Winds of War (Buried Goddess Saga #2)

Winds of War picks up from the end of Web of Eyes, were Pantega has suffered a lot at the hands of Queen Oleander in her attempt to find her son, the new King. Torsten is the new Wearer after the death of Lord Davies, and Whitney and Sora are off together Playing at thieving, so that Sora can understand all of Whitneys rules.
In the meantime, a massive Shesaitju army has come to threaten the Glass Kingdom.
Torsten is also worried about the King, the Queen and the whole Kingdom given that the Queens treacherous own brother Redstar is now a part of King Pis Council, and worse still, Torsten is forced to take Redstar and a contingent of Drav Cra as allies in any up coming battles or even discussions with the Foreign Army.
The opening of the book sets the scene for the remainder of the book, with difficult Political issues within the Glass Kingdom for the newly installed King Pi, who is just twelve, and acting rather strange, and odd, having been risen from the dead. The Queen is no longer in power, with a constant struggle for power between Pi (who is being guided, whether magically or not, by Redstar), Torsten as he struggles to assert himself in his new position as wearer, but to get everyone to see the danger they are in, and to try and fill the shoes of Uriah Davies, and of course Redstar himself, who even whilst acting for Pi, seems to act on his own as well.
The Political Intrigue of the capital is masterful as you watch various pieces moved about like those on a chess board, but with some characters having no clue of what is happening or what is coming. The twists, turns and game playing that occurs in this 2nd book is enough to make Game of Thrones fans sit back and go Huh! with a grin on their faces.
Add to that the incredible fight scenes that occur in this book, the descriptions of the various characters as they do battle is just stunning, and you find yourself glued to the book, reading these breathe-taking combat scenes.
But just to make sure that things never get too serious, there is also Whitney Blissslayer, who is not only a great character as far as his involvement for the story, etc, but the comedic acts that go on between him and Torsten, as well as Sora make this book worth reading just for these sections alone. As with Web of Eyes, Whitney goes out of his way to wind up Torsten like a Jack in the Box. It was funny in part 1, it is funnier in Part 2. Castle and Bruno are obviously had a lot of fun writing these parts.
And that is what makes this book so brilliant. There is the comedy with Whitney, Torsten and Sora, Political Intrigue between Torsten, Redstar, King Pi and Queen Oleander. There is utter despair, and tragedy when Torsten goes to see a broken Rand, and Psychotic glee from Redstar when he is on the field of battle with his Warlocks.
The characters are all exceptionally well written, with detailed back stories, and in a finely crafted world. The world building had been done with exquisite detail, from the Beautiful Glass Towers of the Kingdom, to the muddy battlefields throughout the various war zones.
Web of Eyes was a brilliant start to the Series, and Winds of War continues it in outstanding style. Cant wait to see what Will of Fire brings us!!
If you liked the first one, you have to read this one, and if you havent gotten into the series, now is the time to jump on board to what is going to be one of the series of the year. Dont miss out, its too much fun!!

This book picks up right where the first one ended, as opposed to some novels that reappear 20 years, etc., in the future. Pi is a very interesting character so far and I’m curious to find out if Red Star still has some kind of influence over him or if he’s Liam reincarnated.

I feel somewhat sorry for Torsten. He is so set in his beliefs that it makes him a bigot about anyone else’s. Of course, we still don’t know if Red Star is legitimate in his proclamations about the buried goddess or just using her as a ruse to achieve his goals. He does seem to have an unerring knack for being in the right place at the right time which gives some credence to his claim that she speaks to him.

Whitney and Sora are pretty much still bungling around trying to figure out what to do with their lives. The extent of Sora’s magic is still unknown as she tries to figure it out without much success.

In closing – vampire!

If Disney was smart, they would hire these guys to write a Star Wars novel. Seriously, this action-packed fantasy story left my jaw on the floor over how good and fun it was. And no, I am still not a big Fantasy genre fan, but this book has me reconsidering. The characters already feel like old friends to the reader after book 1. Cant wait for Book 3! Oh, and definitely get the audiobook version. Luke Daniels is fantastic!

Finishing the first book had me reaching for the second, and I was not disappointed. Thus far, its got the same quality as Robert Jordans early Wheel of Time books, or Martins Song of Ice and Fire, without the bloat and interminable wait, and with a PG-13 rating. The books have got it: characters you want to read more of, a plot that keeps you guessing, and I cant see where and how this will end.

The second book of a series usually doesnt live up to the first but this one surpasses the first by a large margin. The complex subplots are masterfully woven together to bring the characters to life. Torsten, Whitney and Sora show their fears and foibles but still manage to forge through their trials with determination.

Galaxyaudiobook Member Benefit

- Able to comment

- List watched audiobooks

- List favorite audiobooks

- Bookmark will only available for Galaxyaudiobook member