Voice of the Lost: Medair Part 2

A fast-paced conclusion to the Medair duology, with more than a couple plot-twists that surprised me. I love these two books for the premise, the issues, and the world-building. The pacing suffered a bit in the first book from the need for extensive flashbacks; not so this second book. Definitely a recommended read.

Andrea K Hosts The Silence of Medair was definitely one of my top reads of this year, and I was very excited to get my hands on the sequel so soon after I read the first book (score for self-publishing!). This sequel is a very enjoyable continuation of the story, but one of the things that kept jumping out at me is how weird the pacing is compared to most fantasy novels (not that thats a bad thing!). The storys highs and lows are based on Medairs emotional investment in events--thus the last book ended on a momentous decision she made, not the conclusion of war, and in this book the war started and finished in the very beginning. In most books, I think, the first book would have just been a bit longer, and the story would have ended there. But Medair still has some major emotional issues to work out (did she support the right side? is she a traitor? is it okay for her to deeply care about some of the White Snakes?), so the story continues. There is another potentially world-shattering event that functions as the climax of this story, but even that seems to matter most in the context of Medairs personal growth. The conclusion was wonderfully unexpected--and showed how much Medair has really grown over the course of the two novels--though in retrospect I can see how it was somewhat hinted at throughout the story (Im not telling you how it ends; read and find out!). All in all, Medairs story is a very satisfying example of how to write about epic and fantastical events without being epic fantasy--this is a character-driven novel through and through, and Id love to read more stories written in this manner. That being said, I still want to find out more about Medairs later life! Ms. Host leaves herself plenty of room to write another book set in this world--Id say most likely from the princes perspective--and while I dont think such a book is in the works, I will keep hoping!

Sequal to the Silence of Medair. Not as interesting a book. Does try things up nicely. Some my find the ending unsatisfing.

I’ve been working my way through Andrea Host’s work. This duo amazed me!

E-publishing definitely has advantages and one of them is being able to read this author. I read both the Medair books recently and have ordered everthing else this author has written. Excellent character creation, great new world, -- just enormously appealing books. Ill buy everything else she writes in future as well. Style is somewhere between Michelle Sagara and Robin McKinley but her voice is her own. One of my best reads this year.

This is the follow up to

It was very nice start for the reading year. The story was unique and intriguing, with good solid world-building. It’s hard to believe it took 10 years for the author to publish this little gem. The Romance part was delightfully adorable. I saw that lots of reviewers on Goodreads, who loved the 1st part for the magic and adventures, disliked the 2nd part that was centered on romance, and vice versa. While I too think the story were better told in one volume, I loved the both parts equally. Each part for its own merits. I fall in love with the main character from the very first pages. I loved her voice, her raw inner-struggle, her doubts and the quite courage with which she was able to accept the world as it is. In overall the story is not about magic or quests, it about personal emotional journey from pure hate and racism to acceptance, friendship and love. I loved all the side characters, which were full of life and depth; and told their own stories in such a charming way. I loved the melancholic tone of the book, which absolutely didn’t turn the book into slow paced. Quite the opposite actually. I loved the Wild Magic in the book. It gave the book some crazy, mind-blowing twist that only made the narrative even more unique and exciting. I loved author’s ability to leave the narrative threads unfinished, without making the book fell incomplete. In overall it gives the reader sensation that this world continues even after the last page is read and the book is closed. It leaves the reader with desire to imagine how the thing might go and what can happen in the Future. Thought if Andrea K. Höst would ever write the sequel I will be more than happy to read it. I always dig the romantic sub-plots ant the romance in Voice of the Lost was amazing, straight into my top 10 favorite. Love grumpy, serious love interests. I love gorgeous anime-looking men as well. The resolve for the romance was unconventional, but so perfect for Medair. I really think they will be truly very happy. I some way it reminded me the ending of Howls Moving Castle, and later I read that it is one of the Andrea K. Höst’s expirations. Well, it was great duology that I will gladly recommend to any Romantic Fantasy lover.

I liked it.

(Cross-posted from the Adarna SF book blog) Voice of the Lost is the perfect sequel to The Silence of Medair. The first book is a political fantasy thats epic in scope, and Voice continues to develop the themes of colonialism, empire, and sacrifice and a controversial romance is set in motion. Medair chooses to side with the descendants of her invaders while facing an oncoming apocalypse brought on by wild magic. Talk about raising the stakes! I loved this book, and it has the strengths of The Silence of Medair, but with a slightly different focus. Its still character-driven, but theres less brooding introspection and more political intrigues. Medair is thrust in the midst of a war and makes tough choices, possibly earning her place as a villain in history. What makes it interesting is how she deals with it, and how she views heroism, sacrifice, and ethics in herself and the colonizers. Medairs character development is one of the best Ive seen in the fantasy genre. I must commend the author for how she handles magic in the world-setting. Magic systems are best explained in some books, while in others, its best left as a mysterious force of nature-whichever helps the suspension of disbelief. Höst treats it as the latter, and it works. Magic is a messy thing in this world-it merges parallel worlds, triggers a looming apocalypse, and even changes peoples ethnicity-which is a big deal in a historical reality of heated colonizer vs. colonized dynamics. While those are all crazy, its believable because the emotional consequences for the characters are so real, and thats the key achieving verisimilitude in fantastical literature. I dont know how the author pulled it off, but she deserves mad props. With sacrifice as a key theme, it mostly reads like a tragedy. Whenever I cheered for the small victories, things became infinitely worse, but none of it came off as melodramatic. I was on the verge of tears in some parts, unable to decide whether its best to read on (and feel that screwdriver to the chest) or put the book down (and be unable to think of anything else!). Medairs internal dialogue sometimes summarizes what just happened and her reaction to it instead of only the latter, and its a little redundant. But other than that minor quibble, theres nothing Id change about the book. Its rare to find an epic fantasy thats ambitious in scope and yet ties the story together succinctly. Theres no filler subplots or unnecessary scenes, it hits hard but ends with a satisfying conclusion. The story is emotionally involving and deals with heavy themes, but its worth it. I highly recommend this duology if youre looking for an epic fantasy thats character-driven, different, and thought-provoking. Note: A free review copy was provided by the author.

It was a bit short, but I found the overall concept to be pretty interesting. It really makes no sense out of context of Part 1 so its impossible to review them separately. I found the whole My people are gone, my enemy are now my people aspects. And it was pretty interesting learning her real motivations for seeking the horn in the first place. Obviously there are some echoes of other work in this; i.e. the horn, the maze] but they are more setup, most of the story revolves around Medair and her choices, and the choices of the invaders. I admit to being confused at first, but later finding their motivations compelling. Its nice that there isnt really a bad side here, except possibly for the troublemaker that remakes the world. That was rather odd, actually, and perhaps could bear further exploration. I also found the bottomless bag interesting, though again its borrowed from other work. A bit of expansion on why a society would reserve that sort of utility for heralds would have perhaps been worthwhile,though the focus wasnt on the dead historical society in spite of the protagonist being a member.