Week 22 Review: The Book of Ile-Rien

From Goodreads:

Collecting Martha Wells' Element of Fire and Death of the Necromancer for the first time in one place, in a new and revised edition!

Both novels included in this volume have been revised and updated. These are the author’s preferred texts.

The Element of Fire

The kingdom of Ile-Rien lies in peril, menaced by sorcerous threats and devious intrigue, when Kade, bastard sister of King Roland, appears unexpectedly at court. The illegitimate daughter of the old king and the Queen of Air and Darkness herself, Kade's true desires are cloaked in mystery.

It falls to Thomas Boniface, Captain of the Queen's Guard, to keep the kingdom from harm. But is one man's steel enough to counter all the magic of fayre?

The Death of the Necromancer

Nicholas Valiarde is a passionate, embittered nobleman and the greatest thief in all of Ile-Rien. On the gaslight streets of the city, Nicholas assumes the guise of a master criminal, stealing jewels from wealthy nobles to finance his quest for a long-pursued vengeance.

But Nicholas's murderous mission is being interrupted by a series of eerie, unexplainable, and fatal events. A dark magic opposes him, and traces of a necromantic power that hasn't been used for centuries abound. Nicholas and his compatriots find themselves battling an ancient evil.

And if they lose? Death would be preferable to the fate that awaits them....

My Review:
These were both so great to read! That it's 2 books in one, yeah, that was so great, so I could go straight into the next adventure! I've really enjoyed the Murderbot series, and her 2 other fantasy's, so I was really excited to pick these ones up!

This world of Ile-Rien was so interesting, with the magic and the politics and the history! I really enjoyed getting to know it while getting to know these characters navigating these adventures! It was such a fun ride, and I'm so glad that these author-preferred texts are here! 

The characters in these books, man, are so fascinating! Thomas, bound to the rule of law and to protect the rulers while dealing with Kade who disrupts the flow of things being the illegitimate daughter of the former king. Nicholas, who didn't care about the law, and was a bit of a artist when it comes to breaking it, very high brow, looking down on those who killed. Loved reading about them! 

The plots in these books, with the magical goings on, the mysteries and the plotting, and the romance, all came together to tell really entertaining, engaging stories, I just had to keep reading, and I loved every word, and I hope the series continues to be updated to the author's preferred texts! 

I had a great time reading these books and I can't wait to continue the series! 

Author: Martha Wells 
Series: Ile-Rien #1, 2
Read: May 31st, 2024
Source: NetGalley 
Reason Why: Sounded really great and I love her writing, and they're Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2024 Books! 
Publisher: Tordotcom
Published: February 27th 2024

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars