I'm currently fascinated by books that have gotten trad publishing deals after blowing up online and then consequently faced backlash for poor qualityI'm currently fascinated by books that have gotten trad publishing deals after blowing up online and then consequently faced backlash for poor quality and/or bad author behavior. Lightlark and Zenith, just wait! The Night and Its Moon is not good, which I expected, but it is also really boring. :( I rarely struggle to get through books because of boredom but this was a just a major, major slog. ...more
As Rune Saint John grapples with the challenges of assuming the Sun Throne, a powerful barrier appears around New Atlantis’s famedSo What’s It About?
As Rune Saint John grapples with the challenges of assuming the Sun Throne, a powerful barrier appears around New Atlantis’s famed rejuvenation center. But who could have created such formidable magic . . . what do they want from the immortality clinic . . . and what remains of the dozens trapped inside?
Though Rune and his lifelong bodyguard Brand are tasked with investigating the mysterious barrier, Rune is also busy settling into his new life at court. Claiming his father’s throne has irrevocably thrown him into the precarious world of political deception, and he must secure relationships with newfound allies in time to keep his growing found family safe. His relationship with his lover, Addam Saint Nicholas, raises additional political complications they must navigate. But he and Brand soon discover that the power behind the barrier holds a much more insidious, far-reaching threat to his family, to his people, and to the world.
Now, the rulers of New Atlantis must confront an enemy both new and ancient as the flow of time itself is drawn into the conflict. And as Rune finds himself inexorably drawn back to the fall of his father’s court and his own torture at the hands of masked conspirators, the secrets that he has long guarded will be dragged into the light—changing the Sun Throne, and New Atlantis, forever.
The climax of the first trilogy in the nine-book Tarot Sequence, The Hourglass Throne delivers epic urban fantasy that blends humor, fast-paced action, and political intrigue.
What I Thought
I’m still so glad that I decided to read past the first book in this series, because I’ve enjoyed the rest of them a lot. This is a suitably epic conclusion of the first trilogy in the Tarot Sequence, and nearly every emotional beat landed solidly for me. Above all else, I really loved seeing the growing bond between Addam, Rune, and Brand. Addam always felt like a bit of a boring afterthought in the previous books, and I feel that he is developed much more in this book. In particular, the portion of the book where Rune shares the story of his teenage sexual assault with Addam felt incredibly strong to me, especially learning that Brand was the one who unknowingly let the assailants in but does not remember this now. For the first time, we are able to understand the full burden of the secret Rune has been holding all these years, and for the first time, Rune does not have to carry it alone. It’s the culmination of a lot of the character work that has happened in these books, and it felt quite powerful to me.
There are a LOT of characters in the Misfit Throne now, but I think Edwards does a very good job of balancing each of their stories and making sure that they are well-represented throughout in a way that never feels forced at all. The developing relationships lend themselves to many funny and heartfelt moments that never feel fake or saccharine, which is one of my favorite things about this series. I still think that the author is great at creating fascinating magical setpieces, and the timeloop sections in this book were as interesting as the ship and magical building in the previous books.
Most of my quibbles are pretty negligible. There are some random one-off lines that make me a bit confused about the world-building - we have elves and dwarves now???? The Atlantians cured COVID???? I wish that we had had some kind of closure around Death’s mother and her actions. Finally, I continue to be absolutely perplexed about why Queenie is a character (to call her a character is pretty generous, honestly) in this series. She simply exists to be a perfect servant, and I cannot remember if she’s ever had a line of dialogue about anything other than that. There better be some kind of mind-blowing plot twist about Queenie in the upcoming books! ...more
I’m definitely glad I returned to this series. I can’t say that I have incredibly strong feelings about it, but I think Frohock is doing something reaI’m definitely glad I returned to this series. I can’t say that I have incredibly strong feelings about it, but I think Frohock is doing something really cool and unique here and doing it well. The result is an engaging mix of history, intrigue, and her own interesting religious lore.
While I was reading the first 15% or so, I found myself extremely confused by all the past life identities and connections…but then I reread the start and CREATED A CHART (in case you were wondering whether or not I was taking my reading experience seriously!). Once I managed to piece together who was who in the past and how they were related as lovers/friends/family, things went much more smoothly. What I find most interesting is how the nephilim don’t actually remember everything about their past lives and start to get flashbacks and piece things together based on triggers. As this book shows, they are therefore quite susceptible to manipulation because vague impressions can be tipped into false interpretations.
That being said, I feel like there are still some things I am missing. Why are so many nephilim reincarnated as queer men in Europe? Of course we are following the protagonist and his friends, but almost every nephilim in the book can be described this way and almost all of the world-changing events involving nephilim seem to revolve around this very small group. Are they always technically the same person with the same soul? This would explain why they seem to share the same characteristics generation after generation and why Diago is always a rogue…but then why wouldn’t they be different in at least some ways if they’re born into totally different circumstances each time and don’t remember their past lives? There is room for a really interesting conversation about nature vs. nurture, but it just never seems to be considered at all.
One of my favorite things about these books is how well-researched they are, especially with regards to classical music and history. Some of the most interesting historical aspects this time are the exploration of what it is like for Rudi to be a young gay man who is forced to be closeted and the representation of brewing Nazi occultism (and how the angels/nephilim are able to manipulate it). That being said, there was one paragraph where Frohock made a very clear comparison between Hitler and Trump that veered just a bit into the heavy-handed.
Overall, these books are easy to read, engaging, and very well-written. For one reason or another, I’m not quite as enthusiastic about them as I am about some other books, but I really appreciate their quality and what they have to offer. ...more
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