A LABYRINTH OF SCIONS AND SORCERY by Curtis Craddock – Review

I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

A Labyrinth of Scions and Sorcery by Curtis Craddock
Series: The Risen Kingdoms #2
Published by Tor Books on January 22 2019
Genres: Adult, Fantasy
Pages: 416
Format: Finished hardcover
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: Book two in The Risen Kingdom series shines just as brightly as the first. If you love amazing world-building, daring adventure and sparkling, witty characters, you simply must read this series.

The second book in Curtis Craddock’s delightful fantasy series started slow for me, I have to admit. It took me a good 100 pages to become fully invested in the story, but once I was there, wow. Once again, Craddock blew me away with his writing skills and his ability to create one of the most intricately detailed worlds I’ve ever come across. This series deserves way more attention than it’s getting, and if you love immersive fantasy, you should definitely be reading this!

The story is quite complicated and I can hardly do it justice by giving you a run-down of the plot. I know I usually do a quick recap but honestly the story is so delightfully tangled that I’m going to skip the recap this time. Let’s just say that in the beginning of the story, Jean-Claude, King’s Own Musketeer, uncovers what turns out to be a treacherous plot that could have dire ramifications to the future of the Risen Kingdoms, and he, Isabelle and a host of other characters spend the next four hundred pages trying to figure it out and stop it. Along the way there is plenty of danger, betrayals, surprises and even romance, all set in Craddock’s French-inspired, 17th century-ish world, with the added elements of magic and steamships.

Craddock’s world-building is brilliant. It’s endlessly complex, with layers upon layers, and because of this the story can get a little confusing at times, there’s just so much going on. However, if you stick with it, I guarantee you’ll be rewarded. Craddock revels in the details of his world, but he never gets bogged down in them. And this time around, we get lots of new world-building elements that I absolutely loved. One of the main characters is a Seelenjäger, a type of shapeshifter who can shift into the form of any beast it kills. Capitaine Bitterlich joins Isabelle on her adventures and has the ability to turn into a raven, a mouse, a leopard, and much more, which is really handy at times! We’re also introduced to the Fenice, bird-like creatures who sport feathers and who carry all the memories of their ancestors with them, courtesy of a spider-like creature that attaches to the back of their neck. The Fenice are on the dangerous side, having seemingly endless resources and strength from their “vitera.” And these are just two examples of unique characters, there are so many others I haven’t even touched on.

In addition to everything that’s happening in the present, Craddock dips back into the past and gives us glimpses of the Risen Kingdoms before the Breaking of the World, the catastrophic event that took place before the story begins. I love that there was machinery that survived to this day, and that Isabelle has several old artifacts in her possession that are precious and rare and still work. There are lots of unanswered questions about the world’s history, and I honestly would love for the author to delve deeper in future books.

Not only do we have a large cast of characters, but the story is told from multiple points of view, so there is a lot of jumping around. The two main characters, Jean-Claude and Isabelle, are separated for a great deal of the story, but when they come together it’s simply magic. They have a wonderful platonic, father/daughter-like relationship, and I love how even when they aren’t together, they are always worried about each other. And boy, do they go through a lot! Craddock puts all his characters through the wringer, and I spent a great deal of this story worried to death! But he’s also got a subtle and wry humor that counteracts all the bloody, dangerous elements, and as I’m a big fan of well-done humor, it’s always a joy to read those parts.

Once again, Craddock’s characters steal the show. I loved Jean-Claude’s and Isabelle’s character growth during this story. Isabelle in particular suffers a terrible blow in the beginning of the story, and in addition to that she is still trying to adjust to the rare form of magic she developed in the last book. She also has some personal things she’s dealing with, her impending betrothal to Julio (from the last book) as well as a potential new love interest. And one of my favorite characters is Marie, a former bloodhollow who has survived her tragic past and is now a fiercely loyal friend to Isabelle. There’s an adorable side plot with Marie and Jean-Claude that made me grin from ear to ear, and I honestly can’t wait to spend more time with Marie in the next book.

The last third of the story is a wild thrill ride that could have gone in any one of several directions, but the author kept me guessing and I did not know how things were going to turn out. And the ending! Well all I can say is that it gives us a glimmer of something wonderful that might happen in book three, and I can hardly wait to read that story!

I sincerely hope that the author is already hard at work on the next book in the series, although I don’t have any firm evidence of a “next book.” But Curtis Craddock’s world has so much potential, and he clearly has many more stories to tell.

Big thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy.

Read my review of An Alchemy of Masques and Mirrors