Customer Reviews

The Riven Kingdom (Godspeaker)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you struggled to get through all the darkness and unlikable characters in the first book in this series, but liked the author's writing in spite of yourself, I recommend that you give this second book a try. The same compelling writing is there, but The Riven Kingdom tells a different story with, for the most part, different characters. These characters are also flawed, but they are very likable, and most of them are trying to do the right thing. I read this book in less than half the time it took me to get through the first book.

This is a very different type of story than the one told in Empress, but it doesn't completely abandon that storyline. It tells the story of an island, Ethrea, where nobody has ever heard of Mijak or the people who live there. These people have their own internal problems which they are trying to overcome, and most of the story revolves around that. One character from Mijak does end up in Ethrea fairly early on in the story. (If you read the first book, you can probably guess who.) There are also three chapters scattered throughout the book that take place in Mijak to let us know what's going on there in the meantime. But other than that, don't expect to see much from the characters in the first book. I suspect we'll see more of them in book 3. The things that frustrated me in Empress start to get explained in The Riven Kingdom. You can see how the foundation laid in the 1st book is going to tie together with the overall story. I'm looking forward to reading the 3rd book and seeing how the author brings everything to a conclusion.

There was more humor in this book. Just small, light moments with the characters that made me chuckle.

The only thing that really drove me nuts in this story was the way the character from Mijak said "yes", "no", and "sorry" in the Mijak language throughout the entire book. The people of Mijak and the people of Ethrea speak different languages, so the character from Mijak had to learn the language of the people from Ethrea. While they were learning to communicate, the main characters in Ethrea also learned some Mijak words. I think it's cool when a book has some made up words in its own language that are used throughout a story, but this was different. Eventually this character was doing a decent job of communicating in the language of Ethrea and yet still persisted in saying these three words in the Mijak language even while correctly translating much more difficult words. Not only that, but all of the main Ethrea characters would use the Mijak language for those words whenever they spoke to the character from Mijak. It was just silly, and annoyed me more and more as the story went on. The Mijak word for "yes" rhymes with "no", and I had trouble keeping them straight for some reason. I had to pause every time they used the word to make sure I knew whether they were saying yes or no. Still, it's a pretty minor nitpick, and might not bother other people as much as it bothered me.

The author took a risk with the way she began this series, and I'm not sure it paid off. The first book was dark and frustrating and, even though it was interesting and well written, it was painful to read. If the number of reviews for the 1st book versus the 2nd book are any indication, it seems that many people gave up after the first book. On the other hand, it seems some of the people who loved the first book were disappointed by the second book because of how different it was and because it didn't have many of the same characters. It's almost a no-win scenario. This is frustrating because, from what I've read so far, this series is worth reading.

Sometimes there are books that are so difficult to get through, that only later do you realize this is an indication of how well the author made you loose yourself in the story. "Empress" was one of those. In the "Riven Kingdom" you are well rewarded for your persistance. I love stories about people who rise to extraordinary occassions when faced with the need. Add to that the painful path to redemption of another character, and you have a story that makes me ache for the conclusion.

As the second book of the Godspeaker Trilogy, the The Riven Kingdom takes a step towards a sterotypical fantasy that is probably going to be more comfortable to read for a majority of the readers out there. With the desert country of Mijak under the ironfisted rule of Hekat, Miller turns her narritive to the green and blue country off Ethrea and its embattled princess Rhian.

In Empress, Miller created and intriging protagonist in Hekat, however Rhian is more formulaic. Rhian is the spunky, young, and beautiful princess and heir apparent to the throne. With her brothers dead and her father on his deathbed, Rhian must fight for the right to rule her country as a Queen, not consort.

Miller works hard to seperate Mijak, with its desolate desert and its deranged Empress Hekat, from niave, smart Rhian and her serene Ethrea. She succeeds especailly when an errant Mijak prince finds his way to Ethrea, the ensuing culture shock is jarring and fun to read. However, Miller tries a bit too hard with Rhian, who at times comes off as being petulant. I believe this was meant to be intentional, however Rhian's whining is can be annoying. Rhian saves herself as she is incredabily strong and is capable of holding her own in the political arena.

Though the book is all about Rhian, Miller expertly throws Hekat into the mix alittle bit. Dispursed throughout the novel is Hekat and her mighty army conquering its way to a port. Readers are given a little taste of what can happen to Ethrea when Hekat finds her way to its harbors. This background threat is an excellent set up to a potential showdown between the two strong monarchs and their countries completely different cultural and religious views.

Note: I actually give this book 3 1/2 stars.
Like the first book I felt this one was a little long but it moved at a faster pace, though sometime I was wondering when anything was going to happen (like the civil war). We see Hekat but only rarely so the reader can keep abreast with what is going on in her empire. I liked the switches so that the whole book I'm not wondering about Hekat and were her armies are. The most of the main characters are softer and more likable. Unlike Hekat, the characters were more down to earth people, who didn't think they were all high and mighty, they understood the delicate situation that they were in.
This is a very good second book in a trilogy and though it has dark undertones, it has a faster pace and not as much goriness.

Again, this book is an interesting mixture for me. Although it was definitely more enjoyable than it's predecessor, "Empress," which I also read, this book was still somewhat difficult, but for different reasons.

The author, whose style was very distinct in the first book, almost biblical, loses that feel in the second book. I understand that the setting is very different, but it also splits back to the setting of the first book, Mijak. I would have enjoyed comparing the two writing styles side by side, but was disappointed.

I also longed for the cultural richness that Mijak had. Mijak was an entirely different world, even if it was a scary one. Ethrea, the setting of the new book, wasn't very original. The religion, such a feature of the last book, was almost simplistic in design. The major contrast comes from the ability to question the religion, not the religion itself.

In addition, I think that there are some plot points that could have been sped up - it doesn't need to take 300 pages to get to anything exciting. I felt like the beginning was very slow, but it was worth it to get through.

Don't get me wrong. This was an enthralling book. It was highly enjoyable, but it wasn't what I expected as a reader of the first book. Those who enjoy more traditional styles for their reading will enjoy this book, and it was a fine relief after the mental attack of the first book. Was it brilliant? No. Was it enjoyable? Yes.

Would I recommend it to a friend?

Absolutely.

It's hard to separate this book from the series and write a review of it on it's own merits. Having loved Empress so much this is a huge let down, but on it's own it is a decent story. Those wanting more Hekat won't find much here, but if you read the jacket you should already know that and be expecting it. I expected another character based story, and I did get that, but the characters here are not as dynamic and interesting as the ones in Empress. Rhian tries to be strong, but doesn't really know what she is doing. She lets other people tell her what to do, but then gives people an attitude and bosses them around like she is spoiled and knows everything. It's nice that she isn't perfect, but she is not very entertaining. The other characters might as well be made of wood. They are one dimensional and boring. Their points of view are really unimportant, and this book suffers from too much repetition. Having multiple views of the same event is great when done correctly, it is not here. We know Helfred is religious and unflinching, we know Ursa is tough, we know Dexterity is timid. Having the same events retold from three predictable characters is just not necessary.

Still, Karen Miller's writing is good, and I do care about the world and what is going to happen. It's sad to see this series go from a tough intriguing world to a stereotypical fantasy land. It's even more sad to see that the stereotypical fantasy land will probably defeat the awesome tyrannical interesting land. This book is just safe to me. There is nothing spectacular or unique about it. People who disliked Empress for how brutal Hekat was will have nothing to complain about here. The Riven Kingdom is full of fluffy kittens compared to Mijak. How I wish that evil would prevail for once. How I wish that fantasy authors would step out of the safe zone and do something risky. Oh well. If you are looking for a standard fantasy book with a queen, and religious figures, and a peaceful revolution, then The Riven Kingdom is for you. You don't even have to read the Empress first. If you liked the Empress, by all means read this, but Empress may have been a better standalone than a trilogy. The ending of Empress was perfect, The Riven Kingdom almost negates it.

The Riven Kingdom was much like reading the Two Towers--you know it's a bridge to get to the good part of the story. The style of writing I loved so much in The Empress was markedly different--and in a good way. Karen Miller was able to change the accent of her writing voice to reflect an entirely different world...one of peace and treachery. It shouldn't surprise you that the voice and violence of the first book was different; it had to be. The people of Mijak think and feel and believe entirely in opposition to the Riven Kingdom people. I think Miller has done a stupendous job creating lively characters and believable places. It was a bit long here and there--but certainly worth it. I move on to the third book with great expectations.Waiting for Odysseus

I didn't realize this was the 2nd book in the trilogy & read it first. I wasn't fully engaged for the first couple of chapters, then got hooked! As others have said, the characters are "down to earth" and interesting, the plot moves along, and suspense builds. Perhaps if I'd read in order I might have more appreciation of Hekat, but from just reading this one I don't particularly want to read her story, she seems like bad news!

This is the second part of three of the Godspeaker trilogy and I'm pumped up and ready to go for the last installment. Once again Karen Miller has produced some real characters with depth and an interesting plot twist that reveals something about a belief system that's in for a big shock. Let's just say that being in the god's eye isn't always a good thing.

The story starts slowly and ends in a crescendo of questions and a great looming danger. Part III will be titled "Hammer of the God" I call it "Where the big boys play". Highly recommended read.

Wow, Miller successfully creates a world that is the antithesis of Mijak, with a loving god and all that. What's really interesting about this book is the various roles religion and the multiple angles people respond to it, whether using it as a corrupt source of power, unwittingly serving evil, agnosticism, or just as a means of making sense of the world. I wouldn't recommend this book to just anyone, you would have to be able to accept wicked deeds that happen in war, cruelty of human nature, and reality despite fantasy. An interesting book. Some of the dialog in this book is so tacky it's hard to stomach, and so much mundane info. I really think this would have been a better book if about 200 pages of absolute boredom were either cut out or rewritten. I still give kudos to Karen Miller for taking on such an unusual and original story, even if there is a major red-haired character. One thing considerably different from EMPRESS is this one has some good humor, which is probably hard to pull off, especially in this series. The bad guys are pretty awesome, even if Marlan seems to lift a lot of dialog from Stan Lee's characters in the sixties.