Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

Received arc from Little Brown Book Group UK and Orbit and Netgalley for honest read and review.
Part 2 in this series from Kevin Hearne and I am an avid reader of all things Mr Hearne, but I could not seem to get into this one as much as I hoped or thought.
I have read all of his Atticus series and Al books so far , but I didn't feel this one..

This is the second in Hearne's Seven Kennings series. As with most of his works, the characters are wonderful, and the world-building, excellent. Most is told by the bard Fintan, with pockets of present-time action. Fintan possesses a unique magic, one of six Kennings. These Kennings are rare, powerful, and come at a price for those accepted to bear them. His allows him to enhance storytelling by taking on the personas of those he's met in his travels, who've played parts in the actual events.

Blight dove more into exploring the quite disparate cultures of this world. The anthropologist in me always loves learning about different cultures, be they real world or story world cultures. The only downside for me was lack of any kind of recap of the events in the previous book. It jumped right back into things, which might be fine if I were reading it on the heels of Plague instead of a long time apart! This is epic fantasy at its best, infused with Hearne's particular brand of humour. Recommended for fans of Patrick Rothfuss, JRR Tolkien, and GRR Martin. I'm definitely looking forward to the rest of the series.

This is the second book in the seven kennings series following A Plague of of Giants. We find ourselves learning more of events taking place with the help of Fintan. The bard Fintan plays a central role in the narrative of events taking place in a unique way by manifesting the persona of the characters involved in his tales. All these characters are people he has interacted with in various parts of the world. His ability enhances his narrative even though not an easy thing for him to do as violent and intense events affect him greatly and need to be released in the telling.
His ability is one of six kennings. The kennings are powers granted to people who opt to become seekers of different abilities but they come at a price and death if the seeker is not accepted. Now there is a possibility of a seventh kenning however it’s potential is not known. No spoilers here just a recommendation to read this yourself.
We have giants and users of elemental magic of fire, wind and earth, beast talkers and strange animals. Warring factions, magic, intrigue and a host of well formed diverse characters and excellent world building. Rather a lot going on in this and I for one are looking forward to more of the same.

I love everything Kevin Hearne wrote and this book was no exception.
It's full of humour, well crafted plot and an amazing world building.
It can't be read as a standalone but this is a great series and I advise to read it.
Strongly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

There are times when I wonder what Kevin Hearne is not way. Way, WAY more famous.
His writing is clever, imaginative, and filled with wry humour. His Iron Druid series was a favourite, which made me a little unsure about something so different. I shouldn’t have fussed. While book one had a slightly slow start, mostly due to the in-depth world building. black wings flowed much, much easier.
I want to tell everyone exactly why they should start reading ALL the Kevin Fearne books.

This second instalment in the Seven Kennings trilogy was a really great read, which I enjoyed more than A Plague of Giants. Continuing the story of the Giant Invasion and war, we follow some new characters and some old favourites as we piece together exactly what has been happening in each location.

The Positives: Structurally, these are very interesting books. Told over a series of nights by the Bard, Fintan, we follow bits of the story by living through the experiences of the characters. This does mean that the narrative is a little bit disjointed, but I felt like Kevin Hearne did a much better job in this book of keeping the overall plot cohesive, which was impressive. I also think that Hearne's usual wry tone was much more in evidence in this book, which was very welcome as I did find A Plague of Giants a little dry in places. It was fabulous to be back with some of my favourite characters and I loved the addition of some others. The world has really expanded in this instalment and we have much more explanation and exploration of the Kennings, which was fascinating.

The Negatives: The book starts immediately where book one ended - consequently, you are given little time to re-acclimate to the environment and characters, which was a little jarring and I was grateful that I had only recently finished A Plague of Giants. Also, because the structure revolves around the telling of a tale, there are times when the tension or suspense is a little lacking, because we already know, to some extent, that certain people will be ok.

Overall, I really enjoyed this second instalment and think that this is a really fascinating world with a fabulous magic system. I will now commence waiting impatiently for A Curse of Krakens!

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Warning...you MUST read the first book before attempting this one. It begins immediately after the end of book 1 and it is perfect for fans of epic fantasy.

I love this series and this sequel was one of my most anticipating fantasy releases. Kevin Hearne has created an amazing and epic world and characters. It was fast paced and full of action. I can't wait to read the third book. Highly recommended.