So before reading this book I (stupidly) read a bunch of negative reviews about it - specifically, saying that it doesn't match up to Blood Song. So going in, I was a bit skeptical. In the end, I didn't need to worry. I ended up loving this book just as much as its prequel - but for pretty different reasons. Frankly, Tower Lord is very different from Blood Song. It's not focused on Vaelin anymore; in fact, very little of the book is actually from Vaelin's point of view. We don't get to follow one group of brothers as they train and grow and become amazing warriors. All of the characters who were just boys in Blood Song are now men, they've already grown and developed and we've already read that. Instead, Tower Lord focuses on the stories of a bunch of other characters, some new, some old, and how those stories eventually collide with each other. I actually loved this setup. Most of the books I've read that follow different characters end up boring me, and I'll admit that I kinda rush through certain chapters to get to the character that I like. For this book, though, every storyline was utterly absorbing. They start off a bit lackluster (like many other readers, I just wanted to get to Vaelin), but as the characters develop I just couldn't wait to find out what happens to ALL of them, not just Vaelin. I love that all of the characters end up in pretty unexpected places (I won't spoil anything), but their characterization is still undeniably real and authentic. Tower Lord also greatly expands the world introduced in Blood Song. We're not confined to the Order anymore, or to the missions that Vaelin is sent on for the king. Because this novel follows so many different characters, we get to see different religions, countries, practices, people from all around the world that Ryan has created. We learn more about the mysterious evil that Vaelin has to fight, though of course we still don't know much about it. But, of course, in the end these characters are all tied to Vaelin in some way, and I love how Ryan weaves together all the story lines for the finale. All in all, I enjoyed this book as a sequel just as much as I enjoyed Blood Song as the introduction to an amazing fantasy series. Understandably, it's not the exact same as Blood Song. There's not as much action, not as much "epic hero's journey", not as much glory for Vaelin. But the storytelling is still amazing, the characters are still authentic and interesting, and we get to see so much more of the world. I admit I was confused as to what was happening at times, the writing style was a little too erratic for my taste, jumping from thoughts to actions to dialogue that made it a difficult read that I forced myself to slog through. To be honest I'm not even sure how it ended, what the hell happened?That said there was plenty of action to keep my interest, and some cool characters, so it wasn't a complete waste of time. Like the first book in Patrick Rothfuss' king killer series, I doubt I'll ever find the desire to read this strangely overrated book again.
Do You like book The Tower Lord (2014)?
Not as engaging as the first, but still enjoyable. I'll finish out the series for sure.
—wolfbrooke
very good read I am waiting for the next installment
—Carrie
