Voice of the Lost: Medair Part 2

I’ve been working my way through Andrea Host’s work. This duo amazed me!

So this is the second book in a two-parter. So if you havent picked up book one then you will probably be very lost. The books (both 1&2) raised some very interesting questions, and really showed the thought process and pain the main character was going through. I really liked that it made me wonder how I would go about the situation if I was in it. The romance was a bit predictable and kinda abrupt but I liked it. So the ending bit was a bit odd. I have read other says that the second book was more focused on the romance and the story suffered for it. I think I Iean toward that thought as well. The story did feel like it was stuffed around the edges of the romance between the two main characters, and some of it was only to drive their relationship forward. Overall I recommend the 2 books they were very interesting, even if I feel the second book missed the mark a bit.

(Cross-posted from the Adarna SF book blog) Voice of the Lost is the perfect sequel to The Silence of Medair. The first book is a political fantasy thats epic in scope, and Voice continues to develop the themes of colonialism, empire, and sacrifice and a controversial romance is set in motion. Medair chooses to side with the descendants of her invaders while facing an oncoming apocalypse brought on by wild magic. Talk about raising the stakes! I loved this book, and it has the strengths of The Silence of Medair, but with a slightly different focus. Its still character-driven, but theres less brooding introspection and more political intrigues. Medair is thrust in the midst of a war and makes tough choices, possibly earning her place as a villain in history. What makes it interesting is how she deals with it, and how she views heroism, sacrifice, and ethics in herself and the colonizers. Medairs character development is one of the best Ive seen in the fantasy genre. I must commend the author for how she handles magic in the world-setting. Magic systems are best explained in some books, while in others, its best left as a mysterious force of nature-whichever helps the suspension of disbelief. Höst treats it as the latter, and it works. Magic is a messy thing in this world-it merges parallel worlds, triggers a looming apocalypse, and even changes peoples ethnicity-which is a big deal in a historical reality of heated colonizer vs. colonized dynamics. While those are all crazy, its believable because the emotional consequences for the characters are so real, and thats the key achieving verisimilitude in fantastical literature. I dont know how the author pulled it off, but she deserves mad props. With sacrifice as a key theme, it mostly reads like a tragedy. Whenever I cheered for the small victories, things became infinitely worse, but none of it came off as melodramatic. I was on the verge of tears in some parts, unable to decide whether its best to read on (and feel that screwdriver to the chest) or put the book down (and be unable to think of anything else!). Medairs internal dialogue sometimes summarizes what just happened and her reaction to it instead of only the latter, and its a little redundant. But other than that minor quibble, theres nothing Id change about the book. Its rare to find an epic fantasy thats ambitious in scope and yet ties the story together succinctly. Theres no filler subplots or unnecessary scenes, it hits hard but ends with a satisfying conclusion. The story is emotionally involving and deals with heavy themes, but its worth it. I highly recommend this duology if youre looking for an epic fantasy thats character-driven, different, and thought-provoking. Note: A free review copy was provided by the author.

Honestly anything this woman writes I devour. This duo was so epically amazing and I can’t tell you how much I was pleased with the ending. A fantastic book and a fantastic way to end.

Good story - enjoyable premise but the writing style is bulky and stands in the way of an enjoyable story.