Kinslayer: The Lotus War Book Two (Lotus War, #2)

by Jay Kristoff

The second novel in Jay Kristoff's epic The Lotus War Trilogy, Kinslayer sees an empire fall to its knees and a fledgling rebellion struggle to survive.

A shattered empire . . .

The threat of civil war looms over the Shima Imperium. The Lotus Guild conspires to renew the nation's broken dynasty and crush the growing rebellion by endorsing a new Shogun who desires nothing more than to see Yukiko dead.

A dark legacy . . .

Yukiko and the mighty thunder tiger Buruu have been cast in the role of heroes. But Yukiko herself is blinded by rage over her father's death, and her ability to hear the thoughts of beasts.

A gathering storm . . .

Kage assassins lurk within the Shogun's palace, plotting to end the new dynasty before it begins. A new enemy gathers its strength. And across raging oceans, Yukiko and Buruu will face foes no katana or talon can defeat. The ghosts of a blood-stained past.

• ISBN10: 1250022940
• ISBN13: 9781250022943
• Publish Date: 17 September 2013 (first published 12 September 2013)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: St Martin's Press
• Format: eBook
• Pages: 464
• Language: English

Reviews

[ross91]

DNF.
I gave up at 87%.
I'm sorry. On paper this should have been one of my fav series ever, but I can't seem to care about anything that's happened in the book and I couldn't do it anymore.
I like the author, I like the premises, I like the world building. I liked it. That's why I gave it 3* book.
I just didn't care enough to keep reading it, I guess.
So yeah, another abandoned series.

[KitsuneBae]

Wow, that reveal was shocking!

[wyvernfriend]

Not bad but didn't really pull me in or make me care enough about the characters, I wanted more of Hana than anyone else but overall it left me feeling a little underwhelmed.

[Kelsenator]

4.5/5
For more reviews, visit my blog Kelsey's Cluttered Bookshelf.

I received this ebook from the publisher for a fair review, thank you!

I remember that I did like the first book, and although I did mention that it was slow and there were tons of descriptions, that writing style grows on you after reading more. The settings and characters in the author’s world definitely expand more than the first book and the story really builds nicely too, and I found myself enjoying this one even more! With everything that goes on in this book I just kept wanting to read more too. The ending and how everything turned out was so awesome, especially certain twists that were added, especially one involving Yukiko near the end of the book.

There are multiple POVs from different characters, all who play an important role to the development of this story. From Yukiko and Buruu, to the future Shogun, Kin, and other members of the Kagé who are trying to make a difference. Some of them characters we didn’t meet before, but I loved seeing all sides of the story.

I won’t go into the story so as not to ruin anything though, but I will thank whoever put together a character map at the beginning! There was no way I would have been able to remember each character from the first book without it. The maps were hard to see on my Kobo screen, but I’m sure in the final paper print they’d help a lot too.

Honestly if you want a good book with samurai, a corrupt government, rebels, lots of action and legendary creatures mixed with a bit of steampunk, then go get this book! But of course make sure to read the first book too! Highly recommended.