After the cliffhanger at the end of book one, I was kind of curious about how the author would solve that. Well, to be honest, she didn´t. She kept her decent writing style, her way of setting words onto paper, and how she created everything. For all those, who never read a book written by the author let me tell you this: you need to get used to her style, her kind of fantasy, and how she sees things. If you can manage that, you´ll find some sort of entertainment one way or the other in her books – that is a promise.
Angel Of Storms*
by Trudi CanavanMillennium´s Rule Series #2
Publisher Orbit/Little Brown on November 12, 2015
Genre Fantasy
Pages 576
Format Hardcover
Source Publisher
✶✶✶
Tyen trains students in the ways of magic, but his teaching may soon be outlawed. Rumour has it that the formidable ruler of all worlds, long believed to be dead, is back and is harshly enforcing his old laws – including the one forbidding schools of magic. As teachers and pupils flee, Tyen is left with no home and no purpose … except to fulfill the promise he made to Vella, the sorcerer imprisoned in a book. Tyen must decide what he is willing to do to free her. Elsewhere, Rielle´s peaceful new life as a tapestry weaver has been shattered by a local war. As defeat looms, the powerful Angel of Storms appears and invites Rielle to join the artists of his heavenly realm. But what will he require in return for this extraordinary offer?
Story
About five years have gone by since the last events at the end of book one Thief´s Magic. Tyen is teaching at Liftre and living kind of a normal life, Rielle has done everything Valhan asked of her to restore the magic she took from her world. Now, both are again in a position where they have to change their lives. Rielle survives the attack of a powerful sorceress by accident and Tyen has no other choice but to become the spy of the powerful Raen to find a way to keep his promise he once gave Vella. Now both are part of a rebellion, each of them in their own way, they didn´t want and Raen plays a game that isn´t that easy to understand.
Style
Guess I´ll have to admit, that I am not a huge fan of Trudi Canavan. Her style isn´t really mine. The reason why I started reading this trilogy in the first place was, I fell in love with the cover of the German edition of Thief´s Magic. I asked for a copy, got it, and started reading. But I wasn´t as happy or hooked as anyone told me I would be. Yes, Trudi Canavan has her very own way of writing fantasy novels and not everyone will like it. Despite the fact, that I don´t consider myself a real fan of hers, I do see that she has a great fantasy. Though it isn´t always easy to see what she tries to show her readers.
Angel of Storms is told by an invisible narrator and the writing style is as debauched as ever. You need some patience and stamina to make it to the end. If you can do that, you will discover a very entertaining and haunting last third of this story. And that is it, what saves this novel from the total misery. Don´t get me wrong. The fantasy in this book is not the kind of fantasy you might be used to. Canavan sees things in her head and puts them onto paper that are quite astonishing, colorful, exciting, and frightening at the same time. But nonetheless, you need to read all of it if you want to have the slightest change to follow the plot. And she uses a lot of words – and with that I mean literally a lot - to tell her readers the adventures of Rielle and Tyen.
Characters
Many figures are showing up in this second book of her Millennium´s Rule series. Not all of them are good, not all of them are important, and not all of them like Rielle or Tyen. It is sad to say, but if you are looking for Pergama (aka Vella, if you like her that much like I do) then you will be disappointed. She isn´t showing up very much; so Angel of Storms is a lot less fun and humorous than the Thief´s Magic.
But the change Rielle goes through, how she starts seeing things, the way she keeps her instincts and how she trusts them – that is great to watch. She is so fair to herself and others to admit when she made a mistake when she has to learn that she needs to see things in a different way to really be able to understand. And she is the one who is not buyable. In the end, I was kind of surprised in a positive way to see how she was acting.
Baluka is another good character in this novel. He is the son of a leader, young and his way of seeing things is not as typical as you might think. He is used to using magic whenever he needs it. Has no remorse to do what he does and when Raen takes something from him right in front of him, he starts to fight and search for it in his very own way. And becomes a man, Rielle wouldn´t have wanted in the first place, probably.
Conclusion
Good heavens, this was sometimes real torture. And I am still asking myself if it was really necessary to describe everything and anything in such an abundant way. My head is still spinning. Not sure if I will read the next part of this series, too.
Happy reading
*I read the German edition November 23, 2015, by Penhaligon
Trudi Canavan
Trudi Canavan published her first story in 1999 and it received an Aurealis Award for Best Fantasy Short Story. Her debut series, the Black Magician trilogy, made her an international success, and all three volumes of her Age of Five trilogy were Sunday Times bestsellers. Trudi Canavan lives with her partner in Melbourne, Australia, and spends her time writing, painting, and weaving.
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