<happy sigh>
When last we met our companions, elemental-witch Solvieg and her body-guard shieldmaiden Arneior and their party of wolf shape-shifters and Elder warriors had finally reached Waterstone, a secret ancient Elder land in the shadow of the Enemy's Black Land.

As beautiful and protected as Waterstone is, however, Solvieg and Arneior realize that the place is less a haven than a holding cell: the warriors who conveyed them North in the first of the series (<I>A Flame in the North</I>) did so in order to hide Solvieg (and her unique powers) from the Enemy. There are political intrigues, uncertain alliances, and dangers all around.

This is high epic fantasy, written with an eye to archaic style. Chapters open with selections from various in-world narratives, often snippets from sagas composed about the events that are about to unfold. There are battles aplenty, but the writing takes its time. Prepare for a deep, immersive dive into a Nordic, Middle-earth-ish world where Elders live for hundreds of years but still, from time to time, fall in love with mortal humans.

SPOILER ALERT FOLLOWS>>>>

It's a safe bet, given the title, that the safety of Waterstone will prove illusionary, and this novel (the middle episode? will this be a true trilogy?) ends with another headlong footrace for our heroes across the perilous open spaces of the North, with another Elder city in ruins behind them.

As with the first episode, Saintcrow nods to Tolkien: the beautiful Elders, the misshapen creatures of the dark lord (is that a Balrog?! also, is that a second...tower?!) the vast scale of history of Solvieg's world. I won't bother comparing, though I do believe that this series belongs on the same shelf as <I>The Lord of the Rings</I>

And as with <I>The Two Towers,</I> I found myself rushing to find out what will happen next. This epic fantasy delivers everything a reader would want: a grand scale, conflict, sympathetic characters, and rising stakes. And there's more: morally grey decisions made for the greater good, evil characters driven to their wickedness and tempted by a darker evil, and still, love and hope might yet grow in the shadow of Mordor...Oh, I am so looking forward to Book Three!

Thank you NetGalley and Orbit Books for the eARC in exchange for my unfettered opinion.

This book took me way longer than I would've like to finish (through no fault of its own) but I'm happy to say its finally done, and I enjoyed it! This book is still slow like the first installment, but I think it is also a major improvement for pacing on all fronts. Especially in the final 100 pages, which is definitely the best part of the book as a whole.

I enjoyed the jaunt to waterstones, even if it was fairly obvious how doomed it was. I do however think the author is overly relying on a formula in some aspects. Like the first book, the plot formula follows as perilous travels -> enter city -> tentatively welcomed -> Solvieg is lied to / tormented -> city falls -> rinse and repeat. I don't necessarily dislike this, but I think the book does some of its best work when the author is throwing curveballs at the audience. I hope the next book will step outside of this somewhat, or focus more heavily on whatever the hell is happening to Solvieg's body and magic, as well as the mysterious enemy lurking in her dreams.

Because this is an E-ARC copy, I won't dock any stars for this aspect, but I noticed that the repetitiveness in the plot has gotten better, but in the prose, has gotten worse. This was much less of an issue for me in the back half of the novel, but the front half..... how many times does Solvieg need to remind the audience she's a volva? We haven't forgotten in the last 2 minutes since you said it.

For the dynamics, Sol and Arn are still the heart of this story and I sincerely hope it stays that way. In the previous novel I considered Sol and Aeredh, but I can firmly say now he needs to never be in her presence again. Great character, but leave her alone. Sol and Eol on the other hand got some great moments in this book and I hope that continues. They honestly have such a fraught dynamic but also a very tender one. I assume with Arn killing his father in defense of Sol will likely only add to both these aspects in book 3 and I'm excited to see it. I am NOT excited to see Arn and Efain however, which is more of a specter of something than a concrete dynamic, but either way I'm not really fucking with it at all. Woman uninterested in men until she just finds the right one is probably my least favorite dynamic of all time. If Arn wants to be a single misandrist, that's fine!

I love all of Lilith Saintcrow's writing and this title DID NOT disappoint. I loved the first book and read it in one night. Three days later I did the same with this title. There was growth of the protagonist, Solveig, and all the secondary characters and the two possible love interests (Aeredh *swoon*) and her bestie and shieldmaiden, Arn (think Valkyries). The rhythm and texture of the language was a delight. The story is reminiscent of Tolkien's tales ie. the great sagas of the Norse. I haven't had a book high like this is in a long time and I am so grateful to NetGalley and Orbit for giving me an advanced copy. I ordered this title for my library and have already been recommending the series like crazy to my fantasy loving patrons!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!
I enjoyed this book even more than the first! I eat up anything Norse mythology inspired and I really like what Saintcrow has done here with it. Others have likened it to a cross between a Norse myth retelling and the hobbit and that’s totally on point.
Really looking forward to the third installment to see what other adventures await Solveig.

Thank you to Orbit, Lilith Saintcrow and NetGalley for giving me an eARC of The Fall of Waterstone in exchange for my honest review.

The Fall of Waterstone picks up shortly after the end of A Flame to the North. This novel once again follows Solveig, who has finally made it to Waterstone. While Waterstone is considered to be safe from the enemy, that does not mean that Solveig feels safe, in fact it is just the opposite. She is trapped where everyone seems to have a hidden agenda and she has nowhere to go. Trying her best to not be a pawn in some larger game, Solveig tries her master her magic before the enemy finds his way in.

I truly enjoyed this book so much more than the first book. The first book, A Flame to the North felt slow and drawn out. However, The Fall of Waterstone picks up its speed fairly quickly. There is a lot going on and Solveig is just doing her best to try and survive. There are times where I would get frustrated by Solveig, but she is well and truly trapped, and it would be to easy if she could just simply escape. This book has a lot of moving parts to it, and it is clear that it Saintcrow is gearing up for an epic showdown. Yet, in spite of knowing that there is likely to be a big showdown in the next book, I am honestly more excited for answers. Who is the enemy? What exactly is the enemy? What role does Solveig play in this upcoming battle? Will she truly never see her home and her family again? I cannot wait for the third book and will be eagerly awaiting book 3.

This eARC was received from Netgalley.com and I providing an unbiased review.

This is the second book in the 'Black Lands Bane' series by Saintcrow an continues the adventure of Solveig, as she is led on seemingly blindly. This part of the story brings the group to Waterstone, a city of the Elders, a fae-like race. Whilst here, there is treachery within the Elder ranks and the Black Lands creatures invade the hidden city, forcing all to flee or die. This sends our MC out once again to head for yet another 'hidden, Elder city' but now she is carrying within a piece of Waterstone of great value.

It was wonderful to pick up on this story again! Saintcrow has done a wonderful job morphing Norse mythology into a fantasy tale of adventure. I would like to see many more books in this series, but feel it will probably wrap up in the next (and last) installment. Probably best to have read the first novel, so all the backstory is known, but otherwise is easily read and moves along at a good pace.

This book follows Solveig's journey immediately post-book 1. A good chunk of the book takes place in Waterstone and I loved the little bits we got of it. The descriptions, as always, were vivid and engaging. The Hobbit-vibes were really off the charts here, in a totally good way. While the pacing might be a bit slow for some, especially for a good chunk of the book, it was fine for me and when it picks up, by god does it pick up. I'm so thoroughly invested in Solveig and her journey and I'm so, so curious as to what the 3rd book will entail.

If you really liked the first book, definitely check out the second. Especially if you were, like me, at all curious about the Elder and their cities.

The sequel to the wonderful Lord of the Rings-like Nordic saga that was A Flame in the North just exceeded my expectations and blew my mind. 🤯

The story continues a few days after the elemental witch (a volva in this world) Solveig, her shieldmaid Arneior, some Elder and the wolves of Naras arrive in the Elder city of Waterstone. While half the story takes place in this beautiful Rivendell-esque city, I loved the evolved dynamics of Solveig’s relationships with Aeredh and Eol. I do think there’s a wonderful romantic like attachment happening between Sol and Aeredh but I like that Saintcrow isn’t pushing it to the point where it feels rushed or unreasonable. Eol has grown to be a wonderful friend and ally to the women and I like this newfound loyalty in him. 🐺

I loved the new characters introduced in this book, and I’m super excited to see these relationship evolve alongside the others that Sol and Arn already have. That and I’m super excited to see a deeper look into Sol’s newfound powers in the next installment in the series. 👀

As the title suggests, the fall of the city was epic. I won’t go into details about it in case of spoilers, but man was the whole thing engrossing for me. The battle scenes reminded me of (again) of those in the Lord of the Ring series, and it’s honestly making me want to pick up the series again . . . Or at least watch the movies due to my already bursting TBR. 😅

All in all, I loved this sequel and can’t wait for the third book! . . . *psst Orbit Books, is it coming out later this year too? 🫶🏼

Big thank you to Orbit Books and NetGalley for accepting my excited request to read this wonderful book in exchange for an honest review, and to the author for crafting yet another incredible Nordic saga like tale! ❄️

Publication date: June 11!

Overall: 4.75/5 ⭐️

A brilliant and Epic story that contains a rich world of Norse themes. This series keeps getting richer and richer as it continues. The characters are deep and well written and the world is fascinating. Magic works in an interesting manner and the main character is a volva with unique gifts. She is kidnapped basically by a group of wolf shifting warriors and an ancient pointy eared Elder. There is a great evil in the north and apparently only Sol can help stop it. This story continues where the first one left off in the city of Waterstone. It really is an addicting book with some fast paced action and a great story that has hints of Lord of the Rings in it. I am looking forward to the next book in the series. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to write an honest review on this book.

An elemental witch and her shieldmaiden navigate a dangerous world of forgotten myth and deep magic in the second volume of New York Times bestselling author Lilith Saintcrow’s sweeping Norse-inspired epic fantasy series.

Solveig and her shieldmaiden have finally made it to Waterstone, a fabled city hidden in a world of frost by ancient magic. Shrouded from the Enemy’s gaze, they are safe to rest and regroup—or so they think.

Sol suspects their hosts are not as benevolent as they seem. Whispers race through the halls, hinting at self-serving agendas and secret plots. So, as Sol attempts to harness her awakened magic, she must fight for her voice to be heard or risk being used like a pawn in the greater game.

But the Enemy always watching and nowhere is truly safe. Before the darkness finds a way in, Sol must decide if she will take up the mantle of power to save not just the home she’s left behind, but the future of the world.

I was a bit divided on book one A Flame in the North, but this installment improves on it in almost every way:)

Black Land's Bane continues as Solveig, her shieldmaiden, and their escorts arrive at Waterstone. Here she will learn more of why these Northerners desired her. Here she will meet the father of the man her brother has slain. Here she will learn of a weapon only she can wield and decide if she will attempt to employ it. The prose continues in the rough manner of the first book and the adventure is somewhat similarly paced, with peaks of action coming between slower narrative all told from Sol's point of view. The descriptions of the world, the peoples, and the magic is compelling and the story ends with a hook to stimulate interest in the next part of the saga. This book should appeal to anyone who enjoyed A Flame in the North and anyone who hasn't read the first book but enjoys books based on myths, Vikings, Celtic or Norse mythology should give it a try. (3.5/5 rounding up)
I received advanced digital access to this book thru NetGalley (for which I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher, Orbit Books) for an honest review. The opinion expressed here is my own.

This had a great overall concept for a sequel in the Black Land's Bane series, it had everything that I was hoping for based on the first book. I really enjoyed how strong everything worked with the world and the characters in it. It uses the Norse elements perfectly and enjoyed that it was used perfectly. Lilith Saintcrow writes a strong story and makes characters perfectly and glad I got to read this. I can't wait to read more in this series and from Lilith Saintcrow.