ARC Review: The Vanishing Throne (The Falconer #2) by Elizabeth May
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Series: The Falconer #2
Author: Elizabeth May
Published November 19th 2015 by Gollancz
Goodreads Synopsis
My name is Lady Aileana Kameron.
First the fae murdered my mother. Then they destroyed my world.
Now I’m fighting for more than revenge.
Aileana took a stand against the Wild Hunt, and she lost everything: her home, her family and her friends. Held captive by her enemy, and tormenting herself over her failure, escape seems like only the faintest possibility. But when she gets her chance, she seizes it . . . to rejoin a world devastated by war.
The future is bleak. Hunted by the fae, running for her life, Aileana has only a few options left. Trying to become part of a society scarred by – and hiding from – the Wild Hunt; trusting that a fragile alliance with the fae will save her; or walking the most dangerous path at all: coming in to her own powers as the last of the Falconers...
Goodreads
Review
Also see my review of The Falconer.
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.
The Vanishing Throne starts immediately after the awful cliffhanger of The Falconer. Aileana is stuck in the faerie kingdom, at the mercy of Lonnarch. She is being tortured on a daily basis for information about a magical item hidden in the human world that can unite the Seelie and Unseelie kingdoms. Just as she's about to lose hope, she finds herself rescued by Kiaran's sister, Aithinne. However, the rescue isn't all it's cracked up to be. Edinburgh, and the rest of the human world is lying in ruins, and Aileana blames herself for every death, every injury, basically, she blames herself for everything. As she starts to come to terms with her loss, she discovers her origins as a Falconer, and what her role in the fight ultimately is. We learn so much in this book, that it was sort of a whirlwind getting my head around all the new information, especially when so much affected Aileana, but she took it like a trooper.
Now, Aileana is just as amazing as I remembered from The Falconer. She's obviously feeling a lot of guilt for failing to close the lock on the faerie world, but she is still her strong, spunky self inside. It felt like torture seeing her trapped in the faerie world at Lonnrach's control, but I was glad that we got to see this more vulnerable side to her. Even after she escaped, she still had vulnerable moments, which, honestly, made her a lot more human. She definitely came into her own in this books, vis-a-vis her powers, and I can't wait to see this even more in book 3.
The new, and old characters, were wonderful too. I loved seeing the characters from book 1 who hadn't died - no spoilers who - and their interactions with Aileana were as lovely as I remembered. One of the new characters I disliked was Daniel, but that mainly due to his first impression. He did sort of redeem himself towards the end. Aithinne, though, was crazy, and barmy, but so endearing at the same time. Her and Kiaran's banter was how I'd imagine a sibling relationship to be.
After the awful cliffhanger in The Falconer, I never though The Vanishing Throne could have one as bad, but I was proved wrong. I'm gutted that book 3's release date isn't until 2017, because honestly, I don't know how I'll cope. May has created truly awesome characters, and I'm both a little in love with them, and a little jealous I'm not them. If you were a fan of The Falconer, you will be in love with The Vanishing Throne. This one definitely did not suffer from the sophomore slump, like so many others do, and I'm in awe with how intense and involved this storyline is. I can't recommend this enough, and thank you so, so much, Gollancz, for letting me read this book early!
Dates Read:
November 10-12, 2015
Rating
5 Stars
4 comments
ZOMG. Another cliffhanger? *mentally and emotionally steels self* I don't know if I'll make it - and I haven't even picked up the book yet! :D Still, it's great to hear that this one did not disappoint. I'll watch out for this Daniel guy. :O
ReplyDeleteLovely review, Sophie! :)
Alyssa @ The Eater of Books!
Thanks, Alyssa! Yep, I was not expecting to have such a cliffhanger, but I actually really pleased with it? If that makes sense. I hope you love the book as much as I did!
DeleteSophie @ Sophie Reads YA
Great review. I haven't read this series, but now I am curious. Plus 5 stars, even better. But another cliffhanger? Maybe I'll just binge read the series.
ReplyDeleteDreams @ Once Upon A Dream Books
It might be better to binge it, but you may have a long wait, especially if you're American as this book isn't out over there until June :/ I'd definitely recommend the series though!
DeleteSophie @ Sophie Reads YA