Return to the Isles of Storm and Sorrow (AKA My second vacation in Pain Town)

What is up my little book nerds, I’m back and look at me! Posting two days in a row! That is what we call character development in the book business. Little insight for you there, you’re welcome.

So, you might have seen yesterday, and on Friday, that I’m a little bit obsessed with the Isles of Storm and Sorrow series by Bex Hogan, so much so that I’m helping to host the Viper-thon, a readathon based around the world that Bex created, and I’ve been recapping and reviewing the series so far. Yesterday, I belted through Viper, the first book in the trilogy and the initial cause of my obsession (and love for Bronn, my baby)so if you haven’t read that, you can here. Today, though, is book 2, Venom, and ooooooooh its a doozy, so lets get on with it!

From here on out, there be spoilers, so if you care about them, read on at your own risk. Literally, the next sentence spoils the end of Viper. You have been warned.

When we left Marianne and her broody, muscled bae, she’d just killed her “father”, Adler, the former Viper, and taken his place as both the Viper, and captain of the Maiden’s Revenge. Big changes, but thats not all. She can’t actually be with Bronn because she’s promised to Torin, Prince of the Eastern Isles, and heir to the throne. He’s also one of her best friends, and gayer than Cher’s fourth farewell tour, but they’ve been sworn to marry to solidify both of their positions AND force the King to abdicate (because he’s a top tier, grade A dick. Seriously.) so guess the wedding has to go ahead.

Sounds like everything is going to go swimmingly, doesn’t it. Well, normally, it would, but because the wonderful Ms Hogan likes to torment us, it all goes to shit pretty much as soon as the wedding banquet is over. Torin is almost assassinated, Marianne is framed, Torin’s sweetheart, Sharpe, is tortured into convicting her, and my dear sweet Bronn is promoted to Viper. All in the space of about 20 pages. Pretty bleak, right? Oh, how we love a cheerful tale to get us through these trying times… Anyway, Marianne escapes (obviously) and finds her way to the sea, resurrecting a dead woman on the way, and meeting the mysterious Raoul, a merchant/pirate/seer who reads her prophecy and condemns her to destroy the world with storm and fury.

Our girl cannot catch a break can she?

Well, she can, because somehow she manages to find her boy Bronn, the rest of the Snakes, and of course they’re still loyal to her. That’s their Marianne!

And so begins the journey to the West, where Marianne must begin both her training as a mage, and her education in the islands that she could rule. She meets new friends, long lost family, and proves her worth/blood/right by befriending the fiercely magical snow mares who live high in the mountains of one of the islands, only going to the low lands when the sea stallions come to mate, guarded by Marianne’s distant cousins, Ravyn, Olwyn, Pip, and Mama, the matriarch and guardian of the mares.

Eventually, Marianne meets the Guardians, protectors of the Royal Family, and Gaius, the only remaining Mage of the Western Isles, who agrees to teach and train her. But, spoiler alert, he’s a dick. Gaius is there only to steal Marianne’s magic, cementing his role as sole ruler of the Twelve Isles, and destroying anyone and everyone who stands in his way. He’s honestly a twat of the highest order, and I hope he steps on whatever the Twelve Isles equivalent of a lego is. Maybe a pinecone. Or a rusty nail.

The end of Venom is one of the biggest shocks of the entire series, and isn’t the easiest read as it deals with torture, mutilation, and betrayal. But you can’t help but read on, you need to know whats happening and whats going to happen, and see whether you theories are going to play out or if you’ve been hoodwinked by some little detail along the way. So far, no-one I know who’s read Venom saw the ending coming. I’ve seen the text threads with Bex to prove it. I have the messages I sent Bex to prove how she ripped our hearts out and used them to play tennis with.

If Viper sets the series up, Venom had a hard act to follow without falling into the trap of being the “difficult second album”, but it manages to surpass the first, adding more layers and intrigue to the story of the Twelve Isles, introducing even more twists (I didn’t think they were possible), and making you feel for the characters even more. If you enjoyed Viper, read Venom. If you thought Viper was just OK, book a GP appointment to get yourself checked out because clearly your judgment is impaired, then read Venom.

So there’s my recap/review of Venom. Book 3, Vulture, is out on April 8th and you can buy it wherever fine books are sold (I’m not allowed because of furlough to recommend by own bookshop but if you wanted to buy it from… erm… H2O Rocks… then you should), but support your local bookshop or indy if you can! There’ll be a full review, spoiler free, on release day, but I can tell you right now that you are NOT ready. At all.

What do you think will happen in Vulture? What pains do you think Bex will inflict upon us? Let me know what you think about Viper and Venom in the comments, or on twitter and I’ll see you in the next one.