enlightening; they were not privately advancing the plot in any way before they were interrupted by assassins. They were canoodling. Then Alys arrived. And I already knew what was going to happen, so there was no drama or suspense about it. You shouldn’t be bored by assassination attempts in your books, and I was bored. That’s a bad sign.

Perhaps there are balls set in motion in Blade of Dream that I’m not seeing, because they’re still rolling quietly into position. It’s not impossible. Abraham is a very fine writer, with a wonderful grasp on setting and character and complex social and political machinations. Don’t forget that he’s one half of James S. A. Corey, author of The Expanse, which set a new bar for modern space opera. (Also don’t forget that he’s written two outstanding fantasy series before now—The Long Price Quartet and The Dagger and the Coin—which I cannot recommend highly enough.) Possibly Kithamar will explode into the brilliance of a structural long game when Book 3 rolls around. I certainly plan to read it.

But the fact remains that Abraham wrote a rather dull, repetitive Book 2 while he heaved those balls into position. I sincerely hope that Book 3 makes my patience worth it. But if it begins with the same death of Old Prince Ausai, and I have to slog through that same year a third time over, I’ll be very annoyed.

I received an e-arc of this in return for an honest review.

I liked this book much better than the first one. The book was much better paced and a lot of that had to do with the characters in the two books. I found any chapter that had Alys in the first book to be a slog. She was just so insufferable to me, and while I liked Sammish she was not in the book enough to help. This novel takes place in the same time frame as the first novel but with different characters showing differing perspectives for the events in book 1. I still have a problem with the pace of the book I think it drags in the middle and it is to long. If you want to slow build a plot and world do it an smaller doses please. The characters were much better in this book, and they were the saving grace of it for me. Elaine was so different than she was depicted in the first book, and I liked that fleshing out of a character who seemed a little vapid and boy crazy in the first novel. Garreth is a little generic but he is still likable. His character is a little I was a rich boy who hates my wealth and chooses an "honest" day's work. All of the side characters are fantastic in their own ways.

The Kithamar Trilogy continues it's exploration of the workings of the city of Kithamar through the story of Garreth. Garreth is the heir in a merchant family. He has a set path to an arranged marriage to help his family business. His life is changed forever when he meets a mysterious woman who he can't stop thinking about. This chance meeting will change everything.

The Kithamar Trilogy manages to tell a complex story through the very intimate character study of one person. Age of Ash focused on Alys in the slums of Longhill. This installment focuses on the family demands of more wealthy areas of Kithamar through the story of Garreth. Most of the story is based on a forbidden romance with plenty of intrigue. Then the character's role in a very large scale story is revealed in the last portion of the book. The world building and character development is amazing in this series. Like book one, Blade of Dream is a slow burn plot that becomes so exciting in the end you want to know what will happen next. The stage is set for a great conclusion to the trilogy.

I would recommend this series to fans of fantasy who don't mind a small-scale slow-burn story with a

I really liked this book even though it's a second book to the series. I enjoyed the characters and the setting very much. It looks like I'll be picking up the first book sometime soon. I look forward to the final book in the future. Until next time Happy Reading!

Fair warning - I ADORED Age of Ash. Absolutely adored it. I thought the magic was interesting, the city was a fantastic setting, and that the portrayal of grief was among the most poignant I had ever encountered. So perhaps the bar I set for Blade of Dream was too high. Perhaps this story fit more into what I had encountered before, so my expectations were different. Perhaps middle book syndrome struck again. Regardless, this book was good but not excellent for me.

Through a series of unfortunate events outlined in book 1, Elaine finds herself as second in line to the throne of Kithamar, a complex and fascinating city-state. Garreth is a merchant's son, run away from an arranged marriage to join the city guard. When the two meet and fall into if not love then certainly lust, drama ensues. The relationship develops against a backdrop of a struggle within the city as its god wrestles to take back control.

There were definitely many factors working in this books favor - the flash then slow burn romance, the gods among us trope, and the eternally fascinating Kithamar. Maybe if this one had come first, I would have liked it better. But the secondary characters were so very flat in this, drawing me out of the story regularly. The city faded into the background too much, and we were really far away from the magic just based on the perspectives we did (and didn't) experience in this version. I was missing the draw of the political plotting and instead was given a "princess is sad and escapes the castle, meets compelling boy, wants boy" type story. Fun to read, nothing to write home about.

Daniel Abraham has a trilogy where all three books take place during the same year , the single year of the rule of Byrn a Sal of the ancient city-state of Kithamar that has hidden magic. Blade of Dream (hard from Orbit) is a love story between Garreth Left, heir to a prominent merchant family, and Elaine Ab-Deniya a Sal, of high ranking nobility. They meet at the equivalent of a rave. Gerald had just been told that he had an arranged marriage with a tribal girl to help save the family fortune. His two friends, now members of the constabulary, invite him along on a raid. Elaine’s adventuresome best friend had talked her into attending the rave. They meet when Gerald helps her escape and takes her to his home for a brief tryst. The year they meet numerous times, raising their love into intensity. Gerald leaves his family for her and other reasons, and the main magical conflict at the center of the series enwraps them into danger. Excellent.

Blade of Dream
by Daniel Abraham
Daniel Abraham has a way of looking a social concepts through the eye of a story. The interaction of this fantasy world showing social structure, and the propaganda of social levels or cast system. The world he created has the prevalent idea of medieval concepts of cast. The society of his creation has history, and his world building allows the reader to feel the long history of universe he is showing us a brief interlude. That the conflict of social cast system and variation of race. He brings the reader into this world during a tumultuous time, the transition of rulers, and the dark and convoluted conspiracy of magic and deception. His characters have multiple conflicting motivations, some personal some social. They find their resolution outside the norm of society, which makes it a surprising choice. In its heart it is the Romeo and Juliet romance, with a twist.

Previous Review of <a href=https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4352999179 >Age of Ash</a>

This is the second of the series about the City of Kithamar … and the exquisite world-building continues here revealing even more of the dark tapestry of intrigue and hidden horrors … and I loved this as much as the first book. It had been awhile since I had read the first book and I foundered a bit until it became clear that this was the same story told from a different perspective (and did not continue from where the first book left off). Despite being roughing the same story, these books need to be read in order and preferably back to back as I did not have such a clear memory of everything after the long delay between the two. This means that some of the book felt oddly familiar with just a few minor details added making the first half of the book a very slow start, even after I got my bearings within the over all story. Fortunately the second half picks up speed making it more difficult to put down.

This story focuses and Garreth Left, merchant scion come city watch (bluecoat) and Elaine a Sal, heir to city throne … as the star crossed lovers try and make the best of what they have, neither being truly free to do what they want. In many ways, this was a more traditional story than the first and I enjoyed the relationship between the two protagonists more as a result. Beyond that, the supporting characters were also fantastic and generally unique and each played important roles as the story of the “Thread of Kithamar” unfolds to reveal the malevolent “hunger” born from the passions of the city inhabitants. In fact, it was the idea that the gods are created and sustained by how we live and behave that I found particularly interesting … especially how these gods grow or diminish in power and the hints about how they in turn control and influence those who gave birth to them. So while there was a very satisfying ending … the story is obviously not complete (so we wait on the 3rd of the trilogy where I once again assume it shall pick up where the other two left off … the Prince is Dead … long live the Prince).

I was given this free advance reader copy (ARC) ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

#BladeOfDream #Kithamar #NetGalley

This author's ability to weave together various story threads into such a rich reading experience is truly astounding. It is even better because it sneaks up on you. Things may appear slow at first, but please trust that the groundwork is being laid for something amazing. This trend in the writing makes me incredibly excited to see what the last book has in store because I'm certain it will be an epic culmination of everything that's come before.

I was surprised by how well this book worked on its own. It covered the same time period as the first installment, which meant the overarching story was the same. However, the perspectives were completely different. Whereas the first book followed characters from the slums of Kithamar, this one was written from the perspective of members of the elite, including the heir to the throne. It was interesting to see the story play out from their point of view, especially since they turned out to be just as trapped by their roles in the city as the poor, just in different ways. Much of this story was about two individuals trying to escape/change the roles that society had set for them and searching for who they wanted to be. I enjoyed their love story, as well, and appreciated how the bond of their genuine connection was portrayed and held so much power. There were plenty of bits where the story of these characters overlapped with those from the first book, but it never felt like reading the first book would be absolutely necessary. Having the prior knowledge would undoubtedly deepen the reading experience, but this was definitely a discrete story in its own right.

As with the first book, the real main character was the city of Kithamar. I loved how the author, once again, was able to make the setting feel so alive. The soul of the city felt like a seething presence just below the surface that loomed over everything happening to the people living there. I was enthralled by the exploration of the bastardization of the communal compact that serves as the bedrock of any society. What should have been a force for the betterment of the citizens was twisted into something ugly and destructive by a hunger for power and control. It was thought-provoking and fascinating to read.

Overall, this is a great series so far. If you don't mind a slow start and the work necessary to understand how the different stories thread together, you'll probably enjoy this one. I've never read anything quite like it with multiple independent stories all telling different angles of the same narrative. It feels almost like a puzzle. I'm looking forward to seeing how it all comes together in the last book. Therefore, I rate this book 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Good world building and interesting characters to follow. I’ve had a few series over the many years of reading fantasy where everything is set in one city and it seems to be no easier to do well than to design an entire world. He does it well. I found the POV characters slightly weak in the last book but the main characters in this one were really well done. This series would be an excellent choice for someone wanting a new fantasy series to follow.

After The Long Price Quartet soared up my all-time favorites list, Daniel Abraham became a must-read author. And I sure wasn’t disappointed with Age of Ash, the first entry in his Kithamar Trilogy, so it goes without saying that I would be back for Blade of Dream. And lo and behold, I liked this one too. 

[Note: while this is a review of the second book in a trilogy, the nature of the series is such that it does not contain major spoilers for the first book.]

The Kithamar Trilogy is structured a bit differently from a standard fantasy trilogy. We are told in the prologue about the death of the city’s ruler, after a reign of just one year. And each of the three books cover the entirety of that year, but from the perspective of different characters. Age of Ash is written from the perspective of a thief who finds herself wrapped up in magic and intrigue beyond her comprehension, whereas Blade of Dream turns to the son of a merchant house and the daughter of the prince himself. The lead of the previous book appears once or twice, but always on the fringes of the action, never mentioned by name. 

With a gap of well over a year between books, I was concerned that I might have forgotten so much of book one that it would inhibit my ability to follow book two. I needn’t have worried. It’s just not that sort of series. The perspective characters are totally new, and while the antagonist from the first book appears again, it’s approached from an entirely different angle, and I had no trouble following the action. 

But while Blade of Dream may not require distinct memories of the events in Age of Ash, it does require plenty of patience for a slow-building plot. The first book may be a slow build, but it at least drops a murder and a mystery into our laps to draw the reader’s intrigue. The second mostly just sees the two lead characters chafing against social expectations—one against the arranged marriage that will restore his family’s fortunes, the other against the inability to develop real relationships that don’t start and end with awareness of her station. This leads to rebellions that certainly matter to the characters, but their significance to any sort of epic plot remains opaque for much of the book. To enjoy it, readers have to enjoy digging into the small-scale plots, trusting that their engagement will be rewarded. 

And because it’s a Daniel Abraham book, that engagement is bound to be rewarded. Anyone who is back from Age of Ash—let alone from a slow-building series like The Long Price Quartet or The Dagger and the Coin—knows to expect a slow burn with a tight character focus that eventually opens up into something epic. It’s his style, and he does it very well. Personally, I didn’t find myself quite as engrossed as usual in the first half, but it’s still well-told, and if I wasn’t completely engrossed, I was at least interested. Perhaps as I age, the “teenagers chafing against their familial expectations” hook gets a little bit less compelling. But impulsive as they may have been, they grew into a pair of really solid characters. 

And once the pieces of plot start falling into place, the story accelerates quickly. Suddenly, I found myself invested in the characters, remembering key plot points from the first book, and on the edge of my seat about how this side of the story would go. It was everything I expect from an Abraham novel—exciting, intricate, and thoughtful, with a tight character focus that never goes away. 

Compared to Age of Ash, I think I liked the first half a little less and the second half a little more. But they’re both excellent reads on their own, and they’re mutually supporting in a way that makes the whole better than the sum of its parts. I’m really enjoying this series and am excited about the third entry. 

Recommended if you like: slow-burn, character-driven epic fantasy; Abraham’s other work. 

Overall rating: 17 of Tar Vol’s 20. Five stars on Goodreads.

4.5 stars!

This book was a huge win for me, I am so happy with how much I enjoyed it. After feeling generally positive but not blown away by Age of Ash, Blade of Dream was a step up for me in terms of loving the characters and storylines that we were following. I also loved that knowing the reveal from the end of the first book, the atmosphere and stakes felt elevated and very compelling for this second entry. I really cannot wait for the final book in this trilogy, because I am hooked to see who else's perspective we follow and how everything comes together in the end!

Special thanks to NetGalley and to the author, publishers as well for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts. MY GOSH! DANIEL! I loved the first book, couldn't put it down and then the merciful gods smiled on me and I got an arc of the next book STAAPPP. This series is shaping up to be an all time fave. Easy 5 stars. Loved the characters and the setting can't wait for the next!

The complexity in Abraham's writing is just so enticing. The world that he is creating here in the Kithamar series is just so vibrant and well crafted. I cannot wait to experience more of this world.