The Hollow Heart

 

Today's post is on The Hollow Heart by Marie Rutkoski. It is 296 pages long and is published by Farrar Straus Giroux. It is the second in her Forgotten Gods duology, you need to have read the first novel to understand the story. The cover has Nirrim on it with blood coming from her ears and a crown of leaves on her head. The intended reader is someone who likes fantasy with a strong historical flavoring and queer characters. There is mild foul language, implied sex, and mild violence in this novel. The story is told from multiple view points changing every chapter. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- At the end of The Midnight Lie, Nirrim offered up her heart to the god of thieves to restore her people's memories of their city's history. The Half Kith who once lived imprisoned behind the city's wall now realize that many among them are powerful. Meanwhile, the person Nirrim once loved most, Sid has returned to her home country of Herran, where she must navigate the politics of being a rogue princess who has finally agreed to do her duty.
In the Herrani court, rumors begin to grow of a new threat rising across the sea, of magic unleashed on the world, and of a cruel black-haired queen who can push flase memories into your mind so you believe your dearest friends to be your enemies.
Sid doesn't know that this queen is Nirrim, who seeks her revenge against a world that has wronged her. Can Sid save Nirrim from herself? Does Nirrim even want to be saved? As blood is shed an war begins, Sid and Nirrim find that it might not matter what they want... for the gods have their own plans.

Review- An okay conclusion to a great first half. Nirrim has sold her heart to free her people and then becomes their queen. She wants to free all slaves and punish all masters, no matter who those people really are. Sid has been called home to discover who is trying to kill her mother, the queen. They are separated until near the end of the book but that is not what makes this book so bland to me. I think that Rutkoski wants to take her world to a new level of fantasy and is using this book to do with all the gods and magic we see in it. In fact one of the points of view we have is of the god of lies, wo is telling a story in background about the past. I would like to see more this world, as I really enjoyed The Winner's Curse series and this is a direct sequel to that trilogy. I am willing to read more Rutkoski but I hope that for her next series, she can recapture the magic of Curse and The Midnight Lie. 

I give this volume a Three out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.