Good second instalment to the Kingdom of Grit trilogy. I enjoyed being back with these characters and in this world. I look forward to seeing what happens in the next instalment.

I sincerely apologise that I wasn’t able to get around to reading this title prior to the publication date in order to review it.

This was a fun sequel, which I enjoyed almost as much as the first book in the series - however, I knew that the ending would have to be totally spectacular to live up to the ending of the first book (no spoilers!) and in my view, while there were some awesome twists, it didn't quite hit the mark for me. The rest of the book, however, was what I had come to expect after the first book - snark, banter, unique magic, DRAGONS - it was what I expected (and wanted) so I enjoyed it for that. I also sped through it pretty quickly, which is rare nowadays!

I received an advance copy of this book from the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

The second Ardor Benn book is another epic tale of the ruse artist taking on the royal family. The first book saw Ard's efforts depose the current king and save the dragon race (and hence the world). Sadly, the replacement royalty is no better and the Great Chain is now scattered into different, warring islands. Ard finds himself embroiled in a plot to unearth the conspiracy that the new king's dead nephew, and the rightful heir, is not actually dead.
There is also an interesting new subplot where we see a university professor tasked with discovering new Grit types (the world's magic system, whereby different materials once digested and fired by a dragon produce different magical results). This angle, like the industrial/medical revolution is surprisingly thrilling, with additional intrigue as the results become the interests of some unsavoury characters.
Ard and Raek are once again superb and quickly put together a plot to infiltrate a secret criminal underworld and discover the whereabouts of the true king. The secrecy and plotting, and use of the world's magic makes for some excellent exciting passages.
There are the usual twists and turns along the way, as the security measures in place in the secret society make it hard for Ard to progress too quickly.
As with the first book, the true nature of this strange world is unveiled a little more over the course of the book in spectacular fashion.
A wonderful fun read.

Received from the little Brown Book co and Netgalley for honest read and review.
2nd book in this series,it was a good story but I did not enjoy it as much as the first.
Will read the third to finish off series.

I loved the first installment and this one is even better if possible.
I thoroughly enjoyed and was happy to catch with the characters and travel to their fascinating universe.
Great character development, world building and storytelling.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

The Shattered Realm of Ardor Benn and The Last Lies of Ardor Benn sees Ardor return to prime position with more Grit-filled stunts, more heists and even more edge of your seat fun. Ofcourse Raek and Quarrah are in tow, somewhat.

After the end of the last book, I was reluctant to read this one; it went an entirely different way for me and did somewhat marr the ending. The whole Visitant Paladin plot was something that pulled me in but spat me out in the end. Though, this book is a return to form. Without wanting to spoil, the plots are even more complicated and ofcourse this does lead to holes and the reliance on luck can somewhat spoil the complexity, but once again I was enamoured by the use of Grit.

Grit is my favourite part of the series, its origin and how it is used really is right up my alley. That paired with Ardor's wit and Raek's mixing is what makes these last two books.

I love the fact that the author dares to make the escapades even more intricate and daring and the plotting that must go into these books to pull all the threadlines all the way through and cut them off and knit them together into something that is always that bit more entertaining and every bit more intriguing.

The characters and their relationships are phenominal. The way they compliment each other and build each other up but at the same time can be the weakness, the finnan straw. It is because these are so well - developed that it hurts so much in places. And I love a series that makes you feel, care and hurt along with the characters.

The final two entries to the series are not to be missed. If you felt the same as me after the first, please don't hesitate to read the second and third. They definitely get better.

The second book in the Ardor Benn series was everything I wanted and hoped for. It had impossible jobs, insurmountable odds, Ardor Benn, Ruse Artist Extraordinaire and his crazy crazy ideas and Quarrah Khai and Raekon to provide some sanity among all the madness.
Quarrah Khai and Ardor Benn’s chemistry was just as amazing or may I say even better than in book one and had me in splits a lot. But what I enjoyed best was the character developments and the world building. We now get a better idea of the stakes in question and I can’t wait to see where the author takes it in book 3. My problems with book one was also addressed in book two and I am one immensely satisfied reader and fan of this series. Cannot wait for book 3 🤩🤩🤩

Please note, The Shattered Realm of Ardor Benn is a direct sequel to The Thousand Deaths of Ardor Benn. If you haven’t read the first book in the Kingdom of Grit series what follows may contain some minor spoilers. Dont say I didn’t warn you.

Ardor Benn saved civilisation from imminent destruction, but his efforts brought war to the kingdom. It is believed that the rightful rulers have all been assassinated. However, a young heir might have survived.

An ancient organisation known as The Realm is behind the chaos, working from the shadows. Under the anonymity of masks, information is distributed sparingly. Ard’s been hired to infiltrate them, but he’s got competition from an old friend. One who’s set to prove she’s better than the self-proclaimed ‘Ruse Artist Extraordinaire.’

If Ard can’t find the heir, then his world may again approach ruin. Stopping the complete and utter collapse of civilisation is quickly becoming Ard’s speciality.

The Thousand Deaths of Ardor Benn was one of my favourite debut novels over the last few years. It features a rascally conman with a flair for the dramatic, a dash of political and religious intrigue and an angry dragon to boot. It’s all good fun and well worth checking out. This month, Ardor Benn returns for a new adventure and once again he is up to his neck in no end of mayhem.

The problem is that our, often accidental, hero is driven by his ego. Ard is a charismatic rogue and he loves being the centre of attention. I can respect that, there is no point being the world’s best ruse artist if people don’t know you are. That need for recognition Ard craves sometimes means he exhibits a wanton disregard for safety just to get the job done. I’ve been thinking about this and I’m not sure that Ard is always the cleverest person in the room, even if he thinks he is. It’s more likely he is the most confident person in the room. There are undoubtedly copious amounts of planning when it comes to his various ruses, but he is nothing if not adaptable. Ard is a creature of instinct. When he catches onto the merest glimmer of a thread of a suggestion that might become close to being a workable idea he develops a laser like focus and runs with it. However convoluted Ard’s plans might be, he can still change tack at a moment’s notice. Lest we forget there is also his winning personality and bucket loads of charm to also consider. If all else fails, Ard will happily talk the talk until he is able to walk the walk

Ard’s long-suffering best friend Raekon Dorrel continues to try an act as a moral compass for our hero’s more outlandish notions. The relationship between Ard and Raekon is a real highlight. I love the small details that define the constant back and forth in the dialogue they share. Ard and Raekon have that confident, almost unintelligible, shorthand like Danny Ocean and Rusty Ryan in the George Clooney flavoured remake of Ocean’s Eleven. In Shattered Realm, we delve a little deeper into the dynamic between Ard and Raekon and begin to see how their relationship is evolving into something different.

Tyler Whitesides peppers the narrative with some nice, subtle comedic moments. Ard begins the book bemoaning the importance of decent sized trousers when it comes to completing a ruse. Later there is an ongoing conversation regarding using pastries as a yardstick of success. There is nothing overt, events never descend into farce, and I like this approach. It would be so easy to make every plan more outlandish than the last but there is a good balance between the inherent humour in any confidence trick and the serious business of actually trying to pull it off.

The ruses Ard and Raekon employ remain as deliciously complicated as ever. At one point, I think there is a ruse within a ruse within a ruse. We’ve reached the Inception of ruses here, people. The good news is the author handles all these spinning plates with a confident self-assurance. I never felt we lost sight of the main plot at any point. Well played, Whitesides, well played.

I imagine just hanging out with Ardor Benn would be an interesting experience. I’m sure there would be moments when he would be your best friend, and others where you would quite happily throttle him. It would certainly never be boring. Reading this latest book has reignited my passion for a good con movie. I’ve re-watched Now You See Me and Now You See Me 2 already this week. I would be lying if I didn’t admit I see comparisons between Ard and Mark Ruffalo’s character, Dylan Rhodes.

Sometimes a book arrives in your life at exactly the right time. The Shattered Realm of Ardor Benn by Tyler Whitesides did just that. What with ongoing global pandemics and various political implosions, I recently hit a bit a low ebb mental health wise. A good book can do wonders for your mental health and after losing myself in this novel I have to admit I do feel significantly better. Turns out there is nothing better than a rip-roaring yarn chock full of wild schemes, breakneck action and narrow escapes to make this reviewer feel more like his old self.

The Shattered Realm of Ardor Benn is published by Orbit and is available now. The Last Lies of Ardor Benn is set to follow. Highly recommended

In a weird turn of events yesterday, the venerable Internet sage @LegalValkyrie mentioned my musical recommendation to accompany this novel during a random conversation. She has a playlist called The Con is On and it features tracks from the soundtrack to Ocean’s Eight by Daniel Pemberton*. Who am I to disagree with such a knowledgeable soul? Within about thirty seconds of listening, you’ll get why this is a wholly appropriate choice to pair with this novel. It has a suitably con-men/heist vibe about it all.

*Turns out my previous musical recommendation for book one in the series was another Daniel Pemberton soundtrack. It would appear Tyler Whitesides writing lends itself well to Daniel Pemberton’s music and vice versa.

I know I shouldn’t compare but the Kingdom of Grit books are everything I wanted the Locke Lamora books to be, that I was led to believe they were. This knocks Lynch’s books into a cocked hat. The Mc is funny and witty, and invariably the author of his own misfortune. The books are a fairly hefty lengthy affair but never feel over extended. Honestly I recommend this whole series and am just starting book three now.

The follow up for the first book is just as spectacular and entertaining as I had hoped for. When the first book ended, I knew that I had found a new fun favourite. With this installment in the I think that thought has changed to a new fun series. I genuinely love the whole world with all its slightly wonky magic system and its ridiculous hijinks.

I am going to try to be as spoiler-free as possible but it’s likely that I would mess up so read further at your own risk.

I am actually glad that the author managed to remember and use all the world and the religions he created and managed to bring one of the things that had slightly bothered me around to it making some sense. Where the first book left off, things were blown including minds. There’s so much that happened in the first book and the plot is made more intricate than I thought was possible in this one. What started a ridiculous heist to steal the King’s crown and promised money turned into so much more and our ragtag group is in a bigger trouble than they ever thought possible. There were some great parts in this book and there were some that left me wanting for more.

For example, I love Ardor Benn, okay? I love that he’s a good guy and an honourable one but he’s also smart about it. He is well aware that mere goodness does not work well in the world he lives in and he is smart about it. I think I really enjoy people/characters who are more than just being good. There has to be more, there has to be something stupid to go along with it, something smart and not so good. That’s what Ardor Benn provides and I lapped it all up. As for his love interest, I wish it wasn’t Quarrah. Simply because she deserves better, he deserves better. Their chemistry isn’t much to write home about but I think they have both grown as people, especially Quarrah. After the end of the first book, she is still kicking ass and taking no prisoners and that’s what I love about her. I like the fact that there are many instances where she is truly annoyed by or disagrees with how Ardor is/behaves. I wish there were more pastries and Raek enjoying the heck out of them, oh well. You can’t always get what you want.

Now, we come to the not-so-awesome things of the book. My first and foremost complaint is the love interest. Both characters don’t really mesh well as a couple and instead shine brighter and feel better as individuals. I would rather they weren’t at all connected that way. Second, I wish the religious part of the world building as well as history was a bit more fleshed out and explained better? Religion plays a huge part in all the things that happen in the book and I wish I had a better understanding of all the religions because I am nit-picky like that. Also, more history please. And yes, I am aware that I sound like a greedy child but I personally feel that the whole experience of the series could be enhanced by those two factors at the very least.

However! There’s so very much to enjoy in this book that those negatives can be ignored just for the sake of enjoyment. I mean, what’s not to like? There’s action, explosions, mad kings, organizations trying to do some shady things, religions having their secrets exposed in the worst way/best way possible. It’s just brilliant altogether and if you want an adventure of the Pirates of the Caribbean style but in a book format then this is it! Although there’s not as many sea monsters in this one. So, keep that in mind.

The second of this trilogy which it appears is being released as a whole over three months - thus removing my big barrier to reading series in general (is it finished, when will it be finished, will you let a HBO series finish it for you). The Thousand Deaths of Ardor Benn - which I hugely enjoyed - ended in a bittersweet position for the lead, but the evil king had been vanquished and in theory society was saved! Except, as we see here, bad kings often get replaced by equally bad kings, and petty machinations will ensue to create more crises. The bar for crisis was set pretty high in the first book (the entirety of society being wiped out), and so the stakes have to be equally high here. They are and it just about feels organic. The reintegration of the third member of the gang who walked off in the first book is a little more clunky, but is delightful (and latterly seen to be set up). Basically the scene is set yet again for ridiculous heists, grand productions and the comforting sensation of being taken down a tall tale by someone who knows what they are doing.

The Shattered Realm of Ardor Benn also picks up the one flaw of the the first book and runs with it - namely the restrictive nature of the magic from grit. This was a substance that, when created and treated would cause measurable, repeatable magical effects. It was good to have these restriction in the arsenal but why weren't people trying to make more, different types. That is one subplot here, which both gives Whitesides something more to play with, and another angle for grand conspiracy. The grand reveal here might not be quite as conceptually out there as in the first book, but still unfolds part of this world that - since we are now happily embedded in - we discover along with the characters and its still quite a discovery. Its a loose overarching storyline - I don't relly know where the final book is going but on the basis of the first two, I am certain it is going to be big.

If you want you fantasy fun, and full of incident, these books are perfect for you. A little bit more effort has gone into broadening the sidekick character here, and the general character work is ancilliary, like the world building, nothing feels forced. These might be archetypes, but there is a lot of kudos in delivering an archetype well (there is a mystery which I don't think will fool any reader but you understand why it fools the less genre savvy characters). These have probably been my discovery of the year, a year where entertainment has trumped anything too deep for me, and this continuation keeps the quality up. Roll on the Last Lies....

[NetGalley ARC]

The Shattered Realm of Ardor Benn left me wanting more. There's a quote from David Daglish, that on the cover of book 3 mentions about a thief getting involved in a small, but powerful heist to then going to save the world. That's what this series. Let me tell you what it is in a nutshell: A thief that was promised a load of money just to steal a King's crown now becomes involved in things that are bigger than him! Even bigger! I have to say, credit to Tyler for keeping an account of all the history, the organizations, and the complex religious mechanics that he's involved. There's an entire bible of worldbuilding that can be extracted from this.

There weren't enough pastries! :) I loved that about book 1 and Raek eating pastries was my favorite scene. You do occasionally get to see more of them during the pace of the novel. I am still not convinced that Ardor Benn attracts the right women to him, because you can see that during this part of the novel, he's an honorable guy. And he needs a new love interest. Not Quarrah. I don't think their chemistry is going to go anywhere at this point. If Ardor can salvage it. He needs a woman that understands him for what he is. Not what he can be. Big difference. He's not as bad as others think. He's a good man. But good men in this world are treated like prey for the cunning and manipulative people that we think aren't manipulative. The reason I like Ardor is that even though he's a good man, he's smart. He may be innocent sometimes, but he knows how to navigate the slippery tentacles of murky politics. It gives me hope that in a grimdark world that we live in already, here's a Jack Sparrow fella who knows what to do. Regarding Quarrah, she's back and she's kicking ass in style. We already see her intelligence working to her credit, as she does many scenes where she's annoyed by Ardor, and who wouldn't after the climactic ending of book one, but she's back. I think we'll see more of her in book 3. We also get the best new characters in this novel: Gloristar, the Professor and San, and Codley. By the end of this novel, you will feel awesome and yet...you will know what I mean when you get to the ending!

I did find some particular weaknesses concerning worldbuilding. Normally, fantasy novels love to illustrate their history to you. The weaknesses were was that when I found a secret or discovered something, then the worldbuilding would arrive and explain this happened and that happened. For example, a scene in which I won't give too many spoilers talked about an x incident. That x incident was explained, but it could have been explained in a more precise manner. Religion is a notorious subject in this novel, and I would want the publishers to also add a glossary of all the religions: Wayfarisim for one. Of course, this is just a nitpick of mine. I do feel that some parts of the novel did do slow-pacing, and there were some scenes which in the course of the structure of the novel, were repeated a few times. But this novel is fantastic and I will tell you why. The weaknesses are a trifling compared to the excellent details of this novel. The worldbuilding is on par.

This novel? It's full of Action, explosions, Professors, Scientists, Mad Kings, Super-secret Illuminati Style organization trying to do XYZ, and religious secrets being discovered. There are ships, glowing people with paint, need I mention an attack on a house? Also, the Realm is the worst organization ever. The worst. They are stupid, inefficient, horrible, and horrendous. That's pretty much what I give them and their Overseer. Horrible people. Don't under-estimate Ardor Benn and his partner, Raek! That's what Kings, Empires, Evil Secret Organisations did, and look where that ended them! This has some of the best fantasy escapades ever seen. Fantastic stuff. Fantastic dialogue, fantasy writing!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review. All of the views expressed in this are my own.
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Since the ending of the first book in this series, I was having a very hard time waiting for the next one.

I was not disappointed in the least!

Ardor Benn is further developed and we get to see new sides of his personality in this installment. The world-building and magic system is further explained and we get to see the latter in action in many new and unexpected ways.

I'm so happy and surprised to see that the third book is already complete! I absolutely cannot wait to start reading it immediately.

Tyler Whitesides has created one of the greatest new additions to the genre with this series.

I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for something new in the genre!

Overall rating: 5 stars

If you haven't yet read "The Thousand Deaths of Ardor Benn" (the first book in this series) then I have no idea what you've been wasting your time on - you could have been having so much fun! "The Shattered Realm of Ardor Benn" solidifies the magnificent world-building of Tyler Whitesides, the personalities of the characters (Ard and Raek must be the best double act in fantasy right now), and the story that is pure fun. I can't wait to read book three!

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.

It is no exaggeration for me to say that this is the book I have been gagging to read the most for more than two years, since reading the first book in the series (The Thousand Deaths of Ardor Benn). I loved that first book and I loved this sequel just as much. This is probably the most inventive and original fantasy series I have ever read. The magic system is complex and amazingly clever. Who new that dragon poo could be so useful?

This new book picks up the story around a year and a half after the events of ''Thousand Deaths', with Ardor Benn, ruse artist extraordinaire, up to his old shenanigans once again. aided by his long suffering partner, Raekon Dorrel. I wont spoil the story here, but I will say that it is a stonker and will not disappoint fans of the first book. There is still plenty of laugh out loud humour but this time I also found the story to be a little darker, and heartbreakingly so, at times. Like 'Thousand Deaths' this is another big book with very little recapping of events from the earlier story and I admit that it did take me a few pages to remember who everyone was and get to grips again with that crazy, wonderful magic and all the different 'Grits'. I have recommended the first book to so many people I've lost count.  This is a series that deserves to be better known and I intend to carry on banging on about it to everyone I possibly can until Ardor Benn is a household name. Bring on book 3!!!

** spoiler alert ** I stumbled across the first book in this series last year and loved it - Ardor Benn is a brilliant character, and the magic system of different Grits is an inventive bit of world building. I've been looking forward to the sequel ever since, and it delivers, mostly. The returning characters are great, the mechanics of the secretive Realm are a lot of fun, and the new types of Grit add to the creativity. Whether it was just a lack of novelty or a slightly more muddled plot, Shattered Realm didn't quite land as well as the first book, but I'm still very much looking forward to the end of the trilogy