A place needs to be rebuilt and a mother and her daughters are ready to take the tremendous task. But they are far from being innocent and life exposed them to the least nicest episodes. Kanda is up to the task, but on her own terms. In a cruel world, she is ready to play all her cards against all odds.
A Sword of Gold and Ruin by Anna Smith Spark was a read very much out of my comfort zone, but it kept me focused because indeed, there is a strong fantastic backbone in building up the story, but the main characters do have a timeless strength.
Atmospheric and built through strong images that amplifies the unknown and the unique ambiance of the book, the book succeeded to have me completely wired. The weight of some scenes is overwhelming emotionally and despite my desire to spend as much time as possible with the book, I had to break my reading spree with breaks that helped me to better make sense of the story as a whole or only some specific episodes.
The ambiance is very much in sync with the challenges the characters are facing: building up something from nothing, in a very hostile environment and lacking the proper material and physical resources.
Personally, I liked the ways in which the framework of the epic myth permeates the daily reality. It makes the myth feels real and the daily reality acquire folktale reverberations, although I had to do some extra research for some of the symbols and mythical references.
The book is a sequel of A Sword of Bronze and Ashes but can be also easily read as a stand alone. This was my first ever encounter with this author - I am usually not an active reader of fantastic novels - but I am more than convinced that it will not be the last.
Rating: 4.5 stars
Disclaimer: Book offered as part of the book tour but the opinions are, as usual, my own
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