Review: Obsidian: Revelation (Obsidian #2) by Sienna Frost

Rating: /10

Synopsis (from Obsidian: Awakening, book 1 in the series):

Twenty years after the massacre of the Vilarhiti, the future of the peninsula falls into the hands of its seven victims of war: a slave male escort turned assassin, a vengeful warlord’s teenage daughter, her secretive oracle brother, the conqueror they must defeat, his captive bride who lives to see him die, their conflicted half blood son, and a mysterious mastermind who makes sure they all dance to his tune.

As Fate demands from them all unimaginable sacrifices in the name of peace and freedom, can they survive each other and save the peninsula from themselves, or will they choose to burn it all down?

Review:

I loved stepping back into the brutal and complex world of the Obsidian series, and I wish I’d had the opportunity to read this second book sooner. As far as sequels go, it was excellent (and I think I might have liked it even more than book one.)

This is a deeply character-driven story. While each has their own agenda and their own rules to follow, every character presented feels unabashedly human, no matter which side of the conflict they’re on. Each has a past that scarred them, each one fights for their future, and not one gets out of this book unscathed. And some characters are changed in unexpected ways—and not always for the better. It’s the character work in this series that I fell in love with initially, and it’s what will keep me reading into book three.

Beyond the character work lies a harsh world. Several factions have been at war for generations, and it will take compromises on every side—along with a few miracles—to bring some form of peace. Those unwilling to bend don’t often last long, no matter how much power they wield. Another thing I love about this series is that the reader gets to see the conflict from every angle—but even then, there are some significant surprises.

It’s tough to say much more without giving away spoilers, but this is a great series, and I recommend reading it if you’re a fan of fantasy with complicated political plots.