Vilest Things (Flesh and False Gods 2) by Chloe Gong
4 stars
Out: Sept 10 2024
Calla has succeeded in eradicating King Kasa and now serves as royal advisor to the new king, August. But she knows it's not really him. Anton is furious about her betrayal and does not want to give up his newfound power. But when his first love Otta awakens from her years-long coma and divulges a secret that threatens the monarchy, chaos erupts. All the while an unknown threat is coming their way...
Leaps right into the moment where Anton has jumped into August so we get to see what happened there. Then we go to Calla after the coronation. I adore how she is in everyone's faces, not adopting 'diplomacy' for her new position. With bated breath we anticipate the expected tension between the former partners and to see if they will tear each other apart. Their interactions are definitely a highlight for the reader.
After kind of sputtering in the beginning, the engine starts and the book finds its flow. It is wonderfully paced from then on and feels grounded in reality and is casually immersive. There is an understated power to the storytelling as events and shocking revelations (my jaw hurt from dropping for a few) come to be without loud fanfare but as parts of the characters' journey, making the impact of the oncoming thrill even more dynamic. The narrator is an observer and a philosophical undercurrent is felt. The figurative speech gifts us with unconventional and vivid images. I've always admired Gong's flair for visuality.
There is a lot of info to digest about what is happening in this powder keg of a brutal word, but given in a matter-of-fact, 'friend telling you how it is' tone to make it for the most part pleasantly readable and interesting. It feels like Talin itself is taking part in the story with interjections that set the overall mood and situation.
I really had no idea where this sequel would be going, without the games as its 'main attraction' though the author has built a captivating world and mythology. The characters appear to do things that seem out of character but really aren't and I love it. There is so much to unpack and reveal having to do with truths. About Calla, Anton, Otta and Talin as a whole. But also mysterious deaths that have to do with qi along with some other tidbits promising intrigue, excitement and the Machiavellian, cutthroat streak continues in this installment too.
Breaking the status quo is an important theme here as is social inequality. It deals with the difference between justice and revenge. The book encourages us to stand up for what is right, for what we believe in.
I am so happy when a series gets better with book two and doesn't squander its potential. This sequel sets foundations for epicness and achieves it. The finale of this series is going to be glorious.
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