Legends And Liars by Julia Knight
The Blurb On The Back:
Two siblings.
Vocho and Kacha are brother and sister, and between them they’ve got quite a reputation. Once known for the finest swordplay in the city of Reyes, now they’re wanted for murder and it seems everyone wants them dead.
Heroes turned highwaymen.
Not sure whether to trust each other, or anyone else for that matter, Kacha and Vocho form an uneasy truce to fight back. But this time, the flash of steel may not be enough to save them.
And now there’s hell to pay.
It’s two months since SWORDS AND SCOUNDRELS. Vocho and Kacha have abandoned Reyes for Ikaras, running gambling scams to keep themselves in funds. But Ikaras is a dangerous place to be. Sabates has not forgiven the siblings for their part in foiling his plan against Bakar, and has sent fellow magician Alicia to Ikaras to form a deal with their king as he puts in place his next bid for power, but Alicia has plans of her own that have been 20 years in the making. Meanwhile Petri is stuck in Bakar’s compound, concerned that the Prelate’s increasingly bizarre behaviour and rampant paranoia might accidentally uncover his own treachery. It’s not long before Vocho and Kacha find themselves pulled back into defending the city of their birth, even though they’re both still wanted for murder and robbery …
The second in Julia Knight’s DUELLISTS TRILOGY is another fast-paced adventure fantasy with plenty of sibling rivalry, dark secrets and darker revenge. By moving the action to Ikaras (a state that allows magicians to study at its famous university) Knight is able to develop the magic system used in her world. I particularly enjoyed how different magicians are drawn to specific uses of magic and I welcomed the introduction of Esti, a magician with an affinity for plants and an agenda of her own. Kacha and Vocho’s sibling rivalry remains well drawn but Knight also moves it along, allowing both characters to grow and Knight does well at showing how Kacha is torn between her love for her brother and her conflicted feelings for Petri (who also comes to realise his own mistakes in the worst way possible). Where the book is less successful is with regard to Alicia’s story - for me the revelations came too late and were too rushed so that it didn’t have the emotional impact it should have done. This is a shame because there was real scope within that storyline and it’s something that would have benefited from being explored given the connections to other characters. In fact, given the depth and range of ideas in this book, it’s a shame the trilogy isn’t expanded to a 5 book series as there’s more than enough scope. There’s a dark ending to the book, which promises much for the final book and I look forward to seeing what happens.
The Verdict:
The second in Julia Knight’s DUELLISTS TRILOGY is another fast-paced adventure fantasy with plenty of sibling rivalry, dark secrets and darker revenge. By moving the action to Ikaras (a state that allows magicians to study at its famous university) Knight is able to develop the magic system used in her world. I particularly enjoyed how different magicians are drawn to specific uses of magic and I welcomed the introduction of Esti, a magician with an affinity for plants and an agenda of her own. Kacha and Vocho’s sibling rivalry remains well drawn but Knight also moves it along, allowing both characters to grow and Knight does well at showing how Kacha is torn between her love for her brother and her conflicted feelings for Petri (who also comes to realise his own mistakes in the worst way possible). Where the book is less successful is with regard to Alicia’s story - for me the revelations came too late and were too rushed so that it didn’t have the emotional impact it should have done. This is a shame because there was real scope within that storyline and it’s something that would have benefited from being explored given the connections to other characters. In fact, given the depth and range of ideas in this book, it’s a shame the trilogy isn’t expanded to a 5 book series as there’s more than enough scope. There’s a dark ending to the book, which promises much for the final book and I look forward to seeing what happens.
Two siblings.
Vocho and Kacha are brother and sister, and between them they’ve got quite a reputation. Once known for the finest swordplay in the city of Reyes, now they’re wanted for murder and it seems everyone wants them dead.
Heroes turned highwaymen.
Not sure whether to trust each other, or anyone else for that matter, Kacha and Vocho form an uneasy truce to fight back. But this time, the flash of steel may not be enough to save them.
And now there’s hell to pay.
It’s two months since SWORDS AND SCOUNDRELS. Vocho and Kacha have abandoned Reyes for Ikaras, running gambling scams to keep themselves in funds. But Ikaras is a dangerous place to be. Sabates has not forgiven the siblings for their part in foiling his plan against Bakar, and has sent fellow magician Alicia to Ikaras to form a deal with their king as he puts in place his next bid for power, but Alicia has plans of her own that have been 20 years in the making. Meanwhile Petri is stuck in Bakar’s compound, concerned that the Prelate’s increasingly bizarre behaviour and rampant paranoia might accidentally uncover his own treachery. It’s not long before Vocho and Kacha find themselves pulled back into defending the city of their birth, even though they’re both still wanted for murder and robbery …
The second in Julia Knight’s DUELLISTS TRILOGY is another fast-paced adventure fantasy with plenty of sibling rivalry, dark secrets and darker revenge. By moving the action to Ikaras (a state that allows magicians to study at its famous university) Knight is able to develop the magic system used in her world. I particularly enjoyed how different magicians are drawn to specific uses of magic and I welcomed the introduction of Esti, a magician with an affinity for plants and an agenda of her own. Kacha and Vocho’s sibling rivalry remains well drawn but Knight also moves it along, allowing both characters to grow and Knight does well at showing how Kacha is torn between her love for her brother and her conflicted feelings for Petri (who also comes to realise his own mistakes in the worst way possible). Where the book is less successful is with regard to Alicia’s story - for me the revelations came too late and were too rushed so that it didn’t have the emotional impact it should have done. This is a shame because there was real scope within that storyline and it’s something that would have benefited from being explored given the connections to other characters. In fact, given the depth and range of ideas in this book, it’s a shame the trilogy isn’t expanded to a 5 book series as there’s more than enough scope. There’s a dark ending to the book, which promises much for the final book and I look forward to seeing what happens.
The Verdict:
The second in Julia Knight’s DUELLISTS TRILOGY is another fast-paced adventure fantasy with plenty of sibling rivalry, dark secrets and darker revenge. By moving the action to Ikaras (a state that allows magicians to study at its famous university) Knight is able to develop the magic system used in her world. I particularly enjoyed how different magicians are drawn to specific uses of magic and I welcomed the introduction of Esti, a magician with an affinity for plants and an agenda of her own. Kacha and Vocho’s sibling rivalry remains well drawn but Knight also moves it along, allowing both characters to grow and Knight does well at showing how Kacha is torn between her love for her brother and her conflicted feelings for Petri (who also comes to realise his own mistakes in the worst way possible). Where the book is less successful is with regard to Alicia’s story - for me the revelations came too late and were too rushed so that it didn’t have the emotional impact it should have done. This is a shame because there was real scope within that storyline and it’s something that would have benefited from being explored given the connections to other characters. In fact, given the depth and range of ideas in this book, it’s a shame the trilogy isn’t expanded to a 5 book series as there’s more than enough scope. There’s a dark ending to the book, which promises much for the final book and I look forward to seeing what happens.