It has been a long time since I have read a series that I could not put down and yearned for the ending but not wanting it to end.

Amazing and original multiple storylines continue to draw you in. The characters are complex with histories, goals and emotions that pull you into them. Much darker than the first book in the series, I gave it 4 stars as I would have appreciated some lightness or breaks in the storyline. I look forward to the next book in the series.

I didn't see that coming. Just when I thought I knew where it was going it threw me a curve ball

Brilliantly crafted by Carlson, the saga is a thrilling combination of individual characters who are destined to face each other in mortal combat that will decide the fate of all the kingdoms.

The story unfolding is gripping. The pacing of book 2 was a bit uneven - the story would race headlong and then it would seemingly stutter to a shuffle. A considerable amount of world lore was also in this 'chapter'.Trigger warning: rape is used as a torture devise by the baddies. It's not constant by any means, but it *is* there several times in mostly non-graphic manner (i.e. it had happened, no explicit details except for an extremely brief bit wherein the rapist was immediately dispatched). It is not gratuitous. Including this because no one should be blindsided.

The book moved pieces on the chessboard, but in truth, nothing progressed toward the checkmate needed when the true Rennkavi faces off with the false.There were many dark moments of violence and death in this book, and I’m convinced they weren’t essential to the story.But of course I must read book three to find out how all the pieces get to the SAME chessboard since they’re scattered across the continent and into the Void.

The Kingsmen are split apart as they flee from Alrou-Mendera. They are flung to different parts of the world so that they can learn what needs to be done to defeat Laurhent and bring unity to the divided kingdoms.A great action/adventure story with betrayal, love lost and love found, magic, and death. A great cast of characters that will intrigue and mystify you. Superb world-craft and a well-drawn story will keep you enthralled from beginning to end.

This is the second installment of The Kingsmen Chronicles. There is a lot in this book. Although in some ways it appears that not much happens, if you look carefully, all kinds of stuff is going on.In some ways, things appear to be getting better. Many people come to realize that Castellan Lhaurent is not the person they want running Alrou-Mendera and join the forces opposed to him, wherever these forces might be. Several different kinds of power from the remote past are rediscovered or brought back to life. Some of the people working for Alrou-Mendera acquire or reveal new powers.But working against that, Castellan Lhaurent kills off a lot of other people. Some of these are people he had appeared to be working with. Many are minor players, such as much of the army of Elsthemen. And some are fairly important main characters.We discover that there are a lot more Kehemni than previously thought. Many of them are hostile to the Alrashemni, but some, it turns out, are not. It is these people, both the enemies and the friends of the Alrashemni, who are a main focus of this book.In this book, there are big battles and up close and personal fights. A second city with a treacherous clockwork underground is discovered. And a fantastic ice palace is revealed.

This book avoids the dreaded second book let down. This was much like the first book, excellently written,well developed characters and fascinating plot. Lots of little secrets come sneaking out through this story, all hinting to some great secret soon to be revealed. Love this sort of storytelling, it just sucks you in.

This is definitely a long-reaching work. There are so many things going on that you feel compelled to keep reading to find out where the threads will intersect. It does get a bit slow at times, especially as you are waiting for the story to get back to a certain thread. All in all, however, a very compelling and entertaining read.

I received the first book in the series at no cost and was hooked. As soon as I finished the first, I purchased the second and again the third after completing the second. The characters are engaging, human, flawed, and complex. They change their loyalties as they learn more about themselves, their world, and their history. I can't put it down and am anxious to see how this one ends.

I got Blackmark in my email from a friend and then sat down and started reading and loosing all taxk of time until I was getting tired and realized that I was reading all day. So I had to get Bloodmarked and again fell in love. I love the world how it is set up and can not wait for more stories in this world I can see many many stories from this world that will keep the masses inthralled!

This is a sweeping epic, with love, magic, battles, and friendship stirred together, resulting in a book series that captures one's interest quickly and holds it throughout. I find it more similar to Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series than Game of Thrones, if you are familiar with either series. That said, there were moments where I put the story down in frustration or boredom, usually when it came to Khenria and Dherran. I didn't find Khenria likeable and Dherran, so far for me in both this and the first book, is just boring. I love Theroun, Temlin, and many others, and with such a wide cast of characters, the two I didn't care for weren't too distracting. I am looking forward to how the story resolves in the third book.There are some errors in the book, but as stated by another reviewer, it was only a minor annoyance. All said, this series is worth your time.

Awesome book.What can I say about this book? It has made me cry, it has made me laugh, it had made me think, it had me feel a vicious hatred towards a character, what I had not fell in a long time.It all starts well and good with all players in their place and without a worry of they will achieve, but then disaster strikes, and the traitors (willing or mind bended) come crash in and all hell gets loss. This is a very short but accurate resume of this book.It is a wonderful continuation of book one, with even more twists and turns that will make your head spin and is also an interlude to the next one, where we will see how things will go and will end up. Although I think only one more book will not be enough to tell the all story.

This series can now definitely be referred to as Epic Fantasy. Bloodmark, the second book in the trilogy, picks up right where the first book left off, and continues to build with more mystery, action, world-reveal, and character development than one could expect in one book. The action splits up to many previously unvisited parts of the world, and the history is slowly filled in by characters old and new.... and what a history, enough to be compared even to Tolkien's Middle Earth as generation before generation could provide fodder for prequel stories for generations to come.... I'm hooked and cannot wait for book 3. And that battle strategy in the north? PRICELESS!!!!

Bought the 2nd book right after I read the first one, there was no question it was going to be as epic as the first one. Things really get to a head as we find out where all the pieces fit and get a hint at the bigger picture. Everything comes into play here, love found, love lost, heartbreak and of course more of the mystery that has been the instigation of so many incidents. Waiting now for book 3 with great impatience.

I received this free advanced review copy in exchange for an honest review.Blackmark was good but Bloodmark was even better! I felt like I was watching a movie while reading book. The storyline was interesting and well-written. I loved the maps too. 😊 The editing was better but still found a few typos and wrong words used but not enough to distract me from the story. The characters were well developed. I am looking forward to reading book 3.I would definitely recommend this book.

I REALLY loved this book. I have read tons and tons of books thoughout the years and I can honestly say I have loved most of them over the years but until in the last 20 or so I can't say I was ever so viscerally affected. Jean Lowe Carlson much like George R.R. Martin and Patrick Rothfuss has brought forth emotions in me that books from my youth never could. I'm not saying I did not love all the old tried and true fantasy classics but they never made you feel the evil like some of these authors today do. The evil was just some shadowy something that had to be over come. Not right there in your face doing something so terrible you YEARN to leap into the pages and rip them limb from limb because of they way they killed off your favorite character or the things they did to someone truly good and innocent. When I pick up a book up and can't put it down and then once I finish it I feel completely emotionally wrung out well I call that a great reading experience.

Absolute fantastic follow up to Blackmark. I was not disappointed in any way. Although one of the main characters does die, which really ticked me off, it is an Epic story and people do die. Again, I was riveted to the book and hating to have to stop and put it down. I stand by my first review of Blackmark, and can say I do believe this author is destined to become one of the better know Fantasy writers. The story is complex and the characters are well developed and intertwined in so many ways. A great read, exciting, and spellbinding. I can't wait for the third book.

I loved the first book in this series, and the second is even better. I am generally disappointed in fantasy as a genre due to poor writing, completely derivative storylines, and utterly ridiculous events. As I said in review of the 1st book, this series, like, say, GOThrones, is solid writing and storytelling that doesn't insult our intelligence every chapter. When characters get in trouble, they way out is never contrived, it's always well within character and a completely rational flow of events (no deus ex machina here) -- but sometimes when there's no way out, there's really no way out! And we say goodbye to a beloved character -- no spoiler but life-threatening danger in this book is really life-threatening danger. The story gets more & more complex, but never complicated. The imaginative and compelling depth of the history that works through the characters is revealed in an organic way as events unfold and the characters learn more & more about the present and the past. Can't wait for book #3!