3.5 stars

WE LIE WITH DEATH follows the fall out of the new Levanti Empire being declared as forces seek to sustain and destroy it. It's a well-paced book that almost manages to hide the length of it (over 500 pages) as loyalties are tested and characters face tough decisions about what and who to fight for.

The book has 3 main POVS; Miko, Rah, and Dishiva. Their stories interlink - Rah and Miko spend a good portion of the book - which really helped me stay engaged. I like POVs to be intrinsically linked, as my attention wanders otherwise. Plus it really showed the scope of the war, unlike the previous book where it was three separate stories until ~2/3 of the way through.

We have met new POV Dishiva before so she's not entirely new, so no initial floundering to work out who she is. Her POV shows us what's happening in the Levanti camp around Gideon trying to keep his empire and Leo being basically dodgy but really hard to work out (it takes until like 50 pages from the end to explain what Leo is, clearing up some confusion around where he is during the book etc.) I really liked the introduction of her POV.

Cassandra drops out of this book for long periods of time, which in a way was good as she wasn't linked to the rest of the POVs' stories until the last 100 pages, so I wasn't particularly interested in her. Thus, her absence did make the rest of the book's plot feel tighter. However, it did mean having to recall what she'd been doing before when she re-emerged.

To cut to the chase, I found this book boring as hell. The action-packed, suspense-filled chapters of the first book are replaced with long meandering ones where nothing happens.
The book follows straight on from We Ride the Storm - the attempts to overthrow the empire and the resulting double-cross have left the world in chaos.
We have a story told from the same three PoVs as the first book, plus an additional one - due to Rah being ousted from the Levanti tribe, a replacement was needed to tell the story from within their camp. For some of the book, we have a crossover as Rah and former empress Miko find themselves journeying together - for some reason (genuinely can't remember what anyone was doing or why). This is the worst part of the book by far as for the majority of it it is just these two (plus a dog for some reason) and they don't share a language so there is no dialogue whatsoever.
In other chapters we have long laborious sections of exposition about why Cassandra can allow souls to inhabit her body and for her to inhabit theirs. Here we have every possible way of saying 'this person's body but that person's soul' and it gets very tedious, unnecessarily so.
The book really serves no purpose other than to set up an intriguing character in Leo Dom Vilius, who can apparently come back from the dead, which will presumably become the focus of book 3. This could have been served in so much shorter a book, or an extra chapter or two in books 1 or 3 (why the need to string something out to a trilogy all the time?!).
I struggled with the pacing of this book so much, and frankly did not want to pick it up and read it, it was a real chore.
I'm torn over reading book 3, but may do on the hope that it was middle-book syndrome.

I received a free copy from Netgalley and the publishers in exchange for an honest review.

We Lie with Death was a decent sequel, but after absolutely adoring the first book, We Ride the Storm, and rating it five stars, I admit I was left a little disappointed. For the first half or so of the book, I was just pretty bored. Eventually, the threads started to come together and the book redeemed itself, and so I gave it three stars.

I'm hoping that this was just a case of middle-book syndrome, and so I'm still eagerly awaiting the final instalment of this trilogy later in the year!

I absolutely loved this sequel! I did not expect to like it as much as I did and am really glad I read it.

I'm not especially good at reviewing sequels, especially ones that I enjoyed a lot but here are the main points that I loved:

- the characters
- the world
- the action
- the writing

Devin Madson is so good at hooking me to her books until I'm unable to put them down.

Just as good as the first book. I can’t wait to read the rest of the series. After reading this I looked into a couple of short stories. In shadows we fall is especially good for a short read.’

5 stars
https://lynns-books.com/2021/03/04/we-lie-with-death-the-reborn-empire-2-by-devin-madson/
My Five Word TL:DR Review : Even Better Than the First

Seriously, I had a really good time reading this one, it’s the sort of book that makes me feel happy to be reading fantasy and I am just overawed at the way the author has brought this story on. Compared to We Ride the Storm, We Lie With Death is much more character focused. That’s not to say that this is the calm after the Storm but where book 1 was all about the brewing storm and the eventual clashing of swords this is more the contemplation of the aftermath,where swords may not be clashing on the battlefield but the blades are still out and it’s absolutely fascinating to watch these characters as they try to come to terms with the fallout and what it all really means.

I’m not going to discuss the plot here because I think that would take us down the road of spoilers. Instead this will be a recap of a few of the characters and their struggles as the story progresses.

Cassandra, Dishiva, Rah, Miko. We follow four characters in We Lie with Death which is surely enough for everyone to find a favourite. I can say with absolute certainty that I enjoyed all of them – I’m not saying they were equals so much as making the point that there was no sigh of disappointment when I left a favourite pov to read on from another less liked one. If I was forced to choose between them I would probably choose Rah because I love his story arc here but then if you asked me tomorrow I might say Cassandra and then again a different answer the following day.

So, Rah. Levanti warrior. Keen to protect the traditions of his people. Refuses to bend the knee to the knew Emperor Gideon and is forced into exile. What we learn as we follow in his footsteps is that Rah is a little lost. Does he return home? A home that was already starting to change? Or does he adapt. His own storyline takes a most interesting turn that eventually leads him to reconsider things. He discovers the importance of languages and communication and this leads him to some reevaluation.

Cassandra is also on a journey of self discovery with some startling revelations. This is a character where the reader gets two for one, Cassandra usually has another soul on board and her storyline is always entertaining, darkly funny and takes us in the strangest direction. Seriously, this pov is fascinating, entertaining and pretty much jaw dropping.

Dishiva is a new pov, she appeared in the first book but this time around she has her own chapters. She protects Gideon and is fiercely loyal. The edition of this storyline is clearly a means of keeping tabs on what’s taking place in Gideon’s new empire but it is nonetheless a really great addition. Dishiva’s main dilemma really boils down to protecting Gideon from himself.

Finally Miko, she feels a little more vulnerable in this book but still remains a strong character. I was pleasantly surprised at the turn her story takes and I’m very keen to see how this storyline plays out but I can’t really say too much about it without letting the cat out of the bag (for the avoidance of doubt no cats were put into bags during the writing of this review).

I’m going to keep this review fairly short and sweet. For me, this book surpassed the first. It’s clever, nuanced, well written, it has great pace and I never had a dull moment. There are some moments of dark humour that offset the grim reality of events and we also get to travel around this fascinating world that Madson has created. Without doubt though, the characters steal the show here. It’s not just that their storylines are full of intrigue and revelations – it’s more the way they’re changing and growing themselves. There’s a lot of subtle realisations taking place. Sometimes change is necessary to move forward and meeting in the middle, learning about each other’s differences and adapting is the first step to discovering new possibilities.

I loved it

Finally, I bought the audio copy for this one so that I could part read/part listen and wow – the audio is brilliant. I highly recommend it and I feel like I’m going to have to await the audio version so that I can read in a similar style for book 3.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

✨🌟 7 out of 10 🌟✨
It's not for me.

Keywords: high fantasy, grimdark, Asian-inspired (partially)
Trigger warning: rape, gore

We Lie with Death is a sequel of We Ride the Storm. The story follows directly after events in the first book, which chaotic on all sides. The ideas are ok but alas, this is not for me. The book is not my cup of tea. I have issues regarding the rape scene in the first book and it's not adressed properly either in the second book. The plot also seems too disorganized and wander too much for my taste. The arc of my favorite character from the first book, Miko also did not turn very well.

I'm sure out there there will be some people who fit the target market of this book and will love it to death. Unfortunately, it's not me.

I received digital arc of this book from Netgalley in an exchange of an honest review.

This was great. I love it when books deal with the aftermath of a great war or similar, and We Lie with Death just dug into that and most of the book was just people messed up by circumstances, and often their own choices, trying to crawl through the mess left at the end of book 1 and come out the other side. This was also kinda true in book one, but it’s more obvious here, that we don’t have the PoV of any of the people truly pulling the strings, the characters we follow are constantly guessing at leader’s true plans and loyalties, and I found that a very interesting read. They’re constantly thrown about by faith in a whirlwind of hope and hopeless and they make the most of it by sheer determination.

I know it’s only been 6 months, but I loved being back with these characters! Sure they’re all messed up, smelly, tired, afraid, very smelly, but it was so good seeing them again! Especially some I wasn’t expecting to see much more of. As soon as we got started I was curious to see where all of this would be going, and I didn’t manage to successfully predict anything. I think there was a bit of middle-book syndrome, in that there wasn’t one thing towards which everything was flowing, there were 3-4 paths that were mostly separate. There wasn’t one big thing at the end, though each ending was life-altering or had a huge revelation, for that character. I can’t say that it really bothered me, but it was different from book 1. It worked great to make me want to read on cause I need to know what these lovelies do next. Ok, yes, I know they’re murderous lovelies but still.

Cassandra is the winner for me this round. She’s mostly removed from everyone else for the duration, hidden away with the Witchdoctor. But that part is fascinating. We learn more about how her passenger works. The place where they are is so old and rickety and atmospheric, the other characters we meet there are also mysterious and shady. I loved that entire part. She also spends a lot of time with Empress Hana and they are so good together. They don’t trust each other and there’s lots of bad blood but there’s also some grudging respect for the ways they’ve survived in a man’s world. The things she learns are probably also going to make a huge difference in future books, and it was a great case of something seeming to not make sense at all and the OHHHH.

Dishiva is introduced as a new PoV character in this book, and she’s our main window into what’s going on with the Levanti army. She’s trying to get back her feeling of control after she was sexually assaulted in book 1, and it’s tough for her. She’s also following Rah’s footsteps of being conflicted about Gideon’s actions, especially the more time Leo seems to spend with him.

Rah – I did not expect his story would lead where it did. I don’t want to spoil it, so no details. It was lots of fun, had a lot of nice moments, even cute and tender ones. In some ways, he was similar to book 1, constantly torn between his rigid honor and situations where there’s no right choice. He did spend a lot of the book doing Kisia: The Scenic Route, with a lot of rain, but he also had a lot of time to think about what he’s done. I’m very curious to see what he does next.

Miko is great, she reaches the bottom a few times but she’s always so strong, even when there are no allies in sight. We do get to see some vulnerability from her, and even a bit of acting her age, which was great, if over way too soon.

I’d love to have some PoV chapters from Gideon or Leo, to know how things are really standing and what’s really up. Which is probably why we won’t be getting any.

If We Ride the Storm had two of the strongest book openings I’ve recently read, We Lie with Death had a magnificent ending, so strong and powerful, I was left there just staring at it.

Recommended for: well this is the second book in the series, so people who read We Ride the Storm, which I’d recommend to people looking for low-magic political and war fantasy with well developed characters

I found the first book in this series excellent and loved it, this one is even better.
Great storytelling and plot development, excellent world building and a cast of interesting characters.
I can't wait to read the next one in this series.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

You know what they say after a storm? It clears the air, but there was no calm after the storm in We Lie with Death. The world building is once again rich and brutal and I was once again delighted to see characters taking their own paths, accepting the hand that fate had dealt them and becoming all the stronger for it. I only very recently finished reading We Ride the Storm and the first thing I did was request the next book in the series on netgalley, thankfully the book gods granted my request and here I am basking in the glory of the empire of Kisia.

I was hesitant and on edge before diving into this book not because I thought it was going to be an awful experience but because I had built up my expectations to be unnaturally high. We’ve all been there; you love a book so much that you daren’t believe that a sequel could even match the high you’ve just been taken on. Well, Madson doesn’t disappoint…I don’t think its possible that the author can write a bad book. The magic, the elegance and the culture immediately whisks you off into lands unknown. Its impossible to fight it.

Oh, and the biggest plus point that I personally feel has been missing from fantasy books…THE STORY SO FAR. A recap, yes…FINALLY!

We Lie with Death carries on immediately after We Ride the Storm and the brakes aren’t applied through-out the book. The action is like a shovel to the face and doesn’t stop for a breath, not even for a minute. The characterisation is stronger, the personalities coming through to the reader in 8k definition. I fell harder for characters than I even thought possible and I was the biggest cheerleader mainly for Rah( Boy does he know how to get into trouble)! The reader gets more of an understanding about the conflicts between cultures. The cracks appearing between Levanti and the Kisians. The power of politics is never too far away from the fray and you can almost feel sorry for some of the characters (ALMOST)!

We Lie with Death is a masterpiece in storytelling and having that ability to know when the perfect time is to drop those bombshells. I didn’t know whether to pull my hair out or scream for joy at some of them but then that’s the intense mastery portrayed by Madson. The plot surrounding Cassandra is growing thicker by the page and my greedy little fingers couldn’t turn the pages quick enough; I wanted to learn more about souls, reincarnation and overincarnation. It just added so much more depth to the narrative.

We Lie with Death has an atmospheric sense of place. An absolute treat from a superbly unique voice in fantasy.

We Ride the Storm was a ride, and as the blurb says there is no calm after the storm and in this second instalment in The Reborn Empire, we hit the ground running. I do have to take time though to appreciate the recap and character list at the beginning of the book as it had been a while since I’d read the first book, and this is a practice I hope becomes more common.

The worldbuilding in this series is fantastic, and here we see it expand in terms of breadth and depth. Madson had created a vivid, living breathing world of contrasts and divisions, complex religious beliefs and cultures, and in We Lie with Death we get to see more of the intersection and clash of those cultures. However, As much as I adore the worldbuilding, The Reborn Empire is ultimately a character-driven fantasy and they steal the show again here.

In We Lie with Die we continue not just with the three main POVs from the first book, but we also get introduced to the point of view of Dishiva e’Jaroven. While we had met her in the previous book, it took a little while to get used to her pov, I think because I was familiar with the others, but her voice was so unique and I think by the end of the book her chapters had become some of my favourites. There was camaraderie and tension and mystery around her pov, and it was interesting to see her struggles between the current situation and Levanti tradition, especially when held in comparison to Rah’s – and as much as I adore Rah, it felt as though there were more depth and motivation to her conflict and search for answers.

That said, Rah remains my favourite, and although it felt as though he didn’t perhaps grow as much as I might have wished, there was still development and the feeling that there is more to come. For a man so set in his beliefs, it was interesting to see him so shaken and trying to come to terms with what happened, and while I will say his experience seemed to pale a little when read alongside Dishiva’s, it is still a powerful arc. What was particularly interesting though, was how his path intersected with Miko – and it was fascinating to see them together, the culture clashes that permeate through the book brought to an individual level in their interactions.
Miko too continues to grow throughout this book, and her arc probably had the most moments that had me holding my breath. It had taken me a while to take to her in the first book, but here in We Lie with Death I could see her as Empress not just in name, but in purpose and character, and it was like watching (to quote Mulan) watching a flower blossom in adversity. I feel that she is really coming into her own, and some of her choices and the situations she faced truly caught me by surprise in this book, and I can’t wait to see where she will go from here.

Cassandra was a character who I’d felt was a little neglected towards the end of the last book, but that is far from the case now, and her arc is possibly the most exciting in this sequel. Madson has taken everything that made Cassandra a standout character and polished it here while exploring and explaining her unique talents in a way that added a necessary facet of humour to the book. Especially through her relationship with Empress Han (and really my quote had to come from them because I just love their interactions).

The first book was everything I love about fantasy, and We Lie Death continues very much in the same vein – but with a few more twists and turns added into the mix. Does it suffer from being the second book in a series – yes, a little, especially when you compare the pacing in this book with the first, but this was a book that needed to take its time more than the first did. And I for one feel that We Lie for Death is a strong sequel because it took that time to develop the characters, the world, and to unfurl some of the questions and mysteries (and add some new ones) from the first book.

We Lie with Death was everything I wanted from this sequel and more, and has firmly cemented this series as one of my favourite series – ongoing or otherwise – and I will eagerly be awaiting the next instalment.

“Yours will break the scales.”

Trigger Warning : rape, decapitation, gore, death, war

***SPOILER ALERT***

ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The storm is still ravaging, there is no end to the war and death, with many jaw dropping revelations and major development in plot, Devin Madson is back with We Lie with Death the continuation of the Reborn Empire series.

Receiving an Advance Readers Copy (ARC) shortly after I finished the first book We Ride the Storm seemed like the best timing to continue the story, armed with a lot of time during the holidays I decided to read We Lie with Death wanting to see Miko, Rah, and Cassandra again. Before I start my review, I would like to thank Orbit and NetGalley for sending me this ARC for me to review. As of publishing this review, the book is already released for readers that are interested in reading the series, just know that the second book is available for purchase. Shout out to the artist that make these covers, Miko is on the cover of this second book and I am living for it.

We Lie with Death is the second book to the Reborn Empire series by Devin Madson. The story picks up straight from the last events of We Ride the Storm. Throughout the story the tension and intensity that has built up from the first book is taken much higher than before. The dread is really painful for the characters as all of them are experiencing some kind of loneliness and desperation. It took on a much more character driven plot, focusing more on the characters and what they are experiencing first hand in their many endeavors. It also expands the world as some of the characters go on a journey together and there are pairings between the characters that surprised me.

In We Ride the Storm the cultures of each character is much separated but with the conclusion of the first book it is bound for the cultural clash to happen. These cultural clashes happened as a result of the Levanti taking over Kisia’s capital, Mei’ Lian, after Gideon and the other Levanti betrayed Chiltae. Gideon named himself the Emperor and allied the Levanti with Grace Bahain. The struggle to achieve unity between the Levanti and the Kisian’s hits close to real life events which I applaud Devin Madson for. Many of the Levanti supported the new way of life believing that their homeland is doomed, but when there are supporters there are also people that are against it.

“Who chooses hardship fighting the unfamiliar when the familiar still exists? The longer we are away the more sentimental we become and many have begun to forget the troubles that landed us here in the first place.“

There are three main POV’s in the previous book, in this sequel we are introduced to another POV that is Dishiva e’javoren, a Levanti captain now general of the new Levanti-Kisia Empire. In We Ride the Storm, Dishiva was publicly humiliated by the Chiltaen soldiers when the Levanti were enslaved to fight Chiltaen’s war. Knowing this I am interested in seeing her development as character since that horrible experience. Dishiva is much more reserved and closed off compared to her previous friendly interactions with Rah. She keeps an arms length distance with the people around her, while having a hard time making sense of the humiliation that she had to experience with a few other Levanti women. Shining a spotlight on Dishiva gives readers a new insight and a set of new eyes to the story. Dishiva’s POV is one of the best in the book; containing a murder mystery, investigation, healing, and deep sense of comradery. I love the presence of another powerful female amongst the cast of already amazing women, Miko and Cassandra. While one of my favorite POV in the first book, Rah, still carries the same tone as the previous book. Rah is still as steadfast as he is in the first book but much shaken. It seems like he is still processing the change that has come upon his people and his life. Slowly, he is accepting this truth; after much discussion and conflict as he tries to forgive himself from going against Gideon. I get the impression that in the next book, Rah’s POV will have a drastic change in tone. Because I just wanna see this man to feel happy, forgive himself, and show some bad ass fighting skills.

“But for every one that hates you, there’s one who would follow you to death and beyond.”

The POV that I am least interested in is Cassandra’s POV. In this POV contains a lot of knowledge about Cassandra’s existence and abilities. The Witch Doctor’s rag tag bunch that took Cassandra and the Empress in their care have a variety of abilities that has something to do with the soul. They use their powers to help the Witch Doctor to conduct experiments that is being done to Cassandra. Personally, I had a hard time understanding everything that happened in her chapters. The struggles I am having with Cassandra’s chapters is probably because I haven’t read the previous series that is set in the same world, The Vengeance trilogy. If I had prior knowledge I think I would’ve enjoyed Cassandra’s chapters more. It wasn’t working for me and I am sad that I ended up not liking her as much as I did in We Ride the Storm. Cassandra’s POV did give insight to one of the biggest mysteries about Leo and his powers. Leo’s existence is a huge enigma in the previous book to finally have answers about what he is and what he can do is satisfying. The build up to the reveal in Dishiva’s POV and Cassandra’s POV is done really well, Devin Madson’s kept me guessing the whole way.

For Miko in We Lie with Death, her development and growth as a character is monumental. As the new Empress of Kisia the lost she dealt with during the war is staggering. She has lost amazing comrades that supports her but she gains a new ally or maybe a possible love interest. To avoid spoilers, I just wanna say that I did not expect it at all. Miko is much more mature, wiser, and less blinded by her ambitions as the experiences she has in this book humbles her in a way. Even though the decisions she made in the past came biting back at her she still tried to set things right and set her ambitions aside. Miko has risen to become a true Empress, fighting to be acknowledge amongst ambitious men that looks down upon her because she’s a woman. I’ll say it again I love Miko.

“I am no god, I am flesh and blood the same as you, with a heart that bleeds and a soul that rages,”

“Power lies not just with me, but with you all,”

The way Devin Madson writes her strong female characters in general, I admire so much. Devin shows how strong they are without having to say “she is not like other girls”, no description is needed to describe how strong the females are in this book which is a huge turn on. My final thoughts about We Lie with Death is it wasn’t the strongest sequel I’ve read as I struggled with Cassandra’s chapters. Honestly, I almost didn’t finish this book but I persevered for the other characters. The issues I have is entirely subjective and I still enjoyed reading the other POVs which pushed me to finish the book. In the future, I will read the previous series and then try rereading the Reborn Empire so I can read her chapters with more knowledge. If you like barbarian and dog interaction, soul transfers, a cast of strong female main characters and Rah, power struggles, intense politics and a bit of mystery; We Lie with Death is the sequel for you.

The quotes in this review were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.

We Lie with Death is the follow up to We Ride the Storm, expanding on the world and magic, whilst following our characters from the aftermath of book one.

Following on from the events at the end of the last book, our charcaters are fighting for survival. The newly crowned Empress Miko is on the run and in a desperate search for allies, Cassandra has been sold to the witchdoctor and is puzzling out the answers to her mysterious abilities. Rah has been exiled and is unsure of his loyalities and struggling who to trust. We also follow a new character Dishiva, who wasn't my favourite but I can see why her POVs were neccesary to see what the newly crowned emperor Gideon was up to but her POVs felt a little labourious to get through.

This book definetly suffered from second book syndrome, a lot of the book is travelling and was honestly quite hard to trawl through, despite the first book being super quick to fly through! I think this book was missing some of the miltary and politcal drama and plotting that I really enjoyed in the first book. By far the most interesting charcater POV was Cassandra, I always looked forward to her chapters and through her eyes we find out a lot more of how the magic in the world works, and some much needed answers from book 1. I also loved getting to see Cassandra and empress Hana wor together, this was such an interesting dynamic to explore and their interactions in book one were one of my favourite parts.

There were definetly some pacing issues, especially in the first half, I think I felt like this due to not really liking one of the POVs (Dishiva) and it being too similar to Rah's and tehrefore was a struggle to get through whenever I got to those chapters, also Rah's storyline in this book felt slightly pointless, or a least we certainly didn't need as much as we got of him. Sometimes there would be very fast paced segements that came out of nowhere and felt slightly jarirng.

Overall this book felt like a middle book and suffered slightly from needed to get characters to certain points to set up the next book but is still an enjoyable read, with easy characters to like (well most of them at least) especially if you enjoyed the first one, I just think it could have been tighter.

This world is getting good! Nonetheless, the characters are astounding and you can get enough of the plot and twist that this story is offering to the readers. The great thing about this book is the political machinations that is written beautiful and satisfying.

'We Lie With Death’ is the sequel to ‘We Ride the Storm‘, and again was originally self-published before Madson’s deal with Orbit. It picks up immediately where ‘We Ride the Storm’ left off – but where the former was action-packed military fantasy, ‘We Lie With Death’ is slower, with far more journeying than politics. It’s a clear second in a series, which unfortunately makes it a less engaging read.

Northern Kisia has been conquered, with a new emperor on the throne. However, his rule is fragile, depending on uneasy alliances – including with those many would rather see dead. Amidst the chaos of rebel factions, political maneuverings, and a land fractured in two, Rah e-Torin – once head of the Second Swords of Torin – must decide where his loyalties truly lie. Meanwhile, Miko, the dethroned empress, determines to claw back her crown, with allies thinner and thinner on the ground. Cassandra, once an assassin of renown, finds herself a slave – but also privy to information that could change the course of the entire war. Finally, Dishiva e’Jaroven, loyal to the new emperor, tries to reconcile herself to her new life – no matter how foreign and distasteful it might seem.

Cassandra was the most interesting character in book one, and here she’s finally utilised to her full potential. Her arc is completely separate to the other characters, exploring the backstory and magic system of Madson’s world, and it makes a compelling tale. Cassandra cares little for politics or war, but her revelations will likely be more important for how everything ends up than every other character’s put together.

Rah remains a genuinely nice man – but his honour also makes him a frustrating one at times. His loyalty is absolute – except he isn’t always sure what he’s being loyal too. His internal struggles are well-written and convincing, and while he doesn’t develop greatly from ‘We Ride the Storm’, he remains hard to dislike. Without a major character arc, he likely could have been given less page time – but it’s pleasant enough being inside his head.

Miko has lost everything except her name, and how she copes should be fascinating to read about. As a character she’s excellent – not always nice, and perhaps not with the best motives beyond a stubborn desire to cling on to power, but utterly believable – but unfortunately, her scenes suffer from the fact that very little actually happens. Miko spends the majority of the book travelling, attempting to find allies – and while Madson does her best to add tidbits of interest, the sheer length of the book makes this hard to wade through. Her scenes pick up hugely towards the end, but it’s unnecessary challenging to get there.

Dishiva is the only new POV character, and her introduction packs a punch – but from there, she goes a bit downhill. She’s the least memorable of the four characters, so while she has some excellent scenes – and provides much-needed insight into the workings of the new empire – she doesn’t entirely justify her inclusion. She’s possibly a tad too similar to Rah, and struggles to stand up in comparison. That being said, her romantic arc is sweet, and hopefully she’ll come into her own as the series develops.

The pacing is where this falls down compared to its predecessor. It’s too slow, with occasional action scenes so quick they give you whiplash. The abrupt change lacks any real impact, instead leaving confusion. There are some excellent moments, and I love the deeper discoveries around Cassandra and the background magic, but overall this just doesn’t flow well. It also feels its nearly 600 pages in length, rather than pulling you in and allowing the pages to flow by.

In summary, ‘We Lie With Death’ expands upon the excellent foundations of ‘We Ride the Storm’, but it isn’t quite the same standard. I’ll probably continue with the series, but I hope any future books iron out the issues in pacing. Recommended to fans of political fantasy and A Song of Ice and Fire (if you made it through book three, the journeying here will seem like a short stroll in comparison).

Oh Miko Miko Miko

We Ride The Storm (Book 1) ended on a slightly formulaic cliff hanger, which annoyed me a little bit especially as I was battling coming to a new series that had a rich backstory I knew nothing about. We Lie with Death ends on a triumphant note that leaves me satisfied but still eager for the final book. As with the first book, this focuses around 3 main characters and tells the story from their POVs.

Miko has only grown fiercer. As the deposed Emperess, she is besieged on all sides, Happenstance connects her with Rah who is cast into yet another protector role of someone that would be seen as an enemy of his people. They form quite a bond and I am curious to see how they reconnect again. Cassandra the whore-assassin was the most interesting character in Book 1, but had the least screen time. In this book, she has more screen time but is less interesting. She spends a lot of time with Emperess Hana as subjects of the witch doctor and leads us to some key insights but she’s neither whore nor assassin in this book so not as interesting to me. Leo was the 4th major character who wasn’t given his own POV but still remains a central figure. The Leo in this book isn’t the same though and has an evil disturbing side to him which only begins to make sense when we finally learn his secret.

All in, this book still packs the drama and craziness of the first with the somewhat unlikeable characters who are selfish and cunning and backstabbing. There are also a lot more characters this time around and we get another POV from Dishva one of the Levanti Captains, who’s now my new favourite character (ok joint fav with Miko). I can’t wait to see how she survives her current predicament in the next book. All in I enjoyed it - it’s not an easy read as there’s a lot to catch up on from the many loose threads of Book 1, but once I got into it (and could remember the setup for each character) I raced through the pages. Will give this a solid 4 stars.

We Lie With Death was a major disappointment for me. Everything that I actually enjoyed in the first book was completely ruined in this book and the things I hated were amplified until I just couldn’t bear it anymore.

The thing I hated most was that it was just such a slog to read. It was so slow and most of the characters took a long time to actually do anything productive. It got to the point where I only had seventy pages to read and I was putting it off because I just couldn’t be bothered to finish it. In the end I skim read the last fifty pages just to get it finished. I was actually reading a book which was much worse written and I enjoyed that one more.

The characters took a major downturn from book one. I always hated Miko but she was just utterly unbearable for me in this book. She is one of those characters who just gets whatever she wants because she just happens to be the female character. She acts spoiled and entitled and yet I am somehow supposed to root for her. Rah was slightly less boring in this book but not enough to make him interesting. The really annoying part was with Cassandra and Leo. They were my two favourite characters in book one because they were the most interesting but in this book they were disappointing. Cassandra floated along for the most part with very little to do and taking her out of her body was a crap move which left her without her inner voice to play off of. The revelation about Leo reduced his character to far less interesting than he was in the first book and that was the thing that made me angriest about the story. He was so interesting and the whole concept of him coming back to life was fascinating but the reveal was far more mundane and I didn’t like it.

We Lie With Death was laborious and made me completely uninterested. I was so close to just giving up on it so I resorted to skim reading the end just to complete it but it is safe to say that my interest in this series has completely died. The pacing was bad, the characters were either boring or just horrible and I hated the direction Madson took. I don’t think I’m going to bother finishing the series.

A huge thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the opinions expressed in this review are my own.
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Wow! After the heart(and gut)rending first instalment of this series, Madson needed to put in a lot of hard work to maintain the absolutely packed experience in the next book. And boy did We Lie with Death more than deliver!

I said it before and I'll say it again: Rah is now a permanent fixture in my top 5 fantasy characters list. The only thing that's changed about this since the first book is that the other protagonists put up an even more brutal fight for the position this time.

We were introduced to a new perspective in We Lie with Death, one that I was certainly looking forward to by the end of We Ride the Storm, Dishiva. It was a truly refreshing and interesting experience to see how Dishiva's loyalties were tested at every turn and how Rah's legacy of conflict had influenced the way she (and her people) viewed events.

Cassandra is a character I would describe as unique. Her situation is something that, despite being covered in other stories in various ways, has only been properly explored in this series alone. I felt chills many times during her chapters and Madson's way of handling Cassandra's two-person perspective in dialogue and thoughts added so much to the spooky experience.

Whereas We Ride the Storm showed us Miko's ambition in explicit detail, We Lie with Death more than lives up to its name by showing us the aftermath of the destruction and assimilation of all that Miko holds dear and her struggle to orient herself when her whole world has practically burned around her.

Madson has once again gifted us a feast of a story and I, while desperately restraining myself from giving any spoilers, cannot wait to see how the ending of We Lie with Death is continued in the next book.

Overall rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5 stars

Events pick up right where they were left off at the end of We Ride the Storm. Miko is forced to fled and find allies to get back Kisia’s throne with her faithful General on her side. Rah leaves the forming Levanti Empire behind after refusing to bow down to Gideon, trying to figure out where he should go. Cassandra finally meets the Witchdoctor, but not exactly the way she planned. Actually, nothing happens the way she planned. In We Lie With Death a fourth POV character joins the others: Dishiva e’Jaroen, who decides to stay with Gideon and help him build the Levanti Empire and keep him safe, even from himself if needed.

I’ll try not to go too much into details regarding the plot, as this is a book you have to discover for yourself. There are so many layers to We Lie With Death that it’s hard to talk about them all without some accidental spoilers. But I’ll try anyway. One of the strengths of Madson‘s book – s we know from book 1 – is her characters. We Lie With Death is purely character driven and hoo boy, it’s hard not to root for at least one of them.

My favorite remains to be Cassandra, whose person is surrounded by mystery. Rest assured, we’ll get a few answers and a bit of explanation of how reincarnation of a soul works for example, or why does Cassandra have a company in Her. And hers is the honor to reveal one big twist which will leave your jaw hanging open. Seriously, I did not see that coming and it also makes Dishiva’s troubles muuuuch more interesting. Not that they weren’t to begin with. But back to Cassandra for a minute. Like it or not her fate is entwined with Empress Hana’s and they have to work together in order to have a chance of survival. One of my favorite parts of this plotline was the house they are delivered to by the Witchdoctor. It has a huge tree in the middle of it and the way Madson described it, makes me want to live in it – after some rebuilding and cleaning, that is. On second thought, it would be a total pain to keep that house up. Anyway. Cassandra keeps finding herself in impossible situations and forced to work closely with others. For someone who prefers to work alone, this is not a fun situation. But fear not, she is still her dirty-mouthed, strong-headed, loud self as always.

Dishiva. I already liked her in We Ride the Storm, and I was really happy to see her getting her own chapters. As one of Gideon’s trusted people, her job is to take care of the safety of Gideon, as the head of the guard. There is a certain someone who, despite Dishiva’s warning, gets close to Gideon while he tries to make his dream of a free Levanti Empire come true. In We Lie With Death, we get to glimpse at Gideon’s pretty complex situation and wonder how aware he is of certain things around himself. Dishiva tries her best to warn him though. Her “reward” for her troubles is being sent for taking care of some problems which just leads Dishiva deeper into politics and her consciousness. Dealing with problems and fulfilling orders seem to be simple enough, but what she doesn’t see coming is that she’ll start questioning her own loyalty and find herself conflicted. My favorite part about her plotline was the way the mystery slowly unfurled around her, made me think I was reading a crime novel – the better kind might I add. It’s amazing, how Madson can wave so many tropes and genres into one novel.

Rah finds himself in a position where he is forced to make an unusual ally and accept some hard truths about himself and the expectations some of the Levanti sets for him. The question is, what does Rah want? Keep living in exile, go home or fight against/for Gideon and his dreams of an Empire? Or something else?

“In darkness you cease to exist as solitude wears your soul to a stub, but nothing could erode the truth in my heart.”

Miko was my least favorite character in We Ride the Storm, but she started to grow on me this time around. She is no longer the spoiled princess who tries to play the adults’ game. Now she has to find her own way to claim her throne and find allies to fight against the Levanti. What she didn’t expect is that she has to fight for the support of her own people and find a way to make a deal with Jie.

One of my favorite things about We Lie With Death is the way the cultures collide with each other. Levanti and Kisian are forced to get closer to each other and learn about the other’s customs, sometimes adapting to them. It’s interesting to see how people can understand, furthermore form a bond with each other without speaking a common language. Also to experience how one’s opinion about a character changes when seeing them through a different character’s eyes. The biggest achievement from Madson is that while I usually don’t like too much traveling in books, she made me not to care about that at all because I was just so engrossed in the characters’ story as it unfurled before my eyes.

If I liked We Ride the Storm, I’m sure as hell loved We Lie With Death. All the POV characters have their distinct voices and you can’t help but turn the pages in your need to learn what happens next. This is that kind of book which makes you promise yourself you’ll only read one more chapter. Let me spare you of lying to yourself: you won’t be able to stop. Every chapter ends in a mini climax urging you to read on. By the end, you won’t be able to contain your feelings and probably will curse Devin Madson by leaving you hanging, waiting for the next book like a drug addict waits for the next shot. Or Stiff, if we are talking about Cassandra.

We Lie With Death is cleverly written, intricate and addictive, merging genres like it’s the most natural thing in the world while handling topics with a sensitivity that shows Madson’s genius. If you didn’t read We Ride the Storm yet, start it now because you don’t want to miss out on We Lie With Death!

What a way to start the year. We Lie of Death was a hell of a ride and I flew through it quicker than any other book I’ve read in years. I knew it’d be good, having read and given the first book 4 stars. But Devin Madson took it to a whole new level this time and truly blew away. Will my first book of the year end up being my favourite of the year???

We meet all our favourite narrators again. Miko, Rah, Cassandra with the added bonus of Dishiva. One of the best things about the book was just how unique each voice was, it was almost as if I was reading a different story every chapter.

Miko and Rah had some similarities, for reasons I won’t go into, yet even they shared subtle differences. We saw both fulfil almost the classic fantasy stereotype of being on a quest and trying to redeem themselves while saving their people. Their stories were equal parts heart rending and thrilling and one scene near the end involving Miko definitely made me forget to breathe for a minute! Plus, the extended presence of a certain canine character filled me with an unspeakable joy….

Both Miko and Rah are incredibly single-minded, yet both showed real growth this time round. For Rah especially it felt like a bit of a ‘middle of the road’ arc and though it was still gripping and thrilling, particularly at the end, you can tell big events will go down with him in book three.

The same can be said of Miko, thought it’d be false to say her arc was in anyway middling. She went through a hell of a journey this time round, almost as much as last time, and we saw her grow into a powerful, intimidating leader. The end of the book? Goosebumps. And that’s all I’ll say on her.

Cassandra also took things to another level and it almost felt like I was reading a post apocalyptic novel when she was around. In fact, I’d say her chapters gave me Into the Badlands vibes though the subplot of trying to work out just who she is was fantasy at its best. In the first book I was a little frustrated that we didn’t see more of Cassanadra but I really enjoyed how her arc tied up with the rest of the book this time. Again, we see another fantasy trope that I just love. The big war is going on but the actual deeper issue seems to be something a lot more dangerous and supernatural and Cassandra is at the heart of it.

I left Dishiva to the end purely because I was stunned at how much I loved her narrative voice. She wasn’t a POV in the first book but she was hands down the best in this one. There was real tension in her chapters and the machinations and mysteries that surrounded her were thrilling. I also found her struggles with Levanti tradition vs current situation far more compelling than Rah’s. I love Rah, but his stubbornness and unbending nature can be frustrating at times and yet Dishiva manages to come across as someone trying to do the right thing purely because it’s the right thing. Rah’s….motivations, I guess? Feel a bit more convoluted this time round.

That might be harsh on Rah, my previous favourite character, but Dishiva is just awesome man. Her relationship with another new character feels real, as do her issues with Gideon and we get hit with a brilliant mystery as she tries to work out just what is going on. We also see her try and come to grips with what happened in book one and she, as well as the other characters, seem almost shellshocked at times. A certain scene later in the book, involving a battle, was probably my favourite of the whole thing.

And now I just remembered another scene involving some of my other favourites.

Steamy.

Anyway! What I’m trying to say in my addled, rambling way is that this book is a damn good one and even better than it’s predecessor. If this is what 2021 has got to offer books wise then, despite everything, I’m really excited!

An easy five stars, I expect this to be on many end of year lists.