Yes, this is the second instalment in the Vault of Heaven Trilogy, and yes I have read the first book although I did not review it on here. Unfortunately though, for this book, it is not a standalone read and therefore the first must be read to make any sense of this one.

The main protagonists are many in both books, and their stories continue in this one; we see them grow from the children we first met in The Unremembered to adults that are still connected to their inner children at times. I usually go into great detail about my likes and dislikes of characters in the books I read, but with this cast of characters I felt the mixed emotions one has when confronted with Family and all the imperfections they bring with them. At times I just wanted to shake some sense into them and ask ‘why? Just why?’ and at others I was in my full cheerleading garb, pom-poms and all doing high kicks to spur them on. One thing I did find disappointing was the forced humour in the dialogue, this had come so easily in the first book as it does between friends, but in this one it seemed as if they were just trying to keep the humour going at all costs. I am hoping that this stilted humour is more a result of the events the characters have been through up to the end of this novel, and not an indication that the Author has lost his humourous pen. Rather than just continue expanding on characters from the first novel, the Author brings new ones into the storyline, and some that were introduced in Book One become integral to the storyline in this novel.

Unlike Book One, Trial of Intentions is up and moving from the very first chapter; the reader has moments where the pace slows down enough for them to calm their racing pulses before picking up and propelling them through to the very end of the book. Something I was pleased to find in this second instalment that was present in the first was a musical quality that accompanies the writing of this Author; in gentle areas easy listening folk music is brought to mind in the way the language is placed on the page and I found myself reading everything rather than skipping the ‘song’ sections as I do in Lord of The Rings or The Hobbit; even when the action really picked up it was as if somewhere just out of view there was a rock guitarist playing some riff to accompany the action. Whereas Clockwork Angels by Kevin J Anderson was music (an album of the same name by Rush) to words, this is a book that could be translated from words to music.

All of the major plotlines end on a cliff-hanger that leaves the reader waiting with baited breath for the final book in this trilogy, hopefully it won’t be as long as the wait has being for The Doors of Stone, book three of The Kingkiller Chronicle. Despite the cliff-hanger endings, unlike so many books that finish in this manner, this one does not leave the reader feeling that the book is unfinished and that the Author decided they’d had enough and sent it off to the publisher as is.

I highly recommend both this book, and the first in the trilogy, for those who love to read this genre. It was expansive, it was epic and it was rich with hidden things that come out when the novel was reread (I have to say I am on my fourth reading of this book). Like an onion with its layers, this second instalment added a depth and richness to the world in which it takes place, and I hope that the Author continues in this way in Book Three. I will definitely be waiting to read the next novel by this Author. ( )

Yes, this is the second instalment in the Vault of Heaven Trilogy, and yes I have read the first book although I did not review it on here. Unfortunately though, for this book, it is not a standalone read and therefore the first must be read to make any sense of this one.

The main protagonists are many in both books, and their stories continue in this one; we see them grow from the children we first met in The Unremembered to adults that are still connected to their inner children at times. I usually go into great detail about my likes and dislikes of characters in the books I read, but with this cast of characters I felt the mixed emotions one has when confronted with Family and all the imperfections they bring with them. At times I just wanted to shake some sense into them and ask ‘why? Just why?’ and at others I was in my full cheerleading garb, pom-poms and all doing high kicks to spur them on. One thing I did find disappointing was the forced humour in the dialogue, this had come so easily in the first book as it does between friends, but in this one it seemed as if they were just trying to keep the humour going at all costs. I am hoping that this stilted humour is more a result of the events the characters have been through up to the end of this novel, and not an indication that the Author has lost his humourous pen. Rather than just continue expanding on characters from the first novel, the Author brings new ones into the storyline, and some that were introduced in Book One become integral to the storyline in this novel.

Unlike Book One, Trial of Intentions is up and moving from the very first chapter; the reader has moments where the pace slows down enough for them to calm their racing pulses before picking up and propelling them through to the very end of the book. Something I was pleased to find in this second instalment that was present in the first was a musical quality that accompanies the writing of this Author; in gentle areas easy listening folk music is brought to mind in the way the language is placed on the page and I found myself reading everything rather than skipping the ‘song’ sections as I do in Lord of The Rings or The Hobbit; even when the action really picked up it was as if somewhere just out of view there was a rock guitarist playing some riff to accompany the action. Whereas Clockwork Angels by Kevin J Anderson was music (an album of the same name by Rush) to words, this is a book that could be translated from words to music.

All of the major plotlines end on a cliff-hanger that leaves the reader waiting with baited breath for the final book in this trilogy, hopefully it won’t be as long as the wait has being for The Doors of Stone, book three of The Kingkiller Chronicle. Despite the cliff-hanger endings, unlike so many books that finish in this manner, this one does not leave the reader feeling that the book is unfinished and that the Author decided they’d had enough and sent it off to the publisher as is.

I highly recommend both this book, and the first in the trilogy, for those who love to read this genre. It was expansive, it was epic and it was rich with hidden things that come out when the novel was reread (I have to say I am on my fourth reading of this book). Like an onion with its layers, this second instalment added a depth and richness to the world in which it takes place, and I hope that the Author continues in this way in Book Three. I will definitely be waiting to read the next novel by this Author. ( )

Check out the full review on Book Frivolity!

POV's: Multiple
Narrative: Third Person, Subjective, Limited.

This is one of the most wonderful, beautiful, yet emotionally brutal fantasy books I've read in a long time. It is, in my eyes, pretty bloody gorgeous on multiple levels.

But, here's my honest opinion: this book is probably going to polarise readers opinions. I loved it, I think any anybody that loves to explore the nitty gritty workings within a fantasy world will love it and anybody looking for the fantasy genre to be flipped on it's back karate style will love it.

Anybody who is looking for it to follow the paths expected of a classic fantasy, like the essence of The Unremembered did, might possibly have slight conniptions.

This is less a sequential progression of The Unremembered, and more a tangential study of how this world works, why it works, and the discoveries that will shape it's future. The ending of book #1 will not have prepared you for the change of pace and tone that Trial of Intentions takes*. I love epic fantasy that takes the time to build functional worlds, so this sits extremely well with me, but it's in no way the generic, run of the mill sequel. As I wrote when I was reading this, Trial of Intentions is the book of exposition, that wasn't given much attention in The Unremembered.

Boiled down, it's book of politics and academics set within Vault of Heaven's fantasy world. There is no frantic adventuring, baseless wars or continuous fight scenes! The hero Tahn, is looking to astronomy, physics and mathematics to prevent the war. The Leagueman, Roth, is using political manoeuvring to commit the most horrendous civil atrocities and denying there will be a war. Wendra is taking lessons in music and sound to forge herself as a weapon and The Sheason are so busy internally combusting, they are blind to the reality that's going to tear them asunder.

All the factions are gearing up for battle (literally, there's even love for engineering here), but the sticky situations come from angles you probably aren't expecting after The Unremembered.

Parts of it are incredibly painful. Trial of Intentions uses suicide, and the dark emotional aftermath to create purpose and drive within some of the characters. There are scenes of self sacrifice that will have the hardest heart breaking. If the publisher leaves the authors notes in, you will see why Orullian has given so much time to it. It's not gritty, it would be a shame to name it so; it's dark, emotional and tear inducing. For anyone that's been affected by suicide, you'll immediately understand where parts of this novel come from. For those that haven't, you're about to learn why this is such a hard act to process and move forward from.**

As with The Unremembered, Trial of Intentions has great character progression. Some of the best is actually with the two characters sent off on what seems like a fairly inconsequential side quest at the beginning of the novel. The funny, rootdigging, side kick Sutter, probably develops more in this book than any of the other characters, and Mira, who starts out as the pixie lust chick in The Unremembered, is now mourning the loss of her heritage and the uncertainty of her future.

As an added bonus, we get to see some of the inner workings of the Quiet, through the eyes of a character that is simply struggling for his own race's survival. Some of the most poignant moments are during his scenes. I loved that nearly all the characters in the book are given the time of day to become three dimensional beings, rather than the usual slap dash side characters sometimes used to fill a chapter.

As much as I adored it, there are some parts of the book that I think may make some readers feel excluded from the narrative. I for instance, had a brain of holes when trying to imagine the physics/mathematics etc. sections in this book. I couldn't conceptualise it, so I frowned a lot during those sections, even though I loved the exposition and how it was being utilised. I think those not musically minded and can't conceptualise things like half tones and sound resonance etc. will find those sections frown worthy. Much of the book is explanatory on these subjects, and though they are fantasy based, they are still rooted in real world concepts that may be a bit too academic if the reader isn't in some way previously versed in them. On occassion, the book verges closer to an off world science fiction, than fantasy; the improbable rather than the impossible, being probable.


As I said, I





 

 

Apart from my mathematical cognition not being up to par to keep up in some parts, I have no complaints. This is WoT and Stormlight Archives territory. So.. Sanderson-ish, but with less shard plate and prolonged battle scenes.. If you are of the less-is-more mind set, you might find this isn't really your cup of tea.

Harcopy Worthy? 4.5 times yes!

*The progression I am talking about is from The Author's Definitive Edition of The Unremembered. If that differs in some way from the original, I can't comment.

**If you or a loved one have been affected by suicide and would like to talk about it confidentially, please call Lifeline (Australia) on 13 11 14, or one of the hotlines on this list for local help: http://www.suicide.org/international-suicide-hotlines.html**** ( )