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Robins, Lane - Maledicte and Kings and Assassins
Robins states that the world of Antyre is based on England's Regency period, but to me, it feels more like pre-Revolutionary France—rich brocades, glittering jewels, high-heeled shoes and panniers and towering powdered wigs, excess and decadence and flattery and lies.
Maledicte - Miranda and Janus grew up together in the slums of Antyre, struggling for every coin and mouthful of food, until Janus' father, the Earl of Last, comes to claim his bastard heir. Miranda vows to get him back, and by doing so, she draws the attention of Black-Winged Ani, the goddess of love and vengeance, and becomes Maledicte, the sharp-tongued, bloodthirsty courtier. I love the world that Robins creates; it is dark, atmospheric, and reeks of dead things in the best of ways. Robins doesn't spare the readers; Maledicte is not a silver-tongued charmers, but rather, a cruel, vicious killer always dancing on the edge of control. Almost no one in the book is sympathetic. Still, I loved the gender-bending, the way everything became more complicated instead of less, and how the consequences just kept going. One thing I found less than believable was Miranda's initial bond with Janus; we don't see enough of it in the beginning of the book to justify her epic dedication, although the goddess of vengeance does explain some.
Spoilers
When they reunited later on, I found their relationship horrifying, addictive, and epic, and it reminded me a great deal of the story-within-a-story in McKillip's The Alphabet of Thorn. I wasn't sure what to root for for most of the book; I wanted Maledicte to get Janus back because Maledicte wanted it so desperately, but I also wanted Maledicte safe with Gilly. Everything is bad-wrong-twisted, and I'm still amazed Robins managed to pull out an ending that I both believed and didn't feel cheated by.
Kings and Assassins - Spoilers for Maledicte
Janus, now alone after Maledicte abandoning him, now turns his attention to the throne, but before he can do anything, the king is assassinated and he is blamed. I have to say, despite rooting for Maledicte to abandon Janus by the end of the first book, this book would have been much more interesting had he stayed around. Janus was far less interesting to me than Maledicte; he is calmer, more prone toward long-term scheming, and therefore not quite as flashy. As such, my favorite bits of the book were about Psyke's, Janus' half-mad, god-ridden wife. I also found the role of Janus as grudging hero not quite as fun as that of Maledicte, the courtier who just wants to kill everyone, and the restored order in the end also felt less satisfying than the barely controlled chaos of the first book.
Spoilers
Also, though I love Psyke, like Maledicte, I wanted her out of Janus' grasp. And I still have trouble believing Janus as a (more) benevolent ruler to Antyre.
Maledicte - Miranda and Janus grew up together in the slums of Antyre, struggling for every coin and mouthful of food, until Janus' father, the Earl of Last, comes to claim his bastard heir. Miranda vows to get him back, and by doing so, she draws the attention of Black-Winged Ani, the goddess of love and vengeance, and becomes Maledicte, the sharp-tongued, bloodthirsty courtier. I love the world that Robins creates; it is dark, atmospheric, and reeks of dead things in the best of ways. Robins doesn't spare the readers; Maledicte is not a silver-tongued charmers, but rather, a cruel, vicious killer always dancing on the edge of control. Almost no one in the book is sympathetic. Still, I loved the gender-bending, the way everything became more complicated instead of less, and how the consequences just kept going. One thing I found less than believable was Miranda's initial bond with Janus; we don't see enough of it in the beginning of the book to justify her epic dedication, although the goddess of vengeance does explain some.
Spoilers
When they reunited later on, I found their relationship horrifying, addictive, and epic, and it reminded me a great deal of the story-within-a-story in McKillip's The Alphabet of Thorn. I wasn't sure what to root for for most of the book; I wanted Maledicte to get Janus back because Maledicte wanted it so desperately, but I also wanted Maledicte safe with Gilly. Everything is bad-wrong-twisted, and I'm still amazed Robins managed to pull out an ending that I both believed and didn't feel cheated by.
Kings and Assassins - Spoilers for Maledicte
Janus, now alone after Maledicte abandoning him, now turns his attention to the throne, but before he can do anything, the king is assassinated and he is blamed. I have to say, despite rooting for Maledicte to abandon Janus by the end of the first book, this book would have been much more interesting had he stayed around. Janus was far less interesting to me than Maledicte; he is calmer, more prone toward long-term scheming, and therefore not quite as flashy. As such, my favorite bits of the book were about Psyke's, Janus' half-mad, god-ridden wife. I also found the role of Janus as grudging hero not quite as fun as that of Maledicte, the courtier who just wants to kill everyone, and the restored order in the end also felt less satisfying than the barely controlled chaos of the first book.
Spoilers
Also, though I love Psyke, like Maledicte, I wanted her out of Janus' grasp. And I still have trouble believing Janus as a (more) benevolent ruler to Antyre.
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