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

In Thorns of War, nothing is overdone or overemphasized, and there are a few thrilling twists that enhance reading pleasure throughout.

Now, that was a shocking ending to a book, if there ever was one. At this point, I don’t know if the author has plans for another book in the series, but it certainly looks like it!

Because it DEFINITELY cannot end like this!

Synopsis

Thorns of War begins right from where Seeds of War ends, as Rednow, Gimlore, and their friends try to find some peace in Alarkan after the battle with Orberesis. 

However, all’s not well, and the Old One is not quite done with their world. 

With the resurrection of the biggest threat to their world, our protagonists must first flee for their lives before regrouping to find a lasting solution. 

Once again, it’s up to Gimlore and Rednow to take the lead in their respective circles and forcefully carve open a way where there’s none.

Thoughts

The author has clearly done a great job with his character development, as the MCs are very familiar at this point. Keryon has a bigger role to play here, and we also see the impressive development of secondary characters like Nork and a few new interesting characters.

While the scope of the conflict appeared to have been magnified tenfold with the cliffhanger ending from Seeds of War, Thorns of War keeps things streamlined, and there’s no chance for readers to get overwhelmed by details.

Indeed, the author maintains the simplicity and easy writing style he started with in Book 1. While the plot continues to thicken, the elements don’t expand, and it’s easy to follow through. In Thorns of War, nothing is overdone or overemphasized, and there are a few thrilling twists that enhance reading pleasure throughout.

I think that some readers may have issues with how the book ended, though. I mean, there are cliffhangers, but this one is outright dangerously steep. There are tons of unanswered questions, but I suppose that’s an effect the author planned to elicit from his audience.

A good read all-round.