A revolution has swept through the islands of Hans Lollik and former slave Løren Jannik has been chosen to lead the survivors in a bid to free the islands forever.

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I’m not sure how I anticipated Kacen Callender would follow up QUEEN OF THE CONQUERED, their bleak & beautiful 2019 fantasy novel. I knew that KING OF THE RISING, the second book in the ISLANDS OF BLOOD AND STORM duology would be from the POV of Løren Jannik, which would dramatically change the overall vibe of the story.

Which it did. Like.

So fucking much. And wow. I’m not sure I’ve read a book that so masterfully balances a sense of grim bleakness with this undercurrent of hope. That feeling of hope is definitely courtesy of Løren, who is such a complete 180° from Sigourney Rose, the POV character of the first book. Sigourney’s story is still very much at the center of things in this sequel, especially as the magical connection between her and Løren grows stronger.

While there is literally nothing typical about this duology at all, Løren is much easier to identify as the hero of the piece. He’s not a character who deals with things with a great deal of emotion, but he is always pointed in the right direction. Despite all the horrors of his life, he somehow seems to hang on to some shreds of innocence and optimism. Which is sometimes a problem. As the leader of the islanders’ rebellion, Løren is frequently asked to make decisions he is not at all comfortable with. It’s his resistance to outright brutality that at times threatens to undo everything, but he is just unwilling to resort to the levels of cruelty that were inflicted upon him and the islanders by the Fjern. Løren grappling with the morality of the situation lies at the heart of KING OF THE RISING, and it’s so fucking compelling. This book just…destroyed me, entirely.

Both books in this duology are grueling to read. Callender can write some of the most viscerally upsetting action scenes, like…fucking hell. There is some brutal, heavy-handed violence in these books. I think any and all content warnings you’d find for QUEEN OF THE CONQUERED would be applicable here, including but not limited to: racism, slavery, torture, graphic violence.

These books are hard to read, and yet they feel incredibly important. These are the only two of Callender’s books that I’ve read so far. But looking into the rest of the books they’ve written, and based on some conversations with friends who have read more of their work, it’s clear they are a wildly versatile writer, someone who can successfully float between different genres and somehow make it look easy.

Damn, I’ve mentioned this kind of thing recently in some reviews, but KING OF THE RISING (and QUEEN OF THE CONQUERED, obviously) is another book where the level of info given about this world’s magic (kraft) just SPEAKS TO ME. It just…is.

The book: this person uses kraft to heal wounds.

Me: Ok!

That’s all I need!! I’m so on board with this kind of fantasy.

The ISLANDS OF BLOOD AND STORM duology is just fucking brilliant. A brutal & gorgeous Caribbean-inspired fantasy, with fascinating characters and terrifying magic. These books aren’t easy reads…there were moments I felt almost nauseous from the stress and tension in this story. And just from the sheer brutality of this world. But this duology is an absolutely stunning achievement in fantasy, full stop. I am truly awed by Kacen Callender’s writing, and I’m anxious to read more of their work!

A huge thank you to Orbit for the copy!!!