The level of fun and entertainment of this series is again at highest level and I can only repeat my review for the previous novel in this series: I think there's a new generation of fantasy writer that delivers somehow dark, well plotted and complex story featuring morally grey characters and talks about the life of the average people in their world.
This is an excellent story I loved. I know I'm late to the party but it was a great and gripping story.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Reviewed for the BFS by Elloise Hopkins.

THE BITTER CROWN by Justin Lee Anderson. Orbit Books. p/b. £9.99.
Reviewed by Elloise Hopkins.

Still coming to terms with the shocking truth, Aranok, Allandria and Nirea, among others, must race to save their people from not just the threat of the Blackening, nor the demons that came so close to defeating them before, but from the king himself and the machinations of those whom Aranok once counted among his closest friends. Ally will doubt ally, friend will mistrust friend, and the decisions of one will affect them all.

Samily, the young White Thorn, continues to explore her powers, wielding her abilities as a time draoidh in ways no other has thought to do before, but finds her faith called into question. Her burdens weigh heavy. The orphan Vastin has become a victim of the Blackening. Indeed it appears to be the only thing keeping him alive. What will that mean, she has to wonder, if Aranok and his allies manage to lift the curse? So many questions lie heavy on so few.

The Bitter Crown picks up on events after the explosive climax of the first book. The reader is treated to a brilliant recap of key events, told through the guise of tavern gossip, reminding us just how off plan the rescue of Queen Taneitheia and the confrontation with the draoidh Mynygogg had gone.

This second book in The Eidyn Saga keeps action very much the main driver, once again propelling the reader through twists and turns and revealing the most heinous acts. What began as a very classic fantasy series has gained grimdark aplenty, here with necromancy and torture becoming major plot points as the truth of the Blackening, and a possible way to stop it, is revealed.

Aranok still very much feels the lead character throughout much of the narrative and becomes increasingly unreliable and reckless as events unfold around him, lending a solid level of tension to the underlying plot. He is forced to confront some of the most harrowing and painful moments of past and present and even Allandria begins to question his abilities and convictions. How much of their memories can any of them trust, after all?

After reading The Lost War and its cliffhanger ending, this sequel had a lot to live up too and it didn't disappoint! We began with an artful recap of book one, which is written in such an exquisite way as to remind you of past events without ever feeling dull or like an information dump.

What stands out about this book isn't just his writing, which honestly just seamlessly marries epic world building with a fast paced plot. But also his characters, I both adore our main characters and also wish to scream at them frequently. This is the result of well developed characters, who's reasoning is always clear (to them). Our characters are frequently placed in situations where the states are high and the situations seemly impossible, the fate of the kingdom is a heavy burden and quite honestly im hooked. I can't wait for the next instalment of this series.

Really good sequel, but not as good as book one. Feels like a middle book but I was still invested in it. After the twist in book one, my expectations were maybe a little too high. Excited to see where it all goes!

Justin Lee Anderson’s The Lost War was my first five star read of 2024. It was a brilliantly addictive read and after that ending, I knew I’d need to immediately pick up The Bitter Crown. Following on from the events in book one, Aranok and his group of allies are now trying to do everything they can to restore Mynagog to the throne, cure the blackened, and return the country to some semblance of normality. But with danger and conspiracy at every turn, will they succeed and will their friendship be the same after all they’ve faced?

Much like The Lost War, I was immediately hooked on The Bitter Crown. This installment is just as fast paced and action packed and there were plenty of moments that had me on the edge of my seat. The world of Eidyn is really fascinating and I love learning about the magic and seeing the range of abilities people have. I also love that the world is based on Edinburgh and noticing all the similarities between the two. I really enjoyed the plot of The Bitter Crown as the group moves towards trying to undo everything that has gone wrong in the country. There were lots of twists and turns and there were so many times I found myself saying ‘Oh just one more chapter’ because I had to know what was going to happen next.

This story has a really brilliant mix of compelling plot, fascinating world, and complex characters you can’t help but grow attached to. The characters really do go through hell and back and it was so interesting to see how the dynamics shifted within the group as the story progressed. Aranok and Samily in particular undergo quite a big shift and it was so compelling to read about. I think Allandria is still my favourite and I’m also still hoping that all of them make it out alive, though I have my suspicions that they won’t.

The Bitter Crown was an easy five star read for me and I’m so excited to see where Anderson takes the story in book three. If you’re looking for a fantasy series that will give you a unique world full of dark monsters, twists you will never see coming and brilliant, vivid characters – the Eidyn Saga is one you do not want to miss.

Four years since I read and loved The Lost War, its sequel The Bitter Crown arrived like an early Christmas present.

And unlike the many books that become hazy in the memory after a few months, and the characters in this book, recovering memories wasn’t much of a problem.

For those needing that little trip down memory lane though, there is a really inventive Story of a Lost War introduction in which an old drinker recounts what he’s heard about the events of book one. It’s really creative and I enjoyed it. I fell straight back in to Anderson’s expert writing style and was reminded why The Lost War seemed to fly by in a flash.

When a book is so well edited, well written and has that shiny layer of polish, it gives you the secure feeling that you’re in competent hands and can relax into the story.

Admittedly, those readers who aren’t interested in the character development would certainly find it a slower read than The Lost War – but I think those who didn’t get attached to the characters in book one would be a bit daft to continue here, given the strong character focus. Anderson slows the pace down in places to really examine character motivations and letting the reader get to know them properly. It adds so much depth that will make the series as a whole much stronger and more rewarding as opposed to one fight scene to another.

Of course, there are still plenty of very tense moments and Anderson is able to showcase his writing talent by creating these feelings of tension in a variety of situations and conflicts.

Reading this book especially, I understood just how well Justin Lee Anderson understands people. There were dozens of times I sat back and appreciated the thoughtful, almost philosophical understanding of the author towards the human condition. Whether this was examining consent from a magical perspective (is it ok to restore someone’s memory without their consent, even if it means giving them the truth?) mental health, motherhood, how shame and pride can impact us, self reflection and guilt and especially the fact that most people are very rarely ‘good’ or ‘evil’.

We put people in boxes but there’s a key take away in the character interactions that if we took a little more time to try being empathetic and looking at someone else’s point of view, we’d probably come to understand why people make the decisions they do and how important communication is. There is a scene early on in which I found myself thinking one new character was an absolute monster and then feeling completely conflicted on the next by wanting to give her a massive hug. I don’t know how many authors could achieve that! Another new character we see later in the book, Quellaria, comes across very aloof and unsympathetic on first impressions but we realise has the capacity for selflessness. Conversely, characters we’d associate with being good also show their darkness, such as Samily.

Something I love about the book is that Anderson doesn’t attempt to make any character the clear hero or favourite. Characters make decisions that you might agree with or might not agree with, but by taking the time to help you understand that character, it’s hard to ever make an absolute judgement on any of them.

There is a big theme in the book that people are often impacted by the injustices they’ve suffered and looking beneath the surface, many of them share common experiences and discrimination or hardships caused by the same sorts of people.

The book is dedicated to Truth and everyone who fights for it and you certainly get a sense for the author’s anger at oppression and the way in which the few can manipulate the many by distorting the truth and allowing those they oppress to fight between themselves. Of how falsely constructed narratives and lies can change the mindset of whole communities or countries. And of how people can be indoctrinated, clouding their true judgement.

I haven’t really talked about the specific characters themselves, as it’s quite hard to do so in a review of a 2nd book where this gives away where certain characters are or what they’re doing but I think it’s also because no character stands out over the others. What I mean by that is that they actually all stand out, and so I can’t pick a favourite. They have their fair share of arguments, and as I mentioned above, it’s often hard to side with anyone in particular because their motivations are so authentic. There will be times you don’t even know who is right or what you’d do in a situation, and these thought provoking events make sure the book will live long in the memory.

If I was forced to pick a memorable character out, it would be Shayella. A fascinating new character, a necromancer that really captures what a mother’s love is all about. Perhaps you’re already suspecting from this that there may be a continuation of dark themes, and this is in my opinion darker than book one – but there is always hope and love which means it never really risks going into Grimdark territory.

The Bitter Crown is certainly more dialogue-heavy than The Lost War, but the author’s command of the written word and imagination means it is always interesting and engaging; two of my favourite parts of the book were heavy on dialogue and expertly written – early on at the University, and later during a meeting with the Riever’s council. Both events are full of tension, political intrigue and back and forth dialogue in which our characters find themselves having to navigate difficult situations using their powers of diplomacy and persuasion.

The Bitter Crown is a book that makes you think deeply. A dark, hopeful, contemplative and engaging, Bechdel test certified critique of those who seek to drive the people apart. The characters are amazing and the author’s intelligent technique of making conflict feel particularly relevant to modern day problems is especially thought provoking. I’ve never played D&D but I know enough about it (and that the series is inspired by a game the author played with friends) to really feel the RPG vibes and the intriguing fantasy setting we learn more about here.

With The Lost War, we experienced a really cool story with a memorable twist. With The Bitter Crown, Justin Lee Anderson solidifies his saga halfway in as essential fantasy reading by consistently delivering unique perspectives and storytelling techniques – and most importantly, characters and interactions that you are thinking about long after you place the book down.

4.75⭐

Absolutely bloody brilliant! Excellent character work. High stakes. Hard choices. Emotional rollercoaster.

Warning! Avoid book one ending spoilers like a plague. It will ruin your reading experience. This review will be as vague about what happened as possible.

I must admit that while the first book was very good all the way through, it was the ending that made it into an amazing one. Therefore, knowing that book two was unlikely to come up with something like that again, I felt a bit worried if it would live up to its prequel. I needn't have feared because it not only lived up to it, but in my mind, it completely took over the spotlight. It was an amazing book not only at the ending (which was spectacular by the way) but all the way through.

Following the events of the end of The Lost War, our group of adventurers is faced with a seemingly insurmountable challenge. The stakes are sky high. I had to take breaks reading this book because of how tense it was. Obviously, such an atmosphere had an impact on our adventurers.

This is where the book truly shines. The characters really came alive when faced with impossible decisions. And of course, where there are decisions to be made, there are different opinions that eventually start clashing. The tenuous bonds that the group has made over their shared quest start to fracture. Especially when some morally grey choices have to be made.

The biggest focus was still on Aranok, and Samily also received a lot of attention, but Nirea came into the spotlight. She was probably the most generic character of the whole group in the prequel but this time the author really took care to develop her character.

I will cut this review short to keep it spoiler-free. If it sounds at all interesting, check out the prequel review where I go more into detail: https://www.https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5931581506

This has been my top read of 2023. I will be eagerly waiting for the next two books in the series.

P.S. Thank you Justin Lee Anderson for providing us with a nice in-world recap. Although, personally, I will be re-reading the whole series before both of the upcoming sequels, anyway.

I received an ARC for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

4.25/5 stars! The first book in this series was excellent so I was very excited to get a chance to read book two in the Eidyn series. This was an epic sequel in a war-torn land. There is such strong character development between the leads and loyalties are tested. The 'cliffhanger' to book two is less drastic than book one, which I appreciated as I was outraged about waiting for this book's release. Quell continues to be my favorite character.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

I have to admit, I had high expectations for this book, and I really felt like I wasn't sure if anything could beat book #1 as I just adored that one so much. Whilst this continuation is strong, and feels like it develops the overarching plot well, I felt as though it was a little long and tedious at times. I do feel as though book #1 had so many twists and reveals and 'moments' that I loved, that matching that in book #2 was a really big ask, but I didn't feel quite as invested in this one as I hoped. With all that being said the series does give a lot to the reader, especially in the form of emotional response to some of the darker happenings which we read about.

This story continues on immediately from some of the big ending plot-points of book 1 and we are following the same band of characters as they now have to react to some of the major reveals we discovered in book 1. Lots of the characters are having to come to terms with a reality they didn't know existed, or face traumas and betrayals they didn't remember. We see a group who have some real power between them, but who are also fractured and divided about who they are, and what they can/should do next. For them to be able to turn the tide against the King, and the deceit in the kingdom, they will have to really come together again and learn to trust and work with one another.

There's a lot of very dark and grim stuff in this book including necromancy and cannibalism and more. It's certainly true that Justin Lee Anderson isn't afraid to drag you to the mouth of hell with his descriptions and imagery, and so some scenes aren't the nicest to read. They did help me to grasp the ruthlessness of the characters and the lengths they would go to so as to achieve whatever sick aims they might have, but there is also some underlying love and reason to a lot of the dark actions, so it's a nice way to go for grey characters rather than clear cut good vs bad.

In the end the thing which made this one not quite as enjoyable is the length, the amount of travel and constant repetition of 'the big reveal'. Because there has been such a shocking turn of events which affects everyone, but only a small group knows about it, the focus of the story really is to fight back and spread the truth. The problem with this is that it leads to a lot of time in the story being spent on characters journeying and relaying information which we already know to new people, and hoping they will join the cause. I did find myself a little bored by some of these sections and even through the reaction to the news is different depending on the person, hearing it repeated got a little old for me.

In the end there were some more big moments and I did enjoy this on the whole, but I think the combination of my expectations and the need to bring a whole kingdom up-to-speed with what's been happening meant I didn't like this as much as I hoped. I gave it a solid 3.5*s and will likely keep going with the series to see what comes next, but I will temper my expectations a little for the next one I think.

Another masterpiece-ful sequel! Anderson manages to engage his readers with an immersive world and captivating characters!

The Bitter Crown was my best sequel of this year and i really enjoyed this story.

I want to make this review short because so much happened in this book and its very hard to talk about that very soon but the 2 main things i want to talk about are plot and characters.

After the end of the excellent first book and the reveal we had at the end of it, i thought book 2 would start slow and then pick up the pace. That was not what happened here, still the plot was moving on a breakneck pace while keeping things interesting too. On the characters as well, there were some changes made in this book. After a very good character work in book 1, this book was a little bit low on character work for me. Some felt more childish and head strong and unapologetic and some where non developed. Allandria is the best character in this book for me. She came out of the shadow of others and showed us who she really was.

After realising everything they know and believe is a lie, the adventure is only just beginning for our rag-tag group of heroes. Learning the truth has been painful, but being reunited will make their battle easier. At least, so you’d think. Tempers clash, belief is questioned and the fight only continues as Aranok and his friends struggle to free the kingdom from tyranny.

If the first book had a lot going on, The Bitter Crown takes it to a new level. Now the characters are (re)established, the dynamics have shifted. Authority lies elsewhere, and Aranok doesn’t always cope with other people having the power and right to tell him what to do. Conflicts of personalities between multiple characters which makes it a fractious reading – while adding a whole new level of character development.

The group splits as various missions to retake the kingdom play out. It’s engaging to see the different characters come together and the way the new dynamics play out. Despite each mission being fraught with its own danger, it did slow the pace down as you move from one situation to another. While the high tension carried it through, there were some story arcs that could’ve done with picking up the pace a little.

There was some very interesting character development. Aranok hurtles past his breaking point, becoming a liability more than a powerful mage. Allandria starts to step out from Aranok’s shadow while Nirea embraces her true identity.

For the most part, the developments were interesting. Samily, however, had an interesting arc. While she was set aside from the others in the first book, this is taken to a new level this time. She is both innocent and headstrong, adamant that hers is the right way, regardless of the outcome. Despite good intentions, her actions are rash and she refuses to acknowledge the consequences. She’s still a strong character, but I did find her a little annoying this time.

The twists and turns in the plot match perfectly with the high fantasy genre, especially when magic, alliances and supernatural threats are at play. It went in different directions than I was expecting, both in terms of the characters and the plot, resulting in a gripping read I didn’t want to put down.

I love the world-building and magic in The Eidyn Saga. From the places to the power struggles, it transports you to another world. As with most fantasy, there were occasions where I had to think about which place was being referenced as the names blurred together. But establishing a central location where our characters convene really worked to ground you again.

The Bitter Crown was a well-written, enjoyable follow on. It avoided the pitfalls of a second book and there was strong development throughout, taking us deeper into this world. If you’re a high fantasy fan, I’d recommend these books.

The adventure continues as our characters discover what they are truly capable of, and how far they’re prepared to go.

”This war we fight now is not a war for land, for titles or power. It is a war for something we should demand as the very basis of our society.
It is a war for truth. It is a war against manipulation and lies. It is a war for the very soul of Eidyn.

The truth has been unveiled, the true King revealed and all the ugly lies brought to head.
This is a covert war, trying to figure who is ally or made their bed with the foe.

The truth was only a weapon if they could prove it.

This has one of the best recaps I have ever read. This should be made a staple of series.

Be warned: this opens with one of the most grimly, disgusting, dark scenes I have read. Necromancy, cannibalism, torture, child drownings… go in with trepidation.

This book tackles issues of morality - the lines blurred between black and white as harsh decisions are made in uncertainty, in rushed judgment, in rage, anger, revenge.
This leads to some very disturbing consequences where allies are turned against each other and friends are forced to reckon with their values and beliefs against their allies.

I felt as betrayed as the characters must have, struggling to pick a side and decide who was right in an increasingly grey-scale situation.

Every person believes they understand the world. They have a vision of how it works and their place in it.
To have that threatened could undermine a person's entire concept of themself. It could be terrifying.

We get a greater insight to grief, ptsd, trauma, blame, and guilt. Our cast feels the weight of the world on their shoulders and the burden isn’t easy to manage.

I definitely preferred book one.
Parts felt repetitive due to the nature of having to reveal the truth time and time again and deal with any fallout. Furthermore, the twists didn’t feel as shocking, but maybe we were just spoiled with such an epic first book.

Yet, we do get a wider look at the world as our main cast split off to carry out different objectives and gain allies. This was interesting as we get to see the politics of the different people and orders we have previously heard of.
However, this did mean there was a heck of a lot of travelling. Whilst in the first book, this was used to expand our understanding and build character relationships, this felt slightly more tedious.

I would recommend this if you liked the Traitors Blade by Sebastian DeCastell, the Riyria Revelations by Michael J. Sullivan, or the Eleventh Cycle by Kian Ardalan.

Thank you to Orbit for providing a physical arc in exchange for a review!