I did not read this book because I ended up DNFing the first book in the series. The plot was not something I enjoyed much, and after a few chapters, decided to stop reading.

When I was first sent an email about reading this, I was instantly intrigued. The blurb sounded AMAZING!! But I don’t read this kind of series out of order, however the publisher was kind enough to send book 1.
I read book 2, so obviously enjoyed the first “The Wolf” or I would not have continued. If you’ve seen any previous reviews, you’ll know I only review books that I enjoy.
This was an astonishing continuation of the world that Leo has created. The characters are wonderfully human, even when their actions may be distasteful. The situations are logical reactions, I didn’t at any point find myself thinking anything happened out of character, yet I was still continually surprised by the twists and turns to the plot.
Roper and Bellamus are both intriguing Characters! There is enough pace to keep you on your toes from the very first pages, and the writing style is so addictive the book will have you up until late at night! Or... in my case the early hours of the morning...
I was so glued to the story that the book went with me EVERYWHERE so I didn’t miss any chance for another five minutes in this magnificent world! The world building truly is a wonder to behold.
I have to admit, there are so many books now claiming to be “as good as” or “perfect for lovers of” Game of Thrones, and it often sets my teeth on edge. I have found in several cases that this set the bar so unreasonably high for the Author that what would have been a brilliant book, falls flat because it doesn’t reach my expectations.
I found in this case, that the comparison is very well deserved. Whether in world building or the surprises, the multiple characters and variety of personalities, the very human characters we can understand even when their actions shock, this is a book that deserves to be up there with the very best, and I promise will stand on it’s own merits!!
If you enjoy Fantasy that is disturbingly realistic at times, and gloriously surprising, you need to pick this up!

Having already read The Wolf the 1st in the series, I was already invested in the lives of Roper and Bellamus. Following on from the major battle between the Anakim and the Sutherners, Bellamus was licking his wounds and Roper the Black Lord wanted to take all of the land to protect the future of his kingdom,
As soon as I started to read The Spider, I was immediately transported to the Black Kingdom and following Roper step by step as he was planning his attack. Throughout this story he is a man under pressure, not only he is responsible for thousands of men, but he also has a traitor in his troop who is going out of their way to ruin the Black Lord.
Bellamus is not faring much better himself and now an outcast to the Sutherners, him and his band of men are trying to do the best they can to stop the Anakim before they attack.
Whilst this is a hefty book, I was so embroiled in the story that before I knew it, I had finished it. The planning and the execution of the battles were intense and I feel as physically drained as the soldiers fighting. Whilst the fighting is important to the book, the secondary characters played a big role in the telling of the story and I was pleased to see that Keturah had a big part to play. She had stepped up her game and there were times that she was crucial to the scheme. The relationship between her and Roper was a lot stronger and showed how supportive she was to him.
The side story of the troubles at the haskoli was as interesting as the battles and I found the trials and teachings at the school intriguing and I can understand why the Anakim were such a fearsome race. As for the traitor, whilst he is revealed in the story, I found myself wanting to tell Roper who was behind it all and as I neared the end of the book I felt like a nervous wreck as things got a lot more serious. This was how much I got into the story.
As in the Wolf, the descriptive style of the author has you easily imagine the world and the devastation that the battles have caused. If you are looking for an epic fantasy than pick up this series.

As per usual my review will contain no spoilers. However, this is the second book in the Under The Northern Sky series and as so, I will be mentioning events that happened in The Wolf. You could read The Spider as a stand alone but I would highly recommend you don’t.
If like me it has been a while since reading The Wolf, have no fear. Leo Carew provides details which come up naturally in the characters conversations. It is very cleverly done, jogging your memory but not making you want to scream at the book ‘I know! I read the first one!’
The World Building
This book is beautifully written. The flow of the words superb, you feel everyone of them is picked purposefully, nothing is wasted here. I became fully immersed in this book, able to visualise exactly where the characters where and what was happening. From the wilds of the North to the more tamed South. If you are someone like me who appreciates good world building, you’ll be hard pushed to find a book that does it better.
The Anakim
The Spider focuses more heavily on the Anakim. I loved learning about the intricacies of their lives. I especially loved the scenes that take place in the two schools. Although the descriptions of the girls schools gave me vertigo at times.
Lord Roper is really growing into his role in this book. Thrown into the role of Black Lord, he has really made it his own. He faces incredible challenges, both personal and political. His assessments of the situations he faces are masterful.
Roper’s relationship with Keturah I found fascinating. A marriage of convivence that seems to have developed into a relationship where they genuinely rely on each other and appreciate the others input. They are navigating the political landscape together and are both incredibly intelligent, a perfect sounding board for the other.
Final Thoughts
I was slightly worried going into this book. Sometimes, I find, that the second book in a series is often a filler, just moving events along to get ready for the main finale. I needn’t have been concerned. The Spider is just as thrilling and just as packed with action as The Wolf.
Leo Carew’s books have been described as epic fantasy and they are not wrong! They are fully immersive and incredibly well written. The Spider leads you though a landscape of political alliances, intrigue, back stabbing and treason.
As with The Wolf there are some heart stopping moments, fear inducing ones and lighter times, chats around the camp fires were my firm favorite scenes. If you like epic historical fantasy you are going to love this and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it.
Many thanks to Tracy to inviting me onto the blog tour and to the publishers for giving me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Spider is the long-awaited sequel to The Wolf. Following his success at the Battle of Harstathur, Lord Roper reigns over the Anakim, but is acutely aware that Suthern forces are a threat to the long-term future of the Northern people. With that, a plan develops to wipe out the entire Suthern race, safe-guarding the longevity of the Northern people. With weakened forces at his disposal, to be successful, Roper will have to befriend a savage race of people, the Unhieru, a difficult challenge for anyone, let alone the Black Lord.

With an intricate network of spies, including some very close to Lord Roper, the disgraced Bellamus feeds information to the Suthern Queen, protecting her and her people, along with conspiring to let loose a deadly weapon, so potent that it could wipe out the northerners altogether. This book tells the story of a true battle, north versus south, with a winner-take-all outcome.

The Spider is a wonderfully-written book and follows directly on where The Wolf left off. The journey into the South with the legions of troops is expertly described, putting you right in the middle of the scene. You get a real sense of pride with the troops, and with every dead-end that they experience, you get a true feel for how their morale just keeps ebbing away. With everything to fight for, you will want to keep reading this book, right to the end, riding alongside Roper and his men as they are seemingly thwarted with each attempt to take down the Sutherners. The twists and turns, along with the fantastic descriptive writing of Leo Carew will mean you are in this for the long-haul. I for one cannot wait for the next instalment.

The style of writing is one that I really enjoy reading; that is the chapters are quite short, making it easy to “pick up for ten minutes”. The difficult part is putting it back down again. If you haven’t read The Wolf, I would strongly recommend reading that first as there are many references to events from that book. Whilst you could read this book without reading The Wolf first, reading the first of the series adds context to events that might otherwise have passed you by. The Spider is a fantasy masterpiece that you will enjoy from front cover to back.

This is the second book in the Under the Northern Sky series. I really enjoyed the first book so I had high hopes for this instalment and I'm happy to say that it did not disappoint. I thought this was a fantastic sequel to the first book. It is a multiple perspective story with a well written world and an enjoyable story, full of political intrigue and warfare. The dialogue felt a little stilted at times and the characters were occasionally quite frustrating but overall I thought this was a fantastic instalment to this series. If you haven't checked these books out yet, I would definitely recommend reading them, especially if you love the fantasy genre.

I wont go into detail about the story as i dont want to spoil the book, i see so many reviews that give 80% of the story away and it spoils it for the reader in my opinion. I loved this book, I enjoyed the story and i felt connected with the characters. The story was a real page Turner and infact my other half kept needing to tell me to put it down and go to sleep, I was gripped. Pleaseantly surprised and brilliantly written, highly recommend.

I am glad I read this book after watching the final series of Game of Thrones (which I enjoyed but left me feeling lacklustre at the end) because HBO need to take the film/Tv rights for these book and turn it a series asap, it is dark and intriguing, bloody and brutal and has characters you would really like to see meet a nasty end!