Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5
“The Emperor cares for each and every one of his subjects.”Betrayed by his sister and sold into slavery to die in the dreaded Windmines of Bora Bora, Ivan has nothing but sarcasm and spite for the Lotus Knights’ well-worn catchphrase. No one ever cared for him – not when he was a young noble, not as a tortured Quetzal pet, and definitely not as a runaway slave gang leader in the slums of Yaiciz.
But all that changes when one of his fellow inmates turns out to be a genuine Lotus Knight, offering help and a way out of this misery. Suddenly, even Ivan can’t help but feel like there might be something good in his life to look forward to.
The Windmines of Bora Bora is a dark, snarky adventure and the the second book of ‘Sir Yaden’, an epic SF saga of grand adventure, bromance and patchwork family, set in the multi-faceted Virasana Empire.
The Windmines of Bora Bora is a hard book to rate. On one hand, it’s an intrinsic, epic story with a well-developed world and characters. On the other, it lacks a satisfactory resolution. It’s a transitional book, a second act, ending on an intermission.
From the beginning, we are drawn to Ivan and his life. We get to see him as a young adult and as a child, through his sister’s eyes. The memories and the present time chapters are intermingled to perfection. It’s easy to move back and forward without whiplash.
The story’s plot moves abruptly from Ivan to Yaden. Leaving the reader looking for a switch back. Yes, it has an ending. And yes, Ivan gets to restart his life but… it ends before we can get real closure for him. Yaden story gets wrapped nicely but for Ivan is just the beginning.
I will continue to look forward to this series, and other books by these authors. I’m a fan of their imagination. In this case, I simply hope the next book gives Ivan a little more happiness to compensate for all the suffering .
The cover by Anna Tiferet is simpler than the first one but it gives a sense of place to the story. Plus, it matches the series well.
Sale Links: Amazon | iBooks | Smashwords
Book Details:
ebook, 215 pages
ISBN: 9780463799727
Published: August 13, 2019, by Beryll & Osiris Brackhaus
Edition Language: English
Series: Virasana Empire
Book #1: The Demon of Hagermarsh
Book #2: The Windmines of Bora Bora
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 