The Jaguar Path by Anna Stephens
The Jaguar Path by Anna Stephens
We salute her with a bloody gauntlet’
Daily Mail
The Jaguar Path by Anna Stephens is published on 16th February 2023 by Harper Voyager. My thanks to the author and publisher for sending me a copy to review and Anne Cater of Random Book Tours for inviting me to take part on the tour.
Synopsis
The Empire of Songs reigns supreme.
Across all the lands of Ixachipan, its hypnotic, magical music sounds.
Those who battled against the Empire have been enslaved and dispersed, taken far from their friends and their homes.
In the Singing City, Xessa must fight for the entertainment of her captors. Lilla and thousands of warriors are trained to serve as weapons for their enemies.
And Tayan is trapped at the heart of the Empire’s power and magic, where the ruthless Enet’s ambition is ever growing.
Each of them harbours a secret hope, waiting for a chance to strike at the Empire from within.
But first they must overcome their own desires.
Power can seduce as well as crush.
And, in exchange for their loyalty, the Empire promises much.
My Review
Aside from the amazingly beautiful cover I was hooked as soon as I opened the book and saw a map. I don't know what it is about maps in books but as soon as I see one I am drawn straight away into the fantasy world the author is creating in your imagination.
The Jaguar Path is the second book in The Songs of the Drowned fantasy trilogy, following on two years from The Stone Knife. As a lover of fantasy books this trilogy , so far, is on a par with, and will appeal to, fans of Melanie Rawn and Trudi Canavan.
From my perspective the story does not move on at the same frenetic pace as The Stone Knife and it feels as though Anna is developing her main characters ready for a final push in the last book of the trilogy. A lot of the excellent, descriptive writing which we have come to expect from Anna is used to develop the characters, and the positions they now find themselves in , two years after we last read about them. Lilla, Tayan and Xessa are all in different situations fighting to stay alive. Lilla is undergoing rigorous and gruelling training as a soldier, Tayan is being treated as the plaything of The Singer when her life can be snuffed out on a whim, and Xessa is fighting in the pits for the entertainment of her captors.
Anna develops the characters, their survival strategies and how they are thinking in great depth and , as a reader you fell that you are being drawn into their minds, how they work and what they are thinking and planning. For me this character development is a huge bonus and I felt that in The Jaguar Path I now had the time to get to know them without being taken up by, what at times to me seemed like a whirlwind of events in The Stone Knife.
The ending of the book is mind blowing and leaves you wondering , and in suspense as to how Lilla, Tayan and Xessa are going to be abler to come back from it for the third, and final, book.
I recommend The Jaguar Book wholeheartedly as a 5 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 read, however in my opinion, you do need to read The Stone Knife first.
About the Author
Anna Stephens has worked in a variety of roles over the years, the latest being in marketing and communications for an international law firm. She’s currently living the dream as a full-time writer and hopes never to have to get a proper job again. Anna loves all things speculative and horrifying, from books to film to TV, and is a second Dan black belt in Shotokan Karate, as well as a keen weightlifter and beginner swordfighter
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