Review: Twelve Kings by Bradley P. Beaulieu

Posted September 9, 2015 by Charlotte in Reviews / 2 Comments

Twelve Kings by Bradley P. Beaulieu

I received this book for free from Netgalley, Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review: Twelve Kings by Bradley P. BeaulieuTwelve Kings by Bradley P. Beaulieu
Published by Gollancz on September 3 2015
Genres: Fantasy, Fiction
Pages: 580
Format: E-Arc, Paperback
Source: Netgalley, Publisher
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Sharakhai, the great city of the desert, center of commerce and culture, has been ruled from time immemorial by twelve kings -- cruel, ruthless, powerful, and immortal. With their army of Silver Spears, their elite company of Blade Maidens and their holy defenders, the terrifying asirim, the Kings uphold their positions as undisputed, invincible lords of the desert. There is no hope of freedom for any under their rule.
Or so it seems, until Çeda, a brave young woman from the west end slums, defies the Kings' laws by going outside on the holy night of Beht Zha'ir. What she learns that night sets her on a path that winds through both the terrible truths of the Kings' mysterious history and the hidden riddles of her own heritage. Together, these secrets could finally break the iron grip of the Kings' power...if the nigh-omnipotent Kings don't find her first. 

Twelve Kings is an effortless tale, which weaves complex and detailed story lines, to create a story that is not only compelling but also exciting. I wanted to know what Ceda was going to do, I wanted to understand the Kings, the Desert and all the secrets and plots that were slowly, tantalisingly revealed.

But despite my love, and my excitement and enjoyment of this book. There was times where I struggled. For me the issues with this book is the lenght –  it is so long! I could feel myself wilting before I was half way through the book and the fact it took me 6 days to read shows how there were times that I struggled with this book. It took to the second half to really get going and it was the last two hundred pages that were brilliant. 

In the beginning I also struggled to remember who everyone is – especially when the narration is told from multiple perspectives and each character gave a lot of information. There is also two timelines to remember, one set in the present day which focuses on the multiple perspectives, and the other starting 11 years earlier (and progressing forward) and focusing on Ceda’s childhood. There was so much to take in that at times it was difficult to take in. But I think this is a general problem when starting a new book, especially one as detailed as this.

But the ending was so amazing, I didn’t know how everything was going to be sorted out, how everything was going to be tied up. And while I have questions (expected when you’re at the start of the series) I felt that this book finished perfectly.

I thought that this was a great start to the series and I really look forward to the next book. It’s a pity we have to wait so long for the next book! This is one for all you fantasy fans out there 🙂

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