I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was okay, it wasn't my favorite. I couldn't connect with the characters.

Thank you kindly to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for this review copy.

3.5
It took me a while to get into this book, which worried me a little. It's been a while since I read book one, but I remembered liking it. So, I worried I was going to be disappointed when I didn't immediately love this one. But I stuck with it and it paid off.

Once the action starts rollicking along it doesn't stop. Mostly though, I love Sully. She's just the sort of sarcastic, kick-ass broad I like to read about. I did think all the fighting got a little tedious and she does have a pretty serious case of unkillable. It reduces the tension of a book somewhat, knowing she'll suicidally throw herself into danger but miraculously survive every time (often without any apparent emotional scarring). I also thought Marie was reduced to a mere plot device here, which was a shame.

Overall, however, I enjoyed this and look forward to more. And there must be more because this one ended with a pretty big loose end.

DNF @ 35%
actual rating: 2.5

I really enjoyed the first book in this series but just cannot get into this one for whatever reason. I am finding that a lot of times lately I will read the first book in a series and really enjoy it but once I go to read the next one I just don't really have a desire to read more. I guess it's kind of a good thing in some ways that many books in a series can stand well on their own, but still a bit annoying. Anyway I'm sure this will be completely enjoyable to many people who loved the first one, I think I have just been reading too much urban fantasy lately.

Such an intense read full of action and twist I surely wasn't expecting. Sully has even more on her plate than ever before and she's been alive for half a century! The British Empire is attacking and has a defence mechanism nobody was expecting, demons are on Sully's side like it's her shadow twin demon who is funny and protective and definitely not a big bird.

Action and magic packed this book was a fun ride!

I very much enjoyed "The Year of the Knife", so when the opportunity came along to read the sequel, I jumped to it. Now I wish I had read the first installment again before diving into this one all excited. While the magic system and the alternative history of a magical American War of Independence and a world full of fae and demons were still amazing, I found this book had some narrative issues.

Like I said, you should definitely read those two books in close succession, because this second one does not give you much time to catch up and recap. It rushes into the action that was set up in part one and commits the typical sophomore novel mistake of then immediately setting up part three. The second installment is thus left empty of much plot of its own. There are hardly any subplots here, though the opportunities and the amazing characters are all there and ready. I also found that even the narrator needed to take a while to find its own footing and sassy voice again, just like I as a reader needed a while to remember details of the story from the first book. Lastly, many big reveals and turns were met with only little emotional reaction, which was a bit confusing.

It is a novel heavy on action and lots of magical fights, all of which are awesome! It is just that not much else is going one. But I have full confidence that these are just growing pains and the third installment will be as amazing again as the first one was.

I’m hooked on this series. There have not been a lot of new paranormal or urban fantasy books lately so I was really excited to get my hands on this book. This is the second book in the Witch of Empire trilogy. I would highly recommend reading book one The Year of the Knife first. This is a series that needs to be read in order. I read book one almost three years ago and it took me a little while to remember a lot of the important secondary characters. Going so long between books was hard enough that I think skipping book one would be really tough.

These books are about Sully who is a badass witch. She’s sarcastic, bitchy, and even a bit crazy at times but she has a good heart and will put the people she cares about ahead of herself. She has had a rough past with her vampire girlfriend Marie but she truly loves her and wants a future with her. But before that can happened Sully has a war to fight. Can she make it back home to Marie when everyone wants Sully dead?

I have really grown attached to some of the characters in this series. Sully is such a badass that she is fun to read about. While she is a killing machine, she is not immune so she sure takes her knocks. I also loved her demon friend who steals the book a bit.

The action in this story is really well done. It is one thing after another after another. I started wondering is Sully would have time just to sleep, that answer is not really. The pace of this book is so fast that you just keep flipping the pages. This book is violent and even a little gory at times, but it is action-packed fun.

This book does end on a baby cliffhanger. It’s not too bad of one, a lot of the big storylines were wrapped up and since it is a series I can’t really be mad, but I hope the final book is coming out soon. Almost 3 years to wait in-between books is too long to so I hope Penman is writing book three already. If you are in the mood for a high action, alt-history, paranormal book I would recommend this series. Just make sure that your read book one The Year of the Knife.

I did not know this was a second book until doing further research after approval in NetGalley, but I made the decision to read it without reading the first installment. I found this to be an okay decision because the introductory chapters were well written and I got a sense of who characters were and their relationships almost instantly. Though, I would recommend reading book one first! I've got it on my TBR list now to retroactively read to understand more thoroughly what I've just read.

This is a well-written novel with an interesting plot, well developed characters, and plot that doesn't stop. I can see some of the science fiction and fantasy influences from table top gaming coming through in the writing and I absolutely appreciate those touches from the author! Being as June is Pride month, I found Sully and Marie to be exceedingly well written LGBTQIA+ characters!

The magic system in this novel is really complex and arcane, which I appreciate! I've read too many fantasy books that have a really fanciful idea of magic. This is the most practical approach I've seen in recent memory and I really enjoyed it. Another note, the political system and political machinations that Sully is involved in piqued my interest in so many ways! Another reason I'd like to read the first book is to really understand the motivations and what has happened in this world.

A layer of sarcasm lays over the entire narrative and it's something I really appreciate here as well! There are too many books that attempt humor, but it falls flat. I believe the humor here hits almost every time and it's a style of humor that I appreciate. Also, well written action scenes that made me feel the emotions of the characters!

Overall, this is a great second book with complex characters, intriguing magic, developed political intrigue, crime, demons, and so much more! I would recommend this book to any fans of Larry Correa's Grimnoir series, Jim Butcher fans, and other fans of the paranormal/magic/alternative world genres in sci-fi fantasy!

I received a galley copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Meerkat Press for the opportunity to review this title!

The Wounded Ones is the second installment in G. D. Penman's Witch of Empire series, and I was very fortunate to be granted a copy via Netgalley - thanks Meerkat Press!


***

I want to raise a couple of notes for my Netgalley review, which I won't include in my general review. I will be posting my review on June 23rd on The Fantasy Hive, Goodreads, Amazon, Waterstones, and my blog.

Firstly, the quote on the cover is, I feel, nothing short of dreadful. Having read The Year of the Knife prior to starting The Wounded Ones, the character of Sully is nothing like Harry Potter or Katniss, and made me question whether Gill Chedgey had even read the book. I appreciate this kind of "like x meets y" comparison is great for marketing, but in this instance I think it's highly misleading. Readers expecting her to be like this are going to be disappointed and may review the book unfairly; but likewise it pushes away those readers who feel characters like that, or YA as a genre, is too immature for them. Either assumption would be doing this book a great disservice. 

Secondly, it may be a small quibble, but I noticed many instances of the term "off of", and I was a little surprised the editor let so many of these through! Having checked briefly I understand it's commonly accepted within American English, so perhaps this is why. British readers like myself would see it as a grammatical error, and it's quite grating.

***

Penman has gone from strength to strength: The Year of the Knife felt like a whodunnit with Bigger Themes lurking in the background waiting to escape. With The Wounded Ones, Penman gives those themes free reign. There is a firmer step here towards more standard magical-fantasy fayre of demons, mythological beasts, and other planes of existence... As Sully's world rips apart around, I felt myself on firmer ground. Sorry Sully. There is still a mystery as part of the plot here, there are disappearances happening, but this seemed to fall to the wayside. I think perhaps if a little more time had been allowed to this part of the plot the overall story might have balanced a little better, but as it was this was still a wonderfully meaty story with plenty of excitement to keep you turning the pages. 

What I particularly loved about The Wounded Ones was the exploration of relationships and expectations. There are two very different kinds of mothers present, and it made for some heartbreaking moments. I'm trying to be careful what I say here without spoiling things, but suffice to say Penman's characterisations, their drives and their faults, are a very strong element of his writing. 

Previously, in my review for The Year of the Knife, I didn't touch much on the magic system - which was extremely remiss of me, seeing as how focal it is to these stories. If you're the kind of reader who loves a well-systemised magic system, with strict rules making it more a science than the unreliable raw magic of someone like Alix E Harrow, then you're going to love this one. It's a very well developed system indeed. Previously, we had a taste of taboos, curses, and we touched upon demons. Now, demons are very much more at the fore, as are certain other mythological creatures, and we explore the nature of wishes and their devastating affects; and the other realms from which magic is drawn. I found it a fascinating take!

As I said, there's more heartbreak involved this time round. By the end, I was not ok. Up until this point, a particular character hasn't always demonstrated her love through her actions; it wasn't exactly the kind of relationship I had been rooting for. Like when a close friend of yours starts seeing someone you suspect isn't quite good enough for them. But they make your friend happy so you resolve not to say anything and instead keep a close eye. There is, however, a hint that they're about to redeem themselves - and it's a wonderful hope to carry on through to the next book. I need the next book now dammit!

The Wounded Ones is the second book in a series, I did know that before starting to read but since the description was right up my alley I decided to pick it up. And it didn't disappoint! Great world building with all the different planes of existing and the accompanying races. It would probably have been less confusing, especially in the beginning, if I'd had the background of the first book but that didn't took away any enjoyment in reading. A strong female protaginist, solid character building with her and the supporting cast and a neverending series of events and well written fightscenes kept me hooked right up until the end. An end that needs a continuation...and fast!