Book Haunt

STOP right here!  If you haven’t read the first two books in Robert Jackson Bennett’s The Divine Cities series yet, add them to the top of your list!  You don’t know what you’re missing!  City of Miracles just won’t read the same without having read the City of Stairs and City of Blades.

Shara Komayd is a legend, one who has received a vast number of death threats.  As a former covert agent and then the Prime Minister, Shara battled gods and enemies, wreaking great changes in the world.  Shara cleaned house at Parliament before she herself was given the boot.  During her heyday, Shara had a lot of help from her friends!  One of the most memorable of those is Sigrud je Harkvaldsson, a great brute of a man (think Viking).  Shara rescued Sigrud from prison and he worked with her and protected her every step of the way.  Then there is General Mulaghesh who shined so brightly in those battles.  She is brilliant, damaged and IMHO, a great hero in her own right.  I love these characters and I’m invested!     

In City of Blades, hell hath no fury like Sigrud je Harkvaldsson!  Still haunted by the death of a loved one and the revenge he took thereafter, Sigrud has lived in hiding now for 13 years.  He’s moved from job to job, keeping a low profile.  (Well…as low a profile as he can manage, you know…being Viking-like and all!)  Ever-faithful to his comrade-in-arms Shara Komayd, he knows that one day she will clear his name and summon him to her side once again.  Yet when he finally has news of Shara, it’s only to learn that she has been assassinated, and even though he is a wanted man, he knows it’s time to come out of hiding.  He must find out who killed Shara and take revenge.  He also finds himself thinking of her adopted daughter, Tatyana Komayd, wondering what will become of her.  He has only seen her once in her life but she’s the one thing he has left of his closest friend.   

Vengeance is the name of the game when it comes to Sigrud but he is still so likeable.  His revenge always seems to be for all the right reasons and this man could star in his own action movie.  He also oozes a heart of gold for those he loves.  His uncanny lack of aging is a mystery to him and us.  During his investigations, Sigrud discovers the fact that Shara still harbored some secrets at the end of her life leaving him with more questions than answers.  Look out, he’s about to open a whole new can of worms about the Divine!   

RJB chose to shift the focus to another character in each book which was a great tool and kept the series very interesting.  I’m not sure which he thought would turn out to be the most popular character but I know who mine is.  General Mulaghesh took the prize hands down in City of Blades.  This is a very well-rounded series, full of mystery, suspense, action and just plain good storytelling! 

Robert Jackson Bennett has become one of my favorite authors with his amazing The Divine Cities series.  I am really curious to check out some of his earlier books and I highly recommend you read this series!

I want to thank the publisher (Crown Publishing) for providing me with the ARC through NetGalley for an honest review.