After how intriguing and surprising I found the first book, Sea of Shadows, I wanted to continue the series and see how Armstrong continues her well written and rather unpredictably good and engaging story. There’s a lot of tropes that are often the bane of YA Fantasies. I often find I get uneasy as soon as I see any hint of one of those as I fear the damage it could do to the character development already established. But I was pleasantly surprised by how Armstrong keeps her storytelling rather unique and interesting despite the set up feeling so already well-trodden.
Character Development
9/10
The way the sisters grow and change as the story progresses continues to be well thought out and appropriate for their development rather than to stoke drama. A very common tactic often used in fiction with young characters is toss in problems to cause angst and immense emotional drama between the characters. One of the major risks of this is when the author has a character act outside of their own personality to instigate said drama. But thankfully that was not the case here as the characters drove the plot forward with their own feelings and logic that suited their personalities. I was especially happy to see Ashyn express her thoughts and mind as the way she saw the world contrasted the others greatly with a kinder yet not naïve way to see the world.
What was probably the most surprising was how much more the supporting characters were developed and explored and not just the two sisters. Ronan was continuing from what he was in Sea of Shadows and came off as a rather confused yet driven young man trying to do his best. The way he acts doesn’t always make sense as there’s a hint of a hidden truth yet to be discovered, but his personality and values come through and grow quite well. But by far who has become my favorite character of the series in Prince Tyrus. He is a pleasant surprise to an archetype framed in a very specific way. He grows from his failures and learns from those around them, his personality never shifting in an inconsistent manner to serve the plot. All of the other side characters also fulfill meaningful roles that fit the way their written and serve to create rather heart wrenching moments.
Plot
8/10
Unlike the first book, Empire of Night feels much more character driven but not by the protagonists point of view characters. Ashyn and Moria are mostly being directed in their thoughts and actions by the supporting cast and while in other stories it’s often a detriment, here it makes a lot of sense within the context of the story. Being from a small and isolated village, the sisters don’t know a lot about the politics within the empire. Despite being directed by the other characters, they still prove to be independent, strong and intelligent in their own right and will drive the plot in a way that doesn’t feel forced just to keep them relevant.
That being said, while some of the plot feels rather unpredictable in a good way, there are quite a few moments that require a bit of suspension of disbelief in the moment to have the moment in the plot make sense with the story. There were quite a few moments that felt rather convenient due to the ineptitude and simplicity of other characters that randomly appear. It’s not necessarily a bad thing nor does it derail the story too much, but it’s a bit of an issue when it happens so often in convenient moments to help guide the characters decision making.
Worldbuilding
7/10
The way the world the story takes place in feels as though it’s rather disjointed. I specifically mention “taking place in” as the distance between each location feels rather unclear as the way the characters describe it sounds like it’s quite a ways away but then the way it’s written implies that somehow the characters traversed the distance in almost no time. In the first book, it was a long and arduous journey from their small village in the north to the empire but when they head out in this book, the distances don’t quite line up very well. This is one of those situations where a map would have helped immensely.
Writing style
9/10
The way the story is written feels quite serviceable to the story. It’s easy to follow and not get bogged down with too much detail or long running blocks of paragraphs. It doesn’t quite help the pacing, however, as the transitions between exposition and action can be quite jarring. In some instances, it makes sense from a surprise perspective. Ambushes and the abrupt change is welcome, but in other instances it’s not quite as smooth. Still Armstrong does a great job in keeping the majority of the story engaging and easy to read without feeling exhausted. Chapter lengths feel appropriate without overstaying their welcome and the action scenes themselves feel fluid, dynamic and exciting in how she’s written them.
Score
8.25
Raph's Cozy Musings 