Hello Fellow Journeyers,
We have the second book in in Brian D. Anderson's The Sorcerer's Song trilogy, A Chorus of Fire. After such a strong debut in The Bard's Blade, I was excited to pick up where we left Lem and Mariyah. Let's begin!
What's the story about: A Chorus of Fire begins shortly after The Bard's Blade ended in that Mariyah and Lem are on very different paths, but both are hoping to reach one another eventually. Lem wants nothing more than to get Mariyah back through whatever means necessary, even if that means working for a man as an assassin. And Mariyah is doing her best to be trained in magic practices in order to prepare for the coming doom that is Belkar.
What felt so great about this sequel from the beginning was how natural it was to rejoin Mariyah and Lem once again. Instead of there being a drastic change in additional POVs or a time jump, we know where our characters are and what they want, so the familiarity was welcomed and easy to re-enter. But the characters, while being the mostly the same, have changed ever so slightly in a natural and progressive way that raised the intrigue and wonder from the get go. Will Mariyah succeed in her magical studies and continue on the journey to oppose Belkar's return? Will Lem be able to grow a heart again after so many killings and failing to save Mariyah the first time? Much was going on from the first page, which made starting this book very enjoyable and, dare I say it, comfortable.
Next, the greatest thing a sequel book can do, I believe, is expand everything you thought you knew in the first book to greater heights, stakes, or character depth. Thankfully, Anderson does this in all three categories. World-building is expanded, breathing more life into Lamoria, the stakes have grown to be more epic in scale, and Lem and Mariyah both receive the time and effort that it takes to make them really become amazing characters you don't want to leave. Not that this was the case by the end of the first book, but it takes special skill to ensure you care for characters the second time around and they don't become dull or boring to read about. Lem and Mariyah are great protagonists in this way.
Lastly, the one thing that makes this one feel less than compared to its predecessor is the plot. This one lacks the urgency of the immediate plot because the overall plot takes center stage. While this should be a good thing, it actually slows things down considerably and you don't know why things are going the way they are for most of the story. While this is fine, the characters are worth journeying with, the immediacy wasn't there, and while the end is pretty satisfying, too much of the book is taken up with mini quests that seem to only slightly move the overall plot forward. It appears that this book struggles from the middle book syndrome just a little and it suffers because of it. The other thing that threw me off was the inclusion of what seemed to be more darkness in most of the characters. Not that this is bad per say or should be left off the table, but how they arose seemed a little out of place or it seemed to be added for shock value. I liked how comfy The Bard's Blade was, but A Chorus of Fire is more brutal, dangerous, and sometimes callous, seemingly without much purpose.
★★★★ 4 Stars - A Chorus of Fire is a fantastic, if not a little underwhelming, sequel to The Bard's Blade. With being a sufficient successor, it acknowledges what comes before it and seamlessly ties the two books together in a splendid and wonderful way. The characters change naturally, the story grows in scale and scope, the world increases in depth, all while keeping the main story of love the center of the narrative. Anderson shows off how well he can balance storytelling with a comfortable and simple read that is nearly flawless and satisfying, if not a little wasted. Instead of moving forward, it spins its wheels a little waiting for the end to really move in a direction. Not that it was unenjoyable, just not the amazing sequel that it could have been.
Let me hear from you! If you like what you read, want to hear more thoughts on this book, other reviews, or talk book recommendations and Essential Reading, leave a comment below.
Rating system:
★★★★★ 5 Stars: It was amazing; I loved it. Read this book; it is definitely Essential Reading!
★★★★★* 4.5 Stars: It was nearly perfect. I really loved almost every aspect of it, but a few things kept it from being amazing.
★★★★ 4 Stars: It was very worth reading and satisfying; highly recommend.
★★★★* 3.5 Stars: I thoroughly enjoyed this story, but it was lacking in certain crucial areas.
★★★ 3 Stars: It was good, but could've been better or improved upon significantly.
★★★* 2.5 Stars: I wanted to enjoy it. Certain aspects were good, it was worth finishing, but many issues.
★★ 2 Stars: It was okay, I didn't feel strongly about it.
★★* 1.5 Stars: I finished it, but it was a chore to get through.
★ 1 Star: I did not like it. It was not worth finishing or I did not finish it.
*I round up based on the system on Goodreads.