Legends and Liars (The Duelists, 2)

This review is for all three books in this outstanding trilogy. The boiled-down plot basically follows duelists brother and sister as they navigate political intrigue and deal with their lives that get turned upside down.What made this series so enjoyable for me was the relationship between Kacha and Vocho, the brother and sister duelist. They have a complicated relationship, crafted by what I think of as an abusive father; mentally in Kacha’s case and physically and mentally for Vocho. Their childhood forged an odd bond, and the sheer hate-love relationship they have is simply a joy to read about as much as it is heartbreaking. We follow a few other storylines throughout the series, Petri being the other focus of the books. Petri was an interesting character himself, and he changed the most over the series, rather dramatically I might add. He is more involved in the political side; a needed storyline so we as the readers understand what the hell is going on as Kacha and Vocho spend a lot of the books in the dark.Magic was handled nicely in this series. It wasn’t pretty, but it is strongly developed and the mages themselves are a complicated bunch. The world is quite interesting. Both religion and politics are fleshed out enough that anyone loving complicated worlds should be satisfied. For me, I skimmed just a bit during some descriptions, but none were terribly long or too drawn out for me to assign any negativity to them. I was just too wrapped up in the brother and sister’s story to care about the layout of a room. The writing reads super quick. The books are all under 400 pages, but I read them much faster than some other 400 page books. It was what I call accessible writing; something easy to follow and lacking poetic or flowery prose. Knight gets to the point rather quickly.The first book was a great setup and really gets the reader invested in the characters. Especially Kacha and Vocho. I say them because I felt they were the most developed characters. Plus, as I said, I just loved their relationship. There were some flashback scenes into their childhood which was used to explain how they got where they were and some of their personality traits. They were done well, and I never felt as if they slowed the story.The second book was simply amazing and moved at neck-breaking speeds. It, surprisingly enough, solved all the questions and major plot lines from the first book and any raised in the second. It was my favorite by far.The third book was closure. It wrapped up the one remaining thread from book 2 that I didn’t think needed an ending. It was my least favorite, but that’s only because it focused a lot on Petri. Those interested and loving his character will probably enjoy book 3 the most.I’ve mentioned how great Kacha and Vocho’s relationship is, but they stand alone quite well. Kasha is a sensible woman, strong and a badass. I found her a delight to read. She had a sheltered softness to her, but she could beat anyone in a duel. I enjoyed her struggles, her needs and how they shaped her, how she freed herself, how she grew. Vocho was simply fun. He was as complicated as his sister, but in an entirely different way. I did enjoy his character most. His carefree go-fight-and-deal-with-the-fallout-later attitude was great. Initially I found him a bit pompous, caring too much about what he looked like, about money, but then one little scene explained it and I fell in love with him. Cospel, their assigned servant, starts out with a small role which grows with each book. He quickly became another great character, adding some humorous dialog and playing off Vocho’s dialog brilliantly. Keep an eye on Dom in the beginning. I found him to be an equally entertaining addition to the cast. All of the characters stand on their own nicely, adding their own flare to the story.Overall, I must say I was surprised by how much I loved this series. I highly recommend it to everyone.

BOOK REVIEW: Legends and Liars SPOILER WARNING IS THIS FOR ME?: If you like your fantasy on the more realistic side, with a focus on a more personal note, then Julia Knight’s Duelist Trilogy is for you. Luckily, she doesn’t go too in depth with her descriptions, or her magic systems, just gives you enough to piece it together yourself and let intrigue and mystery fill in the vagaries that remain. It’s a brother-sister story dotted with political intrigue, vengeful sorcerers, twisted and driven home by the stake of a tragic, dying romance. RECAP: Beginning nearly where the first book’s story left off, Kacha and Vocho have fled to Ikara, to the land of life-warriors, foreign languages, and Sebates’ hometown. Recapping the first book, we learn that Vocho has been framed for murdering high ranking religious figures, and Kacha was made the personal assassin of the Duelist Guild’s leader, Eneko. Power hungry, eager to engulf the land in war to carry out his shadow machinations is the sorcerer Sabates who uses blood as a fuel for his dark powers, and in Legends and Liars, there’s no lack of spilt blood. PLOT: Unlike the prior novel, Swords and Scoundrels, this book is unfettered by constant flashbacks and moves at a faster pace. The first chunk of the novel is spent primarily in Ikara, and the author’s done a fantastic job of describing the city of glass and showcases her grandiose lexicon doing it. Complicating matters is Dom, the enigmatic outcast from the Duelist Guild who is an occasional ally to Kacha and Vocho. His wavering loyalties are finally revealed, and he’s developed further than in book 1. The conclusion to Legends and Liars ends on a sour note after all is said and done, teasing you with more than a hint of the betrayals to come in the next installment, Warlords and Wastrels. DEVELOPMENT: Vocho is the same arrogant, uppity brat from the Duelist Guild as he was in the first book. Although midway through the first half, he devolves into a bit of a junky. It was good to see his morals bend, if only slightly. Kacha, as always, beams with character development and is the star of Legends and Liars. Caring for her brother, trying to keep him from self-destructing or becoming the pawn of sorcerers, Kacha struggles with the hardest choice of her life: trying to save her brother or her former lover, Petri Egimont. Meanwhile, back in their homeland of Reyes, Petri meets with an unkind fate, and his mental state deteriorates until the man he once was is consumed by loathing and hatred. Dom and Alicia’s deadly game of espionage plays out over Eneko’s grand stage, the war looming over Ikara and Reyes, and greatly explains Dom’s backstory, and divulges Alicia’s ambition.CONCLUSION: From an author that is mostly unknown to me since book 1, Legends and Liars stands a great read in my library. Typically the 2nd book in a trilogy is fodder, and set up used to prep the grand finale, but it could almost be a standalone book with a hint of recap. Although I know it won’t happen, I’d love to have the focus on Dom in the next installment, because I don’t think we’ve learnt all we should’ve. Also, Kacha and Vocho should have a rematch, one that isn’t played dirty, to determine who among them was truly the better. Now that Kacha is in a position of power, I’d like to see the a few suitors try and woo her, even if their intentions are less than altruistic.Either way, I’m excited to finish the Duelist Trilogy’s final installment.

The first two books of this series are a retelling of the 'buddy' theme, with the buddies being brother and sister. Unfortunately, unlike Duncan's King's Blade series, the story isn't fun. The two characters are stereotypical bratty younger brother and perfect older sister, neither of whom can stand the other. This makes for a very annoying story, despite all the usual hairy escapes from impossible situations. The two magics--blood magic from wizards, and clockwork magic from engineers--don't really gel as magic systems, although the clockwork city, which changes configuration every week, is an interesting, but bizarre touch.The third volume, warlords and wastrels, escapes from this formula as both characters chafe in their relationship between them and each with others. I really don't think it's a spoiler to say that, at the end, they decide that they have to grow up, recognize their strengths and weaknesses, and each go their own way.

Interesting characters, and a nice plot line that does not re-run Tolkien. That being said, the writing is borderline sloppy, and the use of the expression "OK", a 19th century Americanism is jarring, to say the least. When I got to the sentence reading "Me and ____ had different ideas." a construction repeated two sentences later, I just quit reading. Sloppy writing, and definitely sloppy editing. Too bad, as Ms Knight did have a nice story line going.

After reading : Swords and Scoundrels " I was looking forward to this book. It does not disappoint at all and takes up right where it is supposed to. This was a good trilogy and and I am now looking for more books by Julia Knight.

5 star reading ,likeable characters witty and most of all you care what happens to everyone,story just drags you along straight on to book 3 !