The Olympian Affair
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- Create Date：2023-11-07 04:19:44
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Jim Butcher
- ISBN：B0C37SR79V
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Heidi
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 A little slow to start。 This is a doorstop of a book。 I’d just reread book 1 this summer when I heard that book two was coming out so I was caught up on the story but there’s a lot of story to catch up on in the first part of this book！ I love a character driven story and the characters are fun。 The cats of course are the best characters and they will tell you this themselves。 Also， I was pretty sure in book one that it might be a fallen colony world but now I wonder if it might also be a fallen A little slow to start。 This is a doorstop of a book。 I’d just reread book 1 this summer when I heard that book two was coming out so I was caught up on the story but there’s a lot of story to catch up on in the first part of this book！ I love a character driven story and the characters are fun。 The cats of course are the best characters and they will tell you this themselves。 Also， I was pretty sure in book one that it might be a fallen colony world but now I wonder if it might also be a fallen far future as well， 。。。more
Denice Langley
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Jim Butcher is one of my favorite authors。 I first met Harry Dresden 20+ years ago and we've been close friends ever since。 The Cinder Spires remind me of Dresden， with a few twists。 As the Spires come together for a trading summit， the bargaining will begin in earnest to form an alliance with as many Spires as possible in hopes this will draw conflict to an end。 The characters and the world they live in are changing and war will not help anyone。 This is the 2nd book in the Cinder Spires series Jim Butcher is one of my favorite authors。 I first met Harry Dresden 20+ years ago and we've been close friends ever since。 The Cinder Spires remind me of Dresden， with a few twists。 As the Spires come together for a trading summit， the bargaining will begin in earnest to form an alliance with as many Spires as possible in hopes this will draw conflict to an end。 The characters and the world they live in are changing and war will not help anyone。 This is the 2nd book in the Cinder Spires series and it's a big book。 You'll need to get comfortable and tune out the rest of the world as you join Lord Albion as he works alliances to stop Spire Aurora before life as we know it is damaged further。 。。。more
Mogsy
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4 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum。com/2023/11/06/。。。Eight years after the release of The Aeronaut’s Windlass， the sequel The Olympian Affair is finally here。 Not going to lie; I’d almost lost hope that this book would ever be released， but of course now that I have read it， I am as content as can be。 While I was worried that， after so long， my memory of the first book might have faded， I’m happy to report that getting back into the world of The Cinder Spires was easier than 4 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum。com/2023/11/06/。。。Eight years after the release of The Aeronaut’s Windlass， the sequel The Olympian Affair is finally here。 Not going to lie; I’d almost lost hope that this book would ever be released， but of course now that I have read it， I am as content as can be。 While I was worried that， after so long， my memory of the first book might have faded， I’m happy to report that getting back into the world of The Cinder Spires was easier than expected。 In fact， the real challenge I faced was a slow first half。But first， we catch up with protagonist Captain Francis Grimm as the approaching war threatens everything he cares about。 His home of Spire Albion and their rival Spire Aurora have been at odds for a long time， and soon the might of their respective airship armadas， as well as the skills of the aeronauts who lead and crew them， will be tested。However， things do not feel as dire initially as the story opens on a strange， curious note。 Grimm and his crew aboard the Predator receive a call to check up on a colony， but they arrive to find it gone， completely destroyed by a mysterious force。 In the meantime， it appears that a population of sentient talking cats had moved in。 One of their representatives proceeds to make a bargain with the humans to reveal what happened to the colony in exchange for new territory for its clan。 Here， the plot splits into two fronts， one which sees Spirearch guards Bridget Tagwynn and the warriorborn Benedict of House Lancaster embark on a mission of cat diplomacy， while Grimm continues towards Spire Olympia to attend an important trade summit where representatives from Spire Aurora will also be in attendance。Unfortunately， one of these delegates is Rafe Valesco。 An arrogant but immensely skilled duelist， he prides himself on never having lost a fight。 And now he has it in for Grimm and his friend Commodore Alex Bayard。 Despite their attempts to stay out of the skilled swordsman’s way， a public confrontation ultimately escalates to the point where duels to the death will become necessary to settle the matter。Up until this point， it pains me to admit the book was quite challenging to get through—almost a struggle in places。 Call me cranky， but maybe I’m just not a fan of cats-or-anything-cutesy as a central plot element， because the entire subplot involving Bridget， Benedict and Rowl felt like a timewaster， a self-indulgent treat for Jim Butcher whose love of cats is obvious。 Of course， that’s not to say their chapters didn’t have their moments， because there was plenty of action and the cats were fantastic and full of sass。 Still， I should think even the most fervent of cat lovers would agree， dedicating so many pages to push the overall story forward so little might be a bit much。No， the real action starts when the dueling begins。 I breathed a sigh of relief as the dam broke， giving way to the excitement of spire politics and the ruthless intrigue and maneuvering that it involves。 While the worldbuilding places The Cinder Spires firmly in the realm of sci-fi steampunk， the story’s vibe is pure swashbuckling fantasy。 I was delighted to find that the second half of The Olympian Affair managed to capture that same sense of wonder and adventure that made The Aeronaut’s Windlass such an exhilarating read。 From soaring airships and sky-dwelling leviathans to high stakes duels atop floating platforms miles above the surface–it simply doesn’t get any better than this。In short， despite a few early speed bumps where Butcher seemed overly focused on the side plot about the cats， the latter half of the book made it all worthwhile。 In fact， I was quite impressed with the recovery。 I went from practically forcing myself to keep pushing through the first half to not being able to read fast enough in the second。 Leading up to the novel’s climax， the energy was on fire and in full swing， steering the narrative toward another brilliant conclusion。I think it’s safe to say， if you enjoyed The Aeronaut’s Windlass， you’re likely to enjoy The Olympian Affair as well。 Personally， I struggled with the first half， but if the talking cats end up being your favorite part， you may very well disagree。 Regardless， here’s hoping that we don’t have to wait quite as long for the next book。 。。。more
Jan farnworth
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Swashbuckling fantasy with politics， battles， cats， and a monster that may destroy everything。 The second book in the Spire series is set， I think， two years after the terrifying adventures in book one with those large silk weavers。 We have some sweet romance in this second book， and the proposal as death is looming is quite poetic。 My favorite part， of course， is the cats and the political maneuvering they are involved in while they secure a new place to live。 Bridget has some serious strength Swashbuckling fantasy with politics， battles， cats， and a monster that may destroy everything。 The second book in the Spire series is set， I think， two years after the terrifying adventures in book one with those large silk weavers。 We have some sweet romance in this second book， and the proposal as death is looming is quite poetic。 My favorite part， of course， is the cats and the political maneuvering they are involved in while they secure a new place to live。 Bridget has some serious strength to be so beaten up， and still， she goes and tries to warn people of the monster on their doorstep。 I'm eager for the next one。 Hopefully， we won't be waiting as long。 。。。more
Steven
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Still trying to decide on a star rating。 Review to come upon release。
V。 R。
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I haven't read it I just wanted to ask why the cover of this book looks like a Fantasy Romance about Cherry Blossom， who's so not pretty （except she totally is，） and destined to marry the Dark Fae Prince named X-or-Z-something 😂It looks like someone spent ten minutes whipping it up on Canva。 God I need to learn bookbinding so I can rip these terrible covers off。 I haven't read it I just wanted to ask why the cover of this book looks like a Fantasy Romance about Cherry Blossom， who's so not pretty （except she totally is，） and destined to marry the Dark Fae Prince named X-or-Z-something 😂It looks like someone spent ten minutes whipping it up on Canva。 God I need to learn bookbinding so I can rip these terrible covers off。 。。。more
Emily
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Advance copy from NetGalley4。5 starsSpectacular follow-up to The Aeronaut's Windlass and Warriorborn！ The battles were fantastic， the duels were thrilling， and the cats were without flaw （as they would tell you themselves）。 It was wonderful to spend time with the beloved characters from the first book， as well as getting to know a few of the side characters--like Espira， Ciriaco， and Abigail --a bit more。 I love Abigail so much--such a great combo of class act and bad-ass。 My only complaint is w Advance copy from NetGalley4。5 starsSpectacular follow-up to The Aeronaut's Windlass and Warriorborn！ The battles were fantastic， the duels were thrilling， and the cats were without flaw （as they would tell you themselves）。 It was wonderful to spend time with the beloved characters from the first book， as well as getting to know a few of the side characters--like Espira， Ciriaco， and Abigail --a bit more。 I love Abigail so much--such a great combo of class act and bad-ass。 My only complaint is with Madame Cavendish and how powerful she is and how many steps ahead of everyone she constantly is。 It's so infuriatingly unbalanced。 I have a feeling that tide is going to turn in the next book， and I truly hope so， as I'm getting tired of her villainous speeches。 After reading Butcher's acknowledgments， I also feel hopeful the wait for the next book won't be as long as this one was。I recommend reading the novella Warriorborn before you read this one， but it won't hurt anything if you don't。 The same time period is covered in the novel， just from different characters' points of view。 Great stuff and well worth the wait！ 。。。more
Susanne
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Absolutey superb。 I was fortunate enough to read books 1 and 2 back-to-back and the books flowed well from one into the other。 Although its not really necessary to re-read The Aeronaut's Windlass before reading The Olympian Affair， it will work in your favour if you do。 There are a lot of references to the first book which will make more sense。 The Olympian Affair takes place 2 years after The Aeronaut's Windlass。 Plenty of action， wonderful characters and the cats are difficult as ever！ I hope Absolutey superb。 I was fortunate enough to read books 1 and 2 back-to-back and the books flowed well from one into the other。 Although its not really necessary to re-read The Aeronaut's Windlass before reading The Olympian Affair， it will work in your favour if you do。 There are a lot of references to the first book which will make more sense。 The Olympian Affair takes place 2 years after The Aeronaut's Windlass。 Plenty of action， wonderful characters and the cats are difficult as ever！ I hope there'll be many more installments in this series。Thanks to Netgalley， the publisher and the author for a free copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Susanne
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Absolutey superb。 I was fortunate enough to read books 1 and 2 back-to-back and the books flowed well from one into the other。 Although its not really necessary to re-read The Aeronaut's Windlass before reading The Olympian Affair， it will work in your favour if you do。 There are a lot of references to the first book which will make more sense。 The Olympian Affair takes place 2 years after The Aeronaut's Windlass。 Plenty of action， wonderful characters and the cats are difficult as ever！ I hope Absolutey superb。 I was fortunate enough to read books 1 and 2 back-to-back and the books flowed well from one into the other。 Although its not really necessary to re-read The Aeronaut's Windlass before reading The Olympian Affair， it will work in your favour if you do。 There are a lot of references to the first book which will make more sense。 The Olympian Affair takes place 2 years after The Aeronaut's Windlass。 Plenty of action， wonderful characters and the cats are difficult as ever！ I hope there'll be many more installments in this series。Thanks to Netgalley， the publisher and the author for a free copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Etta （Chonky Books Review）
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The Olympian Affair is the second novel in the Cinder Spires series。 While it is the follow-up novel to the first novel， The Aeronaut’s Windlass， there is enough information in this novel where you could read this as a standalone; however， it does read better as a series in order。 The story continues to follow adventures concerning the Cinder Spires， who stand far above the surface of the world and safeguard humanity。 Spire Aurora’s Armada’s threat is looming over the other Spires。 A trading sum The Olympian Affair is the second novel in the Cinder Spires series。 While it is the follow-up novel to the first novel， The Aeronaut’s Windlass， there is enough information in this novel where you could read this as a standalone; however， it does read better as a series in order。 The story continues to follow adventures concerning the Cinder Spires， who stand far above the surface of the world and safeguard humanity。 Spire Aurora’s Armada’s threat is looming over the other Spires。 A trading summit on Spire Olympia provides an opportunity for Spire Albion to gather alliances。The first half of the novel is a little slow while the second half picks up。 I think the writing could have been tightened up a little to be a little shorter。 There are some places where it drags， for me， however， I can see others enjoy the drawn-out elements。 Despite this being the second novel in the series， there is still a lot to learn about the world。 To me， it reads like a strategy/exploration game where you explore one area and then another and slowly the world is clear， and everything makes sense。 The characters from the first novel are still present in this story while new characters are introduced。 They are interesting， but there is still a long way to go to fully know all of them。 It seems this series is slow to progress as it has been years since the first novel was originally published， so it will be interesting to see how long it takes until a sequel is ready。 Overall， this series has a lot of potential and I look forward to reading the sequel in the future。**I give a special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher， Ace， for the opportunity to read this entertaining novel。 The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own。** 。。。more
Charlotte Pawson
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Part of a series of The Cinder Spires。 This is the second book in a series， but the story and characters are so vivid you can read as a stand-alone。 You will be finding the first story immediately like me to revisit these wonderful characters。This fantasy is set on great airships defending the Spires from civil war。 There is a new weapon which can end all Spire life。 Standing in the way is Privateer Grimm and his ship the Predator。 Cats will make you laugh in this story。 Humans will need their s Part of a series of The Cinder Spires。 This is the second book in a series， but the story and characters are so vivid you can read as a stand-alone。 You will be finding the first story immediately like me to revisit these wonderful characters。This fantasy is set on great airships defending the Spires from civil war。 There is a new weapon which can end all Spire life。 Standing in the way is Privateer Grimm and his ship the Predator。 Cats will make you laugh in this story。 Humans will need their superior help to survive。Thank you NetGalley and （publisher， Little Brown Book Group UK） for sending this book for review consideration。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more
Sonia Williams
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Hurrah， the wait is over！ My joy at being able to view and ARC and get my hands on The Olympian Affair might have involved a small happy dance。 This is the next instalment in the Cinder Spires sequence and picks up two years after the events in the Aeronaut's Windlass。We reconnect with Bridget， Rowl， Benedict， Gwen， Miss Folly Master Ferus， Captain Grimm and his ship Predator and see how their lives have changed in the intervening years。 Spire Albion （home/habble of our main characters） is on th Hurrah， the wait is over！ My joy at being able to view and ARC and get my hands on The Olympian Affair might have involved a small happy dance。 This is the next instalment in the Cinder Spires sequence and picks up two years after the events in the Aeronaut's Windlass。We reconnect with Bridget， Rowl， Benedict， Gwen， Miss Folly Master Ferus， Captain Grimm and his ship Predator and see how their lives have changed in the intervening years。 Spire Albion （home/habble of our main characters） is on the cusp of war as incursions from Spire Aurora increase in frequency， and disquietingly appear to have a new weapon which has wiped out outlying colonies。 The only witnesses to this atrocity are a small colony of kittens， who in return for the answer to what caused the colonies demise want an assured territory withing Spire Albion。 Bridget and Benedict are sent off to seek out answers to these questions as Bridget is the main conduit to the cat colonies with her relationship with Rowl （a prince of a cat clan） and her ability to speak cat。 This involves a dangerous trip to the surface， however this has benefits for the development of Bridget and Benedicts relationship。Gwen is now XO on Predator and has taken to airship life。 Predator is sent to accompany a diplomatic mission to a trade conference on Spire Olympia and are accompanied by the etherialists Master Ferus and Folly who are able to combat an old foe。 Sycorax Cavendish。 Cavendish is still on the Mistshark and is the key to the Aurorans new weapon。I loved the pacing of the book， the development of our cast （though personally could do with more depth for Bridget） and the aerial battles， duels and political machinations are gripping。 A book I would wholeheartedly recommend but I would say that reading the Aeronauts's Windlass first is essential， however only my view。My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for access to this ARC， one of my favourite books of the year so far。M 。。。more
Jennifer
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It's been two years since the events that concluded The Aeronaut's Windlass and， though open war hasn't yet broken out， anyone with eyes can see it's coming。 Captain Grimm and his XO， Gwen Lancaster， fly specifically for the Spirearch himself， while Grimm's estranged wife Captain Calliope Ransom has begun taking jobs for Spire Aurora。 Meanwhile， the warriorborn Benedict has been slowly laying the groundwork to court Sergent Bridget Tagwynn， who has been moving up in the ranks of the Spire's Guar It's been two years since the events that concluded The Aeronaut's Windlass and， though open war hasn't yet broken out， anyone with eyes can see it's coming。 Captain Grimm and his XO， Gwen Lancaster， fly specifically for the Spirearch himself， while Grimm's estranged wife Captain Calliope Ransom has begun taking jobs for Spire Aurora。 Meanwhile， the warriorborn Benedict has been slowly laying the groundwork to court Sergent Bridget Tagwynn， who has been moving up in the ranks of the Spire's Guard。 When representatives from several spires meet at Spire Olympia for a trade summit， tempers flare and secret plans that have been in the making for years begin to take shape。 Will humanity survive the coming conflict？I love the world Butcher has created and his characters feel real - strong and flawed and heroic and floundering all at the same time。 The cats are especially awesome！I have been looking forward to this book for awhile and was thrilled to receive an ARC。 I enjoyed it！ However， it easily could have been 200 pages shorter。 As a matter of fact， it would have been better 200 pages shorter！ This installment wasn't nearly as tight as the first one and the action didn't really pick up until the last third。 But， when it did pick up， hold on tight because it didn't stop！ 3 stars instead of 4 because of the fluff in the first half of the book that didn't contribute to the plot， but I liked the book and plan on reading the next installment！P。S。 The new cover is NOT an improvement！ I definitely prefer the style of The Aeronaut's Windlass' cover。Disclaimer: I received a free electronic copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more
Peter
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Superb fantasy。 Could be read as a stand alone， but you will have missed out on an equally good read in book one of the series。 The relationships and interactions between the humans and with the cats， sorry got that wrong way - cats are much more important！ - the cats interaction gives the reader such an enjoyable read and the human ones pale into a maybe slightly significant second place （read the book and you will understand）。 A story where a few well chosen words cut as painfully as a sharp e Superb fantasy。 Could be read as a stand alone， but you will have missed out on an equally good read in book one of the series。 The relationships and interactions between the humans and with the cats， sorry got that wrong way - cats are much more important！ - the cats interaction gives the reader such an enjoyable read and the human ones pale into a maybe slightly significant second place （read the book and you will understand）。 A story where a few well chosen words cut as painfully as a sharp edged sword and made me smile time and again。 I am so glad that Jim Butcher has come back to these characters， and hope I don’t have to wait so long for the next。 Thank you to Little， Brown Book UK and NetGalley for the ARC。 The views expressed are all mine， freely given。 。。。more
Jen
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I won a copy of The Olympian Affair as part of a Goodreads giveaway。 Honestly， I entered the giveaway for this one on accident- I saw the author's name， and being a huge Dresden Files fan， I entered， later realizing this book was from one of his other series。 I hadn't read either of those。 Yep。 This book is the second in a series， and I haven't read the first one！ Not only that， I am not much of a sci-fi fan， so my experience with the genre is limited。You can imagine my trepidation， when this 60 I won a copy of The Olympian Affair as part of a Goodreads giveaway。 Honestly， I entered the giveaway for this one on accident- I saw the author's name， and being a huge Dresden Files fan， I entered， later realizing this book was from one of his other series。 I hadn't read either of those。 Yep。 This book is the second in a series， and I haven't read the first one！ Not only that， I am not much of a sci-fi fan， so my experience with the genre is limited。You can imagine my trepidation， when this 600-plus page tome arrived in the mail。Reading it has probably ruined my chances of completing my usual 100-bpoks-per-year goal。 I was already struggling to catch up after reading the All Souls series。 Long books wreak havoc on reading goals。Long books are also cumbersome to hold while reading， and sitting at a table to read them is uncomfortable。Add "paperback" to that equation。I wish editor's would limit the number of pages in a book， but I can see that there wasn't really a good place to pause and divide this one。It seems there are eight years between the writing of this volume， and it's predecessor。 Now I can understand why some of the Dresden Files books have been farther between。 Jim Butcher is a phenomenal writer。 His stories never disappoint， and I am very pleasantly surprised at how enjoyable a read this was。 Though it's packed with even more political machinations than we see with Dresden， and though so many characters have similar names， or enough names beginning with the same letters to cause initial confusion， he has meticulously crafted a really great tale。 One you can read without having read the first。It's wordy， but the lengthy descriptions are the only way to create for the reader a clear picture。 There were only a couple of typos， that I noticed， and I have no complaints at all about the plot。 I will probably go back and read the first book， and I am looking forward to the second。 The cats were an amusing surprise， and a delightfully unexpected addition to the cast of characters。It's nice to read about a motley crew of so many honorable and selfless heroes/heroines， each contributing in their own way， amid a world torn by wars fought on ships in skies full of strange monsters。Definitely worth reading， and reading again！ 。。。more
Linsey aka Bibliofiendlm
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Loved it！ But this series is definitely a slow burn。 Butcher does some fantastic worldbuilding and character development; however， it takes readers a bit to get to that 'omg I can't put this down' moment。 It is worth it though。 Excellent second book to the series that is 10 years in the making。 Here's hoping that #3 doesn't take so long。 Loved it！ But this series is definitely a slow burn。 Butcher does some fantastic worldbuilding and character development; however， it takes readers a bit to get to that 'omg I can't put this down' moment。 It is worth it though。 Excellent second book to the series that is 10 years in the making。 Here's hoping that #3 doesn't take so long。 。。。more
。。。 Lost Bookland。。。
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The Olympian Affair by Jim Butcher is the thrilling continuation of the Cinder Spires series， offering fans a mix of swashbuckling fantasy adventure and steampunk intrigue。 Set in a world where humanity clings to massive spires above a deadly surface， the story follows a diverse cast of characters， both old and new， as they navigate political intrigue and looming war。 While the novel boasts exceptional pacing， well-crafted characters， and gripping action sequences， it faces occasional pacing iss The Olympian Affair by Jim Butcher is the thrilling continuation of the Cinder Spires series， offering fans a mix of swashbuckling fantasy adventure and steampunk intrigue。 Set in a world where humanity clings to massive spires above a deadly surface， the story follows a diverse cast of characters， both old and new， as they navigate political intrigue and looming war。 While the novel boasts exceptional pacing， well-crafted characters， and gripping action sequences， it faces occasional pacing issues and a subplot involving talking cats that may divide readers。 Furthermore， the book provides only tantalizing glimpses into the world's history and mythology， leaving many questions unanswered。 Despite these flaws， The Olympian Affair leaves readers eagerly anticipating the next installment， promising an epic series in the making。 。。。more
Patrick St-Denis
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I felt a bit dumb for not reading Jim Butcher's The Aeronaut's Windlass sooner。 But since it took the author eight years to come up with the second volume， this may have been a blessing in disguise。 Indeed， I had already received an advance reading copy of The Olympian Affair before I even began to read the first installment， so I was able to dive into the sequel immediately。For those of you who may not be into scifi， know that The Cinder Spires series is more a swashbuckling fantasy adventure t I felt a bit dumb for not reading Jim Butcher's The Aeronaut's Windlass sooner。 But since it took the author eight years to come up with the second volume， this may have been a blessing in disguise。 Indeed， I had already received an advance reading copy of The Olympian Affair before I even began to read the first installment， so I was able to dive into the sequel immediately。For those of you who may not be into scifi， know that The Cinder Spires series is more a swashbuckling fantasy adventure than steampunk science fiction。 The Aeronaut's Windlass was definitely a fun romp。 With its thrilling endgame and rousing finale， I believed that it set the stage for what could be another exciting series。 In my review， I claimed that time would tell whether or not Butcher could up his game and deliver more ambitious sequels and not just rely on the same recipe for what came next。I grew a bit concerned at times， for The Olympian Affair features a few rough spots in the middle during which Butcher seems to lose himself in overindulgent storytelling focusing on the cats。 This made me wonder if The Aeronaut's Windlass might be a bit of a fluke。 Thankfully， ye of little faith that I am should have known that the author would rally in the last third and bring this one to another satisfying conclusion。 Having said that， your mileage may vary depending on how much you like the talking cats。 Here's the blurb:The fate of the Cinder Spires may be decided by crossed swords in the next exhilarating fantasy adventure from the author of the Dresden Files， in this New York Times bestselling series of noble families， swordplay， and airships。For centuries the Cinder Spires have safeguarded humanity， rising far above the deadly surface world。 Within their halls， aristocratic houses rule， developing scientific marvels and building fleets of airships for defense and trade。Now， the Spires hover on the brink of open war。Everyone knows it’s coming。 The guns of the great airship fleets that control the skies between the last bastions of humanity will soon speak in anger， and Spire Albion stands alone against the overwhelming might of Spire Aurora’s Armada and its new secret weapon–one capable of destroying the populations of entire Spires。A trading summit at Spire Olympia provides an opportunity for the Spirearch， Lord Albion， to secure alliances that will shape the outcomes of the war， and to that end he dispatches privateer Captain Francis Madison Grimm and the crew of the AMS Predator to bolster the Spirearch’s diplomatic agents。It will take daring， skill， and no small amount of showmanship to convince the world to stand with Spire Albion–assuming that it is not already too late。I continue to feel that Jim Butcher keeps his cards too close to his chest as far as the worldbuilding is concerned。 In The Aeronaut's Windlass， the author provided a ton of information regarding the ships that fly through the etherical currents and the technology that powers them。 Yet very little was disclosed about the Spires and their history。 All we were told was that ten thousand years before， the Merciful Builders created them to shelter mankind from the dangers of the surface and then disappeared。 There were mentions of a God in Heaven， Archangels， and an ancient enemy， but not much in the way of actual details。 Two books into this series and it's still unclear whether or not this is an alien world or a post-apocalyptic Earth。 And though Butcher opens up a bit more about the various Spires and their respective history/economy， once again The Olympian Affair remains more of a self-contained adventure that delivers very little details about the greater scheme of things。 What we do discover， we learn at the very end in a "Since you're about to kill us anyway， you may as well tell us what this is all about" scene that felt somewhat clunky to say the least。 The epilogue shows that there is more depth than meets the eye to this series， with bigger and better things to come。 Yet Butcher seems inclined to keep a decidedly more narrow focus on characters and events in this first trilogy。 We'll have to wait till we can get our hands on the final installment to see if that's the case。The three lead protagonists from The Aeronaut's Windlass--Gwendolyn Lancaster， Bridget Tagwynn， and Captain Francis Madison Grimm-- return as POV characters。 We also get the perspectives of Colonel Renaldo Espira of Spire Aurora and Duchess Abigail Hinton， both of which add new dimensions to this tale。 The former by letting us see what goes on behind the scenes on the Auroran side and the latter by giving us glimpses of the political intrigue behind Spire Albion's attempt to find allies in the coming war。 Once more， the supporting cast is made up of a bunch of colorful men and women such as Journeyman， Kettle， and the rest of Grimm's crew， as well as the etherealists Master Ferus and his apprentice Folly。 Add to that Alex Bayard， Ravenna， Captain Ransom， and Abigail's retainers on Spire Olympia， and Butcher came up with another great cast。 As much as I enjoyed the talking cats in the first volume， I feel that they were given too much importance in The Olympian Affair， what with the somewhat frivolous trip to the surface。 Sometimes， less is more。Like its predecessor， the best and worse aspects of this sequel just might be the fact that it's too self-contained for its own good。 Although we do discover a bit more， especially toward the end of the book， I would have loved to learn more about the world's ancient history， the Spires themselves， the etherealists and their powers， and that bygone Enemy。 Still， anyone who enjoyed The Aeronaut's Windlass will likely enjoy The Olympian Affair。 The cats notwithstanding， Butcher elevates his game in the last third of the novel and closes the show with a bang。There are pacing issues plaguing this novel， especially early on and up until about the middle portion。 These have everything to do with the cats and the subsequent trip to the surface。 I mean， there's a weapon of mass destruction that can wipe out an entire Spire and its population， a looming war that could have major repercussions on all Spires， so it felt a bit pointless to follow that plot thread just so the cats could reveal what they saw。 Once this storyline is done with， Butcher gets back on track and doesn't look back。 From that point on， The Olympian Affair becomes a veritable page-turner。 I loved how the author played with our expectations and pulled the rug from under our feet with the duels， and there's no denying that the endgame made for another gripping finale。 And of course， the cliffhanger ending means that I'll have to read the third volume ASAP。Regardless of its shortcomings， The Olympian Affair is another swashbuckling steampunk fantasy adventure featuring a cast of unforgettable characters。For more reviews， check out www。fantasyhotlist。blogspot。com 。。。more
Chloe Frizzle
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I feel very differently about the first and second halves of this book。 The first half of this book is incredibly boring， dragging， and pointless。 The plot does not progress。 The characters are given no sources of conflict。 The scenes are repetitive and unnecessary。 It's unsatisfying and disappointing， especially from and author that I love the work of so dearly。 This book is over 600 pages， and over half of them do absolutely nothing to justify their existence。 Out of 4 POV characters that we g I feel very differently about the first and second halves of this book。 The first half of this book is incredibly boring， dragging， and pointless。 The plot does not progress。 The characters are given no sources of conflict。 The scenes are repetitive and unnecessary。 It's unsatisfying and disappointing， especially from and author that I love the work of so dearly。 This book is over 600 pages， and over half of them do absolutely nothing to justify their existence。 Out of 4 POV characters that we get， I cared about none of them， despite being obsessed with them all in book 1 （which I just reread last month and gave 5 stars！）。 In the second half of the book， things start to begin to actually happen。 The plot kicks into gear， and some of our leads belatedly get motivations and character arcs assigned to them。 There are actual stakes， and I was invested and enjoying myself。 The book most definitely sticks the landing， with bombastic action sequences supported by emotional payoffs。 There was a portion of this novel， 75%-95%， where I was loving it。 So， though there were many instances where I contemplated giving up on this one， I'm glad that I stuck with it to the end。 I'm left feeling satisfied and hungry for the next installment。 But this book should have been half as long， as it only had enough plot in store to support that much。 The cats in this book are as great， proud， and spunky as ever。I enjoy how this book explores our antagonists， and is shaping the series into something quite epic。 The new cover style is ugly and does not represent the book well。 I hate it， especially in comparison to the beautiful and fitting cover of book 1。 Thanks to Netgalley and Ace for a copy of this book to review。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more
Lucy
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Butcher expands his 'Cinder Spires' world， pitting Captain Grimm & the Predator crew of Spire Albion against an mysterious but devastating new weapon backed the warlike forces of Spire Aurora。 And along the way， introduces more cats！！ :-） Butcher expands his 'Cinder Spires' world， pitting Captain Grimm & the Predator crew of Spire Albion against an mysterious but devastating new weapon backed the warlike forces of Spire Aurora。 And along the way， introduces more cats！！ :-） 。。。more
Nannette Demmler
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ARC provided by Berkley Publishing Group via NetGalley for an honest review。This second book in the Cinder Spires series was a thrilling fantasy full of swashbuckling action， lovable characters， evil villains you can despise， and just a hint of steampunk。 I so enjoyed spending more time with the characters I loved from the first book， plus a few new ones。I think there were a few less points of view this time around， but all of the characters from the first book are still here， even if only in th ARC provided by Berkley Publishing Group via NetGalley for an honest review。This second book in the Cinder Spires series was a thrilling fantasy full of swashbuckling action， lovable characters， evil villains you can despise， and just a hint of steampunk。 I so enjoyed spending more time with the characters I loved from the first book， plus a few new ones。I think there were a few less points of view this time around， but all of the characters from the first book are still here， even if only in the background。 The story is mostly shared between Captain Grimm， Bridget， and Abigail Hinton， who are all voices for Spire Albion， and are the heroes of this tale。 We are also given insight into what is going on from the villain’s side through Colonel Espira。 I loved all of these characters， including Espira， as they fight for what they think is right and to defend their homes。 I really enjoyed learning more about Grimm’s background， the romance between Bridget and Benedict， and all of the moral dilemmas that Espira goes through as he tries to reconcile his conscience with the actions of his Spire。 Abigail is a new character， that we only met briefly in book one， but I enjoyed her point of view。 Through her we get a better understanding of the society and the politics that rule this world。The story’s plot is intricate and despite a few spots that were slow， was well paced with action sequences mixed with political intrigue and the moral dilemmas caused by war。 There is also some interesting backstory about how the spires came about towards the end of the book that I really hope gets expanded upon in the next one。 The duels and other action sequences are well done and will keep you rooting for you favorite characters。 There is a lot of politics in this one， which is complex and hard to follow， but thrilling nonetheless。 I loved that we also got to see a glimpse of what it is like on the surface of the world and some of the terrifying creatures that live there。The only thing I missed in this book was the point of view of the cats。 We still have Rawl giving commentary on human behavior and helping Bridget survive， but no chapters from his point of view。 We also get a new cat joining the group， Fenli， who I just adored and hope to see more of in the next book。If you enjoy high fantasy full of great characters， a little bit of romance， duels， great world building and action scenes that will leave you breathless， this is a series you might consider reading。 I look forward to reading the next installment of this thrilling fantasy。https://elnadesbookchat。com 。。。more
Shan Winslow
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So glad that the Cinder Spires is back！ After such a long wait， it was such a breath of fresh air to be reading about this world again。 Full of great battles and character development， this book is definitely a page-turner。 Also， it was great to learn more about the world， as well。 You can tell that Butcher loves this world and has many more amazing stories to tell。I received this ARC as part of a giveaway， but once it comes out， I'd rush out to get it right away。 You won't want to miss one minu So glad that the Cinder Spires is back！ After such a long wait， it was such a breath of fresh air to be reading about this world again。 Full of great battles and character development， this book is definitely a page-turner。 Also， it was great to learn more about the world， as well。 You can tell that Butcher loves this world and has many more amazing stories to tell。I received this ARC as part of a giveaway， but once it comes out， I'd rush out to get it right away。 You won't want to miss one minute of reading this fabulous book。 。。。more
Ralph Smith
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This eARC was provided by Netgalley。com and I am giving an unbiased review。This is the second book in 'The Cinder Spires' series by Jim Butcher。 It has been awhile since I read the first one， so the it took a bit at the start to pick up on what had transpired。 A bit of time has passed since the first story， and this one finds us with many of the same characters。 The war between spire-states is starting to escalate， and this book is more centered around what is going on around the Olympian Spire。 This eARC was provided by Netgalley。com and I am giving an unbiased review。This is the second book in 'The Cinder Spires' series by Jim Butcher。 It has been awhile since I read the first one， so the it took a bit at the start to pick up on what had transpired。 A bit of time has passed since the first story， and this one finds us with many of the same characters。 The war between spire-states is starting to escalate， and this book is more centered around what is going on around the Olympian Spire。 I have always enjoyed Butcher's books （Dresden Files and Codex Alera series） and this series has been enjoyable to read as well。 I do like the world-building and character development employed， as well as his easy-to-read writing style。 I am looking forward to reading more in this series， as I am sure there will be at least one more book （I hope）。 。。。more
Nikki
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I am BEYOND excited to get to read this book！ As soon as I finished The Aeronauts Windlass I immediately looked to see if the sequel was out。 Spoiler alert: it was not。 The first one had me fully immersed in the story， and I can't wait to see what happens to our beloved friends next。 Also， does anyone else think this should be a movie or a series？ I would LOVE to have Euan Morton， who narrated the audiobook， do the voice acting for Rowl。 :D He did a beyond stand up job IMHO。BLAHHHHH！ I'm sorry， I am BEYOND excited to get to read this book！ As soon as I finished The Aeronauts Windlass I immediately looked to see if the sequel was out。 Spoiler alert: it was not。 The first one had me fully immersed in the story， and I can't wait to see what happens to our beloved friends next。 Also， does anyone else think this should be a movie or a series？ I would LOVE to have Euan Morton， who narrated the audiobook， do the voice acting for Rowl。 :D He did a beyond stand up job IMHO。BLAHHHHH！ I'm sorry， I'm just so excited！ 。。。more
Viccy
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I was beginning to think we would never see this second entry in The Cinder Spires series！ The Spires were built a millennium ago to rescue humanity from the savage surface。 Through the use of floating ships powered by etheric strands， humans traverse the skies。 But， war is brewing。 A terrible power has arisen than can control the terrifying beasts of the ether。 A giant mistmaw has consumed one spire and is moving toward Spire Olympia。 All the Spire rulers are meeting at Spire Olympia to negotia I was beginning to think we would never see this second entry in The Cinder Spires series！ The Spires were built a millennium ago to rescue humanity from the savage surface。 Through the use of floating ships powered by etheric strands， humans traverse the skies。 But， war is brewing。 A terrible power has arisen than can control the terrifying beasts of the ether。 A giant mistmaw has consumed one spire and is moving toward Spire Olympia。 All the Spire rulers are meeting at Spire Olympia to negotiate treaties that will protect them in the coming war。 Spire Albion and Spire Aurora are searching for allies。 Who will prevail。 This is such an imaginative world， peopled with fascinating characters， including cat tribes who ally themselves with various Spires。 I highly recommend it and look forward to a new book （sooner than five years， I hope）。 。。。more
Susan
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Worth the wait！I won a copy。 Thank you to Goodreads and Berkeley。So， it was a very long wait for book two of The Cinder Spires， and man， it was worth it。 （Just don't do it again。 😋）I was a bit underwhelmed at first because I wanted to get straight to our main protagonists， but there was a method there， so just go with it。 Then it's all action--high-stakes， fast-paced action--with exactly the right humor or other tension releasing bit to make the next momentous action rise as it should。 Seriously Worth the wait！I won a copy。 Thank you to Goodreads and Berkeley。So， it was a very long wait for book two of The Cinder Spires， and man， it was worth it。 （Just don't do it again。 😋）I was a bit underwhelmed at first because I wanted to get straight to our main protagonists， but there was a method there， so just go with it。 Then it's all action--high-stakes， fast-paced action--with exactly the right humor or other tension releasing bit to make the next momentous action rise as it should。 Seriously， exceptional pacing。 He really puts his characters and their world through the wringer， and it's not over yet。This series also has， I think， the best ensemble cast of all Butcher series。 And I'm a huge Dresden fan。 Even the secondary characters， which are often very important， are fabulous。 I love good action， but read a series for the characters。 This is truly some of Butcher's best work。In the afterward， the author notes that he almost gave up on this series。 I'm so happy he didn't。 The fans who told him the first book was great and he should keep going are correct。 This has the potential to be Butcher's best series to date。Reread the first one prior to this one's release。 I did， and loved it as much as I did the first time， if not more。 Then be prepared to set aside a good chunk of time to savor book two before settling in for the long wait for book three。I kinda want to start it again right now。 So good。 。。。more
Beth
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Patiently （？） waiting for this next title in the series， I am thankful to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group/ ACE for providing me with an ARC of this book。Without a re-read of the first book beforehand， Jim Butcher does an excellent job of reacquainting the reader with the cast of characters; human， warriorborn， feline， and other。 Would I recommend a re-read of The Aeronaut's Windlass before starting？ Probably yes。 The naming convention of the Spires alone caused me to pause and refresh my Patiently （？） waiting for this next title in the series， I am thankful to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group/ ACE for providing me with an ARC of this book。Without a re-read of the first book beforehand， Jim Butcher does an excellent job of reacquainting the reader with the cast of characters; human， warriorborn， feline， and other。 Would I recommend a re-read of The Aeronaut's Windlass before starting？ Probably yes。 The naming convention of the Spires alone caused me to pause and refresh my mind on who was with which Spire。Our favorite characters are here， and the underlying mysteries of this world are brought back without preamble。 The technology of the world is a blend of fantastical/magical and chemical most often explored in the mechanics of the flying ships。 Think seafaring battles in the sky and life lines that keep you not from drowning， but from falling thousands of feet。There are new friends and foes， new species and more investigation into the what this world is made of beyond the great Spires that house known humanity。 There is adventure， political intrigue， light romance， and a touch of the impact of nature。The wait was worth it for a great adventure， so I suppose I will have to practice more patience for the next in the series。 。。。more
Yodamom
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4。5 Swashbuckling fantasy with politics， battles and more。 Hold on to your seat this slow build gets moving rapidly in the second half and the ending will leave you panting for the next book。 Slow， yes the first half was a slow build， and long， but if you know Jim Butcher you know there is something coming。 It does come after 50% the world speeds up， at 75% it catches on fire。 The characters were so well developed。 The villains were so easy to despise， and yet they had moments were they weren't。 4。5 Swashbuckling fantasy with politics， battles and more。 Hold on to your seat this slow build gets moving rapidly in the second half and the ending will leave you panting for the next book。 Slow， yes the first half was a slow build， and long， but if you know Jim Butcher you know there is something coming。 It does come after 50% the world speeds up， at 75% it catches on fire。 The characters were so well developed。 The villains were so easy to despise， and yet they had moments were they weren't。 I love that， evil is not completely evil or is it ？ Same with the good guys， not perfect。 The cats， they are as complicated as they are in real life， difficult beasties and I loved them。 The brilliant play with the politics was fantastic ！ This was the first time reading and Butcher book that I struggled to stay with it in the beginning。 Was it because I have waiting 8 years for this book and was desperate for my Jim Butcher fix ？ Maybe。 I also can't wait to get it on audio， this will be such a great read/listen on audio， like all his other books ！ He always has the best narrators that make his books come alive ！ I recommend rereading book 1 if you can。Thank you to the publishers for sharing a copy for an honest review 。。。more
Tammie
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I was so excited to get an early copy of this book！ It's been a long time coming， and I dove right into this， even though I probably should have done a reread of The Aeronaut's Windlass first。 There were quite a few things， and even characters that I had forgotten， but they all came back to me as I read。 I loved the world building in this but what I love most are the characters。 I especially love Miss Folly and Master Ferus， Captain Grimm， and Bridget and Rowl。 Yet again the cats were there to p I was so excited to get an early copy of this book！ It's been a long time coming， and I dove right into this， even though I probably should have done a reread of The Aeronaut's Windlass first。 There were quite a few things， and even characters that I had forgotten， but they all came back to me as I read。 I loved the world building in this but what I love most are the characters。 I especially love Miss Folly and Master Ferus， Captain Grimm， and Bridget and Rowl。 Yet again the cats were there to provide a lot of the humor， which I loved。 The airship battles and the duels were quite fun。 There was a part that I found very sad near the end， and it ends with one character in quite the predicament， so obviously there will be more。 I'm looking forward to finding out what happens next！ Thank you Mr。 Butcher for continuing this series！ On a side note- I'm not super crazy about the cover redesign。 I don't think it's a bad cover but I have the hardcover on pre-order and it won't match my hardcover copy of The Aeronaut's Windlass。Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing me with and ARC of this book。Review also posted at Writings of a Reader and on Facebook。 。。。more
Hannah
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