Book Review | VENOM by Bex Hogan

Hello my bookish friends. Half way through the week and do I have a cracker of a review for you. If you follow me on social media Twitter or Instagram, then you know this is my hotly anticipated read of 2020. It won’t be the last time I will mention this book either. So I won’t say anymore until my review, as I’m bursting to tell you all about it.

Venom (Isles of Storm and Sorrow, #2) by Bex Hogan
Series: Isles of Storm & Sorrow #2
Published by Orion Children's Books on April 16, 2020
Genres: Fantasy
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Marianne has never wanted to be a fighter, but with unrest and discord threatening the Twelve Islands, she will have to battle threats both inside and out in an attempt to attain peace for her homeland.
Marianne is now the Viper, but her hopes for peace in the Eastern Isles are being frustrated. The corrupt King remains on the throne, bandits are proving hard to stop and Marianne is not sure who among her crew she can truly trust.
For the islands to prosper, the invisible bond that once existed uniting land and sea must be reinstated. There's only one way that can happen - the return of magic. To do that Marianne must put aside all her fears: she must return to her roots, the Western Isles, and call on the power that runs in her blood.
She must become a Mage.
Only then, can she possibly command the army needed to finally take down the King.

My Review

With mild spoilers (sorry)

Bloody hell! It broke me! It killed me! (not literally) but prepared though. This is a sequel like no other. I don’t say that lightly. I always feel that a sequel can let the series down or make it magnificent. This is that book! Very few sequels I’ve read do this, but this is by far the best fantasy sequel I’ve read! You feel everything in this book!!

She defeats Adler, and Marianne becomes The Viper. A marriage to unite all even it it truly breaks her heart. She wants to bring peace to East isles, so she marries Torin, the King’s son. But it all goes horribly wrong, when Torin is assassinated , his life hanging in the balance. The King thinks it’s her who killed him. Standing on trial, Marianne escapes… Her only way to make the King pay is to embrace her power within. Marianne needs guidance, to embark on a journey of self discovery and finally acknowledge her true identity. To break the fraught and self destruction between East and West Isles, to unite them as they once were.

I loved being back in this world and it was so much more than I could have ever thought from a sequel. I felt all the emotions in this whirlwind of book and from the first page you dive straight into the adventure. A new adventure, featuring mages, royalty and magic. Once again I was captured by Bex’s beautiful yet strikingly dark world in contrast to book 1. The world building in Venom was turned up a notch, brutal and dark, we delve into the history of royalty and Mages and how they treated the Isles. But with darkness comes the light and the magic, and that is Marianne. My favourite island in this Snow Island and there was this magical scene of her running with snow mares. This series has become a voyage of the greats. A modern day classic.

Marianne, the Viper, the fiercest character you’ll ever meet. I admire her and her courage. While she can be wild and is consumed by this anger all of her life. Her confusion and love and inner conflict ion and turmoil  and seduction of the magic and power. Her strength, she strikes at your heart. Her choices of magic, duty and her heart. Her life has truly been planned all along.  She battles so much love, loss and secrets that I honestly don’t know how she does it! There was a moment whilst I was reading that, Bex’s strength she builds into her characters inspired me to draw, to create my vision of what Marianne is like. To me she is this like Black Widow taking the seas by storm. She is unstoppable, she is magnificent and unearthly, a character who kick-ass.

A new journey comes with a whole new family of characters. Whilst I miss the crew of the Maiden, Grace, Bronn, (don’t worry they are there in the first part.) I really loved getting to know a new set of characters, Mama, Rayvyn, Olwyn, Astrid, Jax,  – Grace’s brother, Guardians, royal protectors, a family of East and West uniting. My favourite had to be Olwyn, she became a best friend, a sister, of her true family. Almost as if Grace’s legacy is living on throughout the books and I loved that. Once again each of Bex’s characters have that soul, strength and love that radiates through the pages. Just speaking to her on Twitter, I really do get that sense of persona within all of her characters. That’s just what makes it first class, getting to know an author through their own characters, shows a quality of writing.

Bex’s writing is a privilege to read. It’s in itself magical, breathtaking, it literally takes your breath away after that final page. It’s like you’ve been holding your breath, and you let out until the very end. I think I be holding it until the final chapter in the trilogy to reach my hand.

All I want to do is hug the book and never let go. Waiting a year for this book and it’s over and now I have to wait another for the heartbreaking final chapter in this magnificent trilogy. Bex Hogan is the Queen of Fantasy in my eyes, and I loved this book. Which is a total understatement. I will say it again though… BEST FANTASY SEQUEL EVER!

Here’s Marianne, the Viper inspired me to draw for the first time in a long time. I’m not one for fan art usually.

Today is also the last day to claim the pre-order off… So I hope after that review you will get on that! Here is a link with all the info.