SNEAK PEEK REVIEW by EN Blake: Myths and Mortals by Charlie N. Holmberg

Wall Street Journal bestselling author Charlie N. Holmberg builds her bewitching world of beasts and betrayal as the Numina Series continues.

Sandis has escaped Kazen’s grasp, but she finds herself unmoored, reeling from her thief friend Rone’s betrayal.

Kazen has been hurt but not stopped, and he’ll do anything to summon the monster that could lay waste to the entire world. Sandis knows she must be the one to stop him, but with her own trusted numen now bound to another, and finding herself with no one she can trust, she is in desperate need of allies. Rone seems determined to help her, but Sandis has no intention of letting him get close to her again. What she doesn’t know is how much Rone gave up to protect her. Or how much more he is willing to give up to keep her safe.

As chaos mounts, Sandis must determine whom to trust. After all, the lines between enemy and ally have never been less clear…and corruption lurks in the most unlikely of places.

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About the Book

Myths and Mortals
by Charlie N. Holmberg

Series
Numina Book Two

Genre
Young Adult
Epic Fantasy

Publisher
47North (Imprint of Amazon Publishing)

Publication Date
April 16, 2019

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EN’s Review

Myths and Mortals is an engrossing read, that builds on the amazing groundwork set in place by Smoke and Summons. The conflict introduced between Sandis and Rone is not ignored in this book, the cliffhanger book one ends on leads neatly to some of the conflict in Myths and Mortals, and while the pacing at times seemed, the book was interesting and engaging from start to finish.

Kazen’s history is hinted at several times in the novel, and more is learnt about the vessels Sandis essentially grew up with. It’s interesting to see her interact with the people who were once her peers, and really highlights the myriad of ways in which she has grown. The growth, temptations and struggles that Sandis faces in this book are well-written, each chosen to test another aspect of her personality. Her relationship with Rone, Talbur, Ireth and the other vessels are all explored in a little more depth, and she once more proves herself as a worthy hero.

Several things she does in this novel are surprising, but foreshadowed so effectively that they make perfect sense. Even though Sandis is a powerful character, it never reads as though she is being given special treatment or unreasonable strength. What she has, she works and suffers for (neatly avoiding the unsatisfying special treatment of many main characters).

Rone had a lot of big character moments in Smoke and Summons, so it makes sense that in Myths and Mortals he takes a second seat to Sandis. That being said, he still faced several challenges, and came to a couple of important realisations over the course of this novel, so Rone by no mean stagnates.

Bastien’s introduction in this book was interesting and effective, but he will most likely become more important in book three of the trilogy, as there’s a lot about him that remains shrouded in mystery. His dad-jokes and helpful information served an important role in this book, providing comic relief and effectively moving the plot along. More information about his origins and motivations could make him a more relatable character, but he served his role of supporting character in Myths and Mortals very well.

A lot happens in this book, no seriously, a lot. The finale is a rollercoaster of emotions and occurrences, with a huge twist and several key reveals. The cliffhanger that Smoke and Summons ended on is nothing compared to that of Myths and Mortals, book three can’t come soon enough!

Myths and Mortals develops the world and mythology of the world of the Numina Trilogy, with the Dark Market, rules of the mob, hierarchy of the church and corruption of the police force all coming into play at various points to move the plot along.

One minor complaint is that the book almost seems to follow the same path and characters as Smoke and Summons, even when it doesn’t make as much narrative sense. It may have been more effective for several scenes to be combined, or just be shuffled around a little bit to improve the story’s flow and drive tension with more near misses with Myths and Mortals’s primary antagonist.

All in all, Myths and Mortals was an amazing read, a fitting sequel to Smoke and Summons, and is sure to build anticipation of book three. I’d recommend the Numina Trilogy to fans of Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn trilogy (Sandis is actually a lot like Elend), the Queen’s Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner, or Steeplejack by AJ Hartley. If you like entertaining, action packed urban fantasy, with a character driven plot, check out Myths and Mortals when it releases, on the 16^th of April, 2019.

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Disclaimer

The review copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. All titles reviewed on this blog are a fair and honest assessment of the book. No monetary compensation was received in exchange for this review. For more information regarding our review process, please visit our Review Policy & Review Request Submission page.