Book II - The Providence of Fire - Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne

The story continues and manages a hectic pace throughout. It keeps you hooked as you wait to see what happens next. The only disappointment was reaching the end of the book but not the story. Will have to wait now for the third installment of this trilogy.

I originally listened to the first book on audible but bought this one for my Kindle. The only problem that I have now, is waiting, impatiently for the next installment of this fantastic story. Haven't read something this entertaining since The Tower Lord by Ryan. Definitely worth the time and money!

Engrossing read, I couldn't put it down. The depth of characters, society, psychology and religion are woven together amazingly in this world. This fantasy novel is a page-turner with meat on its bones.

Continuing his epic story, Brian Staveley has joined the ranks of masterful story tellers. I'm not sure where the story is headed, but that is part of the brilliance - it could go anywhere! Well worth the read.

The paperback I received (I'm waiting to hear from the vendor regarding returning it) had some major defects as it is incorrectly bound and missing pages. It starts out with a Prologue, pages 13 - 17...Chapter 1 is pages 18 - 30 , then Ch 2 has a pagination of pg. 31, 32, 593 to 600, then there is Chapter 52, and right after the messed up Chapter 52 which is page 601 to 604, you get pages about the world/races/gods followed by a sneak peek at The Last Mortal Bond & "About the author." After that, it jumps to page 33 and all in all, it is seriously messed up in terms of the pagination. The limited reviews I read for this book here on the store haven't really mentioned the problems with incorrect pagination in the binding of this novel, so I don't know if the problem is more widespread or not. That being said, I did enjoy the first book "The Emperor's Blades" and was looking forward to this one.

Very good follow-up. The main characters are siblings but very different based on their experiences and training and very compelling in their own ways. The plot and secondary characters are slowly revealed and keep you hooked. Overall, an excellent read. Most recommended

Couldn't put it down... Great characters, head spinning action and unlikely twists. Grim, dark and magic light, just as I like my fantasy. Staveley carved in own style and niche and is a very welcome addition to the genera. Highly recommend it for all Abercrombie and Martin fans

All in all a great continuation of the story. Characters keep me wanting to know more, even with a few questionable actions that were -required because plot. Gwenna, as many before me have said, is the stand out of this series. Looking forward to the conclusion.

Those who enjoyed the first book in this wonderful new fantasy series will not be disappointed with the second book, The Providence of Fire. I thought The Emperor's Blades was one of the better fantasy series to debut in 2014 and I was really impressed with the surprising twists and turns book two had in store for me. The character development, dialogue, plot, pacing, and overall writing and execution is as strong as ever and is sure to leave fans of this amazing new series thirsting for book three. Author Brian Staveley is sure to become one of the new fantasy writing superstars and this series is definitely an epic must-read. Highly recommend!

This review is full of spoilers. If it were milk, it'd be incredibly rotten. You've been warned.

If you're on the rocks about buying this book just do it. Skip the review.

I loved The Emperor's Blades. Let's get that out of the way. It was incredibly gritty, real and fun. Kick ass soldiers AND they ride a giant bird? I'm in. I literally threw that book at all of my family and friends. If it didn't stick, judgments were made. It was real.

Needless to say I was excited when the store finally let me open my digital copy of Providence of Fire. After spoiling nearly 100+ pages by reading the Hardcover preview, missing pages and all, I was quick to re-read what I missed and plow through the rest of it. If my luck held I'd be chucking this book at my relatives and friends alike once again. Turns out it would be much more than chuck-worthy.

While reading I thought the story line was adeptly paced and none of the plot or its devices overly trope-ish for the genre (Besides, I like my fantasy tropes). The characters did not feel contrived (that’s for you, Ginny) or clunky. The very small amount of sub 4 star reviews cite frustrations with the characters doing 'stupid things'. To which I reply: It's Book 2, people. In Book 1, we get a very awesome story filled with mostly training and plot setup. However the characters are still on their proverbial 'leash' for 90% of the book. They haven't made many real choices for themselves, yet. So, if Brian had decided to make these characters infallible in Book 2 it just wouldn't have made any sense. Valyn's first ride out with his team is filled with exactly what you would expect. There is strife, uncertainty, and that familiar feeling of wanting to bounce your group project partner's head off his outline.

We learn a lot more about how the Unhewn Throne’s world works in Providence of Fire. This includes a wide range of info dumps on the religions, races and backstory figures. Brian could have skipped over a lot of what he chose to elaborate on, and the story is much better off for it. What’s that? The ‘Gods’ are real? They walk the earth? They’re aiming the plot? Awesome. Book 1 was more focused on making us care about Valyn, Kaden and Adare. Book 2 seemed focused on explaining why we should continue to do so.

Adare becomes much more interesting than she was in the previous installment. In the debut, it was almost unfair to have a normal girl giving me the mandatory plot updates from the city while Kaden and Valyn were busy training and being awesome. Here, she ditches the comforts of the court for the hardships of the road, and is introduced to a foul mouthed leach of legend and her broken brother. Finally paired with characters and equipped with plot responsibilities that were interesting and integral, I started looking forward to the chapters featuring Adare. Brian chronicles her growth from young, impressionable politican, to strong(er), sure-minded leader of nations (albeit in training).

Kaden and Valyn continue being awesome. The Blank God and it’s subsequent (kind of) magic system is incredibly fresh and fun to read. The draw upon Buddhism and meditation isn’t forced and it’s a very fun flip on the religion. I almost enjoyed reading Kaden’s chapters more than Valyn’s. Almost.

In Book 2 Valyn continues being Valyn. If you read Book 1 you know what this means. No need to elaborate. He is still my favorite POV character and probably will continue to be so through the end of the trilogy. He commands the character set that made this series as interesting as it is. Without Valyn there is no Kettral. Without Kettral this series would have been completely different.

On to my only gripes with PoF. I stress that these are minor. It’s like saying I wished my Ferrari was a slightly darker shade of candy apple.

The Emperor’s Blades in regards to Valyn was almost entirely about his time on the Islands training with the Kettral. Here we got introduced to one of my favorite group of miscreants I’ve ever read about. Of the five, I identified most with Laith. The group’s flier, on one hand, is an incredibly sarcastic, trucker-mouthed, ‘act first, then figure it out later’ kind of guy. He serves as a kind of odd comedic/tension reliever between Valyn’s seriousness, Gwenna’s temper, and Annick/Talal’s unwillingness to speak more than a sentence. On the other hand he is incredibly passionate, loyal and at times vulnerable. His scenes with his bird are some of my favorite.

Now I’ve talked to Brian about this on twitter and he has reassured me that Wing missions will play a role in Book 3, but I literally yelled “NOOO!” out loud when I read the chapter where ‘Ra is spanked in the rear like a faithful steed and forced to ride off into the sunset and out of the story. A short ways into the story and the wing is ALREADY grounded. Sorry Big Bird; we have a plot to get to. If I had a time machine, one of my various stops would include finding Brian and convincing him into turning the Unhewn Throne trilogy into a five book series instead. I really wanted to read about Valyn struggling to pull the wing together during various missions. All of these amazing characters are created almost specifically to clash with one another, only to get kicked in the balls by the plot very early. This was one of the only developments in the story that did not make sense to me as I started to read Book 2. In Book 1 we get a very cool scene where the Flea is lending some advice to Valyn and he incredulously asks the Flea, “You still do barrel drops?”, to which he replies, “Everyday I think.. ya, everyday.” Here I’m thinking, ‘Cool. I’m going to get some sweet mission chapters with training montages involving Gwenna blowing things up without being asked, Annick putting an arrow in the eyeball of every baddy while making everyone slightly uncomfortable, but most importantly: Laith flying way too fast.’ Granted we’re going to get a lot of what I mentioned in Book 3, but unless Brian plans on Deus Ex-Machinima’ing Laith back to life, Mr. Staveley killed off my favorite character. What was the point of mentioning barrel drops and new bird rigging for said drops to accommodate Laith’s riding speed when the bird is gone almost immediately and Laith is seemingly offed by the end? Again, these are minor issues, but damnit I was made to love this facet of the group and I don’t think I’m getting it back.

In sum this book and the series overall has the making of a 5 star rating. But what makes this series so great on top of the wonderful story is that the author Brian Staveley is a great guy. Have a question about the book? Find him on twitter and he’ll get back to you. His interaction with his fans and the understanding that these things are important are what set him aside from other authors. I highly suggest you read his work. And antagonize him on the internet.

Thank you Desirae for the hard copy!

Clearly a new writer finding his legs. Hope the third book continues to see him stretch his legs. The pace of the action in this book kept me engaged and reading. Some predictable outcomes, and naive characters make it a three star vs. five. Less naive characters would make this more believable.

Likeable characters, but sometimes a dull and predictable plot. I've skipped whole sections of this book, because I could tell it would be a drawn out explanation of something I already figured out. It was a decent read none the less. I'd give it 3 1/2 but they didn't give me the option so 4 it is.

This is a wonderful story with captivating characters and a engaging plot. The first book I read in a couple of days or listened too since, most of my books I get with whisper sync on them. I listen to the book and follow along with the ebook or I read it and then sync it up to the audible book, so I don't loose my place. This book series went really fast for me because I didn't want to stop. I had a few days where I was walking around in a fog because I was up all night listening/ reading the book! I would recommend this series to anyone that likes fantasy books.

This second novel in the trilogy really stepped up the history and mythology of the world Brian Staveley has created. Where the first book was setting the stage, creating the world, this one moved everything forward in high gear. If you enjoyed the first novel then this one should definitely be on your reading list. There were many great moments that had me laugh or sigh and in the end i had to smile as it did not follow the "typical" paths i was expecting. I am currently reading book three which was recently released and could not be happier with the steady quality and creativity that is making this series one of the favorites.

I choose a five star became a lesser number would be too weak. I am glad I found book two in the series. Each story is so rich with plot and character, twists and dips, I was enthralled. Now for the rest of the story?