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MY ⭐️ RATING: 5/5
Format: Kindle Whispersync
BOOK DESCRIPTION
The board is set. The players chosen. Who will win the great game of Araxes?
Stolen from the widow’s clutches, master thief and ghost Caltro Basalt must learn new ways to survive the cutthroat society of the Arctian Empire. His one hope for freedom and justice? A gift from the dead gods, who continue to beg for a saviour.
Breaking a soul takes time, and Caltro’s spirit is far from broken. Many try to weave him into their plots, but he is set on salvation through no means but his own.
As Caltro finds himself ever ensnared in Araxes’ cruel games, Nilith fights to survive the Dune Plains in her quest for redemption, Sisine continues her game of claiming ruler, and Temsa works toward his reign of chaos, one noble at a time.
MY REVIEW
Grim Solace is a tremendous addition to the Chasing Graves series that doesnt suffer from middle book syndrome, it takes what was built in book one and evolves into an even better story. I already said this in my previous review, but I can’t say how much I am thrilled to re-read this series. The stakes have risen for all the main characters, new characters are introduced, including a talking sword who brings a perfect blend of softness and silliness to the story.
Galley does an excellent job of evolving the characters and adding a lot of depth to each one of them. Caltro, Nillith, Sisine, Temsa, Widow Horix and even Farazar all get their own POV’s, while the main ones take a majority, Horix and Farazar get extra time to shine on their own.
“Animals had purer, more ancient souls than we humans did, and for most of my life, I had privately held onto the notion that if animals ever learned to speak, they would melt our minds to shit with all the wisdom we’ve forgotten. All apart from sheep. They’re dumb fucks.”
Caltro is easily my favorite, he’s the quintessential Sisyphus character, every time things go right, it all comes tumbling down in some way or another. Not only that, but he also gets an ability that sets him far apart from everyone else in the story, making him that much more interesting. Nillith’s role gets extremely complicated the more she learns about the unknown parts of Araxes and her dysfunctional marriage with Farazar. Trying to survive in the desert with everything that gets thrown her way, including. Nomad’s with flying donkeys, yes, you read that correctly. Temsa’s ruthless ambition lead him down a bloody path, all while Sisine plots to gain her own power.
Galley levels up the world building with extra lore of the world, really puts a blender on the classism experienced by the dead and even the living. It really sets the tone of the story as an even darker grim tale. Things are coming to a head as each string that has been weaved is finally coming to a bloody fruition with riveting cliffhangers. Moira Quirk and Samuel Roukin do another great job of bringing Galley’s world to life giving great performances that lift the story to higher heights. As much as I enjoy both narrators, I do wish Roukin, since he’s limited to just Caltro’s pov.
Grim Solace is a riveting step up and a perfect blend of darkness with a smidge of hilarity. I’m so excited to re-read the finale, Breaking Chaos. I implore you to read this phenomenal series!
Wolfmantula.com 