The Wall of Storms (2) (The Dandelion Dynasty) Hardcover – October 4, 2016

4.5/5 The only reason this is not a full 5 stars is because the ending killed me. It did not end on a positive note and so many characters are so frustrating evil it drives me crazy. I will say I enjoyed reading this book probably more than Grace of Kings but I enjoyed the story more in Grace of Kings. I enjoyed reading this one more mainly because I knew the characters and places from the last book and it didn’t hop around as much with point of views. I did feel like Grace of Kings overall story was better and I enjoyed all the battles. Wall of Storms did not really have any battles except for towards the end.I do feel like there is a lot more character depth in Wall of Storms, you get to know a few certain characters really well. But the focus is on different characters from Grace of Kings even though some of those characters are still involved. The world is bigger in this book, a new people group gets introduced in this book. The Lyucu, and they are brutal. As with Grace of Kings though, the world is and story is so well fleshed out, you can picture everything perfectly.Even though I am not happy with the ending of this book or most of the characters, I do like how this book is able to make me angry and frustrated with the characters because they are so well done. I am so invested with this world; I do care and I need everything to work out.At this point I do want to give a warning that I am going to be giving spoilers for Grace of Kings since Wall of Storms takes place after it and there may be some key spoilers if you have not read the book yet.Wall of Storms takes place a few years after Grace of Kings. Kuni is emperor and his children are growing up as princes and princesses. The focus of this book is mainly on the children and Empress Jia (who I despise). Jia is seriously the worst and the most devious. There are 4 children, Timu, Thera, Phyro and Fara (her mother died in childbirth—she was a different consort). Jia feels threatened by Risana’s child, Phyro, because he is the most like Kuni, so she is worried he will be picked as heir. Jia tries to influence politics around her and tries to run the empire a certain way behind everyone’s back, which ends up with a lot of backstabbing and betrayals. (as I mentioned, she is the worst).I hate that this is a Jia quote but it is pretty good: “True courage comes not from being certain and unafraid but from doing what must be done even while being terrified and full of doubts.”The story also focuses a lot of Zomi and Luan. Zomi is a student of Luan and you get to enjoy a story of her experiences with Luan and what she does with that knowledge. The other main new characters are the Lyucu and I do not have much to say about them other than they are brutal and terrible. The gruesomeness that takes place in their story is pretty bad at times, which makes me glad this is a book and not a movie so it can’t haunt my nightmares. There are some good moments with Gin as well, which I enjoy her character and her strengths with battle strategy.I will say I enjoyed this book a lot but I am sad by where the ending ended up and all the characters that died. I do not want to give any spoilers but a part of my excitement for this series died due to the loss of so many good characters and the remaining of terrible ones. I do want to continue with the series but I am saddened by the current story ending point.

The follow on book continues a long history in an entertaining way. The emerging science and political intrigue were great but the garages remain a little flat.

The Grace of Kings instantly became one of my favorite books and was like a breath of fresh air for the often stale fantasy genre. I entered with high expectations and it certainly lived up to it!It broadened the scope of the world and raised the stakes. Many reviewers are saying the sequel is better, but I still give the slight edge to the first. This isn't a critcism of Wall of Storms, but more of how much I loved The Grace of Kings. Wall of Storms is still easily a five star read. What I didn't like: I thought the first third of the book was a little dull and the heroes of the story had a rough time of it so, at points, it was depressing.What I liked: worldbuilding, philosophy, action scenes, believable characters, and how the writing is engaging but very poetic. I also liked how it ended at a very good place; still lots to happen, but it looks like book three will pick up ten years later. Amazing series!

Ken Liu has acquired a reputation in just a few years as a fine writer of short fiction and as a translator, including two novels by Cixin Liu of China. His first novel, The Grace of Kings, told a story of political intrigue in an imagined archipelago, Dara, where a poor child rose to eventually reign as Emperor. There was little overt magic or supernatural agency in the tale so I found that the book could almost be read as an alternate-world science fiction as well as a fantasy.The second book holds to the high standards Mr. Liu set in the first: excellent and at times lyrical prose, deep characterization which allowed the reader to know the returning characters better, and a sophisticated plot. Many of the characters have to deal with the consequences of hard decisions made in the earlier book. Mr. Liu also introduces a major threat to the peace and prosperity of the Empire, which taxes the wit and ingenuity of the lead characters and creates great tension in the plot.Highly recommended.

It's awesome that Author Ken Liu wrote a sequel that was as wonderful as the first book.All of his characters have depth and flaws. Although several main characters get killed off, the author slowly introduces new characters or re-introduces old characters from Book 1 in a subtle manner that grabs your attention.I'm not a person that enjoys reading about philosophy, but the author entertains me by using philosophy behind the political/military tactics.The Dandelion Dynasty also has it's own developed writing style and famous sayings, like the Lord of the Rings. This book (along with Book 1 "The Grace of Kings") is very well planned out in describing the logic behind decisions/"magical" intervention, but still fast paced and full of twists in every chapter.Waiting for Book 3 is going to be torture!