King of the Rising (Islands of Blood and Storm, 2)

The Islands of Blood and Storm duology has been an incredibly intense and unpredictable journey, and I am so glad I got to read it. I have had a hard time figuring out just how to rate this book, because on some levels it's an easy five stars, but then there are parts that weren't necessarily amazing. In the end, though, the plot, arc, and ending of the entire duology was just too effective and perfectly executed to not go for a high rating.The Islands of Blood and Storm has been a really stand out fantasy series for a myriad of reasons. The magic itself takes the form of 'kraft' that some characters are gifted (or cursed, in some regards) with when they are born. The Jannik, or the white colonizer, are allowed to live with the kraft, but the islanders who are the slaves are often immediately killed upon discovery of their kraft. The slaves are, as might be expected, treated in a subhuman fashion, and revolution has been brewing slowly for years. There's not a lot of hope in this book, but in the moments where that hope is present, it really hits hard.The first book followed the POV of Sigourney Rose, and this time we follow the POV of Loren, her previous bodyguard/slave who is now becoming leader of the rebellion/revolution. Loren is really a fascinating POV to follow, partially because of his need to constantly tell the truth and inability to lie to anyone. There's no coercion in this, it is simply that because of everything he has experienced, he refuses to lie to anyone, which in turn leads to some particularly interesting scenarios. He is very flawed and often lets his heart get in the way of making decisions that would help his cause and instead leads to fairly negative consequences more often than not. He gains support early on, but struggles to keep that support and encouragement from those who have chosen him, which acts as a major conflict and issue in the plot. This duology is a strong mix of slow burn and high action, with long build ups to major plot points with a lot of focus on themes and characters.I was, admittedly, rather surprised by the ending. I expected something similar to it to maybe happen, but I was surprised by the direction Callender chose for the overall ending. It's a hard ending, but it fits for an equally hard book that is frequently brutal and unrelenting in the dark and cruel topics that it handles. There is a lot of cruelty throughout this story, and the depictions of racism are raw and demand attention. I think one of the my favorite things about the ending--and really, this duology in general--is the way that it demands discussions, focuses on reflections of racism, and really makes you evaluation what constitutes power, privilege, and what it means to both wield those and what it means when there are varying layers to power.For all intents and purposes, this is a five star read. The small knock in the rating is simply because I felt that a lot of the plot and general activity of this book was a bit stagnant in times and I felt like there was simply a lot of rowing back and forth between islands. I didn't really mind this, but at the same time it just felt a bit repetitive at times. If you're interested in reading a fantasy that looks at some real, relevant, and difficult topics while also telling a truly phenomenal story that is unpredictable and unmerciful, then I very much encourage you to pick up Queen of the Conquered and King of the Rising!

This is a really deep book. There are no easy answers, only grappling with the deep complexities of oppression and ends vs. means and complicity and hard choices. It's a refreshing change from all the books where a happy ending means the unambiguous good guys win a battle over the unambiguous bad guys and evil is defeated. Instead, this book raises so many moral questions for the reader to grapple with even after the story concludes. It's been a long time since I read a book that sticks with me as much as this one does. It's also fantastically well written. Heads up, though. It is very bloody and the body count is very high (though this shouldn't surprise anyone who has read Queen of the Conquered).

The ISLANDS OF BLOOD AND STORM duology is just brilliant. A brutal & gorgeous Caribbean-inspired fantasy, with fascinating characters and terrifying magic. These books aren’t easy reads…there were moments I felt almost nauseous from the stress and tension in this story. And just from the sheer brutality of this world. But this duology is an absolutely stunning achievement in fantasy, full stop. I am truly awed by Kacen Callender’s writing.

The King of the Rising is the follow-up to 2019’s Queen of the Conquered and the finale in Kacen Callender’s Islands of Blood and Storm duology. This is a complex fantasy series built around themes of colonialism and power dynamics. I have mixed feelings about the direction this book ended up taking, so let’s dig in.First off, we should talk about Loren, who is the main protagonist in this book. I think this is a great place to start because it is important to point out because Queen was told from Sigourney’s perspective, and it is extremely rare for an author to change main characters in a SFF series from book-to-book. I have not seen it often (though, this is the second time this year, and with a similar plot-induced reasoning). Sigourney is still present and still plays a big role in this book, but it is Loren’s perspective we get this time. I cannot say for sure the reason why Callender decided to go this route, but my guess is that the author thought readers would benefit from having another perspective. As we know, this series contains themes of slavery, oppression, and empowerment (and lack thereof), and demonstrates the effects these issues have on the people upon whom they are being impressed. What I gleaned from the perspective change is an opportunity to see the situation play out from another person’s point of view and show the reader how being powerless can impact everyone involved. I also think the author had other plans for Sigourney, and allowing Loren to lead the way opened up that opportunity.Loren is young and new to leadership, he is easy to sympathize with at times, while other times his indecisiveness drove me crazy. Loren wants to be the decision-maker, but he also wants to make the right ones. He waivers a lot throughout the book, constantly asking himself who he can trust, whose interests are aligned with his, and whether or not he is the right person to lead the rebellion. Loren makes a lot of mistakes, which young commanders are prone to do. I think his journey in authority parallels the struggles of the people whom he serves.I mentioned the magic system in my first review, what the people of the islands called “kraft”. This is one of the most controversial aspects of the book to me, because of the way people with powers are treated. Islanders with kraft are killed by the colonialists (the “Fjern”, as they are called). Their flimsy excuse is that the Fjern are given powers by their god, and any islanders born with it are aberrations: deviants who somehow came across the magic by mistake, or worse, ill-will. When in reality it is all about power. How do you hold power over an islander who can read minds or hurt those you consider beneath you when one of them can usetheir powers to heal? And someone whose power is to adopt the powers of others? It is unfathomable. I think this is a cool magic system, but I was also continuously frustrated by the way it was being used (or not used). It seemed as though oftentimes the kraft was wasted when it could have had a significant impact. On reflection, I do think that was purposeful on the part of Callender: to give us something as beautiful as people born with magical abilities, then demonstrate how it can be misused and abused if given over to the wrong hands.There is much to be said about the plot, and as in the other aspects of the story there were facets of it I liked and others that I did not. The reader gets to know a few of the characters quite closely, so when every decision is literally life-or-death it creates a ton of suspense, and suspense that breeds tension is the lifeblood of many storylines, in my opinion, with King of the Conquered being no different. On the contrary, the plot also felt really scattered to me. I found it really difficult to follow, both on the narrative side and the physical side. It felt like the narrative pulled me in too many directions, and I had trouble getting lost in the story at times. On the physical side, Loren et al were literally all over the map, and I found myself having to reference the map in the book too often. Do not get me wrong: I love maps. But if I have to check it every chapter that takes me out of the story too often and kills my momentum.There are many other items I could get into, but I want to try to avoid spoilers. I think it is important to note that, while I have pointed out some flaws, these seem to be very purposeful decisions by the author. It seems Callender did not set out to write a series that was widely appealing, but something that addressed some important topics. Positivity can be hard to find during a rebellion, and that can make it difficult to read. As I said before, this is a complicated and often uncomfortable story, but it is eerily reflective of what our society looks like right now. I cannot speak for the author’s intent, but that is what I got out of it.King of the Rising seems to accomplish what it set out to do. While this book is not going to be for everyone, I do recommend it for those looking to broaden their horizons and tackle something outside of their comfort zone.