Bumpy Oak Books

**I was provided with an electronic ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for honest review.**

4 stars

Scott Reintgen returns to the world of Ashlords with the second book in the duology, Bloodsworn. Readers again follow the three point of views of Pippa, Adrian, and Imelda as they navigate their roles in the rebellion.

As always, it is difficult to discuss sequels without spoiling the book(s) that come before. Bloodsworn picks up very shortly after where Ashlords leaves off and the story is told in the same rotating POV fashion. I found it very helpful to have read Bloodsworn directly after finishing Ashlords since I was already in proper mindset for the POV shifts between Imelda and Adrian in first person along with Pippa in second person. I will say in a non-spoiler that I am unsure, even after this book, as to why the choice was made to have Pippa’s perspective be second person and would be curious to find out why as well. Second person, for me, takes a bit of getting used to in order to be able to be absorbed into it, and I can see younger readers having it be a very slight challenge at first as well.

Reintgen accomplished something that I can very rarely if ever say for any book; I was rooting for all of his protagonists even as their purposes were not aligned. I also found that his romantic pairings were sensible, believable, and that he gave them just enough page time. To me, this speaks very highly to Reintgen’s skill as an author in both character-building and his choices in plot/sub-plot.

I can absolutely see where this duology could easily convert a hesitant reader into a passionate one. The political intrigue and competition combined with the magic and otherworldly gods is an absolutely winning combination. I recommend fans of The Hunger Games or The Scorpio Races to definitely check out Ashlords.

I look forward to reading Reintgen’s Nyxia books and his future works soon.