It s been a year since I read Seeds of War and I have to give Jo a big thank you for providing a story so far recap at the beginning of this book This really helped me with remembering the key points from Seeds of War but also get me very excited to dive into Thorns of War. Somehow Jo o has managed to take everything I loved from Seeds of War and add a little smoke to it see what I did there and produce a book significantly better than its predecessor. Right off the bat we re throw into chaos and action Thorns of War picks up a few weeks post the explosive ending of Seeds of War and we go on a rollercoaster ride with our characters from there. For the most part the pacing was really good.

Pawns used in an ancient conflict Humanity struggling to persevere Beneath the fearsome smoke lie the fires of our souls A blitz of action incredible magic that dazzle throughout Well written characters pull at the readers emotions across their plights Great sequel Thanks to the author for this ARC English This review was originally published on Grimdark MagazineJo o F Silva is back and better than ever in Thorns of War a mind bending sequel that takes the visionary Smokesmiths series to incredible new heights Equal parts action packed and introspective this story is a surprisingly brutal punch to the gut in all the best ways. Thorns of War picks up a couple of weeks after the explosive ending of Seeds of War continuing the harrowing tale of all our favourite and not so favourite broken and lost souls The stakes are higher than ever before and soon nothing and no one is proven to be safe when caught in a war led by the whims of the gods. Now it had been a while since I had read book 1 so I was quite nervous to see how I would fare getting back into this world without doing a re read first Luckily Silva has graced us all with a brilliant The Story So Far section thank all that is holy though I d dare to say that I wouldn t even have needed that after all Silva eases the reader back into the world with effortless grace and it took me exactly one page to remember why I loved this story so much in the first place. Honestly I don t want to disregard the brilliance of Seeds of War but there is simply no denying that Thorns of War is just a step up in every single way imaginable The scope of the story and world or should I say worlds expand exponentially without it feeling overwhelming the lore deepens in the most enticing ways the complex characters and their unconventional interpersonal relationships become even compelling and epicness honestly just drips off the page as smoke magic is being wielded in new and jaw dropping ways. Compared to its predecessor there is a bit action in the early stages of this novel but overall it is still a deliciously slow burn and character driven narrative Especially Gimlore and Solvi s tumultuous journeys in Thorns of War really pulled on my heartstrings and I was not ready for the heartache I would feel for them Themes of motherhood trauma loss grief guilt regret redemption and healing are explored in such a painfully raw yet beautifully tender way through their eyes giving this story a level of emotional depth that I was not ready for yet welcomed with open arms. I do have to admit that I was not as emotionally invested in the other POV characters featured in Thorns of War especially the minor and newly introduced ones but that does not mean that their perspectives were any less compelling The revelations in Rednow and Orberesis storylines were truly riveting and their unexpected personal developments honestly fascinated and frightened me in equal measure. Yes I wanted to strangle Orberesis who will make damn sure you got the memo that he is GoD HimSeLf times than is probably healthy And yes some of the magical battle sequences in here were so ethereal and high concept that my brain started to crack a bit but at the same time I was also just revelling in the epicness of it all Aside from E. J Doble s Blood and Steel Saga I can think of no other story that has tackled themes of divinity morality and mental manipulation in such a uniquely captivating way and I am truly in awe of Silva s incredible imagination. Moreover I really appreciate that this story is so refreshingly diverse especially for a dark fantasy We ve got a casually queer normative world middle aged characters who kick ass brutally honest mental health representation dysfunctional but loving family dynamics and plenty of diverse races and cultures who are accepted without judgement this is the future of fantasy. Safe to say Silva has done it again All the simmering tension slowly built up to a truly transcendent and catastrophic climax sequence that shocked me to my core and shattered any and all expectations I had about this world and story And all the seeds that were planted in both book 1 and the prequel novella Ruins of Smoke which I would say is mandatory reading at this point in the series are now truly blossoming to their full potential which only makes me excited about the vision that Silva has for this epic series. So if you have not yet gotten a taste of Silva s excitingly wild imagination and exceptionally strong storytelling skills then you are sorely missing out To all those who like their fantasy to be dark gritty inventive mind bending diverse emotional and surprisingly heartfelt please do yourself a favour and check out The Smokesmiths series now I promise you won t regret it Thank you to the author for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review All opinions are my own English This review was originally posted on SFF Insiders. 5 stars rounded upSeeds of War the first book in Jo o F Silva s Smokemiths series was one of my favorite reads of 2023 and its sequel Thorns of War than lives up to the heights set by its predecessor Featuring pulse pounding action memorable characters and wonderfully unique twists on genre tropes Thorns of War not only kicks Middle Book Syndrome to the curb but also firmly places the Smokesmiths series amongst the best currently ongoing fantasy series. Picking up shortly after the explosive battle at the end of the previous book Thorns of War opens with days of hard won peace Gimlore is basking in the success of leading the defense of her town while Rednow the Blood Collector is content in training Gimlore s children in the ways of the Smokesmiths as their surrogate uncle Naturally peace does not last long and it does not take long for war to bare its thorns and for the God Himself Orberesis to make his bloody return. When I say peace does not last long I mean it it s gone in an instant Silva pulls no punches right out of the gate ripping peace from our hands and our heroes hands before any of us have a chance to bask in it properly These opening moments are emotionally compelling and powerful and in some instances downright shocking in all the best ways It grabs you by the throat and refuses to let go until the equally powerful conclusion and along the way you feel all the same blows as the characters all the calls for vengeance all the anger all the grief The unique cast shines here just as they did in the previous book but this time with an additional emotional weight that was not as immediately present before. And these characters are only elevated all the by the cool twists on a genre staple a character chosen by the gods At the end of Seeds we were introduced to the Old One and the Essence who have been whispering in certain characters ears Silva takes this trope and turns it on its head toeing the line to question whether powers granted by the gods are a blessing or a curse if the relationship between the gods and the characters they inhabit are symbiotic or parasitic and if the result of such power is worth the price These questions help create a strong thread connecting the various action sequences all the while forcing the reader to wonder who could stand against such power and who could maintain their humanity when forced to hold it. All this helps build upon the already fascinating smoke magic introduced in the first book while also expanding upon some of the incredible aspects of the system like the smoke riders introduced in the prequel novella Ruins of Smoke It s a testament to Silva s abilities as a writer that something as absurd on paper as undead smoke skeletons ends up as badass as it does in universe When the smokesmiths comes out to play the battles in Thorns of War end up all the enthralling especially when the smoke magic system is as dangerous to the user as it is to their target another favorite twist of mine. While Thorns of War is not perfect its flaws are few and they largely center around the pacing which is at times a bit too fast The early stages of the novel while emotionally gripping move at lightning speed to the point of getting a bit of whiplash It felt as though the first twenty percent or so of the book was a rush to get everyone in their starting positions for the remainder and likewise some of the arcs surrounding the secondary characters wound up a bit too rapid and unfulfilling That said the pacing for the remaining eighty percent is rock solid and once Thorns gets its feet on the ground or its skeleton smoke in the air or something like that it remains steady the rest of the way. Simply put Thorns of War is an excellent sequel It takes all the fascinating and unique aspects of Seeds of War and builds off of it perfectly creating an instant page turner that will grip you right from square one rip out your skeleton and send it dancing in the smoke in all the right ways That last bit is a good thing trust me and just go read it English Well he s only gone and done it Jo o has delivered a supercharged tour de force and very worthy successor to Seeds of War. This is a world undergoing violent change and so are the characters within the story Its a wild ride but one that has tremendous heart and moments of tenderness But don t fear there are a host of fearsome creatures and awesome battles to get your teeth into as well. This one is going straight to the top of my best books of 2024 and will take some beatingMy full review is up on the FanFiAddict website English Review originally on JamReadsThorns of War is the second novel in the grimdark series The Smokesmiths written by Jo o F Silva picking after the ending of Seeds of War Heleronde is enjoying of brief moments of peace The free city established by Gimlore is an alternative for those that wish to start a new life and Rednow is enjoying of his retirement plant that s until the old grudges between gods come back and set it as the center of the perfect storm. The Old One has tricks under the sleeve and uses Orberesis as his avatar to unleash chaos over Heleronde as the first step to recover the control over the world while trying to eliminate the Essence However both Gimlore and Rednow manage to flee from Heleronde starting really different paths but with a common target stopping Orberesis and his power craving. Gimlore will confront the hardest pain a mother can experience and her path will take her to the Two Nations where Orberesis is making contacts to gather an army however the god will play his cards faster putting Gimlore in a situation that she swore not to repeat. Rednow in the company of Pinesy will travel to the land of the Builders unwillingly becoming part of the Essence s schemes a position that will unleash new smokesmith powers on him Gathering an army of smokesmiths he will prepare for the last stand against Orberesis plans. A sequel that puts us into the action from the beginning but without losing the focus on those characters that lead the plot we will get snippets of their past and see how they are pushed towards the limit by powers they cannot comprehend which are fighting their own ancient war Gimlore s arc could be called the mundane one but it is well intertwined with our two other characters which are on the opposite sides of the conflict. The world is expanded in the same ways the characters have been developed probably an experience that also is richer if you have previously read Ruins of Smoke my recommendation is to read the novella as the bridge between Seeds and Thorns It is especially interesting when the Builders and their mythology are exposed in the eyes of the reader. Thorns of War is the sequel that Seeds of War deserved smart and well written it further develops the characters while giving us an epic story with many emotional moments I m really curious to see how Silva continues the series in the next books English

Thorns of War (The Smokesmiths, #2) By João F. Silva

English

469

Kindle Edition

One breath One jump One death The Known World is in peril once again Old grudges are made anew and settled only on the battlefield with threads of smoke flowing in the air Gimlore saved her town and her family and she has even learned that trusting people may not always be a bad thing But with ancient powers stirring her whole world is shaken again and the pains of the past come back stronger than ever Rednow s retirement plan was successful but didn t last long He is both in the eye of the storm and the storm itself Blessed or cursed by powers he wants to reject he questions whether the faith everyone seems to deposit in him is even warranted After all he s still just an old man with bad lungs Orberesis blossoms under the tutelage of a new master and awakens ancient forgotten arts He rose from thief to the impersonator of a god and now true divinity might just be well within his grasp Thorns of War The Smokesmiths 2 Beta Read Review Thorns of War just sucks you in from page one the characters are captivating the emotions are high and you cannot help but need to know everything about this world Silva really ramps it up in book two and has you on the edge of your seat The characters get deeper the plot gets thicker and the magic is just phenomenal I really had trouble putting this book down The last 150 pages went in a fever dream that I wish I could experience again That ending though Jo o is just going to get better and better at his craft an author to keep on your radar for sure English The author was kind enough to send me an ARC in exchange for an honest review This is a book of pain a book of loss and a book of ever growing ambition by Joao and some characters Gimlore goes thru the ringer in this book there is no other way to phrase it She really goes thru some shit and handles it in her way Rednow becomes something new that I won t go into further detail about due to spoiler reasons But I do suggest reading ruins of smoke which you can get for free by subbing to Joaos newsletter but he goes thru a lot of trauma both external and especially internal Orb I can t say a ton about other than the fact I feel kinda bad for him at this point in the story He s way in over his head Keyron Solvi and the rest of the tertiary characters were all given screen time and the book shines that much brighter The battles are epic and mind bending but I will leave that to you to explore for yourself because Joao really cranked it up to 11 when it came to the action in this book No sopho slump with this one folks One breath One jump One death English Review up at English Thorns of War is the second book in Jo o F Silva s The Smokesmiths. The book starts shortly after the events of book one As we start book one we enter into a time of relative peace Gimlore is continuing to establish her role as leader and Rednow is happy and content with his agrarian retirement planting crops tilling the land and hopefully training Gimolore s terrible twosome. Not only do we pick up on Gimlore and Rednow we also pick up on Orberesis s story as he now comes to grips with new situation that he found himself at the end of book one De Silva explores the philosophy of his godhood and brings a human slant to the concept of chosen ones and the divine and the effect that they have on their followers. I must say that Thorns of War is quite an improvement on Seeds of War For me it felt that De Silva seemed comfortable with his writing in this one which shows throughout the book I am not saying that I didn t like Seeds of War because I did but for me it did have its problems One of these was pacing The first book was of a slow burn with the emphasis on a character driven story which can sometimes be a problem for me However it felt that in Thorns of War De Silva had got the balance right with character and plot which led to a satisfying book. Another thing that I enjoyed was how De Silva used familiar tropes particularly ones associated with epic fantasy and managed to use them in an original way mainly by giving them a humanistic feel. Furthe there were a lot plot reveals in this book which kept the hooks in throughout the story at regular intervals rather than attempting to determine where the story was going which I kind of did in the first book. Thorns of War is a great sequel and builds on the first one brilliantly It catapults the story to new highs and I can t wait to see where this book goes next English Book Review Thorns of WarRating 9 10 I shouldn t be surprised by now but I freaking loved this book. Before I gush about this book it was a slow burn from a storyline perspective but when the action kicked off the pace picked up massively My only negative about this book would be that I thought a few chapters were a little rushed for example when key characters that got separated come back together we just got a few lines. The absolute shining star from book 1 was the quality of the diverse characters Again Jo o has managed to build the characterisation so well The character growth was superb a few characters go through some tragic situations and Jo o makes you feel the suffering along side them. What I truly loved in this book is the expansion on the magic and lore I loved the smoke magic from Seeds of War but in this book Jo o we really get to understand the strength and limitations of this power Book 2 of the Smokesmith is a powerful sopho entry to this series This is a book where you can expect a blend of brilliant awesome action complex characters and an awesome magic system. I highly recommend this series English Get a FREE copy of RUINS OF SMOKE a prequel novella from the epic fantasy series The Smokesmiths by joining Jo os mailing list site_link www. netJo o F Silva was born in a small town in Portugal but now lives in Glasgow Scotland with his wife and feline co workers bosses His debut novel Seeds of War won the Best Indie Debut of 2023 at the FanFiAddict Awards His short fiction was published in Grimdark Magazine and Haven Speculative Get a FREE copy of RUINS OF SMOKE a prequel novella from the epic fantasy series The Smokesmiths by joining Jo o s mailing list site_link www. netJo o F Silva was born in a small town in Portugal but now lives in Glasgow Scotland with his wife and feline co workers bosses His debut novel Seeds of War won the Best Indie Debut of 2023 at the FanFiAddict Awards His short fiction was published in Grimdark Magazine and Haven Speculative site_link.

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I should start by thanking Jo o for kindly sending me a copy of his book read and give my honest opinion on: Seeds of War was one of my favourite books of 2023 and have been waiting patiently for book 2: I have to say the action was so good and the details put into this book made me very invested in the outcome of the characters very quickly, Once I have digested the story properly a full review will be forthcoming but my initial thoughts are. However peace is fragile and De Silva rips that rug from under the reader s feet in a short space of time. In this second instalment of The Smokesmith s De Silva really ups the game and throws the reader into the action in a short space of time, It seemed in the Thorns of War that De Silva capitalised and built on all the stuff that he had set up in the first book which ultimately gave it a rounded story, I would ve preferred something in depth I believe the family dynamics of the characters is a fundamental part of this story and skipping over this wasn t to my liking.4.Apart from that I loved it.joaofsilva.joaofsilva