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Sorrow #2
Song of Sorrow
Sequel to STATE OF SORROW by best-selling fantasy author Melinda Salisbury.
Sorrow Ventaxis has won the election, and in the process lost everything...
Governing under the sinister control of Vespus Corrigan, and isolated from her friends, Sorrow must to find a way to free herself from his web and save her people. But Vespus has no plans to let her go, and he isn't the only enemy Sorrow faces as the curse of her name threatens to destroy her and everything she's fought for.
Sorrow Ventaxis has won the election, and in the process lost everything...
Governing under the sinister control of Vespus Corrigan, and isolated from her friends, Sorrow must to find a way to free herself from his web and save her people. But Vespus has no plans to let her go, and he isn't the only enemy Sorrow faces as the curse of her name threatens to destroy her and everything she's fought for.
370 pages, Paperback
First published March 7, 2019
About the author
Melinda Salisbury
22 books1,351 followersMelinda Salisbury lives by the sea, somewhere in the south of England. As a child she genuinely thought Roald Dahl’s Matilda was her biography, in part helped by her grandfather often mistakenly calling her Matilda, and the local library having a pretty cavalier attitude to the books she borrowed. Sadly she never manifested telekinetic powers. She likes to travel, and have adventures. She also likes medieval castles, non-medieval aquariums, Richard III, and all things Scandinavian The Sin Eater's Daughter is her first novel. She can be found on Twitter at @MESalisbury, though be warned, she tweets often.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 129 reviews
August 8, 2021
Love this duology!
Sorrow is now the Chancellor of Rhanna, with all the pressures and responsibilities that come with it. Not too far away is Count Vespus who will blackmail and exploit Sorrow at every opportunity.
I love all the different characters, still loved the world and the politics. This book was slightly more romance focussed which isn’t my bag but I still thoroughly enjoyed it and liked how everything was solved and wrapped up.
Will definitely look out for more by this author!
***********************
My argument when buying books is it is acceptable if it’s part of a series I’ve already started.
And book 1 was freaking amazing so I need this!
Sorrow is now the Chancellor of Rhanna, with all the pressures and responsibilities that come with it. Not too far away is Count Vespus who will blackmail and exploit Sorrow at every opportunity.
I love all the different characters, still loved the world and the politics. This book was slightly more romance focussed which isn’t my bag but I still thoroughly enjoyed it and liked how everything was solved and wrapped up.
Will definitely look out for more by this author!
***********************
My argument when buying books is it is acceptable if it’s part of a series I’ve already started.
And book 1 was freaking amazing so I need this!
March 20, 2019
This might be my favorite series but its definitely my favorite duology (tho I haven´t read six of crows yet.)
The ending!! It was the perfect ending to this series. I couldn´t have imagined it differently. Tho I would´ve liked to read more about Luvian Fen.
The ending!! It was the perfect ending to this series. I couldn´t have imagined it differently. Tho I would´ve liked to read more about Luvian Fen.
February 25, 2019
4.5
PREREAD
*looks at cover*
*dies*
I can't wait, all of you! I want this book on my shelves!
PREREAD
*looks at cover*
*dies*
I can't wait, all of you! I want this book on my shelves!
July 9, 2019
I was in love with the first book I'm even more in love with that sequel.
I feel like it was a bit different from the first book as it was less focused on the politics. It was more focused on Sorrow understanding and learning how to be with her friends, family etc... You cannot rule a kingdom by yourself!
The characters were even more likeable, believable, and anything else positive!
I wasn't expecting that ending (or if I did I forgot when in the middle of the book as I was really committed!). I love what the author did!
I feel like it was a bit different from the first book as it was less focused on the politics. It was more focused on Sorrow understanding and learning how to be with her friends, family etc... You cannot rule a kingdom by yourself!
The characters were even more likeable, believable, and anything else positive!
I wasn't expecting that ending (or if I did I forgot when in the middle of the book as I was really committed!). I love what the author did!
June 6, 2019
Persönliche Meinung
Oh was habe ich mich auf die Fortsetzung zu State of Sorrow gefreut! Melinda Salisbury gehört zu einer meinen absoluten Lieblingsautoren. Sie hat einen unglaublich schönen Schreibstil und hat mich bisher noch nie enttäuscht… deshalb bin ich umso trauriger, dass mir Song of Sorrow nicht so gut gefallen hat, wie erwartet.
«“You liked getting all dressed up for Rhylla.“
„Yes, and look how that ended. I slept with rasmus, was almost murdered, and found out my advisor was a crime lord.“
„But you looked great the whole time,“ Irris quipped.
Sorrow allowed herself a small smile. „I did, didn’t I?“»
Der Schreibstil war gut, aber mir fehlte dieses lyrisch-märchenhafte was normalerweise ganz typisch für Melinda ist. Er war absolut nicht schlecht, nur fehlte mir einfach so das typische. Die Geschichte an sich war... okay? Nach all dem rätseln und dem ungewissen in Band eins, wusste man nun ganz genau wer Böse ist und gegen wen man zu Kämpfen hatte. Es gab einfach keine wirklichen Höhen und Tiefen oder grossartige Überraschungen. Mir fehlte auch total das Worldbuilding. All die Länder ausserhalb von Rhannon und Rhylla. Ich hatte mir hier einfach irgendwie mehr mystisches erhofft.
Auch von den Charakteren war ich mittelmässig überzeugt. Sorrow hat mich den ersten Teil über nur genervt, weil sie so jammerlich war und gleichzeitig einfach nichts getan oder gesagt hat. Graah! Vespus hingegen war ein interessanter Bösewicht, wenn auch etwas schwach. Immerhin kann man seine Beweggründe gut verstehen und mir gefiel, dass Melinda hier keine Schwarz-Weiss Geschichte gemacht hat.
«As the more experenced ine in this relationship, can you confirm this is possible?
If yes, consider the challenge accepted. If no, consider the challenge accepted.»
Liebestechnisch bekommen wir, was wir verdienen *lach* kleine Spoiler ab hier!!
Luvian wurde ja schon ein wenig als Loveintrest im ersten band eingeführt, aber er wirkte einfach so total Schwul (das mein ich absolut NICHT negativ!!) und im zweiten band ist er doch schon mehr Hetero, aber trotzdem haftet an ihm einfach diesen schwulen Touch, sodass mein herz einfach mehr für Rasmus geschlagen hat! Was mir aber wiederum mega gut gefiel, war, dass Melinda die Beziehung von Luvian und Sorrow sehr cool und modern dargestellt hat! Denn es gab mehrere Szenen in denen Sorrow viel „männlicher“ wirkt als Luvian. Das ist bestimmt nicht jedermanns Sache, aber ich fand es mal erfrischend, auch so ein Pärchen zu sehen.
Alles in allem war es ein sehr gutes Ende, auch wenn mir der zweite Band weniger gut gefiel als der Erste.
Fazit: leider nicht ganz so speziell wie Band eins
Oh was habe ich mich auf die Fortsetzung zu State of Sorrow gefreut! Melinda Salisbury gehört zu einer meinen absoluten Lieblingsautoren. Sie hat einen unglaublich schönen Schreibstil und hat mich bisher noch nie enttäuscht… deshalb bin ich umso trauriger, dass mir Song of Sorrow nicht so gut gefallen hat, wie erwartet.
«“You liked getting all dressed up for Rhylla.“
„Yes, and look how that ended. I slept with rasmus, was almost murdered, and found out my advisor was a crime lord.“
„But you looked great the whole time,“ Irris quipped.
Sorrow allowed herself a small smile. „I did, didn’t I?“»
Der Schreibstil war gut, aber mir fehlte dieses lyrisch-märchenhafte was normalerweise ganz typisch für Melinda ist. Er war absolut nicht schlecht, nur fehlte mir einfach so das typische. Die Geschichte an sich war... okay? Nach all dem rätseln und dem ungewissen in Band eins, wusste man nun ganz genau wer Böse ist und gegen wen man zu Kämpfen hatte. Es gab einfach keine wirklichen Höhen und Tiefen oder grossartige Überraschungen. Mir fehlte auch total das Worldbuilding. All die Länder ausserhalb von Rhannon und Rhylla. Ich hatte mir hier einfach irgendwie mehr mystisches erhofft.
Auch von den Charakteren war ich mittelmässig überzeugt. Sorrow hat mich den ersten Teil über nur genervt, weil sie so jammerlich war und gleichzeitig einfach nichts getan oder gesagt hat. Graah! Vespus hingegen war ein interessanter Bösewicht, wenn auch etwas schwach. Immerhin kann man seine Beweggründe gut verstehen und mir gefiel, dass Melinda hier keine Schwarz-Weiss Geschichte gemacht hat.
«As the more experenced ine in this relationship, can you confirm this is possible?
If yes, consider the challenge accepted. If no, consider the challenge accepted.»
Liebestechnisch bekommen wir, was wir verdienen *lach* kleine Spoiler ab hier!!
Luvian wurde ja schon ein wenig als Loveintrest im ersten band eingeführt, aber er wirkte einfach so total Schwul (das mein ich absolut NICHT negativ!!) und im zweiten band ist er doch schon mehr Hetero, aber trotzdem haftet an ihm einfach diesen schwulen Touch, sodass mein herz einfach mehr für Rasmus geschlagen hat! Was mir aber wiederum mega gut gefiel, war, dass Melinda die Beziehung von Luvian und Sorrow sehr cool und modern dargestellt hat! Denn es gab mehrere Szenen in denen Sorrow viel „männlicher“ wirkt als Luvian. Das ist bestimmt nicht jedermanns Sache, aber ich fand es mal erfrischend, auch so ein Pärchen zu sehen.
Alles in allem war es ein sehr gutes Ende, auch wenn mir der zweite Band weniger gut gefiel als der Erste.
Fazit: leider nicht ganz so speziell wie Band eins
April 2, 2019
"Sorrow - for that is all she brings us."
This is a hard review for me to write. A lot because I absolutely loved State of Sorrow, but mostly because I really like Melinda as a person, I find her so cool and share a lot of her ideas and visions of the world. I was even thinking how I would just like not to write a review for Song of Sorrow but then I also think I should be comfortable enough to share my own true feelings. I just do not want to be mean and I'm writing scared because I don't want Melinda do read my words and be sad and/or hurt because of it.
So here it goes...
I was truly excited for this book as I fell in love 100% with the characters in the first novel.
The first third of the book is fine, I mean, there isn't a lot going on but you are just following through the persecutions of the final events on Song of Sorrow, which is completely normal and expected from a sequel.
As the story goes on, the slow development of the plot itself was kind of disappointing. Mostly because you never felt the stakes were getting higher and higher. I mean, they were, for a bit, but then they weren't anymore and we got to the end part with a super unclimactic scene where everything was tying up a little bit too nicely and woohooo happily ever after.
The characters I grew up to love and appreciate where not there anymore. The actions and feelings were rushed and made little sense at times.
How Sorrow was acting tender and thankful to someone who, very aggressively, tried to kill her.
How Luvian and Sorrow were on this flirtatious basis - which is fine and fun - to go into this feeling of love-of-my-life kind of moments.
How Rasmus, who was friend, best friend, lover and by Sorrow's side since forever was just kind of okay with seeing her go. I can even pretend she never shared any real romantic feelings toward Rasmus, for her it might be more physical and somewhere to run to. But he loved her, you can tell that so deeply in his reactions in State of Sorrow, and the lack of it in Song of Sorrow, really felt hollow. Him suddenly being all "go for Luvian" felt out of place and, while I don't want to say what characters are more prone to do or not cuz hello I didn't wrote them and as far I should be concerned, everything is possible if plausible and well written, bUT that's just the thing, Rasmus felt like the kind of guy who would hurt so much from it that he couldn't face Sorrow, very much like when we see him at the Rhyllian party, and not just be over it just like that.
I do appreciate how everyone who cared for Sorrow got together to save her from herself. I mean, Sorrow girl - you should have seen you were just setting yourself up for disaster ! But I liked she committed these mistakes, and I liked her friends refuse to accept the path they were all taking and made something about it. I like she recognized it as the wrong way to solve any problem, on how together they were stronger no matter what.
I very much wish that Queen Melisia had been involved in the aftermath of Vespus crumbling evil plan. It would have been a novelty and maybe even provide a way to escalate the plot. Vespus itself strikes me as an evil entity at most times, but just in the way he discarded other people's lives (including his son's, if needed) to accomplish his goals. Other times I really just saw him as a business man, just trying to get something done (but then there's still his evil and problematic endgame). So yeah, he was the bad guy, and another thing that did not sit well with me was seeing him use Rasmus so badly just to play hero at the last possible opportunity. Again, didn't sit so well, I feel like there was more to be explored and we could have gotten there but we were missing some bits in the between.
There's also Mael. I've always liked Mael and the way you could see the goodness in him, the longing for a family, to be accepted and loved. It pained me at all times to see him being mistreated because of all the political games.
The one thing I do no appreciate is the random queer relationship just throwed in there. This is not the first book where I encounter a scene where suddenly you have people being interested in one another. And that's not even what upsets me. What upsets me it's the way the main character realizes this. There's always the mention to a mischief look in the eye, and a extremely positive position towards it. And I personally feel authors are feeling a little bit tented to put some queer characters out there, even if at last of moments. It is not a bad thing, yet can be accomplished in a more natural way. For me it never made sense Sorrow would be comfortable around Arkady, and if someone who I've started seeing as a brother would even be near him, I could kind of have something to say and not be so okay about it. So, it's that I don't like. The bend of plot and who the characters are to make a queer relationship just pop up out of nowhere. If it's not realistic, I do no enjoy it (even tho, I will say, it's always up to the author to write it however she wants, I mean, it's her story. but as someone with different experiences I will of course see things with different eyes. The story is not less valid for it, it's just not up to my personal taste.)
I really pains me to write this and at the same time is almost therapeutic because everything could have worked so much better. It really feels like the author run out of time and just wrote something to finish it off, without giving it the proper thought, the proper time and truth and deepness it deserved.
State of Sorrow is still a fav and I would highly recommend it. And I'm still interested in reading more from Melinda. And if you read all of this, wooow I applaud you!
This is a hard review for me to write. A lot because I absolutely loved State of Sorrow, but mostly because I really like Melinda as a person, I find her so cool and share a lot of her ideas and visions of the world. I was even thinking how I would just like not to write a review for Song of Sorrow but then I also think I should be comfortable enough to share my own true feelings. I just do not want to be mean and I'm writing scared because I don't want Melinda do read my words and be sad and/or hurt because of it.
So here it goes...
I was truly excited for this book as I fell in love 100% with the characters in the first novel.
The first third of the book is fine, I mean, there isn't a lot going on but you are just following through the persecutions of the final events on Song of Sorrow, which is completely normal and expected from a sequel.
As the story goes on, the slow development of the plot itself was kind of disappointing. Mostly because you never felt the stakes were getting higher and higher. I mean, they were, for a bit, but then they weren't anymore and we got to the end part with a super unclimactic scene where everything was tying up a little bit too nicely and woohooo happily ever after.
The characters I grew up to love and appreciate where not there anymore. The actions and feelings were rushed and made little sense at times.
How Sorrow was acting tender and thankful to someone who, very aggressively, tried to kill her.
How Luvian and Sorrow were on this flirtatious basis - which is fine and fun - to go into this feeling of love-of-my-life kind of moments.
How Rasmus, who was friend, best friend, lover and by Sorrow's side since forever was just kind of okay with seeing her go. I can even pretend she never shared any real romantic feelings toward Rasmus, for her it might be more physical and somewhere to run to. But he loved her, you can tell that so deeply in his reactions in State of Sorrow, and the lack of it in Song of Sorrow, really felt hollow. Him suddenly being all "go for Luvian" felt out of place and, while I don't want to say what characters are more prone to do or not cuz hello I didn't wrote them and as far I should be concerned, everything is possible if plausible and well written, bUT that's just the thing, Rasmus felt like the kind of guy who would hurt so much from it that he couldn't face Sorrow, very much like when we see him at the Rhyllian party, and not just be over it just like that.
I do appreciate how everyone who cared for Sorrow got together to save her from herself. I mean, Sorrow girl - you should have seen you were just setting yourself up for disaster ! But I liked she committed these mistakes, and I liked her friends refuse to accept the path they were all taking and made something about it. I like she recognized it as the wrong way to solve any problem, on how together they were stronger no matter what.
I very much wish that Queen Melisia had been involved in the aftermath of Vespus crumbling evil plan. It would have been a novelty and maybe even provide a way to escalate the plot. Vespus itself strikes me as an evil entity at most times, but just in the way he discarded other people's lives (including his son's, if needed) to accomplish his goals. Other times I really just saw him as a business man, just trying to get something done (but then there's still his evil and problematic endgame). So yeah, he was the bad guy, and another thing that did not sit well with me was seeing him use Rasmus so badly just to play hero at the last possible opportunity. Again, didn't sit so well, I feel like there was more to be explored and we could have gotten there but we were missing some bits in the between.
There's also Mael. I've always liked Mael and the way you could see the goodness in him, the longing for a family, to be accepted and loved. It pained me at all times to see him being mistreated because of all the political games.
The one thing I do no appreciate is the random queer relationship just throwed in there. This is not the first book where I encounter a scene where suddenly you have people being interested in one another. And that's not even what upsets me. What upsets me it's the way the main character realizes this. There's always the mention to a mischief look in the eye, and a extremely positive position towards it. And I personally feel authors are feeling a little bit tented to put some queer characters out there, even if at last of moments. It is not a bad thing, yet can be accomplished in a more natural way. For me it never made sense Sorrow would be comfortable around Arkady, and if someone who I've started seeing as a brother would even be near him, I could kind of have something to say and not be so okay about it. So, it's that I don't like. The bend of plot and who the characters are to make a queer relationship just pop up out of nowhere. If it's not realistic, I do no enjoy it (even tho, I will say, it's always up to the author to write it however she wants, I mean, it's her story. but as someone with different experiences I will of course see things with different eyes. The story is not less valid for it, it's just not up to my personal taste.)
I really pains me to write this and at the same time is almost therapeutic because everything could have worked so much better. It really feels like the author run out of time and just wrote something to finish it off, without giving it the proper thought, the proper time and truth and deepness it deserved.
State of Sorrow is still a fav and I would highly recommend it. And I'm still interested in reading more from Melinda. And if you read all of this, wooow I applaud you!
March 1, 2019
The ending disappointed me. :(
RTC
RTC
April 6, 2019
I already want to reread it 🙈
RTC
RTC
March 1, 2019
Absolutely flipping fantastic.
full review to come
full review to come
May 19, 2019
"She could change. She would change. The only person cursing her was herself. So she had to break it."
I really enjoyed this conclusion to the duology, even though it felt a bit weaker than book one since there weren't as many twists and turns, and the ending was kind of exactly as I'd anticipated. That doesn't make it any less of an amazing ending, I just expected a few more... unexpected conflicts. Still, as in book one, my hightlight were the characters and their relationships, and they're everything I could possibly ask for. I'm yet again in love with Sorrow; her internal struggles are portrayed perfectly, she's just an amazing, strong heroine. I'm also really happy about the diversity of the cast, especially the fact that there was asexual representation. I would have loved to see a bit more of Mael and Arkady's relationship though because it was kind of too much in the background and you couldn't really feel it. Also, I would have liked to see more of Mael in general; same goes for Rasmus; the two of them felt a little left out, the focus was on Sorrow's relationships with Irris and Luvian -- which was still great, of course, because the three of them are my favorite characters. All in all this is a brilliant, unconventional fantasy story with versatile characters, a multilayered plot and a focus on politics, which I find very intriguing.
I really enjoyed this conclusion to the duology, even though it felt a bit weaker than book one since there weren't as many twists and turns, and the ending was kind of exactly as I'd anticipated. That doesn't make it any less of an amazing ending, I just expected a few more... unexpected conflicts. Still, as in book one, my hightlight were the characters and their relationships, and they're everything I could possibly ask for. I'm yet again in love with Sorrow; her internal struggles are portrayed perfectly, she's just an amazing, strong heroine. I'm also really happy about the diversity of the cast, especially the fact that there was asexual representation. I would have loved to see a bit more of Mael and Arkady's relationship though because it was kind of too much in the background and you couldn't really feel it. Also, I would have liked to see more of Mael in general; same goes for Rasmus; the two of them felt a little left out, the focus was on Sorrow's relationships with Irris and Luvian -- which was still great, of course, because the three of them are my favorite characters. All in all this is a brilliant, unconventional fantasy story with versatile characters, a multilayered plot and a focus on politics, which I find very intriguing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 14, 2019
Ugh this is disappointing cause the first one had me looking forward to the conclusion so much. But the ending.... it’s like the author forgot what book she was writing? Or maybe gave up? Everything wrapped up simplistically and very unrealistically. This might be a byproduct of poor world building, there was no new information added just mainly what we knew from book 1. Where are the stakes???? No where.
March 27, 2019
Words cannot express my love for this book. I will return with a full review at some point.
March 26, 2019
It was a great book...on the whole. There were just a couple of things that made we go 😑
Like the moment when Sorrow was ‘kidnapped’ which I’m sure you all heard me screaming about because I was so reading for it to be something crazy and it just wasn’t.
Also, Arkady tried to kill her and Sorrow’s just hear like ‘I’ll never truly forgive him’ or something and it’s like YEAH MAYBE BECAUSE HE NEARLY KILLED YOU?!??!
Then Sorrow just threw Mael’s documents in the fire without even asking him if he wanted them because she doesn’t need to know if he’s an actual Ventaxis so that means no one does?!
But overall I do love the writing and Luvian & Sorrow 💕
Not sure about the ending but I get what Melinda was trying to do with it, I just felt that Sorrow got a little self-absorbed in the end 🙁
Like the moment when Sorrow was ‘kidnapped’ which I’m sure you all heard me screaming about because I was so reading for it to be something crazy and it just wasn’t.
Also, Arkady tried to kill her and Sorrow’s just hear like ‘I’ll never truly forgive him’ or something and it’s like YEAH MAYBE BECAUSE HE NEARLY KILLED YOU?!??!
Then Sorrow just threw Mael’s documents in the fire without even asking him if he wanted them because she doesn’t need to know if he’s an actual Ventaxis so that means no one does?!
But overall I do love the writing and Luvian & Sorrow 💕
Not sure about the ending but I get what Melinda was trying to do with it, I just felt that Sorrow got a little self-absorbed in the end 🙁
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 8, 2019
Noch mehr Intrigen, eine Sorrow, die ich am liebsten geschüttelt hätte und gleichzeitig auch gefeiert habe und ein schönes Ende 🥰
August 12, 2020
And my fears about the love interest came true. Couldn't connect with the romance at all. Otherwise the book started strong, wobbled in the middle and managed to at least end kind of OK.
March 20, 2019
This was nice, but the first book was so much better!
February 20, 2019
First of all a want to say thank you to Melinda and Scholastic UK for sending me a free copy.
„Sorrow – for that is all she brings us.“
Song of Sorrow is the thrilling sequel to State of Sorrow and the last book in the series.
We go on a adventure full of emotions, betrayal, love and lots and lots of politics.
As in State of Sorrow we are getting more into Sorrow Ventaxis mind and feelings and follow her through an adventures and dangerous way of finding yourself , love and the strength and power to change the world.
Sorrow has to make hard choices which will questioning her will power and trust in others and herself! Now that she is the new chancellor she has to change the dark and empty past of Rhannon that her father has left behind. But that’s not enough, she also have to face Vespus Corrigan who blackmails her so he can get land in the north of Rhannon. That’s and much more takes a whole lot out of her and she is scared that she will lose herself at some point. But will she? That’s something you have to find out for yourself.
The supporting characters of the story were brilliant and really entertaining. So there we have Sorrows best friend Irris that you would die for to have as a friend too. She is fun and suppotive but also will call you out on yout bullshit behavior.
Than there is Irris father who is just like his daughter and who loves Sorrow as his of daughter.
Rasmus is also there too and who didn’t loved him in the first book, right? The are no words needed for this glorious boy. Same goes also for Sorrow’s brother Mael who is, spoiler, a part of the LGBTQ community!!! Love me some gays.
But the best and most precious character is Luvian Fen. If you didn’t already loved him in the first book than you will fall in love with him in this one. His arrogant and yet so loveable attitude made me swoon and smiling and made me feel every emotion that you can imagine of.
There also plenty of other great characters that you will love and hate or maybe both?
Song Of Sorrow will answere all the open questions that were left open in the first book and explores more of the Rhyllian’s powers and their limits.
The climax of the story is definitley the end. During the read we are getting in really intese situation which will have a big inpact on our characters but the end is what makes this book so wonderful and brilliant. Our friends have to face a new great danger which will bring them closer together than before and even a old enemy is going to offer his help. So what is this new danger and how is it going to end?
Final thoughts
Song of Sorrow is a book that will make you scream at the characters, cry with them and fall in love. It’s shows us that we always can count on our friends and families and that we have to fight our own demonds to finally accept the help from them .
Also Melinda’s writing is exciting and really addictive and makes you scream for more. Each page is a total enjoyment and it never gets boring.
For me Song of Sorrow is definitley a 5/5🌟 read. So go ahead and pre order this beautie today! Don’t wait, do it right now!!!
„Sorrow – for that is all she brings us.“
Song of Sorrow is the thrilling sequel to State of Sorrow and the last book in the series.
We go on a adventure full of emotions, betrayal, love and lots and lots of politics.
As in State of Sorrow we are getting more into Sorrow Ventaxis mind and feelings and follow her through an adventures and dangerous way of finding yourself , love and the strength and power to change the world.
Sorrow has to make hard choices which will questioning her will power and trust in others and herself! Now that she is the new chancellor she has to change the dark and empty past of Rhannon that her father has left behind. But that’s not enough, she also have to face Vespus Corrigan who blackmails her so he can get land in the north of Rhannon. That’s and much more takes a whole lot out of her and she is scared that she will lose herself at some point. But will she? That’s something you have to find out for yourself.
The supporting characters of the story were brilliant and really entertaining. So there we have Sorrows best friend Irris that you would die for to have as a friend too. She is fun and suppotive but also will call you out on yout bullshit behavior.
Than there is Irris father who is just like his daughter and who loves Sorrow as his of daughter.
Rasmus is also there too and who didn’t loved him in the first book, right? The are no words needed for this glorious boy. Same goes also for Sorrow’s brother Mael who is, spoiler, a part of the LGBTQ community!!! Love me some gays.
But the best and most precious character is Luvian Fen. If you didn’t already loved him in the first book than you will fall in love with him in this one. His arrogant and yet so loveable attitude made me swoon and smiling and made me feel every emotion that you can imagine of.
There also plenty of other great characters that you will love and hate or maybe both?
Song Of Sorrow will answere all the open questions that were left open in the first book and explores more of the Rhyllian’s powers and their limits.
The climax of the story is definitley the end. During the read we are getting in really intese situation which will have a big inpact on our characters but the end is what makes this book so wonderful and brilliant. Our friends have to face a new great danger which will bring them closer together than before and even a old enemy is going to offer his help. So what is this new danger and how is it going to end?
Final thoughts
Song of Sorrow is a book that will make you scream at the characters, cry with them and fall in love. It’s shows us that we always can count on our friends and families and that we have to fight our own demonds to finally accept the help from them .
Also Melinda’s writing is exciting and really addictive and makes you scream for more. Each page is a total enjoyment and it never gets boring.
For me Song of Sorrow is definitley a 5/5🌟 read. So go ahead and pre order this beautie today! Don’t wait, do it right now!!!
June 1, 2020
When I read State of Sorrow I fell in love with Melinda Salisbury's writing and the wonderful world she built in the book. When I could pre-order this book on her personal website and get it signed I did so right away. However, for some reason, I didn't read the book. It looked very pretty on the shelf, but it stood there for quite some time. For too long, actually. This morning I actually decided to finally change that.
And from start to finish it was once more a mesmerizing and amazingly well written story. Salisbury's writing style really fits this world, these characters and the story she's trying to tell. It creates the right atmosphere. And where the first book was very much a story of a girl slowly discovering the web of political intrige, this is more a story of changing the world, slowly, one step at a time. It's about figuring out what you stand for and then fighting for it with everything you have.
Watching Sorrow grow more and more into her own person is such a pleasure and joy. This is not a story about girl growing into a Queen and a ruler, it's a story about a girl slowly growing into her own person. We get to see more of what she thinks and what she feels, we learn more about her dreams and her own vision of the future and we see her figuring out what's really important. The growth is slow, but steady and interesting.
And actually that can be said about the entire plot. The story is not spectacular or filled with action, but it's interesting and steady. There is a lot going on. A lot of scheming, planning and a lot of political intrige. Nothing in the story goes easy, far from it, actually. And although there's a lot of talking, it never gets boring. And eventually we also get a fitting and satisfying ending to the story.
I have a few more Salisbury books on the shelf, waiting to be read. Maybe I won't wait so long this time to pick up the next one.
And from start to finish it was once more a mesmerizing and amazingly well written story. Salisbury's writing style really fits this world, these characters and the story she's trying to tell. It creates the right atmosphere. And where the first book was very much a story of a girl slowly discovering the web of political intrige, this is more a story of changing the world, slowly, one step at a time. It's about figuring out what you stand for and then fighting for it with everything you have.
Watching Sorrow grow more and more into her own person is such a pleasure and joy. This is not a story about girl growing into a Queen and a ruler, it's a story about a girl slowly growing into her own person. We get to see more of what she thinks and what she feels, we learn more about her dreams and her own vision of the future and we see her figuring out what's really important. The growth is slow, but steady and interesting.
And actually that can be said about the entire plot. The story is not spectacular or filled with action, but it's interesting and steady. There is a lot going on. A lot of scheming, planning and a lot of political intrige. Nothing in the story goes easy, far from it, actually. And although there's a lot of talking, it never gets boring. And eventually we also get a fitting and satisfying ending to the story.
I have a few more Salisbury books on the shelf, waiting to be read. Maybe I won't wait so long this time to pick up the next one.
June 19, 2020
Excellent stuff. Review to follow
I have had this series on my shelf for a long time: I admit freely that I bought the 1st book for the cover - a masterpiece of a cover - and that was delighted to hear from my friend Tara that the book was very good.
And it is, good, great in fact.
If this series is Salisbury debut let's hope she writes and writes and writes for years to come. This fantasy focuses on the intrigue and political machinations in a country which is founded on revolution against a monarchy but has since replicated all the trappings of a totalitarian regime. Especially after the death of the dinasty scion and his mother. The incredibly long period of mourning imposed by the regime is just about the most on the nose representation of the idiocy of oligarchs.
Within the political intrigue (which I will not spoil) there is also the importance of family found and chosen and the importance of self definition.
Sorrow is a fantastic MC - raised in the world of politics and intrigue she embraces it because she must whether she has reservations about it or not. This is a most appreciated trait in fantasy MCs written by non usian writers. Where most usians heroines moan constantly about their selfish needs (oh I don't want to be the chosen one, oh but I am, oh but who cares about the revolution blah blah blah) Sorrow knows that she has no choice but to take charge of her country and does so knowledgeably and with a strong sense of responsibility (with a momentary lapse of judgement which I ascribe to youth and inexperience) which will ultimately repay her dedication.
All in all this was an excellent read which I happily recommend.
I have had this series on my shelf for a long time: I admit freely that I bought the 1st book for the cover - a masterpiece of a cover - and that was delighted to hear from my friend Tara that the book was very good.
And it is, good, great in fact.
If this series is Salisbury debut let's hope she writes and writes and writes for years to come. This fantasy focuses on the intrigue and political machinations in a country which is founded on revolution against a monarchy but has since replicated all the trappings of a totalitarian regime. Especially after the death of the dinasty scion and his mother. The incredibly long period of mourning imposed by the regime is just about the most on the nose representation of the idiocy of oligarchs.
Within the political intrigue (which I will not spoil) there is also the importance of family found and chosen and the importance of self definition.
Sorrow is a fantastic MC - raised in the world of politics and intrigue she embraces it because she must whether she has reservations about it or not. This is a most appreciated trait in fantasy MCs written by non usian writers. Where most usians heroines moan constantly about their selfish needs (oh I don't want to be the chosen one, oh but I am, oh but who cares about the revolution blah blah blah) Sorrow knows that she has no choice but to take charge of her country and does so knowledgeably and with a strong sense of responsibility (with a momentary lapse of judgement which I ascribe to youth and inexperience) which will ultimately repay her dedication.
All in all this was an excellent read which I happily recommend.
May 1, 2022
Did this book live up to the intense hype that book one built in me? Not completely, but then that’s an impossibly high standard to hit twice so I don’t hold it against Sorrow 2 for being good in different ways.
I spent alot of time at the beginning of this book angry with Sorrow for not doing any of the things I saw as common sense. And that frustration are at some of the angst that otherwise would have fed me for the entire book. That is where the star was lost for the most part.
Did I also feel the end could have been a little messier in its conclusion? Absolutely I do. But I’m also not mad at an ending that concludes “everything is fucked so everything must chang.” I admire the hell out of that thought process honestly.
I can’t wait to read more by this author.
I spent alot of time at the beginning of this book angry with Sorrow for not doing any of the things I saw as common sense. And that frustration are at some of the angst that otherwise would have fed me for the entire book. That is where the star was lost for the most part.
Did I also feel the end could have been a little messier in its conclusion? Absolutely I do. But I’m also not mad at an ending that concludes “everything is fucked so everything must chang.” I admire the hell out of that thought process honestly.
I can’t wait to read more by this author.
February 29, 2020
I actually liked this more than the first book I think! The first 50-100 pages the main character annoyed me but it was so worth continuing.
I don't know why but I was super invested in the main characters and loved their relationships and interactions with each other.
The writing itself was super fast paced and easy to read I flew through this. It was also an advantage that there was no much explanation needed in this book as it just take soff where the last one left so you didn't really need to learn anything haha.
I don't know why but I was super invested in the main characters and loved their relationships and interactions with each other.
The writing itself was super fast paced and easy to read I flew through this. It was also an advantage that there was no much explanation needed in this book as it just take soff where the last one left so you didn't really need to learn anything haha.
February 23, 2019
4.5⭐️
Because that ending! I mean I get it. I know why it was as it was but I really wanted to know so...🤷🏻♀️
Also, I’ll take one Luvian Fen to go please ����😄
Because that ending! I mean I get it. I know why it was as it was but I really wanted to know so...🤷🏻♀️
Also, I’ll take one Luvian Fen to go please ����😄
Shelved as 'did-not-finish'
May 22, 2020DNF for now because my copy started physically falling apart as I was reading it.
My fault entirely, I was reading it outside in the sun and it deteriorated the glue.
I read about 1/3 and it was absolutely excellent.
My fault entirely, I was reading it outside in the sun and it deteriorated the glue.
I read about 1/3 and it was absolutely excellent.
February 16, 2019
I am now dead. RIP Nikki, died from overdosing on an amazing book, 16th Feb 2109. 💀
I was lucky enough to win a copy of Song of Sorrow from the publisher. And this morning, when I finished my reread of State of Sorrow, I was therefore able to just dive back in. Pushing all my plans askew and gleefully indulging in the beauty that is this world. 😍😍
I have NO idea how I can possibly review this without spoilers, but I’m going to give it my best shot as it deserves people reading it unspoiled.
Firstly, it really does pick up where State leaves off, and glories in the build up of that world and the politics, skullduggery and general underhandedness that Sorrow has had to face. Basically, it starts with all the things I loved best about State.
I challenge anyone to read this and not feel what Sorrow feels, and not want to hug her. My heart broke so many times in the first half. And I continue to adore her relationships with those around her, even when they are hard to read. Charon in particular, given what we learned in Sorrow, is wonderful to read. As is Mael.
I particularly want to shout about the romance in this book - as you may well know I am NOT a fan of romance in general. Well apparently I was wrong and this is fantastic and I love and and and and... *flails* I don’t want to spoil ships, but the first one is so lovely, especially the way taking the relationship further is written, I adored that so much, I don’t even have words to properly explain how. Just gorgeous. And so rare to see it written that way round. And the second surprised me and made me squeal. So cute. 😍😍😍
Right, now I’m done with all the silly romance (never, not done, still loving it, will rave about it to everyone I meet), back to the plot! I loved the general plot so much. The story with the decorum ward wasn’t too surprising, but it is still brilliant, because I love the whole fury of it. And I love everything with Vespus. He’s just straight up evil. I think how it all plays out is almost a little too convenient, but I still loved it. It allowed me to have the book I wanted this to be, with the overall ending I wanted.
Basically, you should read this series if you like politics and intrigue, and well written romance, and awesome women, and fantasy set novels that aren’t necessarily about the fantasy. This ticks every box for me. 💙💙
I was lucky enough to win a copy of Song of Sorrow from the publisher. And this morning, when I finished my reread of State of Sorrow, I was therefore able to just dive back in. Pushing all my plans askew and gleefully indulging in the beauty that is this world. 😍😍
I have NO idea how I can possibly review this without spoilers, but I’m going to give it my best shot as it deserves people reading it unspoiled.
Firstly, it really does pick up where State leaves off, and glories in the build up of that world and the politics, skullduggery and general underhandedness that Sorrow has had to face. Basically, it starts with all the things I loved best about State.
I challenge anyone to read this and not feel what Sorrow feels, and not want to hug her. My heart broke so many times in the first half. And I continue to adore her relationships with those around her, even when they are hard to read. Charon in particular, given what we learned in Sorrow, is wonderful to read. As is Mael.
I particularly want to shout about the romance in this book - as you may well know I am NOT a fan of romance in general. Well apparently I was wrong and this is fantastic and I love and and and and... *flails* I don’t want to spoil ships, but the first one is so lovely, especially the way taking the relationship further is written, I adored that so much, I don’t even have words to properly explain how. Just gorgeous. And so rare to see it written that way round. And the second surprised me and made me squeal. So cute. 😍😍😍
Right, now I’m done with all the silly romance (never, not done, still loving it, will rave about it to everyone I meet), back to the plot! I loved the general plot so much. The story with the decorum ward wasn’t too surprising, but it is still brilliant, because I love the whole fury of it. And I love everything with Vespus. He’s just straight up evil. I think how it all plays out is almost a little too convenient, but I still loved it. It allowed me to have the book I wanted this to be, with the overall ending I wanted.
Basically, you should read this series if you like politics and intrigue, and well written romance, and awesome women, and fantasy set novels that aren’t necessarily about the fantasy. This ticks every box for me. 💙💙
January 30, 2023
Song of Sorrow picks up right from book 1 where Sorrow has been made Chancellor of Ventaxis. This book follows Sorrow under the control of Vespus Corrigan but Sorrow fights to free herself from him.
Sequels are really hard to follow especially because majority of them flop. But if I am honest I think the sequel in this case is better than the first book! It is so much more fast paced, and again the things I remembered and I forgot it is always so shocking when you read it. I loved this more because of the character developments. Sorrow really comes into her own but so do the others. I loved the chapters with the Rathbones and their elaborate plan to save Sorrow. Re-reading it made me realise how they exposed Vespus wasn't as explosive as I wanted it to be but it still worked well. I loved the ending but so sad it ended there. It really could have carried on with I don't know people finding out Sorrow's true identity or Irris wanting to become chancellor. I just don't want it to end, it was amazing. Guess I will just have to re-read again! 😁
Quotes/
'Power is temporary-even the most zealous dictator knows it. Power is a vampire, a tick that attaches itself to a host and sucks life from them. The only question is how long you can keep the tick on your vein. How long can you hold on to power?'
'I don't want more than I need - that's the trick to holding power. Only take what you can comfortably manage.'
'We can't alter the past, but we can reshape the future.'
Sequels are really hard to follow especially because majority of them flop. But if I am honest I think the sequel in this case is better than the first book! It is so much more fast paced, and again the things I remembered and I forgot it is always so shocking when you read it. I loved this more because of the character developments. Sorrow really comes into her own but so do the others. I loved the chapters with the Rathbones and their elaborate plan to save Sorrow. Re-reading it made me realise how they exposed Vespus wasn't as explosive as I wanted it to be but it still worked well. I loved the ending but so sad it ended there. It really could have carried on with I don't know people finding out Sorrow's true identity or Irris wanting to become chancellor. I just don't want it to end, it was amazing. Guess I will just have to re-read again! 😁
Quotes/
'Power is temporary-even the most zealous dictator knows it. Power is a vampire, a tick that attaches itself to a host and sucks life from them. The only question is how long you can keep the tick on your vein. How long can you hold on to power?'
'I don't want more than I need - that's the trick to holding power. Only take what you can comfortably manage.'
'We can't alter the past, but we can reshape the future.'
March 24, 2019
3.5 stars
I am super emotional that this series is over. I think this is because I am really attached to characters- not all of them, but definitely Sorrow and Luvian.
This book wasn’t necessarily amazing in my opinion. I definitely preferred the first book, which I thought was better developed. In this sequel, the plot felt rushed. The whole plot with Vespus was too easily solved (although solved probably isn’t the right word, since Sorrow didn’t really have to solve anything), which was underwhelming. I wanted there to be a proper solution that involved political intrigue but unfortunately that didn’t happen.
I also would have liked more development of Mael and Arkady’s relationship. It could have been so cute but I felt as if it was just included to add another dimension, one that wasn’t developed enough to be an interesting romance.
I did really enjoy Sorrow and Luvian’s relationship, primarily the build up to it. For the first time in forever, I was actually fangirling over a relationship, which hardly ever happens😂 I loved reading how they were flustered around each other and how their feelings were developing. Some of the magic went away when they finally got together, but I still adore them as a couple.
Overall, I didn’t think it was a fantastic conclusion because it felt underdeveloped. However, I will severely miss this series and the characters.
I am super emotional that this series is over. I think this is because I am really attached to characters- not all of them, but definitely Sorrow and Luvian.
This book wasn’t necessarily amazing in my opinion. I definitely preferred the first book, which I thought was better developed. In this sequel, the plot felt rushed. The whole plot with Vespus was too easily solved (although solved probably isn’t the right word, since Sorrow didn’t really have to solve anything), which was underwhelming. I wanted there to be a proper solution that involved political intrigue but unfortunately that didn’t happen.
I also would have liked more development of Mael and Arkady’s relationship. It could have been so cute but I felt as if it was just included to add another dimension, one that wasn’t developed enough to be an interesting romance.
I did really enjoy Sorrow and Luvian’s relationship, primarily the build up to it. For the first time in forever, I was actually fangirling over a relationship, which hardly ever happens😂 I loved reading how they were flustered around each other and how their feelings were developing. Some of the magic went away when they finally got together, but I still adore them as a couple.
Overall, I didn’t think it was a fantastic conclusion because it felt underdeveloped. However, I will severely miss this series and the characters.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
April 14, 2019Reading this made me kind of angry. I really enjoyed the first book, it was one of my favourites last year but this conclusion was honestly a disappointment.
Full of tropes, boring, cliche and simplistic. I am too annoyed to write a proper review. The first 250 pages could have been easily cut down to 50, the last 100+ pages were a simplistic solution to a duology that deserved so much better than a standard happy ending. Making the first book a standalone would have been the better choice and I am tired of publishers/authors prolonging series into unnecessarily boring stories. Reading this gave me a major reading slump. I won't rate it, as I think my reading experience was extremely subjective. It would probably be a 2 star read for me. The writing is still very good but the characters, storyline and plot devices are so far from what has been introduced in the first book I couldn't bring myself to care for anything else.
Full of tropes, boring, cliche and simplistic. I am too annoyed to write a proper review. The first 250 pages could have been easily cut down to 50, the last 100+ pages were a simplistic solution to a duology that deserved so much better than a standard happy ending. Making the first book a standalone would have been the better choice and I am tired of publishers/authors prolonging series into unnecessarily boring stories. Reading this gave me a major reading slump. I won't rate it, as I think my reading experience was extremely subjective. It would probably be a 2 star read for me. The writing is still very good but the characters, storyline and plot devices are so far from what has been introduced in the first book I couldn't bring myself to care for anything else.
May 27, 2019
I don't know why this book made less of an impression than the first one, but it did. I still really loved it, but it didn't blow me away like State of Sorrow did. Then again, it still is a lovely book, mainly political driven, even when there is more romance than in the first one. I liked the ending, even when it seemed to be a bit easy at some points.
February 27, 2019
It didn’t take long for me to sink back into the storyline and it was pretty clear that Sorrow was not particularly enjoying her new role as Chancellor of Rhannon.
This book had a completely different feel to the first, I guess because Sorrow was in a position of power this time. Unfortunately a side effect of that power was that she was susceptible to bribery, friendship struggles and other tricky situations. I got the feeling she was overwhelmed by her new lifestyle and this led to her not always making the best choices or reacting to things in a harsh manner.
I found myself hooked as she navigated her way through some dark and difficult times. The twists and turns were exciting and constantly kept me guessing where the storyline was heading next. I gasped out loud in shock during a particularly scary intervention and then again at the revelation that followed!
I enjoyed seeing Sorrow blossom and grow stronger as the story progressed, her decisions became clearer and I loved where the story ended up.
An addictive and gasp-inducing read that left me with a smile on my face.
This book had a completely different feel to the first, I guess because Sorrow was in a position of power this time. Unfortunately a side effect of that power was that she was susceptible to bribery, friendship struggles and other tricky situations. I got the feeling she was overwhelmed by her new lifestyle and this led to her not always making the best choices or reacting to things in a harsh manner.
I found myself hooked as she navigated her way through some dark and difficult times. The twists and turns were exciting and constantly kept me guessing where the storyline was heading next. I gasped out loud in shock during a particularly scary intervention and then again at the revelation that followed!
I enjoyed seeing Sorrow blossom and grow stronger as the story progressed, her decisions became clearer and I loved where the story ended up.
An addictive and gasp-inducing read that left me with a smile on my face.
March 25, 2021
I’m not even a massive fan of stories with politics but I absolutely loved these books. This was mostly politics but I found it really interesting, it was spiced up with the mystery’s, secrets and lies. I loved that the romance in the story didn’t take over the story too.
I think for the whole first half, this book was giving me extreme anxieties. You were just watching things turn more disastrous for Sorrow and it didn’t seem like there would be a way out that would be good. I really took to Sorrow as a character, she was flawed and really likeable, I really wanted things to end well for her hence my worrying. Things seem to be on the up when then more trouble strikes. It was a rollercoaster but everything ended as I feel it should have. This book wrapped everything up in a nice little bow for me and I love endings neatly wrapped up.
Definitely going to read more of this authors books as I am intrigued.
I think for the whole first half, this book was giving me extreme anxieties. You were just watching things turn more disastrous for Sorrow and it didn’t seem like there would be a way out that would be good. I really took to Sorrow as a character, she was flawed and really likeable, I really wanted things to end well for her hence my worrying. Things seem to be on the up when then more trouble strikes. It was a rollercoaster but everything ended as I feel it should have. This book wrapped everything up in a nice little bow for me and I love endings neatly wrapped up.
Definitely going to read more of this authors books as I am intrigued.
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