The first book in this trilogy was good, this one is excellent.
This unusual mix of fantasy and thriller is a gripping and highly entertaining read that kept me hooked.
The fascinating and original world building is as interesting as was in the first book and I loved how we get to know more about this world.
The plot flows and is tightly knitted, the characters are interesting.
I can't wait to read the last installment in the Fenest trilogy.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I'm really sad because A. I didn't realise this was a sequel ( think it could have been highlighted better) and B. Bought book one to get myself up to speed and really couldn't get into the story. I think this was definitely more me than the book though, I really liked the authors writing style and the almost stories within stories style plot, but I just couldn't get myself invested in the characters or plot.

The Fenest Trilogy continues to be one is the most interesting, original and compelling I have ever read.

Synopsis: 

Detective Cora Gorderheim has found the man who killed the Wayward storyteller, but he was just a small part of a much bigger picture. Someone powerful ordered a murder and made sure the murderers will disappear before Detective finds any connection. As she continues her investigations, Cora is warned not to pry into the great and the good of Fenest. Cora keeps digging and begins to piece together a conspiracy that reaches from the gutter dwellers of the Union of Realms right to the top: the Chambers. Even after hearing many warnings, it doesn’t stop her to continue the investigation. As the Audience hear the Torn and Perlish tales, Cora realises she must return to her own story, to its very beginning. 

Book Review: 

The Stitcher and The Mute is the second book in the Tales of Fenest series. When I requested this book, I had no idea about it. I noticed it after halfway through the book. However, it wasn’t an issue with this book because all the events from the first part were well explained. 

The book was divided into two parts; one was the interrogation of Cara Gorderheim and the second was the tales of the storytellers. It was an interesting combination. I was sure that the author will just summarize the stories, however, each story was described on almost or over 50 pages. It didn’t bother me though. They were sometimes more interesting than the main story. The stories were about foreign nations so we could learn more about the world that the author built. 

The main story wasn’t boring. The detective is a very smart woman who knows where to lurk to find what she’s looking for. Personally, I didn’t like her. I couldn’t feel any connection and empathy to her. She’s very cold and also kind of empty in my opinion. She’s a good person. She’s one of two people there that actually care about this investigation. She’s giving herself for this case and does everything to find a person who stands behind the murders. She was ready to risk her dream job to find the truth. I was very impressed that nothing scared her away. 


The ending wasn’t surprising. There were so many clues within the story that you could figure it out yourself. Few parts were unexpected, but they didn’t give me the “WOW” feeling. The plot was quite creative. I like the world-building very much but I feel like the characters and the whole story luck emotions. With this change, I would like this book much more. 
I would like to thank NetGalley, Head of Zeus, and D.K. Fields. I enjoyed this mystery series and I can’t wait to find out where the story leads us.

A good, entertaining read that suffered for evidently being the second book of a trilogy. The whole way through I felt I was rushing to get to the end, but perhaps this is because I’m unaccustomed to police procedurals? Still, the world of Fenest is well realised and the danger felt all too real

From Good Reads:
A great mixture of crime and fantasy novel - and we get the benefit of a self contained story in one volume within an ongoing world/series.
Love the world this is set in and the prominence and importance of stories and our hard nosed detective is becoming clearer, more interesting and more fleshed out as we go.
Looking forward to the next.

I liked the first one but this follow up wasn't as good as that was. I did like how it started but it missed that mark overall. I would read the follow up as I did enjoy it generally.

Sadly this book wasn't for me and I won't be sharing reviews in any social media platforms. There was no tension in the story and it failed to grip my attention and as a result I couldn't finish it.

Sorry I had not realised this was a sequel. I have now bought the first volume on Kindle and will return to review this book once I have read them both.

My thanks to Head of Zeus for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Stitcher and the Mute’ by D.K. Fields in exchange for an honest review.  I subsequently bought its ebook and audiobook, 
narrated by Helen Vine.

This is Book 2 in their Tales of Fenest trilogy, which began in 2019 with ‘Widow’s Welcome’. It again combines the themes of politics and storytelling with a police procedural set in a fantasy realm. As this is a trilogy the books should be read in order. 

Detective Cora Gorderheim is continuing her investigation into the shocking murder of a storyteller. It turns out to be a more complex case than she had first imagined as she comes up against powerful forces that have been lurking in the shadows.

Again, all this takes place against the backdrop of the election as storytellers from the six realms present their tales in Fenest. The outcome will determine which realm will rule for the next five years. Here the Torn and Perlish tales form part of the narrative.

I found it quite easy to immerse myself once more in the intrigues of Fenest. Cora is a delight, very tenacious in her desire to uncover the truth. It is well plotted and a highly engaging read. The world building remains impressive, noting the elegant way in which its authors have woven the spoken tales into the broader plot. 

In addition, the storytelling elements work very well on audio.

The final book, ‘Farewell to the Liar’, is listed for publication in August 2021. 

Certainly a book and trilogy that I found very original in its premise and that I am very happy to recommend.

This is the second book in a trilogy and I read book one in anticipation of reading this. Where book one contained a lot a exciting world building, book two takes those building blocks and creates an even more well structured book. Both enjoyable and well written, this book really is one for people who love a good detective story with a twist. 

What I found most impressive was the layers of story telling. Nothing happens in this book by accident, and nothing in this book is inconsequential. Can't wait for the third book.

It doesn’t take long for the story that Detective Cora Gorderheim’s been telling to gain weight… and a heavy one at that… in the form of a body with a familiar face. Turns out someone important, perhaps even a Chambers, needed their connections to the Wayward killing kept quiet and it seems that bloody murder is a small price to pay for getting away scot free. They should have known better. Cora won’t let sleeping dogs, or dead bodies, lie. She’s prepared to shake things up, and put her life on the line, to find out who’s behind this crime. And what she reveals is world shattering...

As in the first book, The Stitcher and the Mute is a celebration of storytelling. More than that, it’s a multifaceted exploration of the power of words. Here, that power is made explicit through election stories, but if there’s ever a connection to be made between fiction and real life, then this is it. Amongst the entertainment, there’s a warning, both within the book and for those of us without: always look out for what’s hidden as much as what’s on display. Words are slippery things, perfectly suited to deceive. And a whole different story can hide in what's not said. For the Union, this is an election like no other, but there are some who don't want that tale told. It’s up to Cora to separate truth from lies, even if she has to go beyond words, right to the source, and see the truth with her own eyes... 

Now, if you thought the authors had showcased their best ‘stories within stories within stories’ designs in Widow's Welcome, you’ve got a surprise coming. The beautifully rolling histories in the Perlish tale were a masterpiece of narrative creation. I’m genuinely awed by how innovative these books are in both form and objective. Yet what’s even more impressive is that the very obvious cleverness is never allowed to outweigh or overpower each novel’s connection with the audience. Yes, there are multiple layers.Yes, there are lots of links within and between stories. But this is a book to be enjoyed and it’s clear that the authors have neglected neither feeling nor character in their desire to create this wonderfully different reading experience. Each individual, whatever their page time, is immediately and stunningly real. Every one engaging enough to hold the reader's attention through their part, whatever shape that takes. I can’t wait to discover how this play's out.

ARC via Netgalley

Absolutely loved The Stitcher and the Mute. It picks up where book 1, The Widows  Welcome, left off so isn’t really suited as a standalone read. The author has an amazing way with words that brings everything to life and you almost forget you are reading a story. I can’t wait to read the final book in this trilogy and anything else the author writes.

This was a great sequel to the first book. I enjoyed it a lot. It was fun to return to this fantastical world and learn more about what happens.
The writing is very easy to follow, very charming to read. 
Thanks a lot to NG and the publisher for this copy.

I LOVED this book. It did everything that a '2 of 3' needs to do in an elegant and engaging way.  

The worldbuilding set up in book 1 is used masterfully as a base for nuance and detail in this book. 

The pacing is excellent, it has a nice rhythm that matches the story. 

The plot is imaginative and the layers of story telling are awe inspiring,  I really like how both book 1 and this book have a distinct story that is told and resolved within that 'episode' while still keeping the broader arc is sight and moving along. 

The characters are brilliant, they are all three dimensional and have clear voices, stories and motivations. 

I'm really looking forward to book 3.

This is book two in the series  of the Tales of Fenest, I haven't read the first one, I would like to though to get the back story. It is written in an intriguing manner, with storytellers yarning their tales, within tales, within tales. Stories are a key part of Fenest and it's administration and elections. It all adds up to a very interesting way of learning about a place, within the story.

The key character is Detective Cora Gorderheim, whose sister disappeared under awful circumstances when Cora was a young lady. Cora still suffers from an injury from that time and thinking that she keeps seeing her long lost sister is making her injury worse. 

She is on the case of several murders linked to the elections in Fenest. Her Chief Inspector has placed limits on where she may go when trying to interview the Chambers (kind of like councillors but seemingly more powerful). She has a name, she just needs to find out who the person is. So she goes to the archives and once she actually finds the place manages to get inside. There she finds a vast underground place and has to call on others to help her locate what she is looking for.

Alongside this activity, Cora is attending each realms' story telling to see what leads she can get to help with her case. The story telling is part of the voting process for the governance of the region and competition is fierce between the 'tellers. So much so that murder has taken place!

A thoroughly good book, which I found really realistic and I was able to place myself right there in the story. I would have liked to have read the first book first, but it didn't impede the reading of this the second book in the least.

The second in the Tales of Fenest, THE STITCHER AND THE MUTE picks up where WIDOW'S WELCOME left off, with Detective Cora Gorderheim hot on the heels of her suspect for the murder of the storyteller for the Wayward realm. As in Widow's Welcome, the "main" plot - which follows Cora and her investigation - is interspersed with two election stories, which in their allegories shed light on circumstances which both the reader and Cora remain unsure, but which are slowly becoming apparent as the narrative continues.

This is a brilliantly written and deftly crafted book which kept me thoroughly hooked throughout, and which left me almost breathless come the final chapters: just as answers were revealed, so were more questions - and the stakes - raised. Not only is this series a gripping gaslamp fantasty/detective series with a thought-provoking premise, but it is also a love-letter to storytelling, and the power of stories. Both books so far have made me sit back after finishing, and reflect on what I had just read with an even greater appreciation for stories and their tellers than I had before. I simply cannot reccomend this series enough.

Having already bought and really enjoyed the first volume of this trilogy, I was delighted when NetGalley gave me the chance to review an advance copy of this second volume. It carries straight on from volume one and isn’t really a standalone book. The author’s writing style is excellent and we now have an established large group of interesting characters. The 50 ‘gods’ have turned to be a wonderful background. The twin themes of climate change (sort of) and refugees are handled powerfully but subtly. As in volume 1 there are two long included stories. Very well written again and not quite as sad/depressing as the two stories in the first volume. There is rather a lot about large fighting beetles though in one story. Shudders. There is no swearing or sexual violence. There are some sexual scenes but very bland. There has to be physical violence given the plot but again nothing that will scar the reader’s memory. I am now really looking forward to volume 3

The Stitcher and the Mute is the second in the Fenest books and we are back with detective Cora Gonderheim as she tries to root out what is rotten in the state of Fenest. Apparently quite a lot. 
The second book follows the style of the first as Cora’s investigations wrap around two more election stories; one from the Perlish and one from the Torn probably the two most divergent socioeconomic groups in the union. This format is tricky and I struggled with it in the first book because it takes the reader out of the main action for a good length of time to read a short story that seemingly has little relevance to the main plot. I found it easier this time around probably because the stories were not the doom laden gloom fests they were in the first. They Perlish story was positively light hearted and I appreciated the skill of telling a story with a story within a story within a story. (But we’re not allowed to like the Perlish because they have all the money and the power so boo!) The stories are valuable in learning how the different groups live in the union which is important when it comes to the understanding how this world operates. The election stories also take us away from Cora which is bad because I love Cora.
Cora is an absolute hero. She smokes like a chimney, has a pronounced limp, gambles all her money away, uses prostitutes for warmth (and their tailor connections), rarely washes her hair or her face, hardly ever eats or sleeps or changes her clothes and in the first book still manages to pull Finnuc, a huge, hot  Tasker who it turns out is twenty years her junior. Yes he turns out to be a wrong’un but the pretty ones always are. Then a matter of days later in the second book she’s already snogging the hot metal cheeked fire investigator. She must be working those stolen coats something rotten. Although I have learned my lesson from beautiful Finnuc (who Cora rightly says wasn’t all bad) and am wary of the auburn locked fire investigator he may have something cooking with the Rustan chambers or Cora’s using him for his connections. We will have to see how that all shakes down. But it would be nice to have some light in Fenest. 
Cora also has to get to grips with the return of her estranged sister Ruth. This was probably the weakest part of the story for me. Cora’s been hugging a grudge for the her sister for thirty years but seems to forget it in the span of one road trip. Yes the road trip is to see the world being eaten by a giant lava flow but still, Cora’s acquiescence of Ruth’s story seems too easily won after such a bitter build up. 
It all sets up nicely for the third book where we will get the last two election stories and hopefully Cora will finally get around to having the damned  glass removed from her foot!

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an e-arc of The Stitcher and the Mute in return for an honest review.

My initial issue with this book was that I did not realise it was a sequel so I naturally put myself on the back foot and struggled to keep up with the fantastical world in which the story was set. Perhaps, had I read the first of the series, I would have felt better about this.

The writing style is enjoyable, with a solid amount of detail which allows the reader to truly appreciate the magic and power of storytelling. The book is engaging from start to finish and, while I believe I would have appreciated it more had I read the first in the series, I didn't feel that it was too much of a hindrance on the actual storytelling. 

Overall, the plot is well paced, with a unique tale to tell, but I would definitely recommend reading the first in the series, to truly appreciate Fields' ability. I hope to revisit this novel, once I have read the first and imagine that my rating will improve based on this.