Fantasy

Blood of the Chosen

Blood of the Chosen

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  • Create Date：2021-10-19 09:51:23
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Django Wexler
  • ISBN：0316519626
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Summary

"Fantasy at its finest。"--Nicholas Eames， on Ashes of the Sun  In the second book of Django Wexler's epic fantasy trilogy about two siblings divided by magic and revolution， Gyre must travel across the Splinter Kingdoms to rally the rebels to his side， while his sister Maya uncovers the secrets of a powerful artifact that could change everything。
 
Gyre finally sees a way to overthrow the all-powerful Twilight Order。 But he'll have to gain the alliance of both the ghouls and the human rebels to the south in order to even stand have a chance。 And uniting them won't be so simple。

His sister Maya is still a soldier of the Order。 But after clashing with her brother， she isn't so certain where her loyalties lie。 Chasing the origins of a mysterious artifact to a long-lost library， she just might find the answers she's looking for。
 
Burning Blade & Silver Eye

Ashes of the Sun
Blood of the Chosen

 
  

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Reviews

Nicole Luiken ，

Excellent world-building， loads of action and magic， told through the eyes of two siblings， one a centarch， one a rebel。

Antonio Diaz ，

Entretenidísimo。 Desgraciadamente un tanto más predecible que el anterior。 Tengo ganas de leer la conclusión que promete ser apoteósica

Katy ，

3。5 starsBlood of the Chosen is the next installment in the Silvereye and Burning blade series from Django Wexler， following siblings Maya and Gyre as they continue on their adventures。 I enjoy this series as a fun steampunky fantasy and the second is just as adventurous and enjoyable as the first， however was suffering a bit from middle book syndrome。 Maya and Gyre are on opposing sides as Maya is part of the republics chosen， fighting for the defense of innocents and Gyre is trying to take dow 3。5 starsBlood of the Chosen is the next installment in the Silvereye and Burning blade series from Django Wexler， following siblings Maya and Gyre as they continue on their adventures。 I enjoy this series as a fun steampunky fantasy and the second is just as adventurous and enjoyable as the first， however was suffering a bit from middle book syndrome。 Maya and Gyre are on opposing sides as Maya is part of the republics chosen， fighting for the defense of innocents and Gyre is trying to take down the republic。 It is interesting to see both their POVs as both raise some very interesting points and you end up rooting for them both despite them having opposing goals。 The side characters in this series are also great， I really love Kit whose role has changed slightly in this book but she is still as iconic as ever。 Also Maya and her girlfriend Beq have such an adorkable relationship and I loved seeing an established wlw couple just being supportive and cute。 The last 30% of the book really stepped up in terms of plot and enjoyable。 Things came together in a great way with some great payoff of plot threads leading to a very enjoyable ending。 I especially loved seeing Maya and Gyre's storylines coming together and seeing their dynamic as a big group and their interactions with each other。Overall I think this is a fun fantasy series which is pretty lighthearted and is very easy to read， with some great and loveable characters but sometimes has a slightly repetitive plot and medicore writing。 。。。more

Sifa Poulton ，

BLOOD OF THE CHOSEN is one of those books where it's all very interesting and engaging， and the ending feels like it just undermines a lot of the themes and ideas that have come before。 The pacing is good， and I like the relationships in the book， but that ending just felt like it came from another book。This book is adult， but the tropes used in the ending makes the book feel a bit more YA for that section。 These are not plot ideas that you see in adult as much。 However， they are VERY common in BLOOD OF THE CHOSEN is one of those books where it's all very interesting and engaging， and the ending feels like it just undermines a lot of the themes and ideas that have come before。 The pacing is good， and I like the relationships in the book， but that ending just felt like it came from another book。This book is adult， but the tropes used in the ending makes the book feel a bit more YA for that section。 These are not plot ideas that you see in adult as much。 However， they are VERY common in YA， to the point that I am struggling to think of a recent series that doesn't use it， as they fit a very YA theme about authority and trust。I couldn't see it coming from the start， because it's not the sort of thing you'd expect to see in YA。 However， once Maya ends up on the path that you know is going to take her back into conflict with Gyre （because they've been apart so they have to end up in the same place but on opposite sides at the end）， then the ending becomes very clear if you've read a lot of YA。It just all felt a little too contrived - getting the siblings together and working together but not， and then it all going wrong。 It didn't quite feel like it was matching the "everyone is operating questionably， some for better ends than others， but not everyone's willing to admit it" tone of the series so far。 It was one of those "and now we're going to dump a big bad in for everyone to rally together to fight" endings， rather than what might have been more interesting if there wasn't a new common enemy， but instead something that altered the balance of the conflict。Am I going to read the last book？ Yes - but I am a little disappointed that it looks like the grating differences in outlook aren't going to get the treatment they deserver - or could be so fun to watch - because there's an external force now forcing them to unite， rather than having to confront their own biases。 。。。more

Rekov ，

I have to say， this was a fairly strange book to read。 I ended up rather enjoying it， but I fear Wexler is forever doomed to have his other works compared unfavorable to "The Shadow Campaigns。"The weirdness of this books comes from the feeling that it was written for a YA audience， but has fairly blunt and crude depictions of sex。The YA feel comes from a whole bunch of things—the age of the characters， the nature of their plots， the rather peripheral romance elements， the appeal to the new relig I have to say， this was a fairly strange book to read。 I ended up rather enjoying it， but I fear Wexler is forever doomed to have his other works compared unfavorable to "The Shadow Campaigns。"The weirdness of this books comes from the feeling that it was written for a YA audience， but has fairly blunt and crude depictions of sex。The YA feel comes from a whole bunch of things—the age of the characters， the nature of their plots， the rather peripheral romance elements， the appeal to the new religions found predominantly among the youth， etc。 And the book is tagged Adult， and probably needs to be given just the sex aspect of its content。 If you pulled out maybe six sentences， this book would be entirely YA。 It makes for a fairly bizarre combination。All of that having been said， the book does come together and ends up being fairly entertaining。 In particular， Wexler does a good job disguising who the villain is， making it impossible for our protagonists， and consequently the readers， to tell friend from foe。 。。。more

Corey （grimdark_dad） ，

2020 was such a ridiculously amazing year for books。 When I look at the Guide I made for my Bookstagram of my favorite reads of that year， I feel like I’m looking at not just favorites from the year， but some all-time favorites as well。ASHES OF THE SUN was for sure near the very top of the list for me。 Django Wexler took some inspiration from Star Wars and turned it into one of the most thrilling & fun fantasy novels I’ve ever read。 BLOOD OF THE CHOSEN is the second book in the BURNINGBLADE & SI 2020 was such a ridiculously amazing year for books。 When I look at the Guide I made for my Bookstagram of my favorite reads of that year， I feel like I’m looking at not just favorites from the year， but some all-time favorites as well。ASHES OF THE SUN was for sure near the very top of the list for me。 Django Wexler took some inspiration from Star Wars and turned it into one of the most thrilling & fun fantasy novels I’ve ever read。 BLOOD OF THE CHOSEN is the second book in the BURNINGBLADE & SILVEREYE trilogy， and it’s every bit as epic & amazing as the first book！ This is truly shaping up to be one of my very favorite trilogies OF EVER！ This one takes on something of a quest fantasy vibe， but with the story’s dual POVs， we get two distinct groups of characters。At the request of a charismatic older centarch named Prodominus， Maya is tasked with a dangerous new assignment: travel to the Forsaken Coast， a land riddled with plaguespawn， and gain access to The Archive， an ancient Chosen facility。 Beq & Varo are， of course， along for the ride。On the other side of things， Maya’s brother， Gyre， continues to try to bring down the Twilight Order， enlisting Kit， Elariel， and Sarah to help rally the proper help to do so。 What’s so endlessly compelling about this story is just how diametrically opposed Maya & Gyre seem to be， while still hanging on to just…some shred of hope that the other will come around to their way of thinking。 And even then， you start to see these little cracks in the walls， where Maya begins to question things about the Order。 She knows full well that there is corruption within the Order。 The question is how deep does it run。 There are times when both of these characters can seem somewhat single-minded & naïve in their views， and so there’s this really intense push & pull thing that happens when their paths cross & intertwine。 Both books in this trilogy have featured some truly mind-blowing action sequences， grotesque monsters， weird technology， and above all else， some phenomenal characters。 Maya & Beq are truly a delight together， one of my very favorite couples in fantasy。 Their relationship grows & evolves quite a bit in BLOOD OF THE CHOSEN， while still maintaining some of the endearing awkwardness we saw when they first got to know each other in ASHES OF THE SUN。 I really enjoyed Varo a lot in this one…it seemed like he had a lot more time on the page than he did in the first book。 He has this sort’ve grounding/stabilizing effect on Maya， while also providing some pretty funny moments。 His insistence on telling horrifying disaster stories at the absolute Worst Possible Time is fucking hilarious to me。 BURNINGBLADE & SILVEREYE is kind of a perfect blend of sci-fi & fantasy， and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend these books to fans of either genre。 These books are fast-paced & fun， but also super gut-punchy & emotional at times。 I’ve grown extremely attached to these characters， and Django Wexler puts them in some serious fucking peril in BLOOD OF THE CHOSEN。 I read this one in just a few days because honestly， I couldn’t get enough of this story。 Goddamn。 This book was just so badass & amazing， and I love everything about this world & these characters！Massive thanks to Orbit for the copy！ 。。。more

Garrett Olinde ，

Good story， lots of complexity。 It occasionally slips to near YA， but improves as it goes along。 The positioning of the main characters at the end is the result I was hoping for。 Next one in 2023？？？

Travis ，

Django Wexler， you master storyteller， you have out done yourself once again。 Blood of the Chosen is an exhilarating sequel that improves on it's predecessor in every way。 There were some wild and intense action sequences that got my heart racing， in a good way。 We got so much more info on the world and the lore throughout this story。 Nothing overbearing， it was delivered to you when it was needed。 Where Blood of the Chosen really shines is in its outstanding cast of characters whether it be our Django Wexler， you master storyteller， you have out done yourself once again。 Blood of the Chosen is an exhilarating sequel that improves on it's predecessor in every way。 There were some wild and intense action sequences that got my heart racing， in a good way。 We got so much more info on the world and the lore throughout this story。 Nothing overbearing， it was delivered to you when it was needed。 Where Blood of the Chosen really shines is in its outstanding cast of characters whether it be our two leads or the colorful side characters。 I will say though that Gyre and Maya are probably my favorite characters in an ongoing series at the moment。 If you have not read the first book then you need to know that these two are brother and sister who were separated at the start of the series and fight on opposite sides of an ongoing war。 Now I know what your probably thinking， yeah that has been done before， but what you really need to know is that Django Wexler gives this sibling rivalry， humanity。 Gyre and Maya， although spend most of the time separated， have these internal struggles when it comes to trying to reason with one another when they are forced to come face to face。 It gives them this naivete about them。 Even though they don't really know one another， the bond between blood and family is strong。 And while I love that relationship， each of their side relationships are just as strong， especially Maya's and Beq's relationship。 Blood of the Chosen picks up pretty much immediately where Ashes of the Sun left us and it wastes no time getting the story started。 It might just be me but I hate when there is a sequel that takes the first like 100 pages or so to wrap up book one and then also lay the foundation for book two。 Not BotC， this sequel within the first few chapters gets the ball rolling。 BotC takes a more exploration approach as we get to see more of the world。 Book one we only really got to see Deepfire and the Order， here we take a journey all over the place。 This sequel is so fast paced and enjoyable that I fond myself wanting to never put it down。 And I didn't unless I was busy with work or dance or sleep。Blood of the Chosen is a terrific sequel and solidifies why Django Wexler is one of my favorite authors。 I say， if you have yet to pick up anything by Wexler consider doing so， it is so worth it。 。。。more

KC ，

This was an excellent sequel。 I often find the middle book in a trilogy a little long and meandering but this was extremely well-paced and exciting。 There is a lot more world-building and development in this one and a lot of things that were mentioned in the first are expanded on and a few additional primary characters are added （mostly in Gyre's chapters）。 The world of Burningblade and Silvereye is a very interesting one， and there is a lot going on in terms of magic systems and history but it' This was an excellent sequel。 I often find the middle book in a trilogy a little long and meandering but this was extremely well-paced and exciting。 There is a lot more world-building and development in this one and a lot of things that were mentioned in the first are expanded on and a few additional primary characters are added （mostly in Gyre's chapters）。 The world of Burningblade and Silvereye is a very interesting one， and there is a lot going on in terms of magic systems and history but it's never overwhelming and the information is spread out throughout the novel in a way that makes it easy to understand。 I much preferred Maya as a character in Ashes of the Sun and that remains the case here although some of her choices and character development were a little irksome。 I did like Gyre more than in Ashes and overall the cast of characters was interesting and engaging。 The writing as always in Wexler's novels is engrossing and of high quality。 I really enjoy his way of writing character dialogue and it was top tier in Blood of the Chosen。 I look forwards to reading more about Maya and Gyre。 Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Rachael Mills ，

Ignore how long it took me to read this book as I sadly lost my dog during this time and hit a reading slump。 However， this book distracted me for short periods of time as I became completely immersed in the author's incredibly rich world-building。 I love every imaginative aspect of this world and was gripped by every new bit of information。It's the characters that shone for me though。 The push-and-pull relationship between siblings Gyre and Maya was beautifully portrayed and it's rare to enjoy Ignore how long it took me to read this book as I sadly lost my dog during this time and hit a reading slump。 However， this book distracted me for short periods of time as I became completely immersed in the author's incredibly rich world-building。 I love every imaginative aspect of this world and was gripped by every new bit of information。It's the characters that shone for me though。 The push-and-pull relationship between siblings Gyre and Maya was beautifully portrayed and it's rare to enjoy each POV chapter just as much as the other。 The side characters are brilliant and I'd love to read a book simply about Varo's many misfortunes。The ending is a huge cliffhanger but it's one I won't soon forget。 If only I could summon the third book into my hands though！ 。。。more

emma ，

*muffled screaming*

Raykoda1 。 ，

Firstly， is it me or is this installment excessively horny？ Just me？ Ok。I found this installment lacking。 Everything good about the last book carried over: The worldbuilding in particular scratches one of my biggest personal itches。 But the plot， the events that take place in the story just wasn't as engaging this time around。 Maybe the honeymoon period is over after the previous book Ashes of the Sun blew me away， but there's a few good tangible reasons。 The mysteries and foreshadowing curdled Firstly， is it me or is this installment excessively horny？ Just me？ Ok。I found this installment lacking。 Everything good about the last book carried over: The worldbuilding in particular scratches one of my biggest personal itches。 But the plot， the events that take place in the story just wasn't as engaging this time around。 Maybe the honeymoon period is over after the previous book Ashes of the Sun blew me away， but there's a few good tangible reasons。 The mysteries and foreshadowing curdled after being left out to long， and maybe this book just needed a better denouement。 This book definitely too short。 It's shorter than the last one， a pretty uncommon trend in fantasy。 But this book felt half baked， incomplete， leaving me hanging。 I don't know how long this series is， but I assume given the pace of the last two it's gotta be at least five total， and that It'll all read better in a a binge。 I don't think that even counts as a point of criticism; I can't even imagine what reading all of the Wheel of Time books as they came out was like。 But in ten years when this series is one of my favourites， I can see myself barely remembering what was in each individual book。 Is that damning？ I don't know。 。。。more

Django Wexler ，

Release day！ Excited to finally show this to everybody。

Holly （The GrimDragon） ，

"Gyre stopped dead， his sword extended。 The centarch backed away a half step， cautious， but for a moment it was all Gyre could do to fight his way out from under a swirl of memories。 Maya， screaming， the horrified eyes of his parents， the shiver as his knife bit into flesh， and then the pain。 The horrible squish as he touched the ruin where his eye had been。"Endless gratitude to the rad folks at Orbit Books for sending me a finished copy of this glorious beauty！Blood of the Chosen comes out tomo "Gyre stopped dead， his sword extended。 The centarch backed away a half step， cautious， but for a moment it was all Gyre could do to fight his way out from under a swirl of memories。 Maya， screaming， the horrified eyes of his parents， the shiver as his knife bit into flesh， and then the pain。 The horrible squish as he touched the ruin where his eye had been。"Endless gratitude to the rad folks at Orbit Books for sending me a finished copy of this glorious beauty！Blood of the Chosen comes out tomorrow！I've said it before & I'll most definitely say it again， MORE RECAPS WHEN CONTINUING A SERIES， PLEASE！！ Django Wexler has a series recap after a reminder of the cast of characters as of the ending of Ashes of the Sun， which is especially helpful during the garbage fire that has been the last two years when it comes to remembering things other than ::tiredly gestures at ALL THE THINGS::If you remember me passionately shouting about Ashes of the Sun last year （it was a top favorite for me） then you'll imagine that this was a highly anticipated read。 Well folks， I WAS NOT DISAPPOINTED！Blistering action， complex storytelling & vivid characters （Maya & Beq have grown in their relationship， fighting monsters & squishy emotional moments， ftw！）Plaguespawn & battles & arcanists & ghouls & elite warriors！ Goddamn！ Blood of the Chosen expands on the complex world of the first installment in what is quickly becoming an all-time favorite series！ 。。。more

Caitlin G ，

Gyre Silvereye may not have found what he was looking for in the Leviathan’s Womb， but it’s given him an idea for another way to destroy the centrarchs and their hold over the Republic。 Gyre plans to arm a rebel faction in the southern city of Khirkhaz with banned arcana items so they can overthrow the Republic’s tenuous hold and establish a foothold against the Twilight Order。 But the only way to get sufficient arcana is to convince the ghouls to aid him， and the ghouls would rather kill a huma Gyre Silvereye may not have found what he was looking for in the Leviathan’s Womb， but it’s given him an idea for another way to destroy the centrarchs and their hold over the Republic。 Gyre plans to arm a rebel faction in the southern city of Khirkhaz with banned arcana items so they can overthrow the Republic’s tenuous hold and establish a foothold against the Twilight Order。 But the only way to get sufficient arcana is to convince the ghouls to aid him， and the ghouls would rather kill a human than trust them。 Meanwhile Gyre’s sister， the centrarch Maya Burningblade， has recovered from her confrontation with her brother just in time to be assigned a new task: travel to a plaguespawn infested region to access a Chosen archive。 One of the senior centrarchs has discovered a new arcana device they think may be key to fighting back against the plaguespawn and their masters。 Maya’s all to eager to find answers about the mysterious new plaguespawn that have appeared， but she’s also increasingly aware that there are traitors within the Twilight Order。 If she manages to discover what this device does， who will she even tell？BLOOD OF THE CHOSEN is another excellent adventure in this fantasy/sci-fi hybrid world。 Its setting is a change from previous book， ASHES OF THE SUN， which spent much of its time in more urban areas like Deepreach。 This outing is much more about journeys to the remote areas of the continent， beyond the borders of the Republic。 This results in more episodic adventures than the first book as our two heroes travel to their respective destinations， encountering even weirder plaguespawn and new pockets of humanity。 While I miss the rebellious city adventures of Deepreach， I liked seeing how the rest of the world has adapted to plaguespawn in the last few hundred years， including repurposing arcana our heroes have never encountered before。I also really enjoyed the two very different views Gyre and Maya have about the Twilight Order。 Gyre sees the powerful warriors as lording over the land， ruling only because of the magic in their blood and taking whatever they please in the name of defending humanity。 Maya， on the other hand， having had an actually morally decent teacher， sees the Order as a force of good who only interferes where necessary。 Even as she acknowledges the insidious corruption that has wormed its way into the organization， she still believes the Order is necessary to keep the world safe。 It makes for some rather emotionally charged moments when Maya and Gyre face each other once more， each desperate to convince the other to give up their fight， lest they have to kill a sibling in the process of achieving their goals。Whenever I review or talk about the BURNINGBLADE & SILVEREYE series， I’ve tried to avoid mentioning the obvious parallels to STAR WARS。 I hate doing comps that make it appear as if the author just copied and pasted a story， which is not remotely the case here。 BURNINGBLADE & SILVEREYE has its own mythology and stands on its own。 But what became increasingly clear to me in BLOOD OF THE CHOSEN is that this is a series very much in conversation with STAR WARS and the idea of the Jedi Order。 （And that was before I found a piece Django Wexler wrote that flat out explains how STAR WARS gave him the idea for this story）。 BURNINGBLADE & SILVEREYE isn’t ripping off STAR WARS， it’s examining the ideas put forth in that story in a new context。 By and large， Jedi are beloved by fans as noble defenders of good in the galaxy。 By creating a new super-powered caste of warriors in a new setting， Wexler forces readers to take another look at the concept they buy into in STAR WARS: how would you really feel about magical warrior monks who could tear you apart with but a thought？ When they get to enforce their own views of right or wrong on the world without input from anyone else？ Turns out， you really can’t read BURNINGBLADE & SILVEREYE without considering STAR WARS， and I kind of love the books even more for that。Suffice to say， if you enjoyed ASHES OF THE SUN， you’ll find more to enjoy in BLOOD OF THE CHOSEN and it is largely a highly successful adventure。 That said， there were a few minor things that bugged me this time around。 Kit， who had been a favorite character last time out， is back in a new form after the ending of the last book。 Unfortunately， while her new form is endlessly useful， the character herself is largely reduced to complaining how bored she is about staying out of sight and bemoaning that she can’t have sex any more。 I also struggled with an end beat that I saw coming a mile away; it was still a well done moment， but being so far ahead of the characters took a little bite out of the scene。All that aside， I am still absolutely in love with this series and will be counting down the days until the final book in the trilogy is released， particularly with the stakes the author set up in the final moments。 I also want to shout out the extra steps the author took to make it easy for readers to come back to this series; the opening of the book features a cast of characters （including their fates by the end of book one） and a summary of ASHES OF THE SUN。 The glossary in back not only defines objects or locations， but reminds you of where in the plot that item was important。 These features are just the cherry on top of an already fantastic book， and I recommend jumping on board before the final book in the trilogy。Note: I was provided a free ARC by the publisher in exchange for my fair and honest review。 。。。more

charlotte， ，

On my blog。Actual rating 4。5Rep: lesbian mc， lesbian， bi & gay side charactersCWs: goreGalley provided by publisherBlood of the Chosen is a very solid sequel to Ashes of the Sun， a book which I highly enjoyed reading last year。 Following the ending of that one， this book starts to let the world breathe just a little more， expands it， and leaves you desperate for the final book （2023 cannot come soon enough）。The story continues from just a few days after the events of Ashes of the Sun。 Gyre i On my blog。Actual rating 4。5Rep: lesbian mc， lesbian， bi & gay side charactersCWs: goreGalley provided by publisherBlood of the Chosen is a very solid sequel to Ashes of the Sun， a book which I highly enjoyed reading last year。 Following the ending of that one， this book starts to let the world breathe just a little more， expands it， and leaves you desperate for the final book （2023 cannot come soon enough）。The story continues from just a few days after the events of Ashes of the Sun。 Gyre is making his way back to the ghouls， looking for allies in his fight against the Order， while Maya is back with said Order， about to be sent on another quest。Unlike the first book， the second opens up with a somewhat slower paced beginning。 This makes sense—at the start， the characters are still processing the fallout of the first book’s ending。 And， while it’s a slower pace， it doesn’t read any slower。 I got through it quickly， and into the action。 I also quite liked that it took the time to slow down here， and expand the world within which it all takes place。 There were hints of it in the previous book， but it gets more pagetime here。This slowness is also combined with the fact that it’s busy building up to an ending that will blow everything right open。 There are questions raised—and not （yet） answered—and mistakes made （looking at you， Maya）。 All of it gets drawn together towards the end， with the aforementioned mistake。Speaking of which， I think it would be safe to say I found Maya’s POV up to that point quite frustrating。 Yes， her actions made sense in the context of her characterisation—she’s naive and trusting， particularly of the Order， because they’ve never given her reason not to trust them。 Compare this with Gyre， who’s all but wired not to trust， and you can see why Maya makes a mistake that Gyre， in a similar position in book one， didn’t。 But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t frustrating to read Maya’s POV， partly because you do have Gyre’s POV。 What I found was that I sided more with Gyre than I did with Maya and because I didn’t trust the Order， I was a little annoyed with Maya for doing so。 But as I said， this is completely consistent characterisation for me， and I’m looking forward to seeing the fallout for it all in the final book。So， if you’ve been looking for a new high fantasy series to pick up， then let me point you in the direction of this one。 It’s fast-paced， action-packed， and with characters that you can easily root for。 And， in general， a whole lot of fun to read。 。。。more

Heidi ，

Fun world！ I like that it leaves the reader wondering if it’s magic or tech from a fallen colony world。 It really could be either one， though with this book I’m leaning towards fallen multi species colony with everything that isn’t misunderstood tech being psychic powers。I also particularly like the conflict between the siblings where neither wants to harm the other but both are certain they are in the right side of the conflict。 Excellent series。

Jason Aycock ，

Django Wexler invites us back into the story of siblings Gyre and Maya with another epic fantasy adventure story in Blood of The Chosen。 I have to say I found this read just as engaging and fun to read as it’s predecessor Ashes of The Sun。 If you’re looking for a solid fantasy series to dip into， you won’t go wrong with the Burningblade & Silvereye。HighlightsDamn good action/adventureAdded depth to worldbuildingStarting to feel for the charactersMy ThoughtsIn my review of Ashes of The Sun I ment Django Wexler invites us back into the story of siblings Gyre and Maya with another epic fantasy adventure story in Blood of The Chosen。 I have to say I found this read just as engaging and fun to read as it’s predecessor Ashes of The Sun。 If you’re looking for a solid fantasy series to dip into， you won’t go wrong with the Burningblade & Silvereye。HighlightsDamn good action/adventureAdded depth to worldbuildingStarting to feel for the charactersMy ThoughtsIn my review of Ashes of The Sun I mentioned that it didn’t blow me away but I did thoroughly enjoy it。 More specifically I said:So， where to begin？ I’ll tell you now and save the suspense， I was not blown away by this book。 But I did thoroughly enjoy it。 What I mean by that is it didn’t give me all the feels， it didn’t have grand poetic prose， and it didn’t leave me on the edge of my seat in suspense。 But it was some damn good adventurous fun with great action and inventive world building。 And sometimes when the world is a trash fire all around you and you need an escape， this is the kind of book you need！ The same sentiment holds true for Blood of The Chosen。 It picks up shortly after where Ashes of The Sun leaves off and carries the narrative forward while upping the stakes， extends the character arcs， and adds additional depth to the worldbuilding。This series really is some damn good action/adventure。 It’s just the kind of story that I can pick up and enjoy from cover to cover; solid and without anything that pulls me out of the read， or that I just don’t like。 That’s important to me as a reader。 I like knowing I’ve found an author who I can trust to write a solid story， and whose books I can recommend to others。 I’ve yet to read Wexler’s other series but I feel confident with what I’ve seen so far with Burningblade & Silvereye that I won’t be disappointed。In Blood of The Chosen we get what I always hope for in a book-two， some added depth to the worldbuilding and character development。 In this installment Wexler explores more of the wider world in which the story is set， taking us on a journey into the various splinter kingdoms。 In doing so the narrative digs deeper into the reasons why the Twilight Order isn’t as loved as it’s members would hope， fleshes out the make-up of various rebel groups， and delves into the history behind the conflict between the ghouls and the Chosen。 In short the story gets more compelling and complex。 I especially enjoyed the newly explored region of Khirkhaz with its history and background and the way it becomes central to the book。Going hand-in-hand with the worldbuilding is the character development。 I enjoyed all the characters in Ashes of The Sun， but I didn’t really LOVE any of them。 Maybe Bec is an exception there。 But now I can definitely say I’m starting to really care for them。 And not just Gyre and Maya， but the other non protagonists as well。 Most notably among these for me is that of the ghoul Elariel who in Blood of The Chosen is going through some things。 I also loved the addition of sisters Apphia and Nina among the rebels in Khirkhaz。 Making me care for the characters is a sure way to make me invested…and now I really am。Blood of The Chosen ends with a good cliffhanger， one that increases the stakes for all involved and leaves the reader wondering who – if anyone – the characters can trust…even among themselves。 I expect things to get really explosive in the next chapter of Burningblade & Silvereye， and I’m so very much looking forward to it。I was sent an ARC of this book by the publisher。 。。。more

Kate （BloggingwithDragons） ，

I received this book for free from Orbit Books in exchange for an honest review。 This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review。Actual rating: 4。5 starsBlood of the Chosen is the scintillating follow-up to Ashes of the Sun。 Some novels suffer from sequel syndrome， but I foundBlood of the Chosen to be even better than its predecessor。 With most of the world-building and foundations firmly laid in the first novel， Blood of the Chosen was freely able to focus on the ac I received this book for free from Orbit Books in exchange for an honest review。 This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review。Actual rating: 4。5 starsBlood of the Chosen is the scintillating follow-up to Ashes of the Sun。 Some novels suffer from sequel syndrome， but I foundBlood of the Chosen to be even better than its predecessor。 With most of the world-building and foundations firmly laid in the first novel， Blood of the Chosen was freely able to focus on the action。 Blood of the Chosen was so riveting that I had a lot of trouble putting this novel down to do anything else。 Like Ashes of the Sun， Blood of the Chosen follows a brother and sister on the opposite sides of a war。 Gyre， the older brother， seeks to overthrow the Order， of which his sister Maya， is a flourishing member。 What I love so much about Blood of the Chosen is that author Django Wexler does such a great job of making both characters and their causes sympathetic。 Even though their beliefs are in direct opposition and conflict to one another， I can easily see things from both Gyre's and Maya’s perspectives， which I think really adds to the drama of their decisions and confrontations。Blood of the Chosen easily makes me as invested in the relationship and the conflict between Gyre and Maya as I am in say， the Skywalker saga in Star Wars。 “He couldn’t help but think about his sister， as much as he tried not to。 Someday， it’ll be her they send after me。”  And just like Star Wars， Blood of the Chosen takes place in a fantastical world。 I absolutely love the lore of the ancient Chosen， the ghouls， and the Order。 I love that characters are essentially living in the dregs of what was lost after the Chosen were destroyed by the Plague， and are just trying to survive in a world riddled with horrifying creatures known as plaguespawn。 Much of Blood of the Chosen asks， what is worse， the monsters that riddle the earth or the humans with supernatural powers who strive to protect it as part of the Order？ Add in two long-lost siblings on different sides， and readers can delight in a spicy family drama with potentially devastating ramifications。In Blood of the Chosen， stakes are higher than ever before， as Gyre seeks to ally the ghouls with the rebels and Maya seeks out answers about the truth of the Order in a hidden library。 Maya is joined on her quest by her girlfriend， arcanist Beq， and her eccentric scout， Varos Plaguewalker， and even Tanax， her fellow Centarch。 Gyre， on the other hand， is joined by Kit， his ex-lover and now construct， Elariel the ghoul， and Sarah the Rebel。 I really love everyone in the eccentric cast of characters， and feel invested in every single one of them。 Their bond feels so authentic， their ribs at one another’s expense humorous， and their knowledge of one another’s abilities exactly what you want in a party off to change the world for better or worse。 The only things I did not like quite as much in this novel was that Maya makes a pretty significant and dumb decision in Blood of the Chosen that I saw coming a mile away。 I realize that this decision， which has epic and massive consequences， is really gonna heat things up in future entries of the series， so I am not too upset about it， but I definitely lamented that it was the main heroine who had to make such a catastrophic mistake。 Though Gyre made a pretty huge error in judgement himself in Ashes of the Sun， he was almost immediately able to correct his poor decisions， and before the novel even ended， Maya is not given the same opportunity afforded to the male protagonist， which made me a little disappointed。 However， I have no doubt that Maya will be working toward correcting her mistakes in future entries。 I was just disappointed that it seems to always be the female character making earth shattering mistakes out of naivete。 Also， it seems that because Blood of the Chosen was so fast-paced， not as much time was available to give to the side cast of characters。 Though I really love all of them， including the newly introduced characters， I can’t help but feel that they’re all more archetypes than actually fully-fleshed out， individual characters。 For example， Beq feels more like Maya’s girlfriend and sidekick than anything else。 I know very little outside of her relationship with Maya， other than that she grew up in the Order， that she likes reading and arcana， and that her father is also an arcanist。 She doesn’t have any scenes independent of Maya， keeping her firmly rooted as a side character。 In fact， this is the case for all characters outside of Maya and Gyre， and I would like to see the other characters get to act on their own in future entries of the series。 In spite of the fact that these characters are more side characters than full cast members， they still manage to feel pretty dynamic， so it’s no wonder that I can’t help but to want to see them all come outside of Maya and Gyre’s shadow。Even with these nitpicky drawbacks of mine in mind， I was really blown away by Blood of the Chosen I am already fiercely anticipating the next entry in the series， which has honestly become one of my favorites。 I cannot wait to see where Maya and Gyre’s journeys take them， and what it will mean for their world at large。*All quotes taken from an ARC and are subject to change at time of publication。 bloggingwithdragons。com My Book Review PolicyConnect with Me:| instagram | tumblr | twitter |pinterest | facebook | email | 。。。more

Andrew ，

The full review can be found here at The Quill to Live: https://thequilltolive。com/2021/09/14。。。I don’t like using gifs in my reviews， but I almost made an exception for this one; I nearly made a loop of Wexler just knocking a ball out of the park。 Wexler has a few projects ongoing currently， but the one I am most interested in is his Burningblade and Silvereye trilogy。 The first book in the series， Ashes of the Sun， was one of my top picks for 2020; so the sequel was highly anticipated。 The sec The full review can be found here at The Quill to Live: https://thequilltolive。com/2021/09/14。。。I don’t like using gifs in my reviews， but I almost made an exception for this one; I nearly made a loop of Wexler just knocking a ball out of the park。 Wexler has a few projects ongoing currently， but the one I am most interested in is his Burningblade and Silvereye trilogy。 The first book in the series， Ashes of the Sun， was one of my top picks for 2020; so the sequel was highly anticipated。 The second book， Blood of the Chosen， comes out soon and it is everything I hoped for。In many ways， the plot of Blood of the Chosen is just a continuation of the story from book one。 For those unfamiliar， the narrative follows two siblings， Gyre and Maya， who find themselves on opposing sides of a titanic conflict between god-like races。 One side is made up of powerful magic users， called the chosen， and the other is made up of terrifying biomancers called ghouls。 Neither side is particularly black and white， and Gyre and Maya find themselves embroiled in a complicated conflict with a lot of nuances。 If you want a more detailed breakdown of the story， read my first review。As for Blood of the Chosen， it’s mostly just follow-through from book one （in a good way）。 Ashes of the Sun is a book that is heavy in worldbuilding and foreshadowing， setting up a wonderful canvas and plot to entertain and delight。 Maya and Gyre both go through their own character journeys in isolation and it’s not until the end of the book that we really see them start to cross paths。 As I mentioned in my Ashes review， one of the most powerful aspects of this story is that Maya and Gyre actually feel like siblings who care about one another and struggle to reconcile their burning ideals with their love of their family。 It avoids melodrama and tropes in order to tell a more organized， grey， and believable story that enhanced my enjoyment greatly。Blood of the Chosen expands upon this greatly。 From page one we begin to see both Gyre and Maya grapple with the fact that their bubbles have been breached and they need to consider new alternative ideas to their political identities。 While the literal narrative is slightly predictable， the character growth from Maya and Gyre is an emotional rollercoaster that filled me with adrenaline from start to finish。 The end result is the realization of the excellent foreshadowing from book one and a setup for book three that has me watering at the metaphorical mouth。 Wexler if you are reading this， I literally cannot wait for book three。In addition to all of this， Blood of the Chosen continues in Ashes footsteps with killer action that brings the excitement。 Gyre and Maya’s completely different power suites add creativity and variety to the awesome action sequences。 The magic and world continue to feel refreshing in the current fantasy landscape， despite its dystopian nature。 This is definitely a science fantasy for those of you looking for the books that slip between the genres。 Finally， the humor of book two continues to be great， which adds levity to balance out the more emotionally draining moments。 The balance of horror and comedy enhances both and I am always a fan of the combination。I have absolutely no complaints about Blood of the Chosen。 It was a top anticipated read for 2021， and it lived up to that expectation with ease。 Wexler has managed to crack the code on familial dramas and present something new and creative that I love。 The cliffhanger ending of Blood of the Chosen is already killing me， I need the third installment as soon as possible。Rating: Blood of the Chosen – 10/10-Andrew 。。。more

Carrie ，

The adventure continues with my new favorite adult fantasy characters！ Maya， Beq， and Varo team up to investigate more mysteries， while Maya's silvereye brother Gyre schemes with his crew on the opposite side of the war。 Dark secrets are discovered， fantastic contraptions are flown， and there's a healthy dollop of magic， tech and monsters。 The first book in this series， Ashes of the Sun， was the kind of book I both wanted to rush through because I couldn't put it down， and wanted to savor so the The adventure continues with my new favorite adult fantasy characters！ Maya， Beq， and Varo team up to investigate more mysteries， while Maya's silvereye brother Gyre schemes with his crew on the opposite side of the war。 Dark secrets are discovered， fantastic contraptions are flown， and there's a healthy dollop of magic， tech and monsters。 The first book in this series， Ashes of the Sun， was the kind of book I both wanted to rush through because I couldn't put it down， and wanted to savor so the adventure would last as long as possible。 The same energy is carried over in Blood of the Chosen。 I especially like the dynamic between Maya， Beq， and Varo， but Gyre's chapters were just as compelling。 An enjoyable adventure indeed。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Blood of the Chosen

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Blood of the Chosen&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Blood of the Chosen&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0